Modifying a commercial Murdoch Scottish steel pistol

[Prairie Banditti]

Here is an updated pix...the flat brass stock will eventually be turned into a belt hook - I'm going to shallow score a line @ the bend(s), anneal it to soften it up, then bend it on a bench vise and file it down into the finished form. The trigger and pick balls were 7/8" threaded brass that I'm filing down. The brass ramrod will be more decorative than functional. The next major challenge/obstacle is extending the steel frame towards the front below the barrel - you can see the piece of mild steel that I have been filing down to the right of the zip-tie holding the barrel down - it will have to be brazed/welded on somehow, and that is beyond my ken...

 

[Commodore Swab]

A couple comments . . .
The originals I have seen that are brass employ a brass stock but steel barrel/lock/vent etc. It would seem what you are doing is reversed. I am most curious about your trigger adaptation as TRS trigger works to engage the sear pulling backward as your piece involves a more "traditional" lock with sear and tumbler. Also the original sear comes thru the top of the stock where it is screwed and pinned rather than being held in place.

 

[Auldjin]

I thought it might be of interest to compare the mixed metal pistols with an all-steel one from 1759.

 

[Prairie Banditti]

Gents, sorry for my delay in responding...
Nice pix, Auldjin, and in reply to Commodore Swab, there are example of the steel frame with brass barrels...the one I am using as my "template" is the Boswell pistol @ Malahide Castle in Dublin (if you have, or can access page 70 of "The Swords and the Sorrows", you will be able to view it - I'd be happy to post a pic from the book if anyone is interested). As for the internal sear unique to the original Scottish pistols, mine is just a cheapie Pakistani knock-off I purchased from Dixie Gun Works...however, if I'm not mistaken, I think that the "Rifle Shoppe" carries the Scottish ramshorn pistol kit with the true horizontal sear. As for fabricating the ball trigger and belt hook out of brass, it's just a choice I made to balance out the overall look using both steel and brass that may, or may not look good when finished.
I am hoping to post some updated pix that will show the progress of my modification project as soon as I can find time to meet with a local blacksmith who will provide the professional expertise in brazing the mild steel extension to the front of the stock.

 

[Prairie Banditti]

For anyone who's been following my attempts @ modifying a Scottish dag from a modern copy, here is where I am at in the process and would welcome any advice/suggestions/feedback moving forward...
I was fortunate to have John McClellan (a local California blacksmith) weld on the steel cap to extend the frame of the pistol, along with tightening the curl of the ramshorn; his recommendations and skills/expertise were essential (see the attached pix showing the welding of the extension onto the frame and Mr. McClellan). I was very nervous when Mr. McClellan put the welding torch to the ramshorn curls and dreading the possibility that the heat might melt the welds holding the steel frame together, but it turned out just fine.

The last pix shows where I currently am at in the modification process; here's a run-down of highlights starting with the frame:
the brass barrel is temporarily secured to the frame by a steel zip-tie; resting between the bottom of the frame and brass ramrod is a lug that I plan on soldering to the bottom of the brass barrel by filing a receiving groove on the barrel and then drilling a hole to secure a hardened steel pin after soldering.
After much searching, I was able to find some decorative brass beads (I was trying to find a "saucer"-type bead which looks a bit more authentic, but the ones I could find some turned out to be too small for proportion) that approximate the look of the trigger and vent pricker balls (I used the existing steel vent pricker and filed down the ball until I could make it fit into the brass bead - not sure how I'm going to secure them to the trigger and vent pricker, but thinking of injecting JB Weld into the ball of each and then letting them both harden - any alternative suggestions? The nipples at the base of each brass ball are from cut brass tacks and will secure them to the bottom of each brass ball with some JBW as a decorative accent.
The ramrod pipe will be made from thin steel sheet metal folded around a small diameter steel rod to receive the ramrod, and the top brass rod and brass bar stock in the pix are my two options for making a belt hook. I will either have to file down the round brass rod into the shape I want, or figure out how to put a 90 degree bend in the brass.
That's about it - I obviously need to polish up the steel frame where it got it's share of file marks, along with the brass barrel.