Copy of a Lovely Chambers Rifle

[davec2]

Back on 29 July, a rifle by Jim Chambers was posted on the Contemporary Makers site.  Here is the link ...
http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2015/07/new-work-by-jim-chambers.html

I thought the rifle was particularly beautiful and I asked Jim, via an ALR post, if he would mind if I attempted a copy of it.  Jim graciously told me to go ahead, so I asked him for all of the specifics (caliber, barrel length, etc.)  Not a month or two before Jim's rifle showed up, I had decided to build another rifle using the many spare parts I had lying around.  I also decided that I wanted to build a small caliber rifle this time as everything else I had built recently was .50 or larger.  I didn't want to go as small as a .32 so I had purchased a 42 inch, .36 caliber swamped barrel from Rice and had it sitting on the shelf.  I also had a maple stock blank that I had purchased more than 25 years ago from Golden Age Arms and that had now been in the garage rafters for nearly three decades.  Since all the other parts I had available seemed close enough to Jim's rifle, I thought it would be OK to use them and just duplicate the feel and style of Jim's rifle, as best I could, with what I had rather than trying to make an exact copy.

So, although I am up to my eyeballs in work at the moment, I thought I would do a little on the rifle here and there.  In addition, I like posting the progress here for two reasons; first, I get such great feedback and constructive criticism all along the way that it helps me learn and make what improvements I can as I go.  Second, it hustles me along...just to keep the story moving, I need to make some progress.

So, here we go.....This is the quarter century old stock blank.  The first thing I did was to send the blank and barrel to Dave Rase to have him inlet the barrel for me.  As usual, he did a great job and got the blank sent back to me in very short order.

Next, I plied up all the parts, printed some pictures of Jim's rifle, and stated to do some scaling from the photos to lay out the major architecture.

A little work with the band saw and the major portions of unnecessary wood had been removed.

To get the barrel all the way down and in final position, I re-shaped the end of the breech plug, to match Jim's rifle, and then completed the inletting.  I also always like to bed the breech area, so I did that with AcraGlass as well.

So far so good....More when I can get to it.

 

[davec2]

OK....had some time to make and install the four barrel loops.  I had originally intended to use keys, but shifted back to pins at the last moment since Jim's rifle uses pins.  So the barrel is down tight, except for the tang screw, which I will install after the trigger plate is inlet.

Had some time left, so I shifted over to the ram rod pipes.  The two forward pipes go quickly, but I always dread the rear pipe...no reason, except I find it tedious.  Jim's rifle has no engraving on any of the pipes, and I don't intend to add any, but I did cut some additional decorative rings on the pipe end moldings to make them a little more elaborate.

 

[davec2]

Had all the parts except the side plate, so I stopped to make that today out of 1/8 inch brass sheet.  I had to scale the design a little as the lock I am using is about 3/8 of an inch shorter than the one Jim used.  I cut out the plate, beveled the edges, and sketched out the copy of Jim's engraving on it.

I have not had any time to engrave much lately so.....I thought I should start on the side plate.  If I messed that up, I could make another one and try again.  If I messed up on the lock or patch box, the mistake would be much harder to correct.  This is just the outline cut...no shading yet.....

Shading cut in......picture with the finished plate and a picture of Jim's plate.

Closer image of side plate.....

 

[wattlebuster]

You do some fine work. I am looking forward too seeing this completed :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

simply tremendous!

:thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[Micah Clark]

Amazing !! I just had a side plate engraved .. What do you use to shade it? Yours looks nice

Thanks !

 

[davec2]

More progress - Frizzen annealed, lock polished and ready for the engraving layout:

Muzzle cap installed (except for the rivet)......

Butt plate installed........

 

[davec2]

Before running off to complete the lock engraving, I wanted to get it located and inletted.  Once down and in place, I made the lock bolts and then drilled and tapped the stock and plate for them.

With the lock located and in place, I assembled a trigger plate and trigger and got them installed as well......

Trigger guard next..............

 

[Kansas Jake]

Dave, all I can say is wow!

 

[davec2]

Have enough parts inlet now to start taking of any wood that doesn't look like a long rifle.

This next photo may take a little explanation.......This stock blank turned out to be about 3/8 inch too narrow for the butt plate I am using and for the depth of the cheek piece I wanted.  So, I had decided that I would add as much material as I needed in the cheek piece area.  At first I was considering brass.....then ivory.....then horn.......then black horn.......wait, how about ebony?  Ebony it was.  It looks a little nutty right now with the stark contrast between the maple and the ebony, but once stained, I think it will look fine.  I have mixed the two woods on other projects and been very pleased with the result.  We will see how this turns out.  I have a fall back if I end up not liking it.

 

[davec2]

Stopped work on the stock for a bit and shifted back to metal work.  I decided to include my usual breech decoration and gold touch mark.  Here is the breech cut with a border, the touch mark recess excavated and the gold sheet cut to fit....

The touch mark after pressing..............

My usual engraving on the underside of the barrel..............tried a different style this time....more rustic.....

 

[Swamp Rat]

You may have just given me and Idea how to fix a cheek piece that had a hokey groove cut in on a precarve. Thanks for sharing and I must say you work FAST!

 

[Ames]

Puttin' me to shame, man. I'm loving it! :bow:

 

[davec2]

Had a little time between test contracts to start making some progress on this rifle.  Started some carving and then switched over to engraving the lock.  I am trying to do my best to copy Jim's design style.....not all that successfully, but at least I am not stuck in my same rut.  The lock isn't completely finished yet, but it's close.

 

[davec2]

Since this is (mostly) a shameless copy of Jim Chamber's beautiful rifle, I didn't have to spend much time trying to decide what to carve.  Here is the layout of the butt carving sketched directly from a photo of Jim's rifle.......

This next photo shoes the start of cutting in the outlines.......

And then some of the relief carving..........

A lot of refining and smoothing yet to go, but at least some progress has been made here.  I did also get to the same stage of unrefined carving at the barrel breach, the rear pipe, and the patchbox side of the wrist..........

 

[Micah Clark]

Good gravy !! Compared to this guy, I'm building a rifle out of Lego's and scotch tape . . . Man this is some good work and talent.

Are we sure this really isn't Jim Chambers or Hershel House posting here just to mess with us ???

 

[pargent]

:hatsoff: :applause: :applause: :applause:

 

[Cowboy]

:applause: :applause: :applause:

Beyond words!

Thank you for sharing.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[longshot47]

It don't get much better!!