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Early plains rifle build

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gferlitsch

36 Cal.
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
60
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I've been working on this rifle for the last several months. It is only my second build so it is slow going, but I'm finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to have it finished for my first rendezvous next year in early February.

 
Sorry but I have no idea why the image is so small. You can click on it to see a larger version.
 
It is a Track of the Wolf early Hawkens fullstock kit., .54 caliber, L&R lock, L&R double set trigger, 36" barrel with a hooked breach.
 
If this is your first build, I might suggest a different kit. The hooked breach was a bugger - the cast tang left something to be desired and required a lot of heat bending and some filing to get it to fit decently.
 
Looks like fun.

I can not see the picture on photo bucket properly.

They block access to folks who use ad blocker. They also extorted their customers last year. There is nothing good about them. I suggest you forget about photo bucket.

Maybe try Dropbox.
 
Sorry I don't currently use any other image hosting services and I can't figure out how to post a larger image on this site.
 
GMFHUNTER said:
If this is your first build, I might suggest a different kit. The hooked breach was a bugger - the cast tang left something to be desired and required a lot of heat bending and some filing to get it to fit decently.
It would be my first BP build, however - I have built a few 1,000 yard PRS rifles and think I could handle this task.
Griz
 
Very nice! I want to build the exact kit but in .58 caliber. Any suggestions for someone wanting to build this kit?
 
Not a criticism, but just asking. I'm more used to looking at LR's, and plains rifles are something different to me. The cheek rest in general looks quite large, and as if it "drops" pretty low toward the belly line. Also, the line sweeping aft off the cheek rest toward the BP appears to intersect the comb line mid way between the bottom of the comb, and the BP. I don't know if this line is "correct" or not, but it's one of those things that bears looking at relative to the originals (or what you're trying to emulate) any way.

You similarly might want to spend some time critically evaluating your lock panel sizes and margins relative to the above. Your pictures don't show them very well, but they're often a difficult area and set of relationships to get just right. That is particularly true with the transition and sweep areas. Again, this is NOT a critique of YOUR gun. Just a general observation. Those kits and pre-carved stocks are famous for leaving WAY too much wood in them, particularly in the web.
 
Thank you for your observations. I have been trying to maintain the lines of the gun as true to the plan I purchased with the kit as my limited abilities permit. To be honest if I end up with a gun that somewhat resembles an early Hawken, has tight wood to metal fit and is functional I will be satisfied. The elk won't notice if the gun isn't a perfect replica. For me this is just one step forward in what I hope to be a long and enjoyable journey. I expect there will be many more rifle builds in my future through which I will continually hone my skills. Thank you again.
 
As long as you look closely at the plans and pictures regarding details you will be fine. I'm not talking about getting out the micrometers, but more about relationships. For instance (not your gun) if when viewed from the belly, the front foot of the TG appears to take up 1/3 of the width from panel to panel, but when you get it to dimension, it takes up about 1/2, then you know you need to file that front foot narrower in order to preserve the proportionality.

There are so MANY little things to pay attention to, which is why it takes builders a few go's at it before they seem to hit it.
 
There are so MANY little things to pay attention to, which is why it takes builders a few go's at it before they seem to hit it.

That pretty much sums up my position. On this go around I endeavored specifically to do the best job I could inletting, tuning the trigger and lock, removing excess wood, getting the panels correctly shaped and establishing good flowing lines. But as you say there is so much for a newbie like me to learn that you cannot do it all.
 
You've got the right attitude. As long as you work on each little sub project within the build as a project on to itself, and you vow not to move on to the next one until this one is done, you will be fine. Just remember that often, the prior sub-projects will need re-visiting based on wood and metal removal from the subsequent ones.

As an example; on my current build I did the butt incise carving months ago. Just a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to carving in the raised beads that run roughly parallel to, and just off the belly line. In the process of "raising them" I lowered the wood that held the incise carving to the point there is no longer any incise carving (on that part of the butt). So now I will have to go back to it and re-cut it. Not a big deal, but it is an example of how some times you make more work for yourself when doing subsequent sub projects. I suspect it may need to get freshened up again after this time when I get to the final sanding before staining point too. A more experienced builder probably wouldn't have had to cover the same ground again like that.

So the moral of the story is; "Don't be in a hurry to get the gun done. DO be quite particular and critical about what passes for done." Repeat. the MOST IMPORTANT part of the build is the part you are working on right now, and then the next sub project will be. Why? Because it all builds on itself.
 
I like it. My first build was a TOW full-stock Hawken kit (.50 percussion) and it ended up looking quite nice even though it was a bugger in certain ways as you've pointed out. Like I said, good job.
 
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