New to this

[monkeykoder]

In some areas of the country finding real black powder is darn near impossible.
Because of this, I recommend that you first call around to the various gun stores in your area and ask them if they carry real black powder.
If they do, your in business. If they don't your only option will be to mail order it.
Black powder has a Haz Mat charge that can run over $20 per shipment in addition to the price of the powder so that makes for some high priced shooting.

Well Sierra Gun Supply (a shop about 30min from my house) seems to carry black powder (and if I'm not mistaken a couple of muzzleloaders)

 

[nw_hunter]

Check out the gun auctions! Make sure you check the classifieds on this forum also! Lots of good buys out there!

 

[Tom Compton]

Lots of posts and not time to read all. You will get some good info here and some less good. Agree with getting something good to start. Best to not scrimp on barrel and lock.

I love the poor boys but the GPR is a great way to get started if you can stand a half stock plains rifle. Go to some matches and ask folks about their rifles. Usually they will even offer to let you shoot it when the match is over.

If Deer is main game, recommend minimum of .50 cal. The .32s and .40s will come later :thumbsup:

TVM has po boy kit starting under $400 http://tennesseevalleymanufacturing.com/catalog.php?category=tpbriflekit

Good luck
TC

 

[paulvallandigham]

A "Poor boy" rifle is one that comes without brass furniture, without a buttplate at all, and usually without a patch box. There may be a hole in the stock to hold grease, but nothing more.

My Tennessee " Poor Boy" rifle made by a now out-of-business company has all steel furniture, no buttplate, no muzzle cap. It has a steel toeplate, and a horn heelplate. I requested that NO hole be drilled in the stock for grease, so my rifle stock is even more plain than many you see.

I set my gun up for hunting deer, without anything that would catch sunlight and flash my presence to the game. It has a .50 caliber GM( Green Mountain) barrel that is as accurate as you can hold. My LH lock was made by Cochran, but he retired from the business. Today, I would order a Siler/Chamber's lock, or possibly a Davis Lock.

 

[Stophel]

You could probably find yourself some precarve stock (only the barrel/rod inlet) in plain wood RELATIVELY inexpensively (and I would probably choose walnut over "soft maple"...), use a straight Green mountain barrel (if going with straight, about all I would recommend is a 15/16" .54 cal. Everything else is going to weigh a ton, and this one is not exactly "light"). Get a Chambers/Siler or Davis lock, and technically, that's pretty much all the parts you'll have to buy (other than screws and metal to make other parts with).

Triggers are easy, and actually fun to forge out of a piece of sheet steel. Pins for barrel and trigger are made of nails. You can saw out the barrel tenons from steel stock, but it's a lot of elbow grease, and you can buy them for less than $2 each... Let's see, you don't need a triggerplate, you can just inlet a square nut in the bottom of the stock in front of the trigger for the tang bolt to go into. A simple trigger guard can be easily made of sheet metal. No buttplate required. Don't really need a sideplate either. You can do without a lower rod pipe too. You can make the two upper ones, but you can buy them cheaply enough also.

But before you do anything else, get one of the gunbuilding books. As good a one as any is the Dixon book, I think it's called "The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Kentucky Rifle".

 

[hanshi]

Oh, just in case you're not properly confused yet, I'll suggest to CALL some of these gun makers and ask how much work in putting their kit together. Some are vastly easier than others. Also checking around to see what good used ones are for sell is definitely worth your while. And if you want a "poor boy" (which is a fine and beautiful as well as historically correct) DO NOT let any of us talk you out of it. Get NOW what you will be satisfied with LATER.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Chris--I have a rifle like this save for having double acting set triggers. It's 36 years old and well used yet even without a buttplate or toeplate there has been no chipping out around this area of the stock. Really surprises me. It's a relatively plain piece of walnut, chosen more for the run of the grain than for fancy figure, but it does glow nicely in sunlight. It has a 43" straight Douglas barrel in .45 caliber, 13/16" across the flats, and weighs right around 7 pounds. No entry pipe, no nose cap and no side plate. A real lock, stock and barrel piece. From the lock forward there is just enough wood to hold everything together and then aft of the lock the butt gets a bit thicker and seems to counter balance the barrel. What I really love about this gun is the hand forged trigger guard, made up of three pieces riveted together. As a first rifle (or a twentieth for that matter) these simple, graceful rifles are outstanding! :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

i think Hanshi 'nialed it in one.' get something that you'll keep, not an interim rifle you won't be satasfied with.

think about a flinter (especially if you're confident in the supply of real black powder) ... flinters are even more addictive than these new fangled cap driven gadgets...

good luck, and welcome!

