Carolina Gun / Iron mounted

[Hatchet-Jack]

Im not crazy about doing the bedding and inletting in a modern way but it kinda intrigues me . If I could get a way to inlet the barrel and lock quickly so I could make a more affordable NW for folks I'd seriously consider doing it . But ....those pre inlet stocks are flippin expensive !! I might as well keep doing it the way I am now ! Sure wouldnt be any cheaper .... Wish I could find a way then I could offer a modern made stock and a traditional built style stock . Oh well ...one can dream .

This rail method I was talking about goes way back. I think John Bivens found some of the original tools and believed it was a method used during the 18th century. Here's some pics of me at my teacher's shop working on my stock:

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

That's amazing! Thanks for posting them!

 

[Rob M.]

This rail method I was talking about goes way back. I think John Bivens found some of the original tools and believed it was a method used during the 18th century. Here's some pics of me at my teacher's shop working on my stock:
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Thats great !! Thanks for posting

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Im not crazy about doing the bedding and inletting in a modern way but it kinda intrigues me . If I could get a way to inlet the barrel and lock quickly so I could make a more affordable NW for folks I'd seriously consider doing it . But ....those pre inlet stocks are flippin expensive !! I might as well keep doing it the way I am now ! Sure wouldnt be any cheaper .... Wish I could find a way then I could offer a modern made stock and a traditional built style stock . Oh well ...one can dream .

Rob, you might have mentioned it before but what's the length of this barrel?

 

[Rob M.]

Rob, you might have mentioned it before but what's the length of this barrel?

Its 48" bud ....

 

[IanH]

I use a vertical milling machine with carbide tooling to inlet barrel channels, ramrod channels, and to slot for tenons and pipes. I also use it for spotting and drilling for pins. There is risk of blowing out the sides of the inlet if you aren't careful, but it is a fast way to remove wood and get close to the final fit. I then use mandrels and sandpaper to get the final fit. I think it took me about two hours to do my first trade gun barrel. I like the feel of a fully-bedded stock, the ones where the stock only touches at the tenons, breech, and muzzle feel hollow and spongy to me.

 

[Rob M.]

From center line at breech , mark your tang width , mark you breech face on barrel , put tag back in barrel , cut tang to length and bend to sto k shape , file tag bolster to slight taper , then start chiseling straight down inside your marks ....bolster depth to full depth then rest of tang .....

 

[Rob M.]

....

 

[Rob M.]

Look straight down on the tang/ barrel often and look for gaps on the side ...take wood off from inside bolster area to get the barrel to move toward that gap , even up your barrel in the channel , little at a time ...

 

[Rob M.]

...

 

[Polecat_Tom]

Rob, I appreciate what you are doing. I put together two of Curly Gostomski's kits together in the 70s. The first one I put together was for someone in our club. I think I under bid the project because it worked out to .50 cents per hour. But after making one for him, I loved the gun so much I had to make one for myself.

 

[Rob M.]

Rob, I appreciate what you are doing. I put together two of Curly Gostomski's kits together in the 70s. The first one I put together was for someone in our club. I think I under bid the project because it worked out to .50 cents per hour. But after making one for him, I loved the gun so much I had to make one for myself.

Very cool bud . Your welcome , I hope these builds/ posts might help someone some day . It just gives me a way of interacting with ya all . Sure wish I had a Curly gun ....well , I guess I will have one soon , a got a deal going on with a local fella. He's gettin my shorty NW for a Curly blanket gun and some cash . Be cool . Sure like to have a Curly gun with 36" barrel or longer though . One can dream . I'd like to do what Curly did ...specialize in nothing but NW trade guns for the country .

 

[Polecat_Tom]

One can dream . I'd like to do what Curly did ...specialize in nothing but NW trade guns for the country .

I think you are well on your way in specializing in NW Trade Guns. From your photos and description of what you are doing I would have to agree with D.Summers that are the "Celebrity Expert."

 

[Rob M.]

I think you are well on your way in specializing in NW Trade Guns. From your photos and description of what you are doing I would have to agree with D.Summers that are the "Celebrity Expert."

LOL !! Celebrity ! Still waitin on my " free coffee cause I'm a celebrity " card . I ain't much of a builder but happy to be a builder . If the gun doesnt look right or function good it won't leave the shop , thats fur certain ... I just love shootin them and their history .

 

[Rob M.]

Inlet black the breech end and whole tang .... Youll be working on the radius part first ...little cuts with chisel , go slow . The tang is one area you really need to be careful , stay inside your lines and work your way out . Its such a noticeable area on a gun . Dont want any gaps but , it happens , even on the originals . As the breech goes down keep extending you trace lines out but slow ...dont trace the tang if it is not touching the wood ! Keep putting barrel in , tap in Dow , check for gap at breech , tap muzzle rear ways , take it out , remove wood where black is .....repeat ....when you get to point it doesnt blacken at the radius anymore the gap at breech / wood ....should be gone . Keep doing this until tang is flat on wood .....then trace all way around .....

 

[Rob M.]

Keep inletting as described until whole tang is down . Sometimes the end won't touch the wood , barrel is at an angle so , as pictured , mark the end with pencil at angle , it'll be way short and you can inlet it later , taking a little at a time until breech is flat , no gap and tang is down .....

 

[Rob M.]

Ok , whole tang is down now . When I knock it down the barrel goes forward , making gap at breech to wood, so ....tllook at radius on breech bolster and end of tang , its at an angle .As you see it pic , both are the culprit ....remove the black .....

 

[Rob M.]

The tag is down in the wood but not to finish ...At the point now of getting rid of the breech gap, pointing g with pencil .... Each time knock barrel down at breech and toward breech at muzzle ...few times ...then take barrel out . Black usually stops showing g at bolster radius and last is usually end of tang ....keep removing wood until you see the bottom of barrel , has inlet black on it , is showing its hit bottom in barrel channel again ....

 

[Rob M.]

Gettin close

 

[Rob M.]

Ok then , she's down and done .... The top shows she's down and there is no gap at breech and it doesnt move forward , making gap , when I tap down at breech and I'm getting black marks at breech in barrel channel , she's down. So ....the end of tang is high . No biggy but want to explain options ...you can put tang in vice and bend twwek the tag a smidge and start bedding the tang again , BLAH !! or call it done and later file it down flush with wood , its plenty thick there and bolt doesnt go near end anyway so .....breech is bedded !