Knot Gun

[Hoyt]

Well..I got my knot gun bout through..just put stain on it today and had planned on buffing it down quiet a bit to bring out the honey maple under the Lancaster brown..but I kinda like the dark look of it the way it is. Will mess around with the color a little tomorrow and then start on the finish.
.58cal. Berk's, Reading, Mauger School. Colerain octagon to round rifled .58cal., Chamber's Lock. I put more carving probably than the gun would have had..but since the stock may break in half the first shot..I wanted the practice.

 

That's darn good carving practice. :shocked2: I hope it don't break, that's a fine looking rifle. Ya gonna put a patchbox on it?
Nice work all way 'round!

 

[Hoyt]

Thanks Cooner..if it turns out half as good as that Lehigh of yours I'll be happy.
I'm not going to put a patch box in it now..it's light as I want it at 7-1/2lbs...carries like 6lbs.
The pictures make the stock look bigger than it is..I like the rifle..it's a lot like the Lehigh and much slimmer than the picture makes it look..will try to get a better picture later.
But..if it holds up and recoil is not bad I may put a wood box in later..I put one in my Virginia smooth bore couple yrs. after I built it and had no problems with the patchwork.
I still got to install vent liner..dread trying to get the breech plug back off.

 

[Slamfire]

Knot gun, huh? Sure fooled me. :shake:

 

[Russianblood]

How did you end up fixing the knot hole?

 

[Bookie]

Most handsome riflegun, Hoyt. I tip my hat to you. :hatsoff: Cheers, Bookie

 

Hoyt, here's a secret so don't tell NO body. I use Teflon plumbing tape on the threads of the breech plug. The plug removes real easy months later and turns in easier to. Nobody knows it's there 'less ya tell 'em. :grin:

 

[Hoyt]

I just put some acyraglass in the knot hole. Cooner..I got anti seize on it and really haven't had a real bad problem but once trying to get one off. I'm just always afraid I'm going to tighten the barrel down too hard and dent it.

 

[Goldhunter]

Looks REAL nice! Can't even tell the knot is there. Did you drill and install a rod in the wrist at all? Or just the Acyraglass.

 

[Goldhunter]

What finish did you end up using? Tru Oil? Linseed?

 

[Hoyt]

No..I didn't put a rod in. I opened up the knot a little to see if I could tell how bad it was and to get some acraglass in there. The knot ran parallel with the wrist and didn't look like it went too far up or back..but looked bad. I drilled three little holes just for the acraglass to have a grip and filled it...as my luck would have it the Red Label didn't harden and I had to dig it out and use gel. I mixed it by instructions and it just didn't harden after a day and a half. If it breaks it breaks and I may do the rod then or may burn the da*7 thing. I put a lot of work into it and am frustrated with it. Will never except a stock with knot again..you can believe that...and that will be clear up front before delivery.
I put LM Honey Maple and Lancaster Maple and just saturated with Permalyn Sealer and will put 2 or 3 more coats of it, then finish with Permalyn Finish. I liked the color it was yesterday..but as I knew it would it darkened with the sealer.

 

A tip is when you mount the barrel in the vise, is to leave about an inch of the breech out of the vise jaws, so as not to deform, or warp the breech, and plug threads, causing undo pressure. Bill

 

[BS]

No..I didn't put a rod in. I opened up the knot a little to see if I could tell how bad it was and to get some acraglass in there. The knot ran parallel with the wrist and didn't look like it went too far up or back..but looked bad. I drilled three little holes just for the acraglass to have a grip and filled it...as my luck would have it the Red Label didn't harden and I had to dig it out and use gel. I mixed it by instructions and it just didn't harden after a day and a half. If it breaks it breaks and I may do the rod then or may burn the da*7 thing. I put a lot of work into it and am frustrated with it. Will never except a stock with knot again..you can believe that...and that will be clear up front before delivery.
I put LM Honey Maple and Lancaster Maple and just saturated with Permalyn Sealer and will put 2 or 3 more coats of it, then finish with Permalyn Finish. I liked the color it was yesterday..but as I knew it would it darkened with the sealer.

