Make or Buy?

[Vaino]

Just curious as to what MLing components the builders on this forum make and what are purchased? To start, I nearly always make the brass patchboxes, side plates, RR pipes, muzzle caps, trigger plates and triggers, inlays if used and sometimes the front and rear sights. Most of the time I use a blank but some LRs have been from "kits". People ask how many hours it takes to build one of my LRs and I don't have the slightest idea because of the time to make the above components. Don't really want to know any hours, but would like to have some idea what others do as far as components.....Fred

 

[Stophel]

Well, naturally, I buy barrels, and buttplates and triggerguards. My locks anymore are almost always made from the Siler "gunmaker's" lock kit. I make triggers, triggerplates, usually nosecaps, patchbox springs, etc. I buy rod pipes. They're cheap, and Ted Cash makes them just the same way I would make them, so it saves me time and effort. I haven't done a metal patchbox in SO long...

I usually saw out barrel tenons from square stock, but it's a big hassle. I make rear sights usually, but front sights I buy.

I once built a very plain "barn gun" within 3 weeks. I was between jobs at the time, and had nothing else to do, and I didn't hurt myself doing it either. If I am doing a relatively simple gun (architecturally speaking), and if everything goes well (it never does), and if I could use a store-bought lock as-is (I can't), I could do a rifle in about 40 hours or so. But, nothing ever goes as planned, and I'm not satisfied with factory locks generally, and everything has to be just so, so it actually takes MUCH longer...

 

[rwiliff]

How realistic are my intentions of making a trigger guard and butt plate out of sheet brass?

A flat plate similar to a trade gun seems OK, but I'm wondering about a .125 brass trigger guard.

Lots of time to decide.

Warmest Regards,
Robert

 

[Roy]

I have made everything except for the barrel. Depending on the build depends on what all I will make. :v

 

[Stophel]

How realistic are my intentions of making a trigger guard and butt plate out of sheet brass?

A flat plate similar to a trade gun seems OK, but I'm wondering about a .125 brass trigger guard.

Lots of time to decide.

Warmest Regards,
Robert

If you are reasonably skilled at hammering brass, a buttplate wouldn't be a problem. A triggerguard would definitely not be economically feasable for most normal styles of triggerguard.

 

[rwiliff]

I'm reasonably skilled at thinking about hammering brass. Maybe I should just buy the parts. Thanks.

Warmest Regards,
Robert

 

[bioprof]

Thanks to suggestions from members of this board, I now routinely make my own muzzlecaps. It does make more sense to fit the muzzlecap to the stock rather than fitting the stock to the muzzlecap. I also routinely make my own barrel lugs, inlays, and have made a sideplate out of brass stock. On my current project, which is a wheel-lock pistol, I plan on making the trigger, trigger guard, and ramrod pipes.

 

[bob243]

This is my first attempt at making a trigger guard and ramrod pipes. The Ramrod pipes were a piece of .030 sheet brass, the Trigger guard I made from the piece I cut out from making the sun shade for my chunk gun. It is a .135" thick brass that I flattened out.

This is the gun I am basing the build off of.

I don't know why I cannot make the link properly, but here is a screen shot

 

[Bubba45]

I made the trigger guard, pipes,lugs and sites on this poorboy.

Ive been trying to make more parts rather than buy them .
I've made the triggers, sideplates ,buttplates ,nosecaps on other builds and locks for matchlocks .

 

[Stophel]

I made one of these a few years ago. A very fun to build gun.

A triggerguard like this is not exactly the same as a full-grip-rail ordinary type guard though! :grin:

 

[bob243]

That looks fantastic :thumbsup:

How wide it that guard?

 

[Vaino]

It's amazing what some of the members produce asre MLing components. One of the easiest items to start with is a bbl lug as shown in Mike Brooks' tutorial and the somewhat more complicated muzzlecap that he does so easily. Since the start of building Bucks County LRs, I've made the characteristic one piece long tailed entry pipes and am presently making a 5 piece side opening patchbox...all the previous side openers were just the lid w/ a vertical hinge piece. The 5 piece PB is a little more difficult and has been inletted but the order of inletting the pieces req'd some thought. Never thought of making TGs and BPs because of the styles I prefer, but intend to start when a future Southern LR is started. Evidently, a lot of "handy" people on this forum.....Fred

 

[bob243]

The first thing I made was out of necessity. I was just about finished building my chunk gun and I realized I didn't have a decent front site with the blade width I was looking for. So I machined one out of a 3/4x3/4 bar.. Worked out well, and I didn't have to wait a week for it :grin:

 

[Rolfkt]

I made the sterling silver triggergards, buttcaps, rr pipes, sideplate,muzzelcaps and trigger/triggerplate for the pair of pistols I'm making, from scrath out of sheet metal.

I wrote a tutorial on making triggergards and buttcaps. They are posted in the tutorial section at americanlongrifles forum. I tried to post links to this forum, but for some reason they don't work.

Best regards
Rolf

 

[Zonie]

The link did not work because of the Muzzleloaderforum's rule that says,

"Do not post links to sites that contain Muzzleloading Forums.".