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If you think about it, the stock is probably the most visible aspect of a gun. You're going to spend a few hundred hours toiling over it before you're through. You should take all the time you need to find a piece of wood that you're ultimately happy with. That wait can sometimes be over a...

You know what you're doing. This isn't your first build. I'm confident you know what's "correct" and what isn't, and, more importantly, the how's and why's of what to do and what not to do. We're all anxious to see your progress reports as you move forward. I've always felt that paying...

How thick is your web? That makes all the difference in how svelte the final product comes out. And yeah, get rid of the hump. The wrist should (with most styles) start bending right at the end of the barrel. You can't bend the plug / tang there, so you have to file it. Not. a big deal...

This time of year it will cure relatively quickly, but in August / September you might have to wait quite a while between coats. A drop or two of Japan Drier in the bowl helps some.

Running a stump with all those roots hanging off of there through a saw mill has got to be a real art, or trick. Lots of places for rocks and stuff to get stuck in there. I imagine the sawyers study the layout of the stump in the same way a diamond cutter might study a stone before they make...

Ooh Rah. That is not only unique and interesting, it's beautiful. The curving grain around the comb area really accentuates the curvy nature of that feature. Well done! I'm in the frozen North, where hackberry isn't normally available. How was that stuff to work with? Because it's not that...

My normal method of neutralizing browning is ordinary household ammonia, and the garden hose (or the shower if it's winter time), and scrubbing during the process. Maybe a baking soda paste too, (with lots of scrubbing during the process). Usually 2-3-4 times.

I was planning on; degrease, boil, card, apply, heat, steam, card, apply, heat, steam, card (repeating until the right color is attained) relying mostly on steaming rather than boiling after the first iteration which is mostly to activate the rust that's under a coat of oil now (patina). Does...

I have an older original that I'm doing a conservation / restoration job on. The barrel was originally rust blued. There is maybe 30% of it left. I don't want to bring it back to the point it was when it was new (there is some pitting in there), just to the point that it's plausible. So...

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The difficulty I've found in pressure flaking is hanging on to the flint with my off (left) hand while pressing the tool with my other (right) hand. Now I use those ratcheting rubber jawed wood clamps to hold it. It's not perfect (kinda slow), but sure beats beating up my fingers trying to...

We'll have to call you "El Mikee" from now on! 🙄

That's too bad. I wonder if you might have hit the shoulder blade and the ball blew up on you? The relatively close range and a heavy charge / high velocity can sometimes do that. I had that happen with a small deer once and a .308 Win with a plain jacketed bullet at 15 yards. I now only use...

Speaking of Rice barrels, the last one I had seemed nigh on impossible to get the witness marks to line up when I was re-installing the plug. I'm sure they did it right, or else the witness marks (obviously stamped at the same time) wouldn't be there. It's like they employ the old Samsonite...

It's always something of a dilemma concerning how much conservation and restoration to do isn't it? Do you want to bring the gun back to what it likely was when it was new? Or do you just want to stop the further decay? Replace chipped out pieces of wood? Certainly (IMHO) replacing internal...

I think that's a finish better suited for more modern stuff than we typically see in examples from the 18th century. From what I've seen, very few American guns were blued, though some English and French guns were..

If you make it too white looking it might get confused for an 18th century Imperial Blaster. 🤣

You guys are right again as usual. But it's the spacing part I need help with. Once there is a scratch in the metal, it's reasonably easy to follow the line. The ground down tapping bit is a good idea. Something in the order of 12-16 TPI. Another thought I had is to use my metal calipers as...

Agree. The same can be said for what you see on GB too. It seems that's become the "go to" place (of the gun auction web sites) to get top dollar. I seldom buy things there, because there are so many fraudsters that seem to be sellers there. Rock Island and Morphys is even higher (the...

I bet she was after him to up the amount on his life insurance policy before he left the house again. 😉 I always put tape over the muzzle of my rifles when I go hunting. You never know when something can fall out of a tree you're leaning it up against (or the sky) and get in there, which...