Light weight .45 cal rifle

[Rabbit]

Hello all. I am new here to this forum. I have been reading posts for the last couple of days and thought I would jump in and pose a question. My daughter has recently became quite interested in shooting muzzleloaders. I currently have her shooting a .45 cal T/C Cherokee. She is 14, stands 5'3" and weighs about 85 lbs. I am thinking of building her a rifle of her own and am looking for ideas. I want the gun to be on the light side, 5lbs or under if possible (the Cherokee weighs around 4 1/2 lbs) so I am thinking either a 13/16" barrel 30" or under or a swamped/tapered barrel in the 30" range. I am also looking to use a pre-carved stock and want to start her off with a percussion. I was leaning towards using a small Siler lock with a drum and nipple set up. This way if she ever wanted to go to flintlock I could convert it. I have not been able to find many web sights offering pre-carved half stocks (or full stock) that would fit what I am looking for. Also looking for suggestions for a barrel. I have used both Getz and Green Mtn barrels and like them both but I am not sure if either make a barrel shorter than 36". Also what rate of twist would you suggest for such a short barrel? I e-mailed Green Mtn with these questions but as of yet I have not heard back. Also this gun does not have to be traditional. What I am looking for is a good quality barrel, a good quality set of set triggers, a good lock and an overall light weight gun. Any ideas out there for such a project? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zonie]

If you want to build her a lightweight gun, give Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply Co a call at 815-968-1995 and ask to speak to Dick. Also try to get one of their catalogs and price lists.

Dick will be glad to supply you with what ever style of stock he makes, pre cut for the barrel and with ramrod hole drilled but without any lock/trigger inletting. That way you can inlet the lock you want. While you have him on the phone, tell him you want the barrel cut off to whatever length you desire. If you really want to go whole hog, ask him to install the breech plug , mill the sight dovetails and install 3 underlugs. His prices on all machining is just about as cheap as you will find anywhere.

Dick is such an easy, good guy to work with, I think if he knew what you were after, he could supply you with everything you need, sight unseen and you would be happy. That's how much I trust his judgement and honesty.

Tell him what lock you want (small Siler or small L&R Manton). If he doesn't have one, then order from Track of the Wolf or better yet, from Susie at Muzzleloader Builders Supply.
I would suggest going with a 13/16 .45 cal straight Green Mountain barrel as that is $100 cheaper than a swamped barrel.
It also allows you to cut it off without it looking strange.

This is my "Boys Rifle (more pictures in the Photo section on page 2).
I ordered it from Dick, just as I described above. I had to remove a lot of wood to scale it down but that is not hard to do.
It weighs about 7 pounds, but it is a 37 inch .36 cal. A .45 cal. 30 inch barrel would take about a pound off of this and make a very fast, easy handleing gun.

 

[Birddog6]

The lightest ML that comes to mind for me is a Vincent half stock. You can order such from TOW, Pecatonica, Tip Curtis, etc.

 

[Rabbit]

Thanks for the input. I had looked at Pecatonica's web sight and will probably end up oredering their catalog. The web sight shows no half stocks but mentions they have some styles. I also was looking at Jedediah Starr's web sight and he has a Vincent rifle and an Ohio rifle. They actually look identical. Has anyone out there evr dealt with Jedediah Starr? Says 98% inlet. I take it that includes lock, butt plate, etc.? His prices seem reasonable. The only two custom guns I have built were both flintlocks. One from Dunlap and one from TVM. Both were excellent. I have never done a caplock with a drum and nipple set up. Is it hard to get the alignment right (as far as position on barrel and alignment of nipple to hammer)? Also have heard Tip Curtis's name mentioned before. Does he have a web site? I can't find one. Or a catalog or telephone number?

 

[Tony Lucero]

Rabbit, Pecatonica's catalog is much more comlete than their website. I just got it last week and have already loaned it out. Good stuff with lots of different types of gun styles and stocks and such. Order the catalog if nothing else.

 

[Wayne Combs]

Rabbit,Here you go for Tip Curtis.Tip Curtis Frontier Shop,PO Box 203,4445 Jernigan Rd.,Cross Plains,TN 37049.Phone#615-654-4445.E-mail,[email protected].