Banjoman
Hillbilly
I bought this gun used several years ago and killed a bunch of squirrels with it before someone on the internet said I couldn’t. 
Fusil de Chasse, at last!!!
- Thread starter pipascus
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Call it what you want. But I will not give out anymore information. I am not making a dime sharing what I read or see. So I’ll stop. If you want to learn about the Fusil de Chasse, hunt down the expensive boots.
It’s not about function, it’s about it not being what it’s advertised as being. It’s a gun, it’s not an FDC.I bought this gun used several years ago and killed a bunch of squirrels with it before someone on the internet said I couldn’t.
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The O.P bought it and knows it's not a close replica. If it works and shoots so much the better. I have a trade gun from North Star West that I wouldn't trade off for any reason. The India guns can be problematic with unreliable locks, I've had one or two come into my shop. I am extending an invite to Pipacus to stop by my shop and compare notes if he is in the Tucson area. I would think the Rosewood is a lot like working Mesquite. It takes a certain understanding of the wood to work it without having chunks come off that you wanted to keep in place. Very sharp tools are needed as well as ...Gasp... careful use of rotary tools. Files are also needed, I would stay away from the rasps as you can cause a lot of grief with just a few strokes. This is a great opportunity to take something that may be a generic representation of a Fusil and make it your own. If it's in hand why not make the most of it?
Neither is my Centermark. But I’m here to tell you I doubt anyone on this forum owns a TFC. I don’t know if there is any around at all except the originals in museums
It’s all a matter of how much non authentic one is willing to accept
Looks beautiful.I bought this gun used several years ago and killed a bunch of squirrels with it before someone on the internet said I couldn’t.
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Thank you!
I would like to visit your shop for sure! I will let you know when I can make the trip, and see if you are available, if that's OK.
I have The Gunsmith of Grenville County, and Building the American Long rifle-just have to find them in storage!!
I ordered the Track of the Wolf full size schematic of the Tulle Fusil de Chasse. I figure it can at least help with some of the measurements.
Thank you!
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Clark Badgett, what is your deal? You made your point: it's not a fusil de chasse. I get it. We get it. Do you need that much attention? Are you ten years old?
I invited you earlier, and more than once, to offer your knowledge to make this a better looking gun. No one is saying this will be passed off as a TFDC, but instead to resemble one a little bit.
Is it that difficult for you to provide helpful information, or do you get some kind or rush by repeating the same asinine BS over and over?
You can't complement someone for turning a somewhat clunky gun into a really good looking one-even if it's not a real TFDC? You have to just knock it?
Damn man, find some meaning in your life outside of correcting people like some bitter community association Karen.
I've tried to be respectful, even with your snooty dismissive initial entry into this thread, and yet you continue.
I'm sure you're a decent person, but in this thread, and others, you are being an elitist snob, to be honest.
So again, I get that you can't seem to handle anything but a museum grade TFDC without getting your britches in a bind, but enough already. You said you wouldn't continue, and here you are again with the same BS. Just above, you say you aren't giving out anymore info, that you will stop, and then proceed to make another post with the same nonsense. Are you serious?
I welcome suggestions and even disagreements, but you are being a rude, obnoxious troll now. It's easy to be a keyboard commando and troll people from behind a computer. Would you do this in person-stick your nose into a conversation and put down someone's gear over and over?
I'm asking you gain, to either please provide some input on how to improve this gun, or take a hike.
I am hoping the moderators are reading this and, to be honest, that they tell you knock it off.
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I am wondering if blackening the brass would look better.
Banjoman, do you know if that gun was narrowed down at the lock mounting point? Just wondering if that would affect the lock function. I figure that, if it was narrowed, the bolts connecting the lock and the plate would have been shortened.I bought this gun used several years ago and killed a bunch of squirrels with it before someone on the internet said I couldn’t.
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One thing I noted about mine is that if I pull the trigger while in half cock, it will drop the hammer.
