My First Kit Build w/ Photos

[BadDaditood]

JL:
Much better than my first also. Pretty bold carving, nothing subtle there!
Despite having never seen a real longrifle I was so proud of my first kit (the cheapest one with the brass plate joining the two piece stock) I joined a muzzleloader club.
One member/builder pointed out a few things like lack of a knife edge where forestock rolls into center of side flat saying “that’ll drive you nuts”. He was right, last year I restocked it from a blank aiming for the Lehigh Valley “Roman nose” comb like you did. Now it’s beautiful but a real cheek slapper. (Which after some research is common knowledge among the pros.)
I’m interested in hearing how yours shoots!
Another member loaned me ‘Recreating the American Longrifle’ , I wish I had that book decades ago, it’s top of the heap.
You’re gonna really enjoy your next build!!

 

[Crane Senior]

Very impressive, congratulations on a great first effort. Your rifle certainly exceeds my first run at a build. Great stuff..

 

[Centurion]

JL, i can’t think of any better words to compliment your abilities than have already been used here, so i’ll just say “thanks” for letting me look at the pictures!

You have helped me a very great deal by your comment about a knife edge along the top of the stock where it meets the barrel. I have a thread going right now entitled “A Silk Hog’s Ear” rebuilding an old Jukar. I knew from looking at photos and reading here that the fore-stock was way too clunky and a considerable amount of wood had to be removed, but i didn’t know from where. Thanks for showing me where to start!

don

 

[Col. Batguano]

A thin web and graceful transition areas are the keys to building a slim looking LR.
You're on the right track in seeking honest (and often brutal) feedback though, and, in seeking to be your own harshest critic. We learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.

Make a list of the mistakes you see you made, and try to understand the REASON you made them (you did a step out of the proper sequence for example and got a location wrong).

You got good advice in making the NEXT one a copy of a historical (or good contemporary) gun that you like. And make a list of what it is specifically that you like about it.

Getting the architecture right is critical, so really really really look at those features on the reference piece when you're doing your research, and as you are progressing along with the build. And not just "the wrist" for example, but the height, belly, overall profile, cross section, entry in to, the middle, and exit from it in the transition areas of the lock panel, tang, trigger guard, and comb nose. You can do the same thing for other areas, lock panel margins and sweep profiles for instance. There are very few areas of most LR schools where lines are parallel, or relationships remain constant between parts of the feature.

The Allentown / Lehigh school is perhaps the trickiest to do well of the schools, and it takes most builders 5 tries at it before they feel they "got it", so if that's where you're going (as you were referencing in your first post) next, beware. Many of the things that are "normal' for the other schools simply do not apply to those guns, and the reverse is also true. I love those little guns, but they are fraught with pitfalls for the builder.

 

[MAC1967]

I had some thoughts about the carving . . . I think it can make or break a gun . . . more often than not I don't like much of it on at least 60% of the rifles I see . . . frankly, that includes yours . . . BUT it's in the eye of the beholder . . . what is undeniably impressive (and your rifle is impressive in so many ways ) . . . is that your ability and skill is off the charts. I agree that you should be proud of this rifle, first build or not.

 

[ppg1949]

You did a magnificent job. I especially like the carving. I’m envious of your ability. Very well done!

 

[Centurion]

I can’t even carve a turkey...

 

[JL]

So much great advice here... thank you. I should have asked for it while building. Really anxious to shoot her this weekend and have a feeling BadDad knows she will slap me good. Colonel, there is one Bethlehem LR in particular, I'd really like to get after! Posts like yours will be frequently reverted to for many reasons. Ironically, I made more lists for this than I can recall. The next ones will be far more technical but still very novice in nature. MAC, I have to say that I agree with you, mostly. Wish I would have spent more time researching the correct specs of the cheek piece/buttstock and focusing on that vs. the chaos you see. In other words, one well-executed cheek piece w/o any of the carving would have achieved a better result than this AND highlighted the wood grain. I wouldn't have challenged myself as much, but I share your taste. The carving I am most pleased with is that around the tang. I just really need to objectively view/photograph some of these and dedicate way more time towards research.

Boy, I am just humbled by some of your words. Truly.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Ok so since you are focusing on carving right now let's go there. Yes, it's too high. The MOST important thing in carving is to have a tasteful and appropriate figure. I bet it takes me a week of drawing, erasing, re-drawing before I'm happy with the drawing. And maybe 40-50 hours in execution for each little area, such as the entry pipe carving, or tang. I might spend over an hour profiling EACH volute before I'm happy, and even then I will re-visit it as I'm working on its' neighbors, and so on and so forth.

There are many tricks you can use with low carving to make it LOOK high. Cutting in a trench and undercutting the raised figures are a couple of them. Steel wooling a bunch of the stain off the tops and leaving the background plain darker is another.

