gun from firewood

[rrebuck]

Just curious how many hours you put into this. I've toyed with building my own gun. Sounds fun until I'd actually start doing it and I'm not sure how much I'd have to spend to get the proper tools to do it reasonably well. I spoke to another flintlock hunter this year and he said it took him about 100 hours to put together one of the kits, possibly from Jim Chambers.

 

[old ugly]

You did well buddy, excellent job!!
Cannot wait see it in person, and shoot it.
Well done sir.
Walk

get your eagle eye sharpened up because you'll have to site it in for me. that's something i don't do much of.
ou
tom

 

[coupe]

That sure is a very pretty rifle!!! As for 100 hrs on a kit sounds right maybe even more. I have made 2 stocks from local black walnut for a 50 cal. traditions kit and a 54 cal. gathered parts gun. Both hawken style caplocks. Each stock took me about a month and a half of work to get the results I wanted, both were rough sawn planks plained smooth then glued and clamped for 3 days all hand roughed out rasped and filed to shape. Ramrod hole was the hardest to be sure it was straight, flat sharpened proved to be the best bit. Barrel channel is slow work, butt plate can be a pain just go slow with sharp tools.
coupe

 

[Rudyard]

That's right Rudyard.....weren't about half of M96's and K31's stocked in birch?

Not knowing what the Ms & Ks are I couldnt say.'s But most 91 Nagant s seem to be birch.
Regards Rudyard

 

[old ugly]

Just curious how many hours you put into this. I've toyed with building my own gun. Sounds fun until I'd actually start doing it and I'm not sure how much I'd have to spend to get the proper tools to do it reasonably well. I spoke to another flintlock hunter this year and he said it took him about 100 hours to put together one of the kits, possibly from Jim Chambers.

i have a whole shop full of tools but most of the time im using the most primitive of them.
this gun was built from a block/plank of wood, home made parts, and modified barrel. so there is extra planning, manufacturing, metalworking and woodworking.
tap and dies, small drill press, drill bit set, are pricey items but i have had mine for years with much usage and you will probably need them for any kits other than the simplest such as pedersoli.
i don't own fancy tools either, a basic set of carving chisels, a few files, rifle files, screwdrivers, hacksaw, vernier calipers, straight edge, that sort of stuff.
we live in an era that we are able to buy cheaper tools from suppliers such as harbour freight which makes it affordable to start your hobby, just be aware that you need to pick and choose when buying lesser quality and in fact they are of lessor quality. buy the way don't bad mouth china, china made it possible for the home handyman to get started in these sort of hobbies.
also i will make a tool if i need something for a specific task.


a kit is the way to start for sure. buy the kit, start on it, when you need a tool go buy it,( you will use it forever, but dont buy unnecessary tools just to have them), pedersoli kits, are easy. kiblerkits, i think, are not to bad but you need to have some skills. TOW kits really arnt kits but more of a collection of parts and will need that 100hr you were talking about as well as more tools.

the biggest hurdle is patients, today we live in a world where everything is done for us or is obtainable almost instantly. practice being patient and careful. for me that is hard im like the horse headed for the barn, i want to get there.

ill put a picture of the basic hand tools i used the most when i built this gun. nothing fancy here. but like i said i have a whole shop of tools and use all sorts of different things to build with from chainsaw to needle files.

2nd question. how long to build? probably 2 weeks of man power. that does not include drying and curing times.

NOW! GO BUY THAT KIT AND GET STARTED !!!!!

ou
tom

 

[Rudyard]

Being self taught( If a carpenter) my first guns where pretty frightfull . Normal enough I think but some like Bud Siler & Larry Spisak made their first guns outstandingly good . But be undaunted go for it most would be home gunmakers talk them selves out of it . I was very proud of my first guns Now Ide want to bury them !! . As we learn more and observe more we gain ability, No one should stop learning .Many seem to stick to a particular
style . I never did , while mostly flintlocks got more into archaic pieces of any nationality My great mentor being Elmer Johnston Of Washington state he has the most 'Can do' & admirable emagination and though our finnishing differs I have followed his lead . Never made a Puckle gun. But did make a Nocks volley gun . I once put together a kit for a customer but good as some kits are . I've not made any ' paint by numbers' from my shop. Not to disparage kits of the high standards like Brer Chambers & Mr Kiblers I wouldn't decline any patron who brought one in to complete. I happily bought Pecatonica & Fort Hill blanks mostly specials at F' ship shoots . I mean they don't shoot people for muffing up guns .So have at it I allways say ,if you don't start youle never finish eh.
Rudyard

