Finishing A Fowler Build

[PathfinderNC]

Nice progress this morning. I pinned on the trigger guard first.
Next step was locating and drilling the touch hole.
Then, because the lock pan wouldn’t line- up with the touch hole, as I knew, I modified the lock pan ( and frizzen).
Using my trusty Dremel tool, I carefully ground away at the large flash pan. I had carefully measured things and knew that there would be ample metal in the front on the pan that could be removed while still having the frizzen pan covering it. I deepened the pan dish and extended the pan forward so that now the touch hole sits in the pan quite well enough to provide good ignition.
Then I ground away the protruding boss under the frizzen pan cover, so the prime won’t get smashed.
I’m quite satisfied with how it’s come along, with these Lock adjustments I think this long Fowler will be putting on a nice show soon.

 

[CuNosecap]

I really think that many on this forum make way too much fuss about flash hole location, to the point some may think it necessary to measure in nanometers. That looks like your mod will work just fine. Love the progress on a difficult (salvage) build.
Thanks for posting, Rick.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I really think that many on this forum make way too much fuss about flash hole location, to the point some may think it necessary to measure in nanometers. That looks like your mod will work just fine. Love the progress on a difficult (salvage) build.
Thanks for posting, Rick.

I agree that so much focus is paid to the exact location of the touch hole. Obviously the location is important, but it's not the end of the world if it isn't smack dab in the center and at the horizon line of the pan.
So many existing, historical examples show these guns were used with "improperly" placed touch holes! Check out the one photo here of a 1760's New England fowler. Yes, it seemed to have worked. (I think mine is a tad similar, maybe?)
Anyway, I will be test shooting the fowler tomorrow after I fashion a long cleaning rod for it.
Thanks for your nice compliment, too

 

[PathfinderNC]

Today I fired two blanks from the long Fowler- the ignition was fast and I am really happy with it and with this L&R Queen Anne lock selection. With the modifications I made, it works well on the piece and looks neat.
I had several hours later to work on the stock. My focus is around the lock and the very heavy wrist. After looking at photos of New England fowlers, I narrowed and extended the rail down towards the bottom of the butt, something like on a Fusil de Chasse. I will inlay a oval brass thumb piece later.
I also began taking wood off the forward part of the butt, since it is so very massive. It still needs some more thinning it down but I want to work on the off-side next and get it into a general shape where I can start working it all down together.
I was focused around the nose of lock panel also. The original builder carved out the lock moldings (deeply) which left me little wood to work with and the lock just looked like it didn’t fit right. I decided that, to add visual weight to this section I would carve some molding panel. It seems to help.
An interesting feature Mr. Gallaghan added on this Fowler is a swell at the rear entry pipe, just like we find on a Brown Bess. I haven’t seen this on anything but a Bess. I wonder why he added it?
Anyway, it’s coming along.

Oh, by the way; I think this stock may be Curly Cherry, not Curly Maple

 

[IanH]

That's good, the lock tends to throw sparks toward the front edge of the pan anyhow.

 

[Brokennock]

Today I fired two blanks from the long Fowler- the ignition was fast and I am really happy with it and with this L&R Queen Anne lock selection. With the modifications I made, it works well on the piece and looks neat.
I had several hours later to work on the stock. My focus is around the lock and the very heavy wrist. After looking at photos of New England fowlers, I narrowed and extended the rail down towards the bottom of the butt, something like on a Fusil de Chasse. I will inlay a oval brass thumb piece later.
I also began taking wood off the forward part of the butt, since it is so very massive. It still needs some more thinning it down but I want to work on the off-side next and get it into a general shape where I can start working it all down together.
I was focused around the nose of lock panel also. The original builder carved out the lock moldings (deeply) which left me little wood to work with and the lock just looked like it didn’t fit right. I decided that, to add visual weight to this section I would carve some molding panel. It seems to help.
An interesting feature Mr. Gallaghan added on this Fowler is a swell at the rear entry pipe, just like we find on a Brown Bess. I haven’t seen this on anything but a Bess. I wonder why he added it?
Anyway, it’s coming along.

Oh, by the way; I think this stock may be Curly Cherry, not Curly Maple

I'm loving this "build" and topic/thread, thank you for sharing.

a swell at the rear entry pipe, just like we find on a Brown Bess. I haven’t seen this on anything but a Bess.

I recall this swell also being on a very early rifle that has been posted. I believe it is in one of the RCA books. Unique in that it is a rifle with a fowler style trigger guard and a " 'Bess" type swell at the entry pipe. I also seem to recall it on another fowling piece mentioned recently, but it could have been a smoothrifle, @dave_person would know.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I recall this swell also being on a very early rifle that has been posted. I believe it is in one of the RCA books. Unique in that it is a rifle with a fowler style trigger guard and a " 'Bess" type swell at the entry pipe. I also seem to recall it on another fowling piece mentioned recently, but it could have been a smoothrifle, @dave_person would know.

