Newbie questions

[bigdog2]

Wife bought me a Track longrifle flint kit for my 40th birthday.. happy birthday to ME!

How does one decide where to drill on the lock for the crossbolts which tie it to the escutcheon plate on the other side? This kit has a Siler lock, and I don't see any conveniently predrilled and tapped holes.

I assume the lock and escutcheon plate are inlet into the side of the stock?

Also, the tang bolt ( I assume ) ties down through the stock and threads into the trigger unit maybe?

I am still waiting for my copy of "Recreating the American Longrifle" to guide me through the assembly process.

How far do you disassemble the lock and trigger assembly to blue/brown it? I may leave the lock alone, but the trigger assemble is in the white from what I can tell.

Thanks from someone who's feeling overwhelmed at the moment.

 

[silverfox]

Major help will be on the way shortly. Good luck and take your time and you will have a fine rifle. Fox :thumbsup:

 

[dlocke]

Did you get Track's colonial longrifle? I don't think the lock is pre-inlet on that one. Not to fear, just absorb that book and work procedurally and slowly.
DJL

 

[flashpanner]

First thing....breathe in, breathe out...ahhhhh
Relax and enjoy. You have good questions and concerns. The book you ordered will help alot. Asking questions of some of the seasoned gun builders here will help you and enstill a level of coonfidence.
To answer one of your ?'s, drilling and tapping the lock plate will take a little time to figure out where to place it. With reguards to the foreward mounting hole It has to miss the ramrod hole and preferablly the bottom of the barrel. Also have to avoid passing the screw thru the mainspring on the back side of the lock. Makes for some tight parameters. Although if you did error and got it a bit higher and had to file a small relief on the bottom of the barrel it would not stop the world from turning.
Hope this helps. Keep asking away, it is the only way to gain knowledge and avoid boo-boos that some of us had to experience.

 

[bigdog2]

I got the "classic Golden Age longrifle" in left hand. I am feeling alittle better today, got the butt plate fit and the trigger assembly/trigger guard inletted too. Also got my first injury on the job, inletting chisel slipped and almost took half of my finger off. So I'm taking it easy today, sipping coffee, and absorbing info.

 

[Geoff Jones]

Bob,

Welcome to the forum....you'll learn more here in a day then you could elsewhere in a month.

My advice at the moment is to STOP!!!!

I'm slightly concerned with the order in which you are proceding....please stop and wait for the book...read it, absorb it, ask questions and then proceed.

You've already inlet the trigger....yet the proper trigger placement is determined by the lock placement...which is determined by the exact location of the touch hole on the barrel. Proper geometry might require you to move the barrel back or forward slightly. I'm not trying to scare you...just trying to make a point and impart a bit of patience.

Wait for the book!!!!!
geoff

 

[Frank/Pa]

Wait for the book. You will need to follow the correct sequence of inletting and installing the various components to avoid some major problems.

 

[szihn]

e-mail me directly and we'll set a time where I can talk you through it on the phone.

I make muzzleloaders for my living. I can help you here.
Steve

 

[davy]

Would not hurt to see some of the videos available out there on building longrifles my friend! I especially like the ones by Hershel House, he is amazing. You can rent them as well at Smart-Flix (Tech Video Rental);
[url] http://smartflix.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=113_75[/url]

You can learn alot by watching these videos and seeing how some of the big boys do it, but are best combined with reading a great deal, coupled with studying the real thing.

Also practice on samples, or extra scraps BEFORE wrangling the real thing. Just my 2 cents.

Good luck amigo!

Davy

 

[Zonie]

I have to agree with the others about slowing down a bit. Speed will get a builder into more trouble than I can describe.
You really need to wait for your book "Recreating the American Longrifle" before you do more.

Based on the speed your going, I must assume the stock has been pre inlet for the lock, trigger and butt plate??
If so, you may not have a problem looming because the locations were already determined by Track or Pecatonica River (who most likely made the stock).

If the lock/trigger/butt plate were not pre-inlet, you are going about making the gun backwards.

The order should be:
Barrel first. This establishes where the lock goes.
Lock second. This establishes where the trigger goes.
Trigger third. This establishes where the butt plate will be.

As for the lock screws location, hopefully Steve got ahold of you to walk you thru it.
If not, the first thing you need to do is to take some careful measurements to determine where the ramrod hole is at. Draw this location on the outside of the stock with a pencil. The forward screw should be located (height wise) between the top of the ramrod and the underside of the barrel.
This gives you the up/down location. The fore/aft location is just ahead of the bend of the mainspring.
These things working together may not position the screw in the center of the radius at the front of the lock, but IMO, locating the screw in the center of the radius is not as important as getting the screw to clear the other critical parts.

The rear screw should be located in the thick area at the top of the lock behind the cut for the pan and ahead of the bridle. On a Siler lock this hole will be going thru two pieces of metal.
Many times, this locates the screw in an area that will interfere with the breech plug in the barrel.
The "fix" for this is to drill a clearance hole thru the breeches tang to clear the screw.
(By the way, this is the reason a person should always remove the rear lock screw before trying to remove the barrel if the barrel uses a plain breech plug.)
To minimize interference with the barrels breech plug, locate this rear screw as close to the bridle as you can while still keeping the screw threads from "breaking out" thru the surrounding metal.

Let us know if you have more questions.
zonie

 

[bigdog2]

Yes, the stock was already pre-inlet ( for the most part.. need to do some trimming around the lock to fit. I am in a holding pattern until the book arrives. In the meantime, perhaps I'll get a local gunsmith to work on dovetailing the barrel for the sight cuts, and the barrel underlugs.

Thanks for all the help guys, it means a LOT.

 

[Goldhunter]

You don't need a gunsmith. These dove tails are really quite simple to do. The book you are getting should cover this, most ML building books do. No special tools, just a hack saw and files.

 

[bigdog2]

The book just showed up in the mail, and I've been poring over it with great enthusiasm.. will probably set everything aside for a few days while I read up.
I also had several questions answered by looking through the Tracks catalog too, like how to install the "White Lightnin'" liner I got. Their catalog is a weatlh of information!
Thanks to all for the responses, will post some pics ( and I am sure more questions ) as I go along!

 

[dlocke]

Oh no, don't pay someone to cut dovetails for you. There is a great sense of pride when you cut your first dovetail. Not a bad idea to practice on a piece of scrap steel first. In the meanwhile, get a 3-sided file and slowly and carefully grind the teeth off one side on the flat of a bench grinding wheel to make your dovetailing file. Again, go slowly so you will not heat the file up too much and ruin it. Do you have a drillpress? They are invaluable and can be had for a reasonable price.
DJL