Netting 28 ga Fowler Disassembled - Detailed Photos

[sw8496]

Hello
I was blessed to run into a Ken Netting 28 ga fowler (serial # 130) at my local pawn store. It has a 30.5" octal to tapered round barrel. It is 46" total length. One of the store workers helped me out when discussing price with the manager by blurting out the gun had been there for a real long time. It was there when he started. I was able to get it for less than the lock would cost me to buy new from DGW. I just did a complete disassembly and photo documentation. I am posting it here because there are few really good detailed closeup photos of Netting's guns. I also have a few questions.

 

[sw8496]

Part 2

 

[sw8496]

Part 3

 

[sw8496]

1. Best way to clean metal without harming finish? I was going to use Kroil and copper wool. I dont know what would be best on the antique finish.

2. Is the wrist inlay the devil? What is the symbolism with the inital and crown above it? Most symbolism on older guns is to ward off evil.

3. Is this a New England or Hudson Valley fowler style?

4. Is the stock cherry?

5. Was the sitting fox stamp added by Netting or the barrel maker? If the barrel maker, who made the barrel?

Thanks for the help

 

[54ball]

1. Best way to clean metal without harming finish? I was going to use Kroil and copper wool. I dont know what would be best on the antique finish.

2. Is the wrist inlay the devil? What is the symbolism with the inital and crown above it? Most symbolism on older guns is to ward off evil.

3. Is this a New England or Hudson Valley fowler style?

4. Is the stock cherry?

5. Was the sitting fox stamp added by Netting or the barrel maker? If the barrel maker, who made the barrel?

Thanks for the help

1 sound good just go slow. I like Balistol.
2 It’s creepy. Personally It’s in period style but the image has modern influence IMHO.
3 To me looks like a “Chief’s grade Trade gun.
4 It looks like walnut to me
5 the sitting fox is a common stamp for Northwest trade guns

 

[IanH]

Neat, you got quite a deal, thanks for sharing.

1. If you really want to stop the decay, boil and card and boil and card every steel part until all traces of active, red rust are gone, then soak in kerosene for a couple of days. Remove, dry, and oil. The rust will become rust blue and stable. Some will cringe (Oh! But the PATINA!!) but do you want to save the gun, or not?

4. Black walnut.

6. Uncle Evil can never criticize me again for using epoxy to bed muzzleloader parts. There's enough Devcon Liquid Steel under that barrel to start a small country, and don't get me started in the butt plate job with Krylon flat black to hide the liquid Acra-Glas.

 

[Brokennock]

I'd use Evaporust and 3M Scotchbrite pads on the inside of the buttplate and the rusty screw threads. Eveporust will remove bluing so you might not want to use it on external surfaces, but....
None of the outside parts look that bad to me, maybe just some gun oil and coarse cloth.

Good find and good deal. With Mr. Netting reputation I'm a little surprised at the DGW lock, but not a subject I've studied in depth.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Nice find!

 

[KC Clem]

I'm no expert but I think I'd just mildly clean everything, oil up the lock, clean the inside of the barrel real good, maybe wax the stock, and let it be. Some of those parts look like they were probably artificially aged when it was built.

What an awesome pawn shop find. I need to stop in those more often.

 

[markdwhite15]

Some people have all the luck Ken liked to age all his guns before he sold them, including letting them rust a little. When we were in the same club, back in the day, he would show up at a shoot with a new gun, hand it to me and say put some dents and scratches in this. I used to have some stuff that turned rust into a black non corrosive state, can't remember the name of it now, old timers desease, maybe someone will, worked for me on guns and tools.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

1. Best way to clean metal without harming finish? I was going to use Kroil and copper wool. I dont know what would be best on the antique finish.

2. Is the wrist inlay the devil? What is the symbolism with the inital and crown above it? Most symbolism on older guns is to ward off evil.

3. Is this a New England or Hudson Valley fowler style?

4. Is the stock cherry?

5. Was the sitting fox stamp added by Netting or the barrel maker? If the barrel maker, who made the barrel?

Thanks for the help

1) put it back to gether and oil it, nothing else.
2)Gargoyl
3)New england
4)Maybe
5)Barrel maker. Gostomski

 

[sw8496]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

@

1) put it back to gether and oil it, nothing else.
2)Gargoyl
3)New england
4)Maybe
5)Barrel maker. Gostomski

Gargoyle makes scene. They put them on cathedrals to ward off evil spirts. Much better than what I was thinking. He might survive now I know that.

 

[sw8496]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I know it is a 30 yrs old gun replicating a 350 yrs old gun. I just want to stop the rust and clean off some of the grime.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I didn't see any rust or grime.

 

[IanH]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I know it is a 30 yrs old gun replicating a 350 yrs old gun. I just want to stop the rust and clean off some of the grime.

Just know that oil won't stop active, red rust such as is all over both sides of the butt plate, on the frizzen, top of the flintcock, all of the screws, and the underside of the trigger plate. There's a thing called "oxide jacking", look it up, it's bad for guns. Boiling and carding rusty steel until all the orange oxide is turned to stable, black oxide will not affect the bare parts or grey patina of the metal but will grey/black the orange rust and remove the grime on it.

I didn't see any rust or grime.

Or the obviously walnut grain. Time for some glasses and a better monitor.

 

[Rob M.]

1) put it back to gether and oil it, nothing else.
2)Gargoyl
3)New england
4)Maybe
5)Barrel maker. Gostomski

Well put !!!

 

[oldwood]

It's all good. Don't think it's a New England fowler , and not a Hudson Valley gun. Hudson Valley fowlers usually have more drop in the wrist . The stock shape is more English than anything else. 1760 , to 1800. Indian trade gun. Go enjoy the gun no matter what style it is. If you want " quick and easy' , for a finish , run the small parts on a fine mounted wire wheel until shiny , and Birchwood Casey (selenium dioxide) , cold blue over that. ( General comment)......Don't use steel wool on anything you will eventually finish , until the wool is washed in acetone to remove the shipping oil. All these suggestions are simple , but effective.

 

[bud in pa]

The stock looks French to me.

 

[Rob M.]

Was just telling Ken about this gun today . He thought it was kinda funny you thought the wrist inlay was the devil . He's a very religious man so ....nope, its not the devil . Fun and interesting tid bit . He's coming up on his 6 hundred and , sixty sixth build .... He is going to build that gun then destroy it . Yep , religious guy ....

 

[sw8496]

Was just telling Ken about this gun today . He thought it was kinda funny you thought the wrist inlay was the devil . He's a very religious man so ....nope, its not the devil . Fun and interesting tid bit . He's coming up on his 6 hundred and , sixty sixth build .... He is going to build that gun then destroy it . Yep , religious guy ....

He should make a video of the gun and it being destroyed. Thanks for the information from Mr. Netting.