IT HURTS!!

[oldarmy]

The range was packed on Sunday. Most shooters I have seen all summer.
Must be the cold weather up here....40 on Sunday morning. :surrender:
Anyway I unpack the first flint lock I ever made..
It's rough and looks OLD :rotf:
So some young guy is shooting his in-line and sees me unpack it, comes over and wants to know how old it is...
I tell him a "few years". well that puts him off his game...
I put it along side my shooting friends modern/military rifles and we go at it..
I can see him looking at it, so he comes over and wants to know if it's a "kit".
Try to explain to someone that has never spent weeks hand inletting a lock,trigger,buttplate,etc.
That this "kit" is not a $100 CVA...
No offence to the CVA builders :v
Like you can buy a CVA kit for $100.
My shooting friends, that think I am weird anyway, were laughting their butts off during this exchange.
They know the work, sweat, worry,that goes into building a long rifle.
I think my shooting friends were waiting for me to hit him over the head with it, but I calmly explained that it was still a handmade rifle, and offered to take the lock off and show him the hand fitting neccessary to make one.
I could understand in an instance why the rilfesmiths of old/new struggle to make a living building flintlocks.
Shooters that have never handbuild a rifle can't come close to understanding the work that goes into them.
Builing from a blank, with parts that are bought from various suppliers, fitting, shaping, and ending up with a workable work of art is truly a fine skill, unfortantly most people just don't get it.

 

[grey8833]

oldarmy:

Yea.... Have had the same problem. Kit, well yea it's a kit..... :hmm: but there are kits, as in snap together and sand... and there are "piles of parts" that were sold as a "kit", see you in 150 to 200 hours :shocked2: . Have a hard time explaining the differance to a "modern" shooter.

Mike F

 

[JSS]

what exactly defines a kit the fact that you follow a style cause the last few gun i built didnt come with instruction :hmm: come to think about it outside of a reminder that i just spent ALOT more then the 5 or 6 bucks for round ball that i expected :shocked2: i dont think i got any paper

 

[J.D.]

When ask if my gun was built from a kit, my response of "yeah, the kit consisted of a log, a bar of iron, and a bar of brass," usually shuts 'em up pretty quick.

J.D.
Curmudgeon at at large.

 

[Zonie]

Speaking of my longrifles, I've been asked many times if they are "kits".
My answer is, "No, I buy the pieces from all over the United States. I have well over 150 hours of my time in this gun." which is basically true for all of them.

Even the first one I bought from Pecatonica River years ago had some hardware from Don Eads and Dixie Gunworks and because this is a hobby, I take my time with my building.

That answer usually satisfies them while it gives me the satisfaction of knowing that they understand that these aren't something you can pull out of a box and whip together in a day.

zonie

 

[Many Klatch]

At least the guy was asking questions, there may be hope for him. The last inline shooter that I was on a range with, couldn't care less about the flint and capguns the rest of us were shooting. He just wanted to zero in at 100 yards so he could get an extra deer.

Your polite answers to his questions may lead to further conversations.

Many Klatch

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Guys:
Muzzleloader builders definitely have my respect. I have a friend that has almost a complete set of Buckskinner books and has never made nothing. Over the years I've made a couple walnut gunstocks from scratch for modern rifles and with the aid of his books a lot of stuff for my muzzleloaders, powder horns etc.

I've never been impressed with the Hawkin stock on my .54 Lyman GPR-Hunter and am strongly considering making a barrel length stock from hard maple.

As you guys no doubt know on a modern rifle, there is considerable wood left after the inletting is down, however on a full stock muzzleloader things get rather thin.

Needless to say, I'm still working on the courage-to-start thing.

Osage

 

[oldarmy]

While my gunbuilding skills are still journyman calliber.
I can say that the experiance in building M/L flintlocks has helped me greatly in re-stocking/repairing centerfire rifle stocks.
I don't want to go too far into it, but when I bought a 95% inletted 1903 stock for one of my sons rifles.
The skills learned in flintlock stocking were invaluble.

 

[Vaino]

Building MLers whether they be from "scratch" or kits is a very "rare" hobby or business considering the number of builders vs the population of the USA. In this day of plastics, shoddy products and "hurry up" mentality, it's not surprizing that the general population doesn't realize or appreciate what building a MLer entails. Heck, I was a tool and diemaker for a few years and my trade was never discussed at social events because nobody even knew what I did. In a way, the same thing can be said about building MLers and we shouldn't expect people to be knowledgeable about building MLers that replicate something from the distant past. During the course of a year, I perhaps talk to someone about building MLers only a couple of times or never at all seeing I don't attend MLing shows and events. I derive a great satisfaction building MLers and the enjoyment isn't dependent on someone else's appreciation of my work. If people want to shoot modern rifles, inlines or non-PC guns or whatever, it doesn't bother me in the slightest, afterall they're all shooters and shouldn't be excluded because they aren't "with us"......Fred

 

[BadHeart]

My hat is off to those of you that can start with a pile of parts and a piece of wood and turn it into a masterpiece. I have put some kits together and am still working up the nerves to try a fully custom rifle from parts. The old timers that I used to carve with in TX would tell me when I messed up a carving that I spent hours on would say "it's just a piece of wood, get another and try again".I have great admiration to those of you who do it. :hatsoff: :bow: :bow:

 

[rich pierce]

I love it when they ask me if I forged the barrel, etc., and snicker when I reply, "no, I buy them complete."

