New builder seeking input

[gonzomann]

Hey everybody,
I am in the process of shopping for parts to build a flinter in either .36 or .40 caliber, in "lefty" configuration. I have come across some parts and a partially completed stock for $300 smackers. They includeremium curly maple stock profiled to Lancaster school, butt plate installed, 3/8" ram rod hole and channel drilled,large left hand Siler flintlock kit complete,trigger guard,ram rod thimbles& entry pipe,muzzle cap for 15/16" and double set triggers by Davis. The stock is long enough for a 43" barrel. Does this sound like a good deal, or will the partially completed stock cause me problems.... this will be my first build. The barrel and lock have not been inlet - I would like to use a swamped barrel. Are there any particular questions I should ask about the set before I purchase it? Is this a good price? This board has been a wealth of information for me and I value any opinions you may have. :bow: Thanks!
Here is a picture:

 

[Flintandsteel]

Squirrel,

I'm a little confused??? Is there no barrel channel inlet into that stock???

If not, that is a big chore for a first time builder. Hell, I've built over 30 guns, and I refuse to inlet a barrel by hand.

You can get it done for you for around $70. Even at that, and the cost of the barrel, you'd still only be around $600 total for the whole kit. That's not a bad deal with a swamped barrel.
I'd do it in a heart beat.

If you're up for the challenge,.... go for it. But I'd have the barrel channel done by someone else.... other wise, you may not feel like EVER doing this again.


Hope this helps

 

[shortstring]

I agree that the swamp inlet is a lot to bite off. Although others have done it, so it is possible.

Something else to consider is that a 3/8 ramrod won't work in a 36. It will go down a 40 but most would probably prefer a 5/16.

Most of us put in the barrel first, then the lock,triggers & finally the butt plate. Hopefully the trigger pull that is already established is something that you can live with.

 

[Vaino]

To begin with, the pictured blank, precarve or whatever, is not shaped for a Lancaster, but a Bedford. As a first LR kit, I would recommend having the swamped bbl inletted and long before receiving the components, read the many "how to" books so you have a good idea of the sequence of operations of building a LR from whatever starting point you have chosen. Birddog6, has in past posts, given invaluable info on what the starting sequence should be on various stages of inletted stocks and his suggestions should be retrieved for your reference....Fred

 

[dlocke]

That sure is a purty piece of wood. I'd send it out if you want it inletted for a swamped barrel. For your first try at inletting a barrel, it might be a good idea to go with a straight barrel and a plainer piece of wood.
DJL

 

[Rifleball36]

You can use a router that has a guide attachment to cut the barrel channel to the smallist size of the barrel. This will save a lot of work. Use a stright & 45 degree bit. You will have to grind the point of the 45 degree bit off. I allways use a router when I cut a barrel channel. When using a stright octagon barrel you can cut the whole channel.
Good luck.
Rifleball36

 

[gonzomann]

Some very good points made here, as beginner I hadn't carefully thought about the ramrod hole size as related to caliber. I am currently reading "Recreating the American Long Rifle" and have been scarfing up any online tutorials I can find, including the one by Mike Brooks on this site and posts by others.... it does seem strange from what little I know about building that they would have started with the buttplate and ramrod hole. I do have to agree the wood is beautiful, it is one of the things that caught my eye for the price!! Any other comments/points? What if I went with a straight profile barrel?

 

[John Archer]

Is it a left handed blank or did the image get reversed somehow?

John.

 

[gonzomann]

It's left handed.

 

[Zonie]

Just running some numbers from memory, you will have about $220 worth of hardware which leaves about $80 for the stock wood. It's hard to find that nice of Curley Maple for $80 now a days.
On the other side of the coin, it is too bad the buttplate is already installed because that is not usually done until late in the build.

If you buy this and a barrel, find a really good place to get the barrel channel cut.

By "good place" I am refering to someone who really knows the relationship between the butt and the location of the breech because they are closely related.

To give an idea of what will have to be determined by the person cutting the barrel channel, I'll go thru what I would do:

In this case, the length of pull you want will have to be known. If you just want a guess, you might make it about 13 3/4 but it really depends on your size.
Assuming 13 3/4 is used, that would locate the front trigger.
From the set triggers, you will have to note the position where the front blade and rear trigger blade cross when the front trigger is pulled to release the rear trigger.
This is about where the sear arm on the lock should be positioned.
The pan on the locks location with it's sear arm positioned for the triggers will dictate where the touch hole will be.
About 3/16 behind this is where the face of the breech plug should be, and that will position the rear surface of the barrels location.

Use my numbers only for rough guesses because actually they will depend on the parts you are using.
Now you can see why I suggested getting someone who really knows how to set up the relationship between the parts to actually cut the barrel channel.

As was mentioned, this stock is not a Lancaster but it could be a Franklin Co. The Franklin profile is similar to the Bedford but it is not quite as slender and usually is found with the wider locks found on non Bedford style rifles similar to the Syler lock you would be getting.

The ramrod hole and pipes is only an issue if you want to build a .32 or .36 cal rifle.

The buttplate is IMO, not an early style and could fit into the early 1800's. My reason for mentioning this is that straight barrels were sometimes seen in this period so you could save yourself about $100 by using a straight barrel.
That would also make cutting the barrel channel easier for you or whoever you hire to do that task.

Let us know what you decide to do.

zonie

 

[Flintandsteel]

Just my opinion again.

Stay with the swamped barrel. It's a nice piece of wood, and especially in a smaller caliber, the swamp will feel and handle much better.

Also, the buttplate in let is not a problem, just measure it out well, and mark where you want the back of your barrel channel.

If it turns out too long a LOP, you can always move that buttplate forward. :winking:

 

[Old40Rod]

The partially completed stock will either be a) a problem, or b) a challenge, as stated above, depending largely on your skills, equipment, outlook on life and the volume of consumable ethanol in your fridge.

As to whether or not its a "good deal", you can probably get a fair idea by looking up the parts and prices on TOTW for comparison.

If its your first build, I would highly suggest paying to have someone inlet the barrel if its swamped.

 

[gonzomann]

A lot of good points to think about, fellers, exactly why I asked for opinions instead of just ploppin' down the cash. The bit about the stock being Lancaster school came directly from the seller, but after reading some of the responses and looking at examples I can see it is much more like a Bedford school - I didn't find an example of a Franklin County style, Zonie, but I feel certain you would know from experience.

The wood for the price really caught my attention, but it may pose more of a challenge than I need for my first build. I want a working rifle so pretty isn't really a requirement but I really like the idea of a swamped barrel for the balance. I haven't found a tutorial yet on how to inlet a swamped barrel myself. Any suggestions where I can find one? I would like to do all the work on my own and I will settle for a straight barrel if I have to for my first build.
It looks like the money I saved by this purchase would be spent on that liquid ethanol just to get me through some of the challenges here!

I will probably have to skip on this one for now... I found it on the Contemporary Longrifle Association page at http://www.longrifle.ws/forsale/default.asp?categoryID=1&age=Contemporary if anyone else is interested in a lefty project of this scope. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions, I am sure I will have more to come!