Brown Bess stock question

[Flintlock1640]

I thoroughly enjoyed the thread about making the King's muskets but it made me wonder. I have several slabs of 200+ year old walnut that should be big enough to each make a couple of stocks. I understand that the available stocks are too small for the original parts or castings thereof. I do my woodturning at a school and they have a CNC and I have an original 1742 pattern and Liege 1777 Short Land. Would it be worth it to do the profiles on each so that we could cut stocks on the CNC that are all the right dimensions and maybe just program it so that each of the inlets is a bit small for finish work to make sure each piece can be fitted. I know that's a lot of work to get started but once the program exists we should be able to make them to order (I don't have an unlimited supply of walnut) as many as are asked for. I don't have a long enough drill bit to drill the ramrod channel but the rest seems like something that would be nice to have available verses making it from scratch. What do you all think?

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
That would be a wonderful thing to do but the problem is finding the components to fit historically correct stocks. Again, the only game in town is the rifle shoppe and you also need correct barrels. The breech dimensions are 1 5/16" to 1 7/16". That is so critical to getting the profile right. I adapt smaller barrels but they are a compromise and it takes real finesse to make them look right. Before profiling a King's muskets for CNC production, you absolutely need to measure originals guns. To not do that would be a horrible waste of effort. Also, keep in mind, one of Jim Kibler's greatest challenges was creating components that matched the precision of his stocks. That is why he is making almost all his own components. Your dilemma will be finding components that fit your historically accurate stocks.

dave

 

[Flintlock1640]

Hi,
That would be a wonderful thing to do but the problem is finding the components to fit historically correct stocks. Again, the only game in town is the rifle shoppe and you also need correct barrels. The breech dimensions are 1 5/16" to 1 7/16". That is so critical to getting the profile right. I adapt smaller barrels but they are a compromise and it takes real finesse to make them look right. Before profiling a King's muskets for CNC production, you absolutely need to measure originals guns. To not do that would be a horrible waste of effort. Also, keep in mind, one of Jim Kibler's greatest challenges was creating components that matched the precision of his stocks. That is why he is making almost all his own components. Your dilemma will be finding components that fit your historically accurate stocks.

dave

i hadn't really thought to get into the components also. I guess I was more thinking, if someone had all the parts needed and needed a stock without starting from scratch then I could provide one 100% based off the original. Could be interesting to try to gather the components and do the whole thing. I have an original 1777 pattern Dublin Castle lock. Might be fun to get all the brass from rifle shoppe and source an original barrel for it. I know that would take some time but would be worth it.