---I did this with the frizzen down so the flint hits it.---
Also, it seems to throw a good spark each time.
What you like is what you like. So it’s up to you
The originals were iron mounted ant that iron left bright. It would get a dull gray and in living conditions could naturally brown
Blackened brass always
looked cheap to me. And brass mounted guns were made at the time
Personally I would keep the brass brass.
And no it won’t scare game away.
The brown stock looks real good with brass
I think
FlinterNick
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Disagree tengun, an elitist doesn’t waste time on inefficient projects as learning tools.
If you want to learn how to build guns, buy a kit, the cost difference between an Indian made gun and a factory kit (beginners kit) is maybe 500-600 depending on the manufacturer.
You still need tools, time and the understanding that you need to accept your failures and learn from them.
Buying an Indian gun just to disassemble it, rework it it’s futile because there is no amount of filing, scrapping, or buffing that will make it what it is intended to be.
Now if you fell in love with an Indian made musket, and you appreciate it as it is and want to shoot it…. By all means, go for it.
But the concept of buying Indian because its cheaper and you’re willing to work on it because its cheap is just someone saying… well i dont’ want to F&ck up a higher quality kit and get laughed at.
my answer to that is find some courage to learn and take your mistakes in stride. There is no gun builder on this form that has not made a mistake they didn’t learn from.
Where is Mike Brooks ! @comfortablynumb
FlinterNick
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Brokenock has a very good point here, there are just as many high end kits that are not historically correct out there as there are cheaper indian made guns.
Again if you want to learn, buy a kit.
Kiblers are a great investment to learning because Jim’s Kits are nearly all completed, You can understanding the procedures for assembly and functionality of the guns in part form. I would recommend building a few of them, then reselling for an investment into a more complicated level project.
Before you know it, you’ll be wanting to carve your own stocks.
FlinterNick
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I wouldn’t use a wood rasp on teak or indian rosewood, the grain cuts are uneven and tend to come off in layers instead.
I’ve worked on many for reinactors, and I can honestly say that most of the Indian gunstocks are over dried meaning the wood was very old to start with, and is possibly from a recycled source such as a barn or dock. I’ve even found them with nails imbedded in them that had broken off.
FlinterNick
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I would listen to Clark, he works directly with some of the most knowledgeable gunsmiths on tulle guns.
I would honestly spend some time to research tulle guns, French trade guns etc. request to exhibit some originals your perceptions willl change of what an appropriate tulle gun is.
Well I’ve only done one Indian, so bow to your better experience
David LaPell
36 Cl.
Ethan and the guys at the 11BangBang channel do ALOT of work with the Indian made guns including redoing them to make them look more correct. Here's his Fusil de Chasse, and he's really good at getting back to people if they have questions. I've had several conversations with him myself on doing some work on a couple of my guns. Ethan is probably the best guy to ask about these because he shoots the snot out of every one of them.
David LaPell
36 Cl.
Your best bet honestly, try to look at original guns in museums, online places etc. I've actually gone to a couple of museums just to look at guns, and in 2023 I took a class put on by the curator of Fort Ticonderoga where I was able to examine and handle original Brown Bess muskets.
Speaking of Fort Ticonderoga, you can go online and view their collection of artifacts because they have spent a great time in digitizing everything. I went online and found two French made fusils (they have more) in their collection. Each have detailed photos and close ups to get an idea. Both of these French made fusils were made at about the same time, in the 1740's-1750's. If you look, you can see how much they differ even though they were both French made. The point is, unlike military guns, there isn't one "exact" pattern when it came to guns of that time during the fur trade, especially among the French. Before you go changing anything or hear that "It was done this way" you have to realize things were made to a standard but there was a lot of variety even in one country's trade guns.
That's an indication that the half cock notch in the tumbler is worn. That is a safety issue that can keep a reenactor off the field if the gun can't hold the half cock while suspended on the trigger. The tumbler is probably too soft to support the half cock function. The half cock notch should be recut and the tumbler properly hardened and tempered.
