Flintlock pistol on a budget.

[Flinter987]

Hello guys,
I would like to build a flintlock pistol with my 13 year old brother this winter. I have very little experience with metal, but have a lot of experience with woodworking. Also do not want to spend over $150, would prefer lower. I know that I'm asking a lot. We are basically just looking for a decent shooter.We are not too picky about style. Are there other kits out there besides the traditions kits? What if I would buy a stock blank
with barrel inletting and ramrod hole and then buy the lock and barrel separately. Could I stay in my money limit? I've never built a gun before, but am willing to spend extra time to accomplish this. The traditions kits look nice, but I am afraid they will go together too fast.
I would appreciate your comments.
Thanks
Fred

 

[longfowler]

a kit that cheap will be hard to find, a good lock will cost almost that much! check around at gun shows, yard sales and flea markets, you might get a deal. the bottom pistol in the pic I built using a piece of 12 ga shotgun barrel, breechplug & triggerguard from DGW, used lock from a lyman trade rifle, and a hand made trigger & stock. ramrod tip is a brass brakeline fitting from a autoparts store. total cost: less than $50! but it took years of colecting spare parts before I could get started!

top pistol was built even cheaper, the only part I paid money for was the stock from TOW!

 

[Bookie]

Flinter, somewhere down in the deep, dank, and dark recesses of my smithy, there just MIGHT be a kit gun still in the styrofoam box that I took in on trade in the 1970s that might fill your bill. It's been so long I cain't even remember just what it is. It's Christmas, so send me an email. Cheers, Bookie

 

[Flinter987]

Booker, I sent you a PM due to my e-mail acting funny.
Flinter987

 

[44-henry]

If you are looking for a nice project that will involve quite a bit of work you can get close for that kind of money. You can buy a plain maple blank, green mountain barrel and breechplug, siler flint kit, and a simple sand cast trigger guard from TOW for about $160. Of course you would have to make your own sights, muzzle cap, ramrod pipes and sideplate, in addition to, some suitable screws, but that is not impossible. Many of the finer gunsmiths still build very nice flint pistols with only the basics being commercially bought, such as lock, stock, and barrel and choose to make the rest of their hardware.

If you are interested in such a venture I would suggest watching the film Building Flintlock Pistols with Mike Miller which is a decent tape on the subject. This film can be purchased at[url] www.americanpioneervideo.com[/url]

 

[Flinter987]

That's a cool gun longfowler. How long is the 12 ga. barrel?
Thank-you for the info Alexander. That would be neat to do. I'll have to think on it for a little.

 

[Flinter987]

Thanks for all the info guys. :thumbsup:
Booker helped me out. Sent me an older CVA Tower
pistol. It is .45 cal.,rifled and percussion.
We're both very excited about building it!
Now the question stage begins. :grin:
Will keep you updated on our build.
Flinter987

 

[cdg]

'70s tower pistol. That's how I got started. I now own 4 pistols! You have been warned.

 

[mrbortlein]

Flinter,
check out E-bay for parts. You might have to be a little picky, and have to modify things; but you'd have a cheap pistol.
mrbortlein