Hey, time to show your first build!!

[david w]

Showing these first builds, we certainly have some talented members! My hat is off! I built some nice Hawken's, but no guns with nice carving.

 

[moose23]

I am in awe! All who have posted so far, your rifles are incredible! I’ve never built one, but I’d like to try. Probably going to order a Kibler Colonial this year. I have a piece of cherry cut from my own property…8 feet long, 6” by 8”. Was going to use it for a fireplace mantle but used a piece of ash instead. Hopefully it will work.

 

[Loja man]

I sold my first build but this is my second build. Boys Lancaster rifle. I built it for my Son when he was able to hunt. 13 or 14 years old. I forget. Anyway he killed two deer with it and asked me to never sell it so it goes to him. Built from a plank.13" LOP and and a .50 caliber Green Mountain barrel. I cut three inches off the swamped barrel which saved a full 1lb of weight. 35" barrel. Toe plate, side plate, and patchbox I made from sheet brass.
JamesView attachment 119054View attachment 119055View attachment 119056View attachment 119057View attachment 119058

Very cool!

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

First build. Red maple blank from Dunlap Woodcraft finished with LMF Lancaster Maple 50 cal Rice barrel. L&R Dickert lock.

Beautiful rifle! You have talent right out of the box. Your craftsmanship shows you are no rookie to working with your hands.
Larry

 

[Onojutta]

Beautiful rifle! You have talent right out of the box. Your craftsmanship shows you are no rookie to working with your hands.
Larry

I think it looks good from far, but far from good. Thanks for the compliment though!

Actually I have no formal training beyond a couple of shop classes many years ago in high school. I am handy and there are a lot of great books and videos out there for reference, but I couldn't have done it without a ton of advice from this forum.

I'm on my next build now which is a kit. Although the blank was a lot more work, I actually prefer that instead of working from a pre-carve because you have more control over things like the relationship between the lock and the breech plug, etc. I also find it easier to start a job from the very beginning as opposed to trying to pick up where the carving machine left off. When you do it from the beginning, you have an intimate awareness of the smallest details that carries through each subsequent step.

 

[Crazybear]

Top rifle is my second build. T/C Hawken kit that I picked up last month for cheap and has never been fired.. The other two are a cva mountain rifle and a Spanish flintlock.

 

[ZUG]

I made this back in 1969 my first "non-kit" rifle. All of the parts were made by me except for the barrel which is a .54 caliber Douglass. I still have it today.

 

[david w]

I made this back in 1969 my first "non-kit" rifle. All of the parts were made by me except for the barrel which is a .54 caliber Douglass. I still have it today.
View attachment 119271View attachment 119272View attachment 119273

Nice build. I wish Douglas barrels were still around.

 

[gabedard]

Deer Creek mountain rifle kit
Upgraded a L&R lock over time and added a horn toe plate from a buck I killed with it.
Good shooter for an inexpensive kit.

 

[HighUintas]

I made this back in 1969 my first "non-kit" rifle. All of the parts were made by me except for the barrel which is a .54 caliber Douglass. I still have it today.
View attachment 119271View attachment 119272View attachment 119273

Did you make the lock and breech plug too? Nice work!

 

[deertraks]

My first and only build is a Kibler Southern Mountain 40 cal. Now I'm starting a more involved build.

 

[Dale Lilly]

Y'll are leaving me in awe. I have built from kits, but no carving, engraving or plank builds. The world outside needs to see this form of art. Thank you for sharing... Dale

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I made this back in 1969 my first "non-kit" rifle. All of the parts were made by me except for the barrel which is a .54 caliber Douglass. I still have it today.