 

[Kap]

Looks great I hope it shoots as good as it looks

 

[toot]

Many Scandinavian countrys & Russia (As in the Nagant's) used Birch it seemed to work fine . But it could be like all timber there are variants and differences, plus wood will vary tree to tree .
Rudyard

I beleave that even the GERMANS used it in there MAUSERS in both WORLD WARS? and the FINNS.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

I have an 1899 6.5 Un-mentionable with a beautiful Arctic Birch piece of wood. Lots of North Europeans were stocked in Birch..And it burns well if a bit Spitty.. OLD DOG..

 

[BillinOregon]

Outstanding project sir! I, too, eagerly await your range reports.
As to the use of birch in military gunstocks, it was beech, not birch, that was used for stocks for K-31s and many other European battle rifles, although the Finns used a lot of Arctic birch -- very nice wood!

 

[muzzlecap]

Very nice job. Looks great I have several Russian rimfires and a few others that have Birch stocks. Gun makers have been using birch for a long time. As you've shown, you an get some pretty nice pieces of birch.

 

[Flinty Scot]

Well done, sir! Looks great. I like the proportions and the finish.
Anticipating a report on how it shoots.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Looks very utilitarian, which makes it very PC. Using available materials was the way they often were done. Though the highly decorated and embellished pieces as if they were Royal presentation pieces get all the headlines and press, (and so many folks strive to recreate) they were but an infinitesimally small fraction of the pieces that were ACTUALLY made.

 

[HavanaMax]

i have a whole shop full of tools but most of the time im using the most primitive of them.
this gun was built from a block/plank of wood, home made parts, and modified barrel. so there is extra planning, manufacturing, metalworking and woodworking.
tap and dies, small drill press, drill bit set, are pricey items but i have had mine for years with much usage and you will probably need them for any kits other than the simplest such as pedersoli.
i don't own fancy tools either, a basic set of carving chisels, a few files, rifle files, screwdrivers, hacksaw, vernier calipers, straight edge, that sort of stuff.
we live in an era that we are able to buy cheaper tools from suppliers such as harbour freight which makes it affordable to start your hobby, just be aware that you need to pick and choose when buying lesser quality and in fact they are of lessor quality. buy the way don't bad mouth china, china made it possible for the home handyman to get started in these sort of hobbies.
also i will make a tool if i need something for a specific task.


a kit is the way to start for sure. buy the kit, start on it, when you need a tool go buy it,( you will use it forever, but dont buy unnecessary tools just to have them), pedersoli kits, are easy. kiblerkits, i think, are not to bad but you need to have some skills. TOW kits really arnt kits but more of a collection of parts and will need that 100hr you were talking about as well as more tools.

the biggest hurdle is patients, today we live in a world where everything is done for us or is obtainable almost instantly. practice being patient and careful. for me that is hard im like the horse headed for the barn, i want to get there.

ill put a picture of the basic hand tools i used the most when i built this gun. nothing fancy here. but like i said i have a whole shop of tools and use all sorts of different things to build with from chainsaw to needle files.

2nd question. how long to build? probably 2 weeks of man power. that does not include drying and curing times.

NOW! GO BUY THAT KIT AND GET STARTED !!!!!

ou
tom

Nice photo of your tools.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Nice work, old ugly! The stock is beautiful!

I know birch is used a lot in Scandinavian woodwork, like knife handles and various utensils. I see no reason not to use it for a gunstock. Yours turned out really well.

Notchy Bob

 

[forty_caliber]

Great Job!!!! Excellent craftsmanship. Just like a farmer, you are out standing in your field. There is no way that I could ever in a million years do that good of a job.

.40

 

[old ugly]

thank you