I bought my first Flintlock :)

[PreserveFreedom]

Well a kit anyway. This will also be my first kit. Review say that it is a pretty hard level kit, but I need a project to keep me busy this winter for the days it is too cold to go to the range with my caplocks. I paid $338.75 from Dixie Gun Works for the kit:

If purchased assembled from Traditions, it should look like this:

I cannot promise that my finished product will look this nice, but I do know it will be pretty darn cool.

Oh, and this is .50 cal. with a 1:48 twist. This will be my first interaction with flintlock arms of any kind.

 

[Zonie]

If you have any questions about building it post them on the Gun Builder's Bench area of the forum.

If you follow the advice you will get there your gun will look better than the one in the picture.
:thumbsup:

 

[Lonegun1894]

My first was a CVA which I believe was made by the same people (ardesa) and got me into this hobby. Just do as Zonie said and ask if you have any questions. When I first got mine, I couldn't find much information on MLs so stumbled my way through that first build, then went back to it a few times til I finally got it fixed and shooting right--with the most progress being made after finding this forum and getting help from members here. I thought I had accomplished something with that first build, so ordered a true "kit", which I then sent on to TVM to be done right as it was well beyond my skills. Have done a little more work and a lot more study since so will have to try again soon. Just make sure you know when to walk away from this if you need to instead of pushing yourself into mistakes. I hope youre shoots as well as mine does, even if mine is a capper. (Have moved on to FLs since, but the first was a cap gun.) Enjoy your gun. :thumbsup:

 

[ohio ramrod]

As Zoonie said the builders forum is full of good advice and people willing to help. Welcome to the forum. Just remember you will need to go to legal zoom .com for help with the divorce after the wife gets fed up with your new adiction! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[MSW]

welcome to the addiction; soon you will be completely in the thrall of rockbangers, and other stuff will just pale by comparison.

Zonie's assertion is correct: you're in the very right place to get the best result.

As regards you new kit, go slow, remember (as i was taught) that patience is a @*&#ing virtue.

the coolest tools are the ones you make yourself. by the way, the 1:48 twist will accomodate both roundball and conical (originally developed, if i recall correctly, for the Lee REAL sorta conical). many gizmo and gadget projectiles have come and gone, with plastic sabots and belted this and thats and a dizzying array of new ways to separate you from you hard earned, over taxed dollars. I don't think they work for a flip.

my advice: do not fall to the siren song of the gizmo makers- use plain old cast patched roundball instead. PRB will work just as well, shoot just as straight, and is, in my opinion, easier to use.

Once you finish building your rifle, get a copy of Dutch Schoultz' monograph on muzzleloading rifle accuracy

(the website is, i think, www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com )

good luck with you new project, and don't hesitate to ask what you think might be a 'dumb question' if you hit a snag- you won't be belittled or put down as being a newbie; the folks here are really among the most gracious people you'd ever want to meet.

 

[Rifleman1776]

That is basically an assembly job. The sanding and finishing and barrel browning or blueing will be the time consuming parts. Good luck. Show us the finished gun when you are done.

 

[BrownBear]

Well a kit anyway. This will also be my first kit.

Ah man, your goose is soooooooooooo cooked! Double-cooked as a matter of fact! :rotf:

First flintlock and first kit at the same time? That's the stuff addiction is made of, and there's no turning back on either count. Have a ball, and keep us posted. There's lots of help here, both for the building and for the shooting.

 

[nchawkeye]

Dang...That's an easy kit...Dove tails already milled, lock, trigger, butt plate and nose cap area already cut out...Just a little fitting, assemble, browning and stock finishing...

My first "kit" took me 200 hours...

You are a heck of a lot smarter than me...

Enjoy, you'll have fun with it...

 

[mbokie]

Hey, that is awesome!

There's a deal I can swing. I'm going to look at that a lot closer.

:hatsoff:

 

[dbiggers]

Oh yea, life as you know it is now over. Once the flintlock bug has biten, the fever will set in. When i was bit and i really dove into the whole 18th century thing, i showed my friends some pictures of me with my Early Lancaster .50 cal and my longhunters gear, shooting bag, powder horn, tri-corn hat, tomahawk, etc, etc, they looked at me like, "How in the hell did you get out of your straight jacket"....:youcrazy:. My only response was, "try it, you might like it"... :thumbsup:

Good luck and post up some pictures when you get her built :hatsoff: .

 

[John Tice]

I started with T/C Hawken flint kit like that about 22 years ago. Been shooting flinters ever since.

 

[redwing]

The bug has stayed with me all these years. I bought my first one in 1962. I found out very fast that buying bargain flint locks was a big mistake. Get a good lock. :thumbsup:

 

[PreserveFreedom]

If anyone cares, it is after 3PM here and I am still waiting for UPS to come by with my new kit. The tracking info says it is "Our for delivery" today. Waiting is awful torture.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

Okay you haven't heard me whine for a few hours because UPS finally showed up and I have been like a kid with a new toy. To my surprise the ramrod is synthetic rather than wood.

The first thing I did was blue the barrel. I used Van's instant blue and I didn't go jet black on purpose. The finish turned out kind of a mix between blued and antiqued and I like it.

I then attached all metal hardware to the barrel. This includes sights and the brass thimbles. If the finish looks a little cloudy it is because I have been coating the parts with Bore Butter before putting them together.

I don't have a proper workshop set up yet so I pounded the sights in on the floor. I left a couple scrapes on my freshly blued barrel, but I am not upset. This being my first flintlock I figure it adds character and will remind me of my project.

I am as far as I can go for now. I am waiting for my stock oil to come in the mail and my dad has also mailed me a dremel tool for grinding away excess wood with. When either comes assembly can resume and I will update.

 

[FPDoc]

Be carefull with the dremel. It gives the regular guy the ability to make massive errors in a fraction of the time it used to take.

 

[Zonie]

PF

I can understand your enthusiasm but slow down.
You don't have to finish it in one day or even one week for that matter.

Usually the biggest mistakes are made by going too fast.

As FPDoc says, beware of the Dremel. It is a lot easier to take off too much wood than it is to put it back on again.
That's why I recommend going slowly with hand sanding and filing rather than using power tools.

Hand tools allow you to sneak up on what you want and gives you a chance to look at where you are and adjust where your going. :grin:

Have fun.

 

[mbokie]

PF, I need to thank you.

You gave me the kick I needed.

I've made a decision myself.

Have fun and tremendous satisfaction Bud!

:hatsoff:

 

[Tony Logan]

so far so good. You will be shooting that gun soon. but like the others said. we have all got excited and got in a hurry. I pounded a front sight in once that will never move without a torch. the barrel still shows the scars.I should have just filed it a little. Anyway your hooked man. congrats.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

Figured I would give everyone an update. I screwed the brass plate onto the butt of the stock today. I then filed (by hand) the plate and part of the stock to fit each other. I removed the plate, and touched up all the edges on the plate so they are nice and smooth. Then I sanded down the stock and started applying Birchwood Casey Tru Oil Gun Stock Finish. I have used this same product on a modern shotgun stock in the past and I got it to a golden color that I really like. I am hoping this one turns out as nice. I have to wait two hours between coats so it is drying outside right now. I am taking pics after applying each coat and will post them here when I have achieved my desired color.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

I just uploaded pics of my stock with oil. Please note that the stock is not resting against anything. It is hanging off a coathanger that is hooked over the mirror of a dead truck in my yard.

After one coat:

After the second coat:

After the third coat (Note it was dark out when I took these last two pics so that may affect how dark the finish on the stock appears):

I am going to let this dry overnight and resume oiling it tomorrow. Will follow up with more pics.