next build advise

[oldarmy]

My next project is going to be a southern poorboy.
Have decided on the barrel 42" swamped colerain, maybe a GM if they are in stock. Steel furniture,L&R late english, with gooseneck hammer.
My question is do I have to use plain Maple?
I was kind of leaning towards Cherry. The wood is strong and very stable. A pain to carve, but since there isn't going to be any carving on it :wink:

 

[cptleo1]

Cherry is way cool and just right for what you are planning.

Might I add, even if it isn't 'right' in other folks opinion and it makes you happy -GO FOR IT !

I believe that the reality of the thing is to try and capture the essence of the piece and in the end make yourself happy.

I am fixing to start on a Bean rifle with a quartersawn Sycamore stock.

I have never seen one and don't care, it is something I want to try.

In about three months I will post some pictures and folks can sing its praises or throw rocks at it.

Life will go on, and it is off to the next project.

Good Luck with your rifle - In a couple months we can