French Trade Gun, Type "D"

[PathfinderNC]

I started working on the Fusil kit from Clay Smith three days ago. It is going along pretty well except for a rotten start when I fudged up the butt plate (I hack-sawed the casting blob off and my blade went into the elbow of the butt plate, ugh). Another is on the way. So I went ahead and inlet the lock and side plate and drilled and tapped the lock bolts. Then inlet the trigger plate and shaped the trigger, and pinned it in place. It works very smoothly with a nice light pull.
Next was getting the barrel in, which needed to be moved back about 3/16" to align with where the touch hole should go. (I didn't pin it yet) Next came drilling the barrel tang screw into the trigger plate and tapping it. I decided to end the day's work with getting the trigger guard cleaned up and inlet. Will pin and screw it tomorrow.

 

[Loja man]

It’s a good start!!!

 

[The Crisco Kid]

It should be a nice gun. You do some very good work. We all do the "darn the bad luck" thing once in awhile. The only thing I would criticize is the grain in the wrist. That's what Alvin Linden called the "musket grain" but I guess you won't be using the gun to beat an opponent over the head, hopefully anyway, and there is nothing you can do about it. If none of you have heard of Alvin Linden he was a premier gunstocker in the first half of the last century. He wrote a very good book on gunstocking before he went over the ridge in the late '40's. It's long out of print but I have a copy I'd sell and if anyone is interested send me a msg.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Crisco Kid,
I well remember Alvin Linden, he was my inspiration when I first started making stocks and I had all his books, which, sadly, I was fool enough to part with.
His books were full of good advice and some quiet humour.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Crisco Kid,
I well remember Alvin Linden, he was my inspiration when I first started making stocks and I had all his books, which, sadly, I was fool enough to part with.
His books were full of good advice and some quiet humour.

His books were a good read. He's one of those long gone fellows who it would have been fun to hang around with. Like you, I like to think that I learned how to stock a rifle from Alvin Linden. He and William Buchele both gave me a standard to aim for. So far, I haven't got there but I keep trying.