First Build Finished!

[Col. Batguano]

With a larger caliber you're going to want a wider butt plate, as, larger calibers were more common in the pre-1800 days than after that, unless you're talking about a plains rifle, Hawken etc. That eliminates a number of schools.

 

[19283]

No Hawken. I want a full stock rifle!

 

[Birddog6]

I suggest building a Lancaster rifle, you can have a wide buttplate & use a Swamped barrel & it will balance nicely. Chambers flintlocks & Davis trigger.
When I build a Isaac Haines rifle, in a .54 cal it is usually 8 to 8.5# and it will balance right at the rear of the RR pipe & no issues with recoil.

Keith Lisle

 

[Spikebuck]

No Hawken. I want a full stock rifle!

There were Hawken full stocks.

Not trying to convince you to build one, just saying they did exist.

 

[Gary Whiteman]

Great job! My first build was a TOW kit also.

 

[19283]

Took her for a dance this weekend. I've never fired a flint lock before. Come to think of it, I've never seen a flint lock in person before I made this one. It was almost anti- climactic :grin: First I just put some powder in the pan to see if it would flash, and sure enough it did! Then I loaded it with 30 grains of 3F BP, patch, and ball and shot it at 10 yards to see if I'd even hit the target. I hit the X. So I moved it to 25....hit the 10 ring standing. So I moved it to 50, and off a rest.....

No need to touch the sights! I shot around 10 rounds before I ran a patch through. Clay pigeons were dying left and right at 50 yards. Talk about big fun!

 

[Pete G]

While planning your next build try to obtain some reference material for study. The ALR has a virtual library that is pretty good for a start, and there are lots of books and CDs available. There are certain parts that are very distinctive to a certain style rifle and just don't look right somewhere else.

At the price of components now days you really do want to make something that is correct. Remember the old Volkswagen with a Rolls front end? You don't want to end up with a rifle like that.