 

Shooters that have never handbuild a rifle can't come close to understanding the work that goes into them.
Builing from a blank, with parts that are bought from various suppliers, fitting, shaping, and ending up with a workable work of art is truly a fine skill, unfortantly most people just don't get it.

I understand where you're coming from however, in all honesty, those of us that build from a blank with PURCHASED HARDWARE can't come close to understanding the work that goes into "handbuilding" a rifle. In reallity, the only thing we actually "make" is the stock. The rest is just assembled.

 

[nchawkeye]

Stocking a rifle, without actually making the barrel and lock is actually how most were done in this country before about 1800....Most barrels and locks were actually imported at that time...

 

[rich pierce]

Shooters that have never handbuild a rifle can't come close to understanding the work that goes into them.
Builing from a blank, with parts that are bought from various suppliers, fitting, shaping, and ending up with a workable work of art is truly a fine skill, unfortantly most people just don't get it.

I understand where you're coming from however, in all honesty, those of us that build from a blank with PURCHASED HARDWARE can't come close to understanding the work that goes into "handbuilding" a rifle. In reallity, the only thing we actually "make" is the stock. The rest is just assembled.

Like those fancy locks you made?

 

[C_Laubach]

Stocking a rifle, without actually making the barrel and lock is actually how most were done in this country before about 1800....Most barrels and locks were actually imported at that time...

don't know that I would say "most".


Chris Laubach

 

Shooters that have never handbuild a rifle can't come close to understanding the work that goes into them.
Builing from a blank, with parts that are bought from various suppliers, fitting, shaping, and ending up with a workable work of art is truly a fine skill, unfortantly most people just don't get it.

I understand where you're coming from however, in all honesty, those of us that build from a blank with PURCHASED HARDWARE can't come close to understanding the work that goes into "handbuilding" a rifle. In reallity, the only thing we actually "make" is the stock. The rest is just assembled.

Like those fancy locks you made?

I didn't actually "make" those either. I only made the easy parts. The lock plates, frizzens and cocks were purchased castings from Dyson.

 

[Roy]

Shooters that have never handbuild a rifle can't come close to understanding the work that goes into them.
Builing from a blank, with parts that are bought from various suppliers, fitting, shaping, and ending up with a workable work of art is truly a fine skill, unfortantly most people just don't get it.

I understand where you're coming from however, in all honesty, those of us that build from a blank with PURCHASED HARDWARE can't come close to understanding the work that goes into "handbuilding" a rifle. In reallity, the only thing we actually "make" is the stock. The rest is just assembled.

Like those fancy locks you made?

I didn't actually "make" those either. I only made the easy parts. The lock plates, frizzens and cocks were purchased castings from Dyson.

I want a pic!!! :grin: :v

 

[C_Laubach]

Shooters that have never handbuild a rifle can't come close to understanding the work that goes into them.
Builing from a blank, with parts that are bought from various suppliers, fitting, shaping, and ending up with a workable work of art is truly a fine skill, unfortantly most people just don't get it.

I understand where you're coming from however, in all honesty, those of us that build from a blank with PURCHASED HARDWARE can't come close to understanding the work that goes into "handbuilding" a rifle. In reallity, the only thing we actually "make" is the stock. The rest is just assembled.

Like those fancy locks you made?

I didn't actually "make" those either. I only made the easy parts. The lock plates, frizzens and cocks were purchased castings from Dyson.

I want a pic!!! :grin: :v

I want the locks ......for about 2 weeks! :wink:

Chris laubach

 

[Many Klatch]

Frosty, go ahead and just do it. I remember the first gun I scratch built. I did a terrible job, left way too much wood on. After a couple of years of shooting, during which I got my camp name, I got disgusted with the gun, pulled off all the parts and used the stock for firewood. However, I learned a lot and the next gun I built was better.

Don't be afraid to try to carve a stock, at the worst, all you will have is a piece of oddly shaped firewood that burns really well.

Many Klatch

 

Can't find the pics of the insides. Can take new ones if you like.

Chris...we'll talk :v