Custom .50 Early Lancaster Flintlock

[Herb]

Don bought these parts three years ago and asked me to put them together for him. Pecatonica River grade CM 3 stock, 15/16 x 42" Green Mountain barrel and siler lock, double set triggers.

This rifle is going to Texas, so I engraved a bluebonnet on the patchbox lid (state flower of Texas) and soldered a silver star on the finial.

This carving is based on Simon Lauck Sr's rifle on page 184 of Whisker's "Gunsmiths of Lancaster County". Side plate is a Klendenst(from Pecatonica)

I inlet a silver plate into the barrel for my signature. The yellow along the barrel is a reflection of the foam packing in the shipping box, not glass bedding.

I tested some loads between snow storms and screwed up by not bringing enough patching. Thus the different patches. I drifted the rear sight .019 right to move the zero one inch right after this shooting.

Don will be using this rifle in a reenactment at the Alamo in March, then in others around Texas.

 

[nchawkeye]

That's a fine looking rifle gun, he's gonna love it...Thanks for sharing...

 

[larry wv]

Very nice rifle :thumbsup: And thanks for posting the pictures. Larry Wv

 

[Herb]

I should clarify that Don bought the parts three years ago and finally decided to have someone else build the rifle. I started it about the first of last October and finished it in December, except for the final zeroing. Just did that the other day, about the first thawing day since the first of December. Rifle will be in Texas this week.

 

[Tim Ott]

Nice looking rifle! :thumbsup:

 

[RC]

ya dun good! :hatsoff: he'll love it! :thumbsup: if not.... :grin:

 

[agill]

Beautiful rifle! :thumbsup:

 

[bioprof]

Looks like a labor of love. Way to go! :hatsoff:

 

[Herb]

Bioprof, you got that right. A little over 200 hours....

 

[don1836]

Definitely has to be a labor of love for Herb. The rifle is absolutely beautiful and I could not be happier. When I first sent Herb the rifle parts, I gave him some basics I wanted and asked to be as period correct as possible. He offerred suggestions that all sounded so good that I just wanted to see him to put his craftsmanship to work. And did he ever. The detailing is just superb and beyond my expectations. He even personalized it by adding bluebonnets to the patchbox and a star on the finial, knowing it was going to TX. The anticipation and frequent updates really made it an enjoyable experience. And now I'm looking forward to hunting and showing it off to the public in upcoming reenactments. This is definitely not going to be wallhangar! Thanks again Herb for all the time and hard work you put into this project for me! I couldn't be more proud of it.

 

[dbutch]

Herb very nice and a good shooter..how long have you been building? Not one ounce extra wood on that one.Lots of detail! Love your test targets great info..Glad to see spring is coming your way..Enjoyed your pic's....Dan

 

[Herb]

Thanks. I stocked and checkered double barrel shotguns and centerfire rifles as a hobby from the mid '60's. Took a class at the Green River Rifle Works in Custom Antique Riflesmithing in 1978 and built a Leman there. Then another class from Lee Robertson in 1994, but he died before the course was well started. So I pretty much learned on my own, working from photos. Also I am greatly helped by having Neill Fields as a mentor. He worked at the old GRRW and has now built over 400 muzzleloading firearms. I have built about 40 rifles now and one Hawken .54 pistol. I try to follow the original gunsmith's hand as close as I can discern it from photos, not having any originals to handle. Except Jim Bridger's Hawken at GRRW, but I don't remember much about it. And a Jacob Wigle (Westmorland Co. PA) rilfe in a museum here. I also build custom, based on a school, as don1836's rifle is. I like to build heirloom rifles, but build them to shoot and test them.