Yes, I plan to post a report. But my 'puter is still giving fits and I never know if a post will actually post. Plus, weather here has been lousy lately, raining and cold. Shooting this beauty will be delayed for several days.
Building a Chambers Little Fella's Rifle
- Thread starter dave_person
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Yes, I plan to post a report. But my 'puter is still giving fits and I never know if a post will actually post. Plus, weather here has been lousy lately, raining and cold. Shooting this beauty will be delayed for several days.
Yes, I did receive the rifle in good shape a week ago. Unfortunately computer problems have delayed posting anything about it and weather has kept me from shooting it yet. But, here is a pic of me with the Little Fella. That strained look on my face is from waiting for the timer on the camera to take the picture. Actually, I am happy beyond words. I suggest, to know more about this rifle, do read completely the posts Dave put up about his experience building this kit. In short, it ain't no Legos kit. Anybody but a serious, experienced builder would havee not been able to build this kit without it coming out looking like an old fence post.Sorry about cutting off this post. I'm typing blind again, coomput frozeWill finishh and repost when and if I can get it unfroze
Continuing the post, or trying to. I would advise anyone who is considering building any 'kit' rifle to read all the posts put up by Dave. This is, supposedly, one of the better kits on the market. But he encountered issues with it that were correctable only by an expert, experienced builder. Anyhow, even though I had seen Dave's pictures my heart and breathing stopped when I first got a look at this rifle in person. The wood isn't fancy (my choice) but the execution, lines,browning and finish combine to make this a beautiful representation of what it is supposed to be. My eyes were most drawn to the lock with it's dark blue/black finish and shiny case hardened screws. I told Dave I want a second one so I can (typing blind again, here we go again) so I can wear it as a piece of jewelry. (that's a joke, folks, but an honest reaction to what I think of it.) The lock functions beautifully. I have had several very good flintlocks but this one surpasses all in terms of smoothness and function. It sparks incredibly well. There are modifications that one would not notice by casual examination but contribute to fast, reliable ignition. It takes a smaller flint than recommended on the TOW site for this lock. I'm going to have to buy more flints. More reports after I do some shooting.
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Hey, you look good there with that smoke pole!! Have fun with it Frank and I hope the sights work out as planned. The sight picture reminds me of my old Anschutz biathlon rifle. I enjoyed building it for you.
dave
dave
Been behind in my reading and finally got to go through this entire post. THANK YOU Dave for all the details. I picked up a few more really good tips I can use on my own future builds. I particularly liked the little trick on the counterbore and tang bolt to get a perfect fit. I always have trouble with that one and will definitely try your method the next time.
Many issues you faced with this build were very similar to what I had when I took a Pedersoli Frontier I had owned for years and did a complete makeover to make it sleek and appealing vs the commercial mis-shapen chunk it was. I also changed that one from cap to flint using the Chambers builders lock. I documented that makeover on this forum and via a Flickr album that I see has now had over 2200 views on Flickr. While I'm not an experienced builder anywhere near your skill level, hopefully when people take the time to do these kinds of posts, it helps others see what techniques are used and the results. I know I'd have never even tried building guns if it were not for Masters like you sharing your skills here.
Taking pictures and writing up the descriptions of what you're doing takes a LOT of time and effort. I appreciate being able to learn from a Master as do many others here. We cannot thank you enough for freely sharing your knowledge. It's appreciated more than you know. Feel free, should you desire, to do the same with #81!
Many issues you faced with this build were very similar to what I had when I took a Pedersoli Frontier I had owned for years and did a complete makeover to make it sleek and appealing vs the commercial mis-shapen chunk it was. I also changed that one from cap to flint using the Chambers builders lock. I documented that makeover on this forum and via a Flickr album that I see has now had over 2200 views on Flickr. While I'm not an experienced builder anywhere near your skill level, hopefully when people take the time to do these kinds of posts, it helps others see what techniques are used and the results. I know I'd have never even tried building guns if it were not for Masters like you sharing your skills here.
Taking pictures and writing up the descriptions of what you're doing takes a LOT of time and effort. I appreciate being able to learn from a Master as do many others here. We cannot thank you enough for freely sharing your knowledge. It's appreciated more than you know. Feel free, should you desire, to do the same with #81!
Dave, I'm not sure about the me looking good part. But the rifle is a beaut. It fits and holds perfectly. Ya woulda thunk it waz made fer me. ;-) I have extra rear peepers. I replaced the .050" with an .090" and get a much clearer picture. Weather here still super lousy, haven't shot yet. My jury is still out on the 'lollipop' style front post. If I don't care for it I have plan post inserts. I'm sure one of them will be fine. Glad, and appreciative, you enjoyed building it.
I’ve been reading through this thread and again have learned so much. Beautifully done tutorial and amazing artistry (I would never refer to such building skills as ‘craftsmanship’) .