What you want to avoid is parallel lines in them, or constant radiuses in curves. Parallel lines give things a "by the numbers" sort of look, and look a bit stiff rather than flowing or graceful. Those curves are constantly loosening or tightening. Some times it's barely perceptible, but it IS happening. Tendrils and volutes generally get fatter toward the "head" of them, and are skinnier toward the base, sort of like new "shoot" ferns sprout as they emerge out of the ground and uncurl in their quest for sunlight.

As per the above, you also want to avoid any "elbows" in your carving, particularly with volutes. A long radius curve that changes abruptly, and then loosens back out is an "elbow". When you're doing the work on a volute you generally don't see them, but when you go back to your work (or that volute) later, the next day or week is when you DO see them. Take a look at your carving now. Do you see any constant radius curves, elbows, or parallel lines that don't "flow" as well as other carving you've seen?

That's the sort of thing I was referring to about becoming your own harshest critic. What I really applaud you for is your willingness to jump right in there and do all that stuff--make mistakes. That's how you learn.

 

[JL]

I've re-read your post a few times (viewed references as well) and believe I do see, exactly what you mean. Even you sharing with me how much time you devote to the drawing to achieve accuracy, is very helpful.

This past Saturday, I was able to fire two shots before the lightening hit. This was the first time I had ever fired a flintlock and most of you would have gotten a chuckle out of it, I'm sure. Very awesome experience and even more so having put it together, myself. Definitely a "discipline" that will require practice...

 

[Old Timer 48]

Nice job!

 

[JL]

 

[Col. Batguano]

Is that a BP substitute I see on the bench? (Awesome photo by the way.). Though for some they will work, the ignition is generally slower (and less sure) than real BP, as, the ignition temperature is about double that of real BP. As a safety tip it would be safer if you kept your powder container to the left of the lock rather than the right. At least the lid was on it though.

You're to the good part now though. Having fun with it and using it. Do that a bunch. The hours you spent on it you will appreciate all the more because you EARNED thereby your labor. By my guess, <2% of all BP shooters ever have the guts to take on a build, so you should feel justifiably proud of what you've done.

Back to carving; For me, incised carving is harder to do than raised. With raised, if an elbow develops you can knock it off to smooth it out. With incised carving, once the wood is gone it's gone. That's why I start it with EXTREMELY light V chisel cuts, (after a long time of drawing and erasing over several days, and looking at it from several angles to try to spot elbows in the drawing), as the elbow develops (in the carving--for me it's almost inevitable) I have the option of cutting to the inside at the sharper corner, and more to the outside on the flatter part in order to round out the elbow in the curve in the final product. Raised carving takes much longer to execute, but it's easier to do because mistakes are easier to correct. When viewing the final product, nobody ever asks you how long it took to do.

 

[LawrenceA]

Awesome picture.
How come nothing is coming out the barrel?

 

[CoHiCntry]

Great looking gun! You should be proud of that, as I surely would be...

 

[JL]

The bottom photo is actually an extraction from a video clip. Even still, the delay seemed long (on both shots). Just reviewed and it was an honest 1 second. Need some real BP, as suggested.

Col. B., Thank you for that tip (very light at first). This entire paragraph makes sense to me and I get a chuckle out of how you can see all this as if you were their, watching me. Experience! Generally speaking, is carving maple any easier than walnut?

 

[JL]

Shot her today at a bench w/ bags (50 yds). I held the same sight picture for all four shots (almost buried the blade). Bright sun and failing eyes gave me some difficulty as did this darn BP substitute...

The first and second shots grouped within nearly an inch and a quarter. Relatively fast ignition. They grouped 4 1/4" left and 2 1/4" low. The delay on the 3rd caused me to blink/flinch (farthest from 1st two) and the 4th felt nearly as bad. All in all, the 4 shot group was about 5 1/4" running .490 balls, 70 gr, and .018 patches.

Even though the overall group itself is bad, I am really happy with this result because I know the first two were especially, true. For the sight install, I just followed the rifle's lines and am more than on paper. Really happy right now! It's got some recoil, especially for how light a load and some of the ergonomics aren't ideal, but it's a fun little light rifle and is going to group. Ordered some research material from TOW and am wanting to get going on #2! Thanks again everyone for your encouragement. These are so much fun to shoot.

 

[ebsails]

As someone getting ready to build his first, these forums, pics, advice, critiques, etc., are a huge help. Although all my reading and researching is keeping me from starting.....

JL, I hope I get somewhere close as nice as yours. Really appreciated the post that said be proud, and its your build and your gun, or something like that.

I know mine won't be a copy of a historic rifle either, because I want to use the process to learn techniques for carving, inlay, etc. I think mine may turn out as something a mountain man tinkered with in a small cabin over the winter. A mountain man with limited skills, Haha.

I love the gun !
Eric

 

[William Lincoln]

Great Job, To me it looks professionally done. I am a kit builder for strict
hunting function. No extras or embellishing. Somewhere in Proverbs it says
"In a multitude of counsellors is safety." I think it is terrific, but to perfect
your work, seek out the counsellors. Thanks for showing it to us.

 

[Miles42]

Just awesome work.