The Ed Marshall has a dog knot and IIRC Turvey rifle in RCA has some amount of one as well.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Thanks @Brokennock and @Capt. Jas.
I did locate some discussions about the swell on other long guns last night as well. It’s a nice feature and I am glad the builder incorporated it into this gun.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I finished shaping the butt stock and wrist, adding a simple brass oval thumb piece. Then dressed up around the lock and some initial work on the forestock.
It’s starting to get a much more graceful look, I think.

 

[Brokennock]

I finished shaping the butt stock and wrist, adding a simple brass oval thumb piece. Then dressed up around the lock and some initial work on the forestock.
It’s starting to get a much more graceful look, I think.

Looking very nice.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I completed sanding the stock and then gave it a couple applications of alkaline dye. After it dried ( using a heat gun on low temp), I burnished it with a very fine 3M pad and then with paper towels. Next will be some varnish to seal it and finally paste wax.

 

[Brokennock]

WOW!!!! Absolutely beautiful!

 

[PathfinderNC]

While the stock is being varnished, I started working on the barrel and lock.
The barrel got a thorough lathering of cold browning solution. I apply it with a brush and after about 10 minutes I apply more, making almost a rusty slurry on the surface. Then it sat overnight in the shop.
I’m the morning I used a fine 3M pad with motor oil and began “carding” the barrel. Areas where much handling would happen get carded more, down to a dull gray, where other areas remain darker which I think gives nice contrast and definition.
The lock also got cold browning but I just wanted it to get a grayish color with light rusting in certain areas. I let the browning solution do its thing about 15 minutes and as the metal had turned a blackish color I applied oil and lightly buffed it in areas that would be brighter.
Here are some pics of how it’s coming along.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Happy to say, the long Fowler is DONE

I pinned the barrel this morning, put the side plate in and screwed the lock in. All seems good.
Tomorrow I will apply some paste wax, buff it out and it's ready to go shooting (or hunting).
It's really a pretty nice gun.
Pics tomorrow

 

[FlinterNick]

The issue is that there needs to be ample room for the pan to align with the touch-hole. Shorter locks will not work, as the pan area would completely rest over the breech plug area. It needs a longer throw, which calls for a longer lock. That means extending the mortise forward to accommodate the longer lock.

Hi ya

The lock plate profile looks french to me but i could be wrong.

i would get one that is slightly oversized where the sear area is adequate. My first thought would be to get a custom plate made, this can be cut from mild sheet steel with a bolster welded to the frizzen side, this will also allow you to use a detached pan to maneuver the plate around the touchhole area. I think this is the easier way rather than attempting to fit a random lock in the stock.

For parts i would siler internals external parts can vary, you can get a nice matching pan and frizzen too.

Chris Hirsch casts a nice fowler lock, not sure if it fits the time period of this fowler.

Oct. 6, 2023

Hi folks,

I thought it would be interesting to post what I will be doing with an old, unfinished Fowler build that I just bought yesterday. This gun was started years ago (by someone named Callaghan in New Milford) and will be mine to finish up, though with some challenges!
A little bit about this gun;
~It is long! The Fowler is some 5'8" from the brass, engraved and signed butt-plate to the muzzle.
~It has a smoothbore barrel of .69 caliber and measured 51" in length. The barrel is tapered round with octagonal fluting and turned rings at the muzzle, which is really cool.
~The ramrod has a turned horn tip and a nice steel threaded fitting at the bottom.
~Four ramrod pipes with the front pipe coned shaped; a very nice feature.
~The butt plate is 1- 7/8" wide and 4- 1/2 " high, with a return measuring 5".
~The one-piece stock is highly figured Curly Maple. The barrel, pipes and butt plate are all inlet with a nice tight looking fit (I have not removed any mountings as yet).
~The lock plate mortise (not the internals, though) and side plate are mortised out for a lock plate that measures 5-1/5 x 1”.

Now the first challenge, and it’s a big one; I can find no lock of those dimensions that would ever fit in the carved mortise and have the pan line-up with the touch-hole area (as yet undrilled). The face of the breech plug is 5/8” into the barrel. As such, any lock template that I have photo-imposed onto the lock mortise places the pan almost at the end of the barrel breech!

Because the tapered barrel (and flared tang) is already inlet, moving the barrel rearward isn’t an option I will even consider. Using a smaller lock and setting it forward into the mortise will not work either. What a mess.

As I thought about it more last night I considered one option – how about use a larger lock? If I set it in at the rear of the mortise and enlarge the mortise at the frizzen spring area, the pan and touch-hole may align. So, I made a plate stencil of my large Kibler lock (6” x 1”) and placed it over the fowler mortise. A good fit at the back 2/3rds! Though the touch-hole would be about 1/8” forward of center-of-pan, that is something I can modify slightly by grinding the front of the pan a bit. OK- that is promising.

