Leman rifle for 1st kit?

[HardBall]

I'm thinking of Pecatonica's "Leman" rifle kit for my first project.

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/leman.htm

From the researching I've done, the Leman rifle should be a bit easier to build for a "first kit", but I'm not sure exactly why it would be easier?

Also, from a "PC" standpoint, what would be more historically correct; .50 or .54 cal? Flintlock or Percussion? Walnut or low grade maple?

I've found conflicting information on whether most were flintlocks or percussion which has me a bit confused. But, if either were OK, which would be the better choice for a beginner?

TIA,

 

[amccall]

Hey hardball, I think that percussion or flint and 50 or 54 is not a problem for historical accuracy but what you would prefer.
If you want to hunt deer or big game then the 54 would give you a little more hitting power. If you only want it for target shooting then a 50 cal might be lighter to hold for beter accuracy, depending upon the dimmensions of the barrel.
My first kit was a TC Hawken 54 cal when I was 16. I thought that it was hard to build at the time. I am building a long rifle now and that TC seems now like a cake walk. Also most of these types of kits do not have the breach plug, underlugs or sights on the barrel. The hardware sometimes is just cast metal and has to finished and then you have to cut the stock to fit the pieces on. The TC rifle I built was basicaly an unassemble rifle in the white. I could of put it together in an hour and fired it if I want to. One thing I have found is there are a lot of people on this forum that Have forgotten more than what I know and can help out. Good luck and enjoy building your gun.

 

[crockett]

I think most of the Leman's were plain maple and they put on a fake striping. How they did this I do not know. Leman, to the best of my knowledge, was actually a mini-factory that made all kinds of firearms. I believe they made Kentuckies(cheap), contract rifles, Northwest Guns, and the Trade Rifles- the ones that looked a lot like the Hawken. Some were full and some were half stock. Hardware was both brass or steel.
Couple of ideas: I think the Leman locks were square in back and if the lock is not square and the stock hasn't been inletted, then you might be able to square it, if space permits. The drum also had sort of a square outer area and you can sort of duplicate this made making a clean out screw with a square head. I would do more research on the kit prior to construction. Might as well do it right.

 

[shunka]

Crocket made some excellent points. The bulk of Lehman's (or Leman's - both spellings have been documented) seems to have been to supply inexpensive but rugged "trade rifles", most examples I have seen have been fullstock. As Crocket pointed out, the fixtures were in both brass and iron, and occasionally brass and iron were mixed on the same gun.

In an effort to provide cheap decorative stocks, false tiger striping was applied by hand painting india ink to plain wood. Obviously labor was much cheaper then!

my little bit of reading has shown Lehman's in calibers from .45 to .58, with most seeming to be around 54.

here is an example of an original:
http://www.moreau.com/WMCatalog/Content/Longarms/DescJPGS.html/0839-17J.html

except for fitting the crescent buttplate, they make a fine project (if the stock is pre-cut for the buttplate, so much the better).

For an historically correct stock - plain maple with painted stripes would be ideal - otherwise, make what you like..

.54 is a very versatile caliber, and a 15/16 barrel is dandy as long as you don't try to load it like an artillary piece.

Percussion is easier for a beginner to build, and they were built both ways. "The trade" often catered to folks out on the fringe of supply lines, who thus preferred flintlocks to caplocks as they could always pick up a piece of flint off the ground...
good luck and best regards
Shunka

 

[Zonie]

For me, building a Precussion style rifle is more difficult than building a Flintlock.
I find it much easier to locate and drill and tap a hole for a touch-hole liner, or just locate and drill the touch-hole in the correct place (relative to the pan), than to locate a precussion nipple drum (and nipple) so that it fits the lockplate and hammer exactly right.

Bending the hammer on a precussion gun to align with the nipple is sometimes a unplesant necessity if the lock/drum location is incorrect. Flintlocks do not require this sort of adjustment.

 

[54ball]

Track of the Wolf sales a drum jig tool that locates the nipple on the drum. I have not used it. They also sell a drum with a scribed line so when you install it you cut and file off the outside end of the drum that was gripped by a wrench. This leaves the drum smooth faced with no clean out screw. They say this was correct for the Leman.