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  1. dave_person

    Help Identifying a Pair of Mid 1700s Flintlock Pistols

    Hi, These could be made in America mostly copying English styling. The acorn trigger guard looks like a crude American product using an English motif from the 1770s or later. Your pistols likely are no earlier than the 1770s. After digging a bit, your pistols were probably made around...
  2. dave_person

    Building a TRS Scottish Pistol (?)

    Hi Mike, Looks nice. I have the same castings but have not had any time to make the gun. The engraving will take as long as the building. I urge you to get a copy of Martin Kelvin's book "The Scottish Pistol: its history, manufacture, and design" dave
  3. dave_person

    Original notched breech plugs

    Hi, No, Joe Manton did not. He installed powder chambered breeches somewhat like Nock's breech or more often, he used inset breeches on his doubles such that the breech was narrower than the barrels and the locks inset to make the wrist much narrower and bring the pans much closer to the powder...
  4. dave_person

    Narrowing the width of a mainspring?

    Hi, Remember, the hardened and tempered spring is not glass, It has much more resislience and your concern is totally unfounded. However, it is common among folk who don't know any better. dave
  5. dave_person

    Narrowing the width of a mainspring?

    Hi, That thread has some pretty good info but Zonie's concern about any real danger in filing sideways across a spring is over blown. Look at many original springs and you will almost always see file marks across the springs. Here are examples of 2 original British guns made in the 1760s and...
  6. dave_person

    Narrowing the width of a mainspring?

    Hi, I've worked over many India-made locks. They all had crude mainsprings that were much too strong but the spring may not be the only source of your heavy trigger pull. Look at your sear spring. The bend and lower leaf are almost completely compressed. Moreover, the full **** notch on the...
  7. dave_person

    Them Indian Haters!

    Hi, I post a lot of threads and even videoed seminars on how to make 18th British muskets and fowlers. My intent has always been to help folks help themselves. There are not enough knowledgeable makers anywhere sufficient to meet the demand for British and French flintlock muskets. There are...
  8. dave_person

    Building a British Pattern 1800 Rifle (Baker)

    Hi, Thanks everyone for looking. I finished the sword bayonet. I've never made a sword before and it took me a bit to figure out how this one should be constructed with its locking catch. The attachment system needed adjustment to get to work properly but it all came out OK. We took...
  9. dave_person

    Where should I Get My Miroku Charleville Defarbed?

    Hi, I cannot quote you any price until I have the gun in hand because only then can I know how much work needs to be done. As I wrote previously, we don't do defarbs routinely and I generally avoid them because they can be very time consuming and my shop's mission is making historically correct...
  10. dave_person

    Building a British Pattern 1800 Rifle (Baker)

    Hi Guys, The Baker is done. The wood sure looks and worked like English walnut but TRS assured the owner it was black walnut. Anyway, I stained it with alkanet root infused in turpentine. I also added a light bone black glazing. The finish is Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung...
  11. dave_person

    Coil spring vs leaf spring?

    Hi, Coil springs simply get stronger the further they are depressed so the force builds up during the entire cocking process. "V" springs, which have been used successfully for 5 centuries or more and are entirely reliable, can be designed and fitted such that the force needed to bring the lock...
  12. dave_person

    Building a British Pattern 1800 Rifle (Baker)

    Hi Bob, I've not seen that done routinely, particularly on military guns. In the case of the Baker lock, there is no need because the lock bolts engage the plate very easily and precisely. No reason to fix something that is not broken. On many better quality British guns, the rear lock bolt...
  13. dave_person

    Building a British Pattern 1800 Rifle (Baker)

    Hi Folks, It has been hard to post photos on this thread. We are just too busy. Here is the finished lock. The rifle lock is a pretty good design and should perform very well. I eventually forged the main and sear springs to get the strength I wanted. Something I hate is when the lug on the...
  14. dave_person

    Mainspring Fabrication

    Hi Wick, Thanks for that insight. I was under the impression that rolled steel did have a grain direction worth considering. I was wrong so thank you for straightening me out. dave
  15. dave_person

    Mainspring Fabrication

    Hi, Jim I am not denigrating your springs but as I understand it, you went through a learning period milling your springs such that they did not risk taking a set after a period of use. I am not talking about breaking them, rather losing power over time because the grain of the metal runs...
  16. dave_person

    Mainspring Fabrication

    Hi Anthony, I would urge you to forge the spring and not machine cut it from a solid block. It will be stronger without the need for extra thickness at the bend. dave
  17. dave_person

    Mainspring Fabrication

    Hi, Use 1075 steel. It is far more forgiving than O1 and better than 5160 for springs. dave
  18. dave_person

    Kibler Fowler vs Trade Gun

    Hi Nick, No. Guns for, or of the trade were generic but usually well made British guns that were sold to other gun makers or retailers for final finishing, sometimes engraving and marking, and then for sale. Many mid-quality sporting guns guns labeled "London" and marketed by well known...
  19. dave_person

    A fowler for round ball accuracy

    Hi Bill, I know a couple of smooth bore shooters with 54 caliber guns that give rifles a run for their money at almost 100 yards. Here is a first target shot with a 20 gauge New England fowler I built. The shooting was offhand and the first shots wandered a lot because it took me a few shots...
  20. dave_person

    Dave Keck Brown Bess Stock

    Hi Nick, They are mostly early long land patterns and are nicely profiled. I looked at them all in Dave's shop and the only short land profile was designed to fit Pedersoli parts. He also has a profile for a Wilson commercial musket. I labeled them all for Dave. dave
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