Got my kit in today

[Sam86]

it's a Fusil dechasse..

everyone thanks for the suggestions, i will be getting a few books along with that DVD VTsmoker is so kindly sending me and you can be sure i will be asking some question. Thanks fellers

 

[DUSTY 14]

the first kit is scary and damn near impossible. but before the sawdust is all swept into a pile you will be onto the second one. built most of mine on the 36ft sail boat i live on. good lighting sharp files,chisels,and knives, and remember you are making the 25cents per day that you were worth in 1800. the greatest feeling is when someone notices this great shooting gun that IS TRULY YOURS and compliments you on the looks. the little flaws do not show up at 5ft away and you will be especially proud of YOUR WEAPON.

 

[Jason Lewis]

it's okay sam86, we've all been there at least once. two key points, don't be afraid to ask questions first, and take your time. there is absolutly no hurry to the gun building process.

barrel first
breech plug
lock
vent
trigger
trigger guard
butt plate
butt stock
forestock
sights
finish

taa daa!

piece of cake.

 

[rafterob]

You can be certain of great quality parts from Pecatonica. This will be a fine adventure, take your time (expect at least 3 months)and you will have an excellent finished product.

 

[Sam86]

Thanks,,, well I called pecatonica river today to get some clearification on a few parts and I'm starting to feel a little better about everything, they actually inlayed the stock pretty well. I think I might have been over reacting a bit, still will go slow and "measure twice cut once" but I think I will enjoy this.

Now I do have a question, the trigger guard, butt plate, lock and trigger at cast steel and have that dark grey rough poure, what is he best wast to buff that out?

 

[Vaino]

After reading and studying at least a couple of "how to" books {Recreating the American LR by Buchele,Alexander and Shumway is my favorite}, you can look at your parts set w/ some knowledge as to the starting point. Although one has to look ahead as to how one operation affects another, completely focusing on the present operation until completion will get you to the next. One by one you'll complete all the operations and lo and behold, you'll have a completed Mler.....possibly to your amazement....Good luck.....Fred

 

[jdkerstetter]

Now I do have a question, the trigger guard, butt plate, lock and trigger at cast steel and have that dark grey rough poure, what is he best wast to buff that out?

You aren't going to "buff" that out...no way. :shake:

Files and varying grades of emery cloth until a smooth surface is achieved. Be careful not to round over any sharp edges. Clean and chalk your files often because if you don't particles will get hung up in the teeth and continue to scratch your work.

Once you have all those pits out, and you have an even surface, then you can buff if you want to go with the bright look.

Did I tell you guys I hate steel hardware? Brass is far more forgiving.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[nchawkeye]

I built my first almost 25 years ago...The barrel channel and ramrod hole were drilled and that was it...It took me 2 years to finish but I still have her and use her...She shoots better than I can hold...

You mentioned tabs on brass mountings, make sure you don't cut off the tabs to hold the trigger guard on, if you plan to pin her...

The brass should be filed and then sanded with progressively finer sand paper...I used a file to back the paper to keep the edges sharp where needed...

Just take your time, do some research and enjoy...The book Foxfire 5 has some insight on how Hershel House use to build a gun, that and some research will get you started...

 

[jdkerstetter]

I strongly suggest you order the full size plans for the FDC from Track of the Wolf or one of the other vendors...it will be $6.50 well spent.

Here is a link to some of John Donelson's site: http://www.donelsoncustommuzzleloaders.com/longarms.html

About 2/3's a way down the page you will see two FDC's he built. Your kit is probably the 1727 version...most are...and his is one of the more accurate I have seen. There are several views, just click on the thumbnails to pull up bigger pictures.

About the tabs on the trigger guard, leave them on for now as was suggested as they make it easier to hold in the vise while cleaning them up, but you will be removing them prior to inletting in this case as the 1727 gaurd was screwed on...one front and tow rear.

Oh, and drilling the vent is the last thing I do. Why? Because if this build does go south during the stock shaping phase...whether it be through workmanship, mishap or some hidden flaw in the wood...it is easier to restock a barrel without a vent than one that's drill already. Besides you don't need a vent hole until you are ready to shoot it.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful. Don't take people's recommendations to buy books and plans lightly as they will pay for themselves in time and parts. Time you can't replace and parts cost you more money. :wink:

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

...................................

Don't take people's recommendations to buy books and plans lightly as they will pay for themselves in time and parts. Time you can't replace and parts cost you more money. :wink:

Enjoy, J.D.

Well said. :applause:

 

[Birddog6]

it's okay sam86, we've all been there at least once. two key points, don't be afraid to ask questions first, and take your time. there is absolutly no hurry to the gun building process.

barrel first
breech plug
lock
vent
trigger
trigger guard
butt plate
butt stock
forestock
sights
finish

taa daa!

piece of cake.

I don't think that is correct....... It is Precarve.... You cannot Move the Lock ! You can move the barrel. Putting the barrel first is taking a big chance & may be regretful. :shake:

Lock inlet 3/4 of the way........

THEN inlet the barrel for proper placement in regards to a vent liner or vent hole. If not you may end up with the vent hole smack dab in the middle of the breechplug. :shake:

Then the Breechplug & tang on the barrel & Inlet.

Take the barrel back out & install the underlugs & pin the barrel to the stock.

Then inlet the lock the rest of the way in & fit the bolster to barrel, & lockbolts/screws
to retain the lock.

Then the trigger asm. (Possibly shortened plate, depends on application) fitted in properly to fit to the sear arm & also fitted into the stock. It is important it is Centered. Also account for the Tang bolt position & the angle.

