My new ginger flintlock

[No Deer]

Very nice riffle. Any idea what was used to finish the stock? Really like the color and contrast of the grain.

 

[Muddly]

I can't guess the stain. Its an awesome shade of red. The finish seems to be linseed oil.

 

[Kansas Jake]

“Barn gun” does not describe it. Very few would leave that in a barn.

 

[Muddly]

Took her out to Dixon's and Greg immediately recognized her as a James Correll build on a stock blank that his father ( Chuck Dixon)used to have made " back in the day".
Apparently " Spatz" was the fellow who had her built.
I'm so glad to have this information! Its nice to be able to flesh out some of her history.
Gonna shoot her tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

 

[Intosomthin]

Just speculation on my part, but thinking a butt plate not really neccessary unless u going to use it to cave in someones head after the shot... use it for a club, I mean plain wood easier on shoulder than metal? Just a thought & backed up not at all lol

 

[Muddly]

No difference on the shoulder, but it will chip, dent, chunk out or split SO easily.
But, if I need to butt stroke something, I have my '53 Enfield. Yankees have thick skulls...

 

[Notchy Bob]

There was a discussion on the ALR forum a while back regarding rifles with no buttplate. At least a couple of the professional builders over there commented that most of the repairs they have done on rifle butts were on guns that had buttplates, with splits occurring mostly in the toe area. These fellows suggested that a buttplate does not give complete protection from splitting, and the screw that goes through the buttplate into the toe (more or less parallel to the grain) may actually weaken the wood and predispose it to split. A couple of photos were shown of very old rifles with intact butts but no buttplate.

I think a lot has to do with the design. A shallow crescent with a less acute angle at the toe and slight rounding of the heel, and maybe slightly chamfering the edges so there are no sharp corners, may be the key. The buttstock on Muddly's "Ginger" looks to be made this way.

Most of us are pretty careful with our guns, anyway. Like someone else who posted earlier on this thread, I bring a scrap of carpet or foam to the range to pad the rifle butt when I'm loading, and if I'm just standing there holding the gun upright, I'll rest the butt on my foot. I try to avoid putting it down on wet ground or concrete, and this is for rifles that do have buttplates. With reasonable care, I expect "Old Ginger" will be around for future generations to shoot.

I saw the post identifying James Correll as the builder. It's good to have a name to go with the gun. These handmade muzzleloaders have some real "soul" that you just don't get from the mass-produced guns, and it's good to know a little about their "pedigree." I had not heard of James Correll before, but he sure did a good job on this rifle. That will be a name to watch for.

Notchy Bob

 

[Muddly]

James Correll was associated with the Jacobsburg Historical Society ( Henry/ Boulton rifles) for many years and ran classes in rifle building there. Their spring 2017 newsletter has an article about him.
Sadly, I understand he passed a couple years ago.
This petite flintlock is bewitching me. I just have to have her in my hands!
This is crazy...