Now, with using a longer lock than what the gun is carved for, I have to consider the stock around the lock mortise. Mr. Callaghan had already not only cut out the plate mortise, but he also shaped the molding area around the mortise. This means I will need to cut (file) away about 1” of wood at the feather-spring area, deep enough to match the rounded section there, cut a patch of Maple and glue in place. On both sides.

This appears to be my method of approach to the challenge. It seems to be a workable solution, though it’s in such a highly visible area, making and blending a matching patch will take some doing.

So, unless I discover a lock with a really long hammer throw and short feather spring area, I will move on with this plan.

I will try to update as I go along. If this works, I think it will be a terrific and unique New England (?) Fowler. Attached are some photos of what I will be working on.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Hi ya

The lock plate profile looks french to me but i could be wrong.

i would get one that is slightly oversized where the sear area is adequate. My first thought would be to get a custom plate made, this can be cut from mild sheet steel with a bolster welded to the frizzen side, this will also allow you to use a detached pan to maneuver the plate around the touchhole area. I think this is the easier way rather than attempting to fit a random lock in the stock.

For parts i would siler internals external parts can vary, you can get a nice matching pan and frizzen too.

Chris Hirsch casts a nice fowler lock, not sure if it fits the time period of this fowler.

Hi Nick,
You might have skipped thru the whole thread when we discussed the solution.
At any rate, it is done and getting a finishing wax today. Here’s how the lock looks:

 

[FlinterNick]

Hi Nick,
You might have skipped thru the whole thread when we discussed the solution.
At any rate, it is done and getting a finishing wax today. Here’s how the lock looks:

Awesome, I’m glad it worked out for you ! And great job

 

[PathfinderNC]

The Long Fowler is staind, sealed, waxed and buffed. All done
Some specs of the gun:
Wood is either Curly Red Maple or Curly Cherry. (It looks a lot like Cherry)
Overall length is 67 inches with a 13" pull.
Bbl length is 51" and 14 gauge/69 Caliber.
Has about 1/4" to 3/16" cast off.
Lock is an L&R Queen Anne which I slightly modified by widening the pan.
Ramrod has a nicely carved and fitted horn tip. (I will be using a custom made Range Rod though)
Weight is just about 7 pounds.

This gun was started by Mr. Gallaghan who, I assume, was in New Milford when he began building it. He completed inletting the specially profiled barrel, drilling and inletting the ramrod groove, installing the beautiful thimbles and also installing and engraving the butt plate. (The forward ramrod thimble is cool because it is trumpet-shaped, which I had only seen on muskets.)The stock was pretty much carved though I slimmed down the wrist quite a bit, elongated and taepered the rail and thinned the cheek area a bit more.
He inlet for a lock plate and side plate, which was a mystery lock as none I could find would fit it. That led me to do some lock mortise patching.
I don't know why Mr. Gallaghan stopped working on this great gun. I suspect, because it was sold in an Estate Sale, that he may have died. I think his spirit remains in the piece as a labor of love that he put into what I was fortunate enough to receive and finish as best I could.
Thanks for watching this enjoyable build. I will be keeping this gun and hope to get some good fun with it

 

[TF Black]

The Long Fowler is staind, sealed, waxed and buffed. All done
Some specs of the gun:
Wood is either Curly Red Maple or Curly Cherry. (It looks a lot like Cherry)
Overall length is 67 inches with a 13" pull.
Bbl length is 51" and 14 gauge/69 Caliber.
Has about 1/4" to 3/16" cast off.
Lock is an L&R Queen Anne which I slightly modified by widening the pan.
Ramrod has a nicely carved and fitted horn tip. (I will be using a custom made Range Rod though)
Weight is just about 7 pounds.

This gun was started by Mr. Gallaghan who, I assume, was in New Milford when he began building it. He completed inletting the barrel, drilling and inletting ramrod grooves, installing the beautiful thimbles and also installing the butt plate. The stock was pretty much carved though I slimmed down the cheek area a bit more.
I don't know why Mr. Gallaghan stopped working on this great gun. I suspect, because it was sold in an Estate Sale, that he may have died. I think his spirit remains in the piece as a labor of love that he put into what I was fortunate enough to receive and finish as best I could.
Thanks for watching this enjoyable build. I will be keeping this gun and hope to get some good fun with it

Although I’m still a little salty that you beat me to this project in the Classifieds , it takes some of the sting away to see what a fantastic job you did completing the build. Well done sir, and enjoy!

 

[PathfinderNC]

Although I’m still a little salty that you beat me to this project in the Classifieds, it takes some of the sting away to see what a fantastic job you did completing the build. Well done sir, and enjoy!

Thanks TF.