The numerous discussions on this forum pointing out the shortcomings of commercially made Bess repros final motivated me to modify mine. I decided to make it into something that could have been assembled by a New England gunsmith in the years immediately preceeding the Revolutionary War. Keeping it a SLP was not really an option for me as I'm in Eastern Massachusetts (Maine) and the SLPs came along after most of the action here had passed.
Aside from the areas around the lock and tang, mine had a horrendously done swell. The original builder, for some reason, gave it a wasp-waist. Luckily, there was enough wood left to remove it and thin down the stock overall. I thinned the areas around the lock and tang, as well as reshaped the sides. I also thinned it along the ramrod channel.
Shaping was done with a farrier's rasp and fine files, smoothed out with scrapers. Any remaining finish was scraped off. Once the wood was nice and smooth, I went over it with 400 grit paper and a tack cloth. Final finish is Fiebrings Saddle Tan and Watco Danish Oil.
The atrocious swell...
After reducing it down.
The original lock and tang areas in all of their chunkiness
Reshaped, with a concave curve on the tang area.
I filed the sideplate to give it some contour. My goal was to have it look like something a gunsmith might have cast.
The final result. I'll eventually either modify or replace the Stowe lockplate. (And yes, I know all about the flash guard...)
Aside from the areas around the lock and tang, mine had a horrendously done swell. The original builder, for some reason, gave it a wasp-waist. Luckily, there was enough wood left to remove it and thin down the stock overall. I thinned the areas around the lock and tang, as well as reshaped the sides. I also thinned it along the ramrod channel.
Shaping was done with a farrier's rasp and fine files, smoothed out with scrapers. Any remaining finish was scraped off. Once the wood was nice and smooth, I went over it with 400 grit paper and a tack cloth. Final finish is Fiebrings Saddle Tan and Watco Danish Oil.
The atrocious swell...
After reducing it down.
The original lock and tang areas in all of their chunkiness
Reshaped, with a concave curve on the tang area.
I filed the sideplate to give it some contour. My goal was to have it look like something a gunsmith might have cast.
The final result. I'll eventually either modify or replace the Stowe lockplate. (And yes, I know all about the flash guard...)