Then the tang bolt into the triggerplate. (if applicable)

Then the Buttplate, to set the LOP.

Then triggerguard in reference to the trigger & stock, with Great Care that the tail of the guard goes straight down the bottom of the stock towards the toe of the buttplate. If it has a cast off on the buttplate, you cant the guard after the bow, not a straight guard on a offset stock.

Then the toeplate. (if applicable)

Then the Nosecap.

Then the Vent Liner...... Cause now you can go test the rifle out & insure the barrel is good & etc.

Or that is the way I would do it anyway. Some vary on what goes when, but it is Most Important on a Precarve..... Lock 3/4 way in... Then Barrel...

Keith Lisle

 

[Trot]

Yeah, that is why I mentioned that you were getting ahead of yourself in your other post, buying balls, moulds etc. I found mine relatively easy to build. What I would call the "mechanics" of it were pretty easy for me, inletting, drilling, tapping, soldering etc. Where I have trouble is the architecture, getting the lines right. As already stated, take your time and ask lots of questions! It will be well worth it in the end.

 

[Zonie]

Thanks Birddog.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Outstanding! Thanks all for pitching in.

Sam - take your time and don't be afraid to remove more wood than you think necessary. Most first tries are overly beefy.

One of the sweetest flintlocks I have ever held was a first attempt built by a father for his son. The son's nickname was "Hammerhead" and the rifle had inlaid hammerhead sharks. It was totally modern and non-historic but it was light, sweet, very well done and a joy to shoulder. The engraving was amazing. A first attempt can be a dandy rifle.

 

[Birddog6]

Just for clarification for the Newbies in building.

On the building stages. If you are building from a Blank of Wood, you would inlet the barrel First & then the lock after the barrel & tang is in & barrel pinned to the stock. Then fit the lock to the barrel, because you can move the lock where ya want it.

But on a Precarve stock with a lock inlet, the lock goes where they put it, so only option is to move the barrel where you need it to be, most of the time.

Something else that may have some new builders confused on:

First clarification I guess is the term Precarved Stock. The term Precarve... does not.. mean the stock is carved.... It means the stock is actually preshaped to a style of your preference. (Whatever style of rifle you want to build)
Normally this means there are inlets cut in it for parts to SHOW you where they go, but NOT actual exact placement... YOU decide the final placement. Some precarved stocks give you more leeway than others.

Such as:

Lock inlets... Very little give on this, as it is where they put it most of the time. Sometimes you can barely tilt one up or down or move it just a tad fore or aft, but it is pretty much set.

Barrel Inlet... You can do little with it side to side once it is cut, however, you can usually move the barrel back. Most precarved stocks I see do not have the breech end cut. So you have to determine how far back you want the barrel & then cut it square at the breech to accommodate the barrel correctly where YOU want it.

Tang Inlet.... Allot of times that is just a small cut with a router bit. You make the inlet for the tang after shaping it & AFTER the barrel is inlet.

Trigger slot.... Again just there to show you about where it should be. Not exact nor fully cut most of the time.

Buttplate.... Again just an idea of where & the shape of the intended buttplate for THAT rifle. You may have to shorten the LOP to fit You. This is to be done after... the trigger asm. is in & bolted down.

RR hole.... Usually drilled for you & close. I always have to drill them out more & usually deeper.

Entrypipe... Again, usually a reference. Some precarves have an inlet, some don't. Same way on RR pipes, some have preinlets, some don't.

Lock Panels.... Again, to show you roughly where it is & etc. NOT a finished product. If you finish most of the as they come the lock area will look pregnant.

That all being said, some precarves are much more finished than others. The Chambers precarves that I have had were much more finished than one from Petaconica, or TOW or Tip Curtis. That can be good & that can be bad.
Good side is allot of wood is already removed & less room for screwups. However, for me, it leaves me very little leeway to change anything I may want to change, cause it is already shaved down so much there is no extra wood left.
Some like it that way, I prefer more wood & me work it down to what I want.

Anyway, good luck with you build. I hope it is a enjoyable experience for you. Remember, anything done in a hurry, usually shows it in the end. :hmm:

Keith Lisle

 

[kaintuck]

here's my 'kit' started.........after I cut the tree and then cut out the planks for 2 years drying! :hmm:

see...we all have a challenge in our 'builds'....don't give up....and when you feel really overwhelmed...put it up for a day...let BOTH of you rest!

 

[Eric Krewson]

On my first rifle I started with a parts set I put together.

Here is what I started with;

Here is what I ended up with, very satisfying.

You can do this as well.

I will tell you this; Every time you feel like picking up a tool that cuts faster than what you are using, take a break, go have a cup of coffee, stop working on your gun until this feeling has passed.

Another thing, if you get a full sized pattern, don't follow it exactly. It may have a different lock and sear position than your lock as well as a host of other differences in the overall rifle.

I used a Beck blueprint for my rifle. If I hadn't left over an inch of extra wood on the buttstock and cut my blank like the blueprint I would have had about a 12" length of pull. There was that much difference between my blueprint lock and the deluxe Chambers I used on my build.

 

[kaintuck]

I bet you had to work on that trigger guard alot to get it in the right postion!!!!! :haha: :haha: :rotf:

NICE rifle tho when done!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[rja72]

Here is a link with a list of tools you will need.

You won't need everything. I don't see a plane or spokeshave on the list so they must expect excess wood to be removed with rasps, chisels and gouges. http://www.americanlongrifles.com/WorkShop_frame.htm

 

[Birddog6]

Your link doesn't work.