Hi, boy you got that right about building a gun with keys and a standing breech. I'm in the middle of such a build, a Chambers English fowler and am doing just that, a standing breech, found after getting the breech inletted that I needed more wood in the breech area and had to sand a flat and glue more wood! So, aside from just the normal amount of work I'm having to do additional inletting and deal with gluing. I'll have to get some pic's up.
I hear you, I bit off a great big hunk also, so far so good but man is it taking forever......
That fowler is looking good! Keep posting pics!