Very nice indeed!! That trigger and guard is classy!
Larry

 

[frankie]

Top rifle is my second build. T/C Hawken kit that I picked up last month for cheap and has never been fired.. The other two are a cva mountain rifle and a Spanish flintlock.

really nice

 

[frankie]

View attachment 118524View attachment 118525View attachment 118527View attachment 118528View attachment 118529View attachment 118530View attachment 118531View attachment 118532


If you have built any muzzleloader, kit or blank, this post is asking for photos of your first. Details of the build are encouraged.
My first (early 70s) was this Roman Nose style semi copy of a DGW (Italian made) long rifle, along with my thoughts. I purchased a stock blank from a Nebraska rifle smith, Bill Ihm for $17.00, Numrich 45 cal, 13/16” X 42” barrel with threads, but no breech plug. ( I think about $50) DGW was my major supplier for these components: Dixie lock, triggers, trigger guard, butt plate, nose cap, sheet brass, RR blank, RR ends, screws, aquas fortis. I made the ferrules, blind tennons, sights, RR drill bit, patch box, PB spring, latch, breech plug, tang, toe plate, lock side plate. My memory of the cheek star is a blank (LOL) It came out crude in some areas, but it is a slim, nicely balance rifle with the 13/16” barrel. It shoots well, but now after shooting it, a Roman nose style is not for me. The comb really bites the cheek bone. If ya rare up, then you are OK for the hurt, but then you are off the sights
In 1971, I turned out as a journeyman union carpenter. My on the job training and daily work at that time was primarily wood forms for concrete construction.
OK boys, your turn.
Larry

very nice

 

[frankie]

I sold my first build but this is my second build. Boys Lancaster rifle. I built it for my Son when he was able to hunt. 13 or 14 years old. I forget. Anyway he killed two deer with it and asked me to never sell it so it goes to him. Built from a plank.13" LOP and and a .50 caliber Green Mountain barrel. I cut three inches off the swamped barrel which saved a full 1lb of weight. 35" barrel. Toe plate, side plate, and patchbox I made from sheet brass.
JamesView attachment 119054View attachment 119055View attachment 119056View attachment 119057View attachment 119058

beautiful

 

[The Appalachian]

Some fantastic work here, really, superb.

My first builds were from when we didn't have anything but a Polaroid camera and the internet wasn't even thought of yet beyond the Jetson's cartoon on TV.

I do have pictures of one build I did for my oldest son about 20 years ago but it's not one that many here would want to see. I'll just post a picture of the ebony nose I inletted to the walnut. That and the checkering were the hardest parts. I suppose you'll just hafta guess what the rest of it is. It's burned a lot of FFg over the years and accounts for literally truck loads of deer.

 

[Cooleys]

My first “build” was a Chambers smooth rifle kit that I built with my father, who made a left handed PA Fowler. He’s 82 and has built many rifles, but built his kit alongside me during COVID to pass along some of his knowledge. We are making several more guns together now, what a great experience. I’ve always made leather goods and shot muzzleloaders, so I’m not sure why it took me 50+ years to start making guns! Now for a plank build…

 

[Robin Henderson]

My first build and from a blank way back in the Hawken craze of the 1970s. I had a mentor who helped me along with this attempt at a full stock flint Hawken. I killed the deer with this gun on Thanksgiving Day of 1978.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I had built two kits, a T/C Hawken and a CVA mountain rifle. Those were assemble the parts and stain. My first true build in about 1976 started off as a 1 1/8" 45 caliber barrel about 32" long that was rescued from a pile of barrels. There was a special sale on Hawken blanks, so I decided it was time to build a Hawken rifle. A Cherry Corner's lock followed and the rest of the rest of the parts. The rifle is special as I needed help from my father (tool maker) to do all the threading of the breech plug and lock bolts. Made more than a couple of beginner mistakes, but the rifle turned out to be quite a performer. Back then wrestling that 12 pound rifle was doable and shooting metallic silhouettes at up to 200 yards was fun. Yes, my 45 caliber ball being pushed by 90 grains of Gearhardt-Owen powder was more than capable of knocking over the bear silhouettes.

Still accurate on target although I find I need to use a rest.

I was doing load testing. The slow twist 1 in 56 likes 70 grains of GOEX.

I see so many of these first builds that are just so nice.