First smoothbore (tradegun) questions.

[tzvia]

I've been looking into building a flinter (but not a smoothbore) and happened to be in a gunshop I have not been in before (it allways happens this way) and saw a sad looking used smoothbore. It was covered in some sort of poly or lacquer and was cheap (and ugly). So I bought it as a 'project'. So far, I have removed the lacquer (with paint/epoxy remover) sanded the wood w/280/400 just enough to smooth it out and thought I would hit it with 3 coats of Tung oil. This is it so far:
Tradegun rescue project.

Well, Have a way to go. I plan on removing the 'grey' off the barrel and browning it. It's wispy in spots and not very nice looking. Some screws (note top of tang) are too long and need to be cut down and shaped.

The wood is one question. It is a rather plain slab of 2x4 and I was thinking of darkening it. What should I use there? Would shellac be appropriate? I really don't like the Tung oil on it.

I will be shooting it before going further to see if it is worth the trouble. It's 58cal and will be using round balls. Would it use the same .570's that my Zouave uses with a .010 or 015 patch?

Lastly, it was someones 'kit project' before I got it and the only marks aside from the fox and 'Barnett' on the lock, is a month/year (98) and a W or M in a star on the underside of the barrel. Any ideas who's kit this is?

Thanks for any help

Lois

 

[Mike Brooks]

Looks like a North Star West tade gun to me, and not a bad one at that. I'd put a couple coats of finish on it and leave it alone. It will probably shoot pretty good if loaded with the right combination of powder, patch and ball.

 

[rich pierce]

The wood looks good. Shellac is not a good gun finish and won't darken it much if any. It makes a good sealer when thinned. You might try an analine dye stain followed by tung oil as a top coat.

While you've got it down to basics you might improve the architecture. The wood on the sides of the tang should slope more- the curved edge of the lock-panel above the sideplate should generally end lining up with the corner of the barrel (top of the side flat).

I'd say you've got a nice project going. They could have lined the grain up better with the wrist but as long as you don't fall off your horse with this one, you should be OK.

 

[Wes/Tex]

I'd bet a few scheckles on it being a North Star West gun. It's definitely one of their "North Star" front sights. The wood is actually American Walnut with pretty straight grain. I'd also go with a more trditional wood finish and leave the rest alone, though I'd just have to shorten the tang bolt so it doesn't protrude from the tang...that's just 'neat-freak' in me! NSW makes good guns and looks like you stepped into something good!! :haha:

 

[tzvia]

Gonna look into those dies, thanks!
Even though the dealer had it tagged as a .58, my bore gauge shows .62 so what is this? Is it a 62?

Lois

 

It would be a 20 gauge, or .62 caliber, so to use it as a shotgun/fowler, you would need overpowder cards, felt cushions, and over shot cards to build up a shotgun load. The standard starting load for a 20 is 70 grains of 2ffg, and 80 grains or an ounce and a n eighth of shot. See Musketmans post further down on this page for a picture of the loading sequence. These are both volume measures, so you can use the same measure for both powder, and shot. Just a note on finish, NW trade gun barrels are generally left in the white and allowed to grey naturally, but that's only if you want to be PC. It's lookin good they way you got it now. Good luck with it Bill

 

[Deadeye]

I was surprized when you said .58, thought it should be .62.
Looks good, there are lots of walnut stains on the market,
Fiebing leather dyes are also good, so is Rit dye. Tru oil
can be had in satin or gloss and will give you a beautiful finish.

 

[weirdjack]

I was surprized when you said .58, thought it should be .62.

Not necessarily. I used to shoot a "North Star" NW trade gun that I bought off Curley Gostomski at his shop over in Dayton (when he was still with us). It was a very handy 24 guage (.58 caliber). I believe the current North Star West still offers these in bores of 28 ga (.54 cal), 24 ga (.58 cal), 20 ga (.62 cal) and even 16 ga upon special request.
Yep, like an idiot, I sold the gun years ago.
Jack