Hi All
In addition to four other pieces (2 muskets + 2 pistols) that I was asked to supply for a Rev War period TV pilot in production now, I was asked to create a couple of 1744 Cavalry (Horse) Carbines to be used by some mounted troops. I had the equivalent of 3 afternoons to get all six pieces finished and so undertook a "quick and dirty" conversion of a couple of off-the-rack 1740 Long Land (1st Mod) Bess muskets. I thought the build turned out pretty well given the abbreviated time I had to work with and thought I would share a couple of photos of the build and the finished product.
After referencing several sources to get a good handle on what the 1744 Horse Carbine looked like, I grabbed a couple of stock 1740 Long Land (1st Mods) and got down to business. The 1744 Carbine utilized hardware that was virtually an exact copy of that used on the 1740 Land Service musket except that it was in slimmer, lighter proportions. On film no one will ever be able to tell the difference.
I first placed an expedited order for two brass front sights + two oval head tang bolts. I had these shipped 2nd day so they would arrive in time for the last day of the build.
I then used a chop saw to cut the barrels and stocks down to the appropriate 37 inches.
I then shaped the ends of the forestocks. The 1744 Carbine was home stocked, so that made things relatively easy.
The holes in the forestocks for the sling swivels then had to be filled. Since I was going to be shortening the ramrods anyway, and the ramrods I had were made of the same type of wood as the stocks, I used the small ends of the rods to fill the holes.
The most important part of the conversion was the creation of the sling bars. I did not have time to source anything special, so while I worked on the weapons, I had the fab shop down the street bend pieces of steel rod and weld them to washers on one end and pieces of rectangle bar on the other. For a ring, I used off-the-shelf steel rings.
After picking up the bars from the shop, I used the trusty Dremel to rough out finials that I finished to shape with files. After some "eye-balling" for proper alignment, I drilled and tapped the finials. (The pic below shows a finial prior to polishing.)
I then drilled holes through the forestocks and countersunk holes for the bolts that would attach the front of the bars. I then inletted the area around the rear lock bolts for the attachment of the rear of the sling bars. When the through bolts that I had ordered arrived on the last day of the build, I was able to assemble the sling bars.
The 1744 Carbine had a simple brass blade sight. The closest I could get on extremely short notice was an odd brass triangle. I used my trusty Dremel and files again to work the sights into the appropriate shape. I then soldered them on in the requisite position.
With that done, I shortened the ramrods to the required length, re-attached the brass tips, and then disassembled the pieces for a quick stain + finish + polish of the hardware + reassembly.
Although these conversion pieces have a larger bore (carbines were .66 caliber whereas these cut down muskets are .75) and slightly oversized (musket) hardware, the end product pretty fairly approximates the historical piece and should be plenty passable for a TV appearance.
Here are a few views of the finished product:
In addition to four other pieces (2 muskets + 2 pistols) that I was asked to supply for a Rev War period TV pilot in production now, I was asked to create a couple of 1744 Cavalry (Horse) Carbines to be used by some mounted troops. I had the equivalent of 3 afternoons to get all six pieces finished and so undertook a "quick and dirty" conversion of a couple of off-the-rack 1740 Long Land (1st Mod) Bess muskets. I thought the build turned out pretty well given the abbreviated time I had to work with and thought I would share a couple of photos of the build and the finished product.
After referencing several sources to get a good handle on what the 1744 Horse Carbine looked like, I grabbed a couple of stock 1740 Long Land (1st Mods) and got down to business. The 1744 Carbine utilized hardware that was virtually an exact copy of that used on the 1740 Land Service musket except that it was in slimmer, lighter proportions. On film no one will ever be able to tell the difference.
I first placed an expedited order for two brass front sights + two oval head tang bolts. I had these shipped 2nd day so they would arrive in time for the last day of the build.
I then used a chop saw to cut the barrels and stocks down to the appropriate 37 inches.
I then shaped the ends of the forestocks. The 1744 Carbine was home stocked, so that made things relatively easy.
The holes in the forestocks for the sling swivels then had to be filled. Since I was going to be shortening the ramrods anyway, and the ramrods I had were made of the same type of wood as the stocks, I used the small ends of the rods to fill the holes.
The most important part of the conversion was the creation of the sling bars. I did not have time to source anything special, so while I worked on the weapons, I had the fab shop down the street bend pieces of steel rod and weld them to washers on one end and pieces of rectangle bar on the other. For a ring, I used off-the-shelf steel rings.
After picking up the bars from the shop, I used the trusty Dremel to rough out finials that I finished to shape with files. After some "eye-balling" for proper alignment, I drilled and tapped the finials. (The pic below shows a finial prior to polishing.)
I then drilled holes through the forestocks and countersunk holes for the bolts that would attach the front of the bars. I then inletted the area around the rear lock bolts for the attachment of the rear of the sling bars. When the through bolts that I had ordered arrived on the last day of the build, I was able to assemble the sling bars.
The 1744 Carbine had a simple brass blade sight. The closest I could get on extremely short notice was an odd brass triangle. I used my trusty Dremel and files again to work the sights into the appropriate shape. I then soldered them on in the requisite position.
With that done, I shortened the ramrods to the required length, re-attached the brass tips, and then disassembled the pieces for a quick stain + finish + polish of the hardware + reassembly.
Although these conversion pieces have a larger bore (carbines were .66 caliber whereas these cut down muskets are .75) and slightly oversized (musket) hardware, the end product pretty fairly approximates the historical piece and should be plenty passable for a TV appearance.
Here are a few views of the finished product:
