Fredericksburg/Rappahanock Forge Muskets

[Steve Blancard]

Sorry I've been slow to respond. For some reason I'm not getting notifications.

Its hard to believe this thread goes back 12 years. I just read back through it and realized I never posted a photo of my replica Fredericksburg musket. It's not an exact copy of any one single musket. It's simply a Miroku Brown Bess with the reworked lock, and a number of smaller, subtle changes. I loaned it out for display in a local Fredericksburg gun shop for a few years. But it's back home now.

 

[jbwilliams3]

Sorry I've been slow to respond. For some reason I'm not getting notifications.

Its hard to believe this thread goes back 12 years. I just read back through it and realized I never posted a photo of my replica Fredericksburg musket. It's not an exact copy of any one single musket. It's simply a Miroku Brown Bess with the reworked lock, and a number of smaller, subtle changes. I loaned it out for display in a local Fredericksburg gun shop for a few years. But it's back home now.View attachment 13358 View attachment 13359

Hi, Steve. I'm a local boy myself and I remember seeing that gun hanging up - I can't remember which store, but I imagine it was yours since I have yet to see another. I inquired about the availability of said gun and when I was told it wasn't available for purchase my wife sighed in relief. She would have vetoed the purchase anyway!

 

[Steve Blancard]

LOL! I know how that goes. It was in the now defunct Gunsmithing With Honors shop on Sophia st.

 

[Artificer]

LOL! I know how that goes. It was in the now defunct Gunsmithing With Honors shop on Sophia st.

I lived on/off for many years in Fredericksburg between 1974 and 1997, but I don't remember that shop. Do you remember what other stores were close to it?

Gus

 

[jbwilliams3]

Ah, right! right down from where the parking garage is now, the building with the barn doors? Loved that place. Funny, the gun I saw when I was with my wife was in a shop, I believe one of the galleries on Caroline Street. So, turns out there were two Fred guns downtown at some point but probably a decade apart!

 

[Artificer]

Ah, right! right down from where the parking garage is now, the building with the barn doors? Loved that place. Funny, the gun I saw when I was with my wife was in a shop, I believe one of the galleries on Caroline Street. So, turns out there were two Fred guns downtown at some point but probably a decade apart!

Thanks for the info. I have to sheepishly admit I had to look it up on a street map, but I remembered the building with the barn doors, once I did. Sorry to say I don't think the shop was there in the years I lived in or near Fredericksburg. Shucks! Would have liked to have visited the place.

Gus

 

[Steve Blancard]

Thanks for the info. I have to sheepishly admit I had to look it up on a street map, but I remembered the building with the barn doors, once I did. Sorry to say I don't think the shop was there in the years I lived in or near Fredericksburg. Shucks! Would have liked to have visited the place.

Gus

The Gunsmithing with Honors shop was on Sophia st, across from Brock's Riversude grill, almost at the corner of Lafayette and Sophia. It was only there 4 or 5 years.

 

[patriot]

Steve, who engraved the lock for you? Am interested in engraving my Militia musket lock.

John

 

[Steve Blancard]

Engravertom. See post #31 of this thread.

 

[Rusty Musket]

I wonder if it would be possible to machine the front of the bess lock plate flat without throwing off the geometry of the lock.

Petersburg here, formerly from Hanover.

 

[FlinterNick]

I wonder if it would be possible to machine the front of the bess lock plate flat without throwing off the geometry of the lock.

Petersburg here, formerly from Hanover.

Not worth the work.

I would just gather parts; a flat faced lock (earlier charleville or another flat faced lock).

You could even get a flat faced casted plate and custom fit the parts and to the stock; no too difficult with a drill press and file set.

 

[Rusty Musket]

A friend of mine who worked at the Yorktown Victory center bought the only one that they had received. He later re-sold it to another guy who ended up dropping the lock plate and it literally broke in half.

 

[FlinterNick]

A friend of mine who worked at the Yorktown Victory center bought the only one that they had received. He later re-sold it to another guy who ended up dropping the lock plate and it literally broke in half.

The major issue with working down a Rounded lock plate to a flat lock plate is there’s just isn’t enough surface steel to bolster the threaded holes and moving parts; the pressure from the mainspring would undoubtably crack the plate. French locks changed over from flat beveled to rounded in 1776 because less steel was required for the casted parts and less craftsmanship to correctly shape bevels and facets and also less lock panel wood was required. The best option here is to use an unmarked French 1728 or 1754 lock; swap out the faceted pan with a round pan. Engrave then lock accordingly.

American made muskets we’re far from standard too so any slight historical inaccuracies are just not relevant

 

[hawkeye2]

A friend of mine who worked at the Yorktown Victory center bought the only one that they had received. He later re-sold it to another guy who ended up dropping the lock plate and it literally broke in half.

I remember looking at that gun on the wall when we were down there for an event liking it and wishing I had the money. We had some great times there.