Hello from NY. I'm a leathercrafter, hunter that wants to built my own musket.

[MountainBuck80]

I would also encourage you to buy and read (several times over) Peter Alexander's book The Gunsmith of Grenville County, which is available from Track of the Wolf … here's a link:

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/303/1/BOOK-GGC
it's a bit pricey, but this book will more than save you the purchase price in parts you don't ruin … not counting time you don't waste wait for the replacement part, and time you don't spend in purgatory as a result of the bad language you don't use 'cause you didn't make the 'rookie mistake' and ruin the part in the first place.

More thoughts:

since you already make things, I'll not go on my usual rant, but just mention that you should be able to get any cutting tool neurosurgery sharp... stropping: a powerful force of nature … I use the 'scary sharp method' (with wet/dry sand paper and a glass plate … do what works best for you ...

and you probably already know this, but avoid buying 'sets' of tools (chisels seem especially susceptible to this phenomenon) … instead, buy the tools you need and get the very best single you can … this way, you don't buy five tools and use maybe two.

Make Good Smoke!

Thats a good idea, thanks

 

[Eterry]

Howdy Mountainbuck from the Red River Valley of North Texas...man yous guys talk funny...lol...
Seriously, I built my first Muzzleloader from a kit in 8th grade shop class in 1979, I've put several together from kits since then.

But I decided I wanted a Left hand flint squirrel rifle, so I bought a slab of wood, a barrel, a lock, and took about 4 years to build the rifle of MY dreams. I lost my father and brother during this time; it wouldn't have taken 4 years if I hadn't fallen into a bottle of bourbon.

My advice is to search on Track's site under kits...there you'll find big color pics of completed guns, of many different styles and schools. That, more than anything else, helped me decide what "school" or type to build.

Good luck, enjoy yourself on here, post lots of pics.

 

[MountainBuck80]

Howdy Mountainbuck from the Red River Valley of North Texas...man yous guys talk funny...lol...
Seriously, I built my first Muzzleloader from a kit in 8th grade shop class in 1979, I've put several together from kits since then.

But I decided I wanted a Left hand flint squirrel rifle, so I bought a slab of wood, a barrel, a lock, and took about 4 years to build the rifle of MY dreams. I lost my father and brother during this time; it wouldn't have taken 4 years if I hadn't fallen into a bottle of bourbon.

My advice is to search on Track's site under kits...there you'll find big color pics of completed guns, of many different styles and schools. That, more than anything else, helped me decide what "school" or type to build.

Good luck, enjoy yourself on here, post lots of pics.

Lol, Wow in 8th grade shop, I wish I had shop like that when I was in the 8th grade, lol Yeah I have been looking at kits also, I may start there so I can learn how its put together then start making my own. Sorry to here about your father and brother. Again thank you for the advise and sharing your experience.

 

[Eterry]

Yea, 8th grade shop was about the ONLY advantage to a 13 YO being yanked away from his school, friends, home and transplanted into the north Texas version of Mayberry. That and I got to play Davy Crockett, Dan'l Boone and all the characters from Louis L'amour's Westerns with a real live shootin iron!!. I only mentioned my family to point out it SHOULDNT take 4 years to complete a scratch build.

One other thing...everyone here has STRONG opinions on what is best. So, when you decide what school, style, caliber, length, etc, etc,etc, expect someone telling you you should do it differently.

As my dear ole Dad would say...you ask some people what time it is, and they tell you how to build a watch!!!

 

[MountainBuck80]

Yea, 8th grade shop was about the ONLY advantage to a 13 YO being yanked away from his school, friends, home and transplanted into the north Texas version of Mayberry. That and I got to play Davy Crockett, Dan'l Boone and all the characters from Louis L'amour's Westerns with a real live shootin iron!!. I only mentioned my family to point out it SHOULDNT take 4 years to complete a scratch build.

One other thing...everyone here has STRONG opinions on what is best. So, when you decide what school, style, caliber, length, etc, etc,etc, expect someone telling you you should do it differently.

As my dear ole Dad would say...you ask some people what time it is, and they tell you how to build a watch!!!

I was in the same boat, when I was 16 me and my family move to Puerto Rico and the only class I liked and passed was wood shop, there I made an English broad sword, a shield, and hand knife, a chopping board for my mom and a wall hanger lol, I was into medieval history back then and still am but today more towards the westerns and colonial history. Yeah I figured that. Yeah people get so passionate about a subject and they only will see things one way, but that's ok. That's a cool saying.

 

[ny griz]

Howdy and welcome,Whitney Point NY here.NY GRIZ

 

[MountainBuck80]

Howdy and welcome,Whitney Point NY here.NY GRIZ

Howdy, and thank you

 

[toadboy65]

Wow thats cool, I'll look into it the book, looks good. lets see, my plans is to rasp out the stock, make the barrel out of DOM steel, either sand cast the trigger guard or hammer it out, not sure yet, and I would like to try my hands on cutting out and hand filing the lock, if that fails then I'll buy one, I have seen a few youtube videos on making your own BP muskets and I am pretty good with my hands, I just need to take the dive and experiment and see how it comes out, I have lots of hand tools I used to be a jeweler, so thinking filing steel should be the same just a little harder. Thank you for the reference.

I have always set the goals for my bigger projects pretty far ahead of what I actually believe my skills to be, then work at the project with fanatical dedication until I get it right. If you are set up for casting, I would definitely cast the hammer and trigger guard, then finish them by hand. But this is an area where you can approach it from a bunch of different levels, depending on what you are willing to put into it, and will be satisfied with as an end result.