Lets talk fowler side plates!!

[Ohio Rusty]

I have recently acquired a Jackie Brown .20 gauge smoothbore. I ordered a colonial fowler from him to more match my persona. It has been about a
year and what I got wasn't what I envisioned to be what a colonial fowler looks like. It has some serious malfunctions that I have been fixing since it's arrival. The gun has a brass Virginia style buttplate, with the long top that has the five flats on top leading into a double wedding ring nose. It also has a browned round face L&R queen anne style lock. So far so good, but the rest of the gun looks like a carolina smoothbore he is famous for making. Since I have planned on re-sanding and re-staining the stock to a darker walnut and removing the splotchy red stain it has, I wanted to remove the small poorboy style brass side plate inletted into the side of
the gun, and replace it with a longer brass side plate that would have been more common on an eastern fowling piece brought to the Ohio valley.
The problem is I don't have a clue as to which one I should use. I have seen TOTF online catalog, and I have a Mountain State catalog and an old Dixie catalog. There are lots of choices, but which choice is the right one? I'm trying to make the gun parts correct and right by matching up with the existing parts on the gun. Also, The ramrod thimbles are just plain round, and I surmise that it would be more proper to add an entry thimble where the ramrod enters the stock to again get away from that southern poorboy style the gun currently displays. If any list members can guide me to a side plate style and number that would be appropriate, I would appreciate the advice. I've not inletted a side plate before, but this shouldn't be all that difficult of a project to do.
Thanx for your help and advice in advance .........
Ohio Rusty

 

[rich pierce]

That's very open. You just want a sideplate for a common man's smoothbore that will go with a L and R Queene Anne lock. Try Track's #SP-FOWL-5-B Sideplate. The trick is getting the holes to work and getting everything to fit into the lock panels. Because of that I generally just make my own from 1/8" brass plate (I found a thick brass doorplate years ago and have made half a dozen sideplates and buttplates so far).

 

[Ohio Rusty]

There is only one hole in the L&R Lock, so any side plate on the opposite side will only need the top hole. the other hole at the end of the lock plate just won't be drilled and left solid. I'll look at that plate, thanx ...
Ohio Rusty

 

[rich pierce]

I'd add another lockbolt to look correct. I don't remember seeing a colonial fowler with one lockbolt. That's just my preference.