 

[Stophel]

I did this "barn gun" a couple of years ago. ca. 1820-40. Based on two original guns I got to handle. Typical Berks county barn gun.
www.photobucket.com/albums/v326/Fatdutchman/Flintlocks/BerksBauernwehr

Literally not much more than lock, stock, and barrel. It has a 15/16" straight smoothbore .54 barrel...a bit weightier than I like, but definitely "historically correct" for this type of gun. It was a VERY fun gun for me to build. I almost hated selling it, but that was what I built it for.

 

[monkeykoder]

Oh, just in case you're not properly confused yet, I'll suggest to CALL some of these gun makers and ask how much work in putting their kit together. Some are vastly easier than others. Also checking around to see what good used ones are for sell is definitely worth your while. And if you want a "poor boy" (which is a fine and beautiful as well as historically correct) DO NOT let any of us talk you out of it. Get NOW what you will be satisfied with LATER.

If it wasn't the experience of a muzzleloader I was after I would walk down to the gun store and buy myself a nice 30-06 (and they're about the same price if not cheaper). To me the building of the rifle would be an experience in and of itself making it that much more valuable to me. The reason a poor boy approach appeals to me is that it suits my personality I like my things plain and functional this approach has it's own aesthetic appeal to me that many people don't seem to understand. I guess I'm saying this to let you know that I won't let anyone talk me into something that doesn't fit my aesthetic.

 

[oldarmy]

You "NAILED" it..
Love it, it takes a certain personality to appreciate such simple functionality.
By all means.. build a "poor boy"
If you can get close to that one :surrender:
One of them a "poor boy" is going to be my next project.
Would chose a better lock..Chambers are worth the price..if just for flintwear.. also the best barrel you can afford is always a good idea.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

That's an especially fine example Chris. It shows that these guns can have smooth and crisp lines just like their fancier kin. They are sort of boiled down to "essence of gun" if that makes any sense.

I've always thought that it's probably a good thing that I have no talent as a gunmaker. I think I would find it difficult to let go of a gun I built--particularly if I really liked it. I definitely wouldn't have let this one go without a fight!

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I think your head is in the right place on this. And the longer you use one of these simple rifles the more they grow on you. I know folks who bought poorboys or barnguns figuring that they would be a good loaner gun or beater and found themselves taking the same kind of care with them as they did with much more expensive and fancy rifles. Like trade muskets and Carolina guns, a kind of smoothbore parallel, their usefulness and functionality is all out of proportion to their humble apearance. Your appreciation of this is most astute and refreshing. Glad to have you on the forum! Welcome.

 

[tg]

I had one made from Jackie Brown in the white parts it was a smoothbore but a straight oct rifled barrel would mak a nive gun as well his stock style is one of the nicest to handle I have held, it may be worth seeing what he has to offer below is a partial pic of mineno buttplate intery thimble or nose cap, id does have a trigger gaurd and small toe plate.It is plain maple stained dark with a large early round faced English lock, an early ketland flat faced would do well also, the early locks give the "made with used parts" angle some merit.

 

[monkeykoder]

I guess I have 2 decisions here #1 is kit or build my own kit and #2 is where to buy my stuff from.

 

[Zonie]

monkeykoder
If by "build my own kit" you mean buying a wood blank and carving the stock out of it, don't even think of it at this stage.

If you mean looking at the available pre-carved stocks and selecting the lock, barrel, trigger, furniture etc then after asking the stock maker if the rough carved stock will work with that barrel then go for it.
Just remind the supplier that you are going to install a lock of your choosing so you don't want the lock mortice cut.
Also keep in mind that if you do this, inletting the different lock is going to be another challenge.

 

[shmrck1]

monkeycoder,
Friend,you have been given a great deal
of advice here....Now it is up to you to
decide.Keep in mind that you have received opinions by some very knowledgeable folks.
Anyone of I know would answer your questions
on forum or by pm.
Welcome to the MLF!
I am snake-eyes :hatsoff:

 

[monkeykoder]

Thank you all for your help I'll be seeing you in the gun builder's section soon

 

[tshrcav8r]

I recently bought the parts for a Tennesse style rifle from Troy of Stonewall Creek Outfitters. Curly maple stock, Green Mountain barrel, Davis set triggers, Chambers Late Ketland lock, butt plate, trigger guard and thimbles for a little over $500. Troy is a good guy, you might give him a call, 434-993-3557.

 

[Stophel]

That gun of mine is TOO well finished. These guns were ROUGH. Often made with no stain nor finish at all. Just something to go "boom" and that's it.

Guns of this type are, historically, very limited in scope: time period and region, so you are restricted in just what you can do, as far as being "period correct", but if that is not a concern, you can do it as you like.