Hoyt, some of the 'big secrets" to mixing good epoxy are...........

[1] Mix on plastic, not paper, you will get less air bubles.

[2] Use a plastic strir stick, not wood....you will get less bubbles.

[3] After you start mixing, transfer the glob to a new location and get a new stir stick. This get you away from the unmixed residue.

If the directions say mix for a minute, then you need to mix for a minute.....also important.

On another forum, I read that this is to be an Elk Rifle. Most folks don't realize how important that a large caliber gun be light. If you have every carried one up and down the Mountains all day long, they get really heavy fast.

And carring a longrifle on a horse must be 'fun' also. Wonder how they do it....custom scabard is my guess.

Anyway, nice rifle! :grin:

 

[Hoyt]

Thanks for the tip Bill and BS..I thought I followed the instructions with the Red Label Acraglass. I didn't want an oz like they had instructions to mix so I cut everything in half for a half ounce. It just didn't harden. I tried it again using a little more hardener and it still didn't harden. I figured that time was because of too much hardner. This gun is beginning to scare me..to make matters even worse I stripped the &^%$ vent liner and got to plug hole and redo. May send to gunsmith for the plug.
Muzzle loader from H&^%.
My elk hunting talk is probably just that..I've been to the Sellway Bitterroot's elk hunting and that country and my horse almost killed me..doubt if I'm up to it again...but is good excuse to build an elk gun.
I wouldn't even think of going without a lite weight gun.


Here's what it looks like before I put it in fire..It's not as stocky looking as some of the photos make it look.

Another
deer antler jag

 

[Pork Chop]

Before you feed that to the fire God, I will send you my address - I can dispose of it for you! :grin:

 

[Hoyt]

Got it sighted in and ready for deer season. Not a rifle I'd want to go plinking with..either them old boys in Berk's and Reading Counties held their rifles different or black eyes were in style.
However..after taking a whippin sightin it in..I'm really pleased with it overall. It doesn't slap bad enough to even think about it as far as hunting goes. Nothing like a turkey gun.
I didn't have a good[url] rest..shootin[/url] off the back of my vehicle..had sandbags on a stool on my rack..but not a solid rest. It shoots right at a 2" group at 50yds. and shot higher at 75yds..I couldn't hold it good enough to shoot too much at past 30yds. or so. Right now due to that knot..I stopped at 70grs. of Goex3f. I figured the way it shot higher the farther out I moved the target..out to 75yds. I was getting enough velocity with the 570rb and .015" patches. It's blowin the patches..but I'd have to have a sledge hammer to get anything thicker down. I can thumb start .010" and have to use short starter on .015" and hit starter with hand. I couldn't use my wood rod on anything thicker and don't want to go to smaller ball.

 

[davy]

Ima thinkin thats a fine lookin piece .. "knot" or not Hoyt! I just love that "roman nose" on thim rifle-guns! :hatsoff:

Davy

 

[Hoyt]

Thanks Davy, I really like the Roman nose also and was going to use the stock as a pattern for a 12ga. smooth rifle for gobblers...but hits my cheek bone too hard for that. I will use it for a .40cal. squirrel and hog gun.

 

[davy]

Thats interesting to note. I currently have a Pedersoli Frontier with in 45cal that I am currently converting to an "all iron" gun, and have never noticed the kick.

Perhaps it is something to think about in larger calibers than the 45. I also note yours has more of a hump than the Pedersoli, so that may be an issue as well.

Davy

 

[Hoyt]

Good looking gun..I like the iron and think my next one will have be in iron. Do iron component weigh more than brass?
I shouldered my Old Virginia and Bucks County guns just for comparison with the Berk's and both those guns the stocks rested below my cheekbone. I'm going to try snugging my cheekbone down lower on the stock with the Berk's and holding my face tight up against the stock to see if that will help.
I know them Berk's and Reading boys way back had
some kinda way to shoot their guns that didn't cause back-eyes and shiners.