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  1. O

    Jobs you hate

    I've never ever done a job that 100% perfect-that drives me nuts. Now and again I'll get right down to the end of the project when I'm distracted or tired or pressured and I make a boo boo that forces me to tear out some of my work to fix. I don't like to think how much time and money I've lost...
  2. O

    Best way to finish stock?

    I tend to use a light circular motion with fine paper and a felt backer and that seems to work as well. We will use 220 grit for a mud rub but that will occasionally leave fine scratches. We have found 3M makes a sanding sponge for auto body shops and the ultra fine and micro fine work well for...
  3. O

    Best way to finish stock?

    B.Habermael and Zonie are quite correct in their advice. But let me ad one caveat; water on un sealed wood can raise wood grain, the so called "whiskers". Whiskers make for a rough wood surface and on some types of wood will cause the stain to be un evenly absorbed. The solution is to as the...
  4. O

    can powder stay in the barrel?

    As about everything in life common sense is always necessary. My feeling is that if one has a specific reason for having a loaded gun and one practices good safety precautions that's OK. Leaving guns loaded at random is an accident waiting to happen- not necessarily because of the owner's...
  5. O

    wood filler

    we kind of developed a method using 2-part epoxy that's a bit complicated to get set up to do but works really well and once you've purchased the materials you can do hundreds of repairs from small quantities so the price isn't too bad. We use West System epoxy with the fast catalyst...
  6. O

    I have no idea what I have

    In my experience, this a kind of niche firearm in the gun collector's marketplace. Most of the folks who collect this type of gun do so by maker or region like a county or a state. Since we don't know the maker we can't value the gun that way. The combination guns have never been high value...
  7. O

    Birchwood Casey or Laurel Mountain Forge

    Let me just emphasize this is a method we came upon to accurately reproduce a very specialized finish, a thin coppery to ox blood coloration that would not have been correct for a sporting rifle of the period. I think the point I was trying to make was that LMF is a very versatile product and...
  8. O

    Hawken percussion lock

    Also check to see if there are any rub marks on the wood inside the lock mortise particularly in the cut out where the sear leg, ( the long metal part that sticks out at right angle to rest of the lock inside) goes and is contacted by the trigger when you pull it. Sometimes wood can twist and...
  9. O

    Accidents It can happen to you

    I think we are talking apples and oranges comparisons here. There is a very real cultural difference in gun ownership between we in the states and you folks in Britain. I think it fair to say that we are primarily a rifle culture while you are a shotgun culture. We in the states tend to value...
  10. O

    Accidents It can happen to you

    I don't disagree that a well made damascus firearm that has passed modern re-proof is a safe firearm, however, the manufacture of a Damascus barrel is a rather exacting process and only as sound as the maker of the barrel. A case in point: in the mid 60"s I aquired a John Krider militia musket...
  11. O

    Birchwood Casey or Laurel Mountain Forge

    I do agree with you that LMF can be too strong particularly if you are going for the type of browning used on the military guns such as the 1841 Mississippi. That finish is more of a staining than a coating and is a coppery red color. We dilute LMF by 50% with distilled water and brown in a damp...
  12. O

    Birchwood Casey or Laurel Mountain Forge

    We use both in the shop; BC for small parts and touch up and LMF for barrels and larger parts. LMF can be a bit too aggressive in high humidity so its a good idea to be able to check its progress every couple of hours and to follow the directions to kill the rusting action when you can't be...
  13. O

    I have no idea what I have

    As I recall, its what collectors term a combination gun because it has both a shotgun and a rifled barrel. You find most of them were built by New York makers, though they were also made in northern New England, Pennsylvania, and as far west as Ohio. Its surprising but not unheard of to be...
  14. O

    .58 cal Load question

    If you have an exact repro of a Springfield then you have a 1-72" twist. That twist by reputation does not stabilize a ball or a bullet very well and lower powder charges can be more accurate than the service load of 60 grains. I've owned a number of rifle muskets over the years and found the...
  15. O

    Went to a reduced load due to inconsistencies

    I do agree with the possibility of bore leading- Back in the day TC Hawkins with Maxi Balls would lead like no tomorrow and the solution was to scrub them with a bore brush and a lead removing powder solvent. OG
  16. O

    Accidents It can happen to you

    I was at a shoot at my home club back in the 60's when one of the regulars and a very experienced shooter lost a hand to an accident that to my mind was never adequately explained. The shooter was pouring from a metal 1lb can into a brass measure when the can exploded, virtually blowing his hand...
  17. O

    minies for an Enfield and Springfield

    To Ecco what Zonie mentioned, in my opinion, if the Minnie is soft lead and will fit in the bore and the powder charge is the original 60 grain service load, then it will be safe to shoot. Loading for accuracy takes a bit more work. The boys who shoot skirmish competition have evolved a method...
  18. O

    Accuracy and the Muzzle loader

    For my 2 cents I have known one gentleman who was an extraordinarily gifted shot who owned a particularly accurate rifle- a J. Brown Exeter New Hampshire light target rifle- who could and did frequently hold into the ten ring on a 100 yard small bore rifle target at 100 yards bench. 'Course he...
  19. O

    Excessive pressure

    There are so many variables to consider, for instance, are there barrel keys dovetailed into the barreled if so, what's the residual wall thickness at that point? Same thing for a rear sight dovetail. How many threads of contact in the bolster? Is this a name brand American made barrel or a...
  20. O

    Grip Safety

    Never seen anything like that on an American arm nor on an import from England or Belgium sold into the American market. I seem to remember something of the sort fitted to an early French Darne. Looks to be quite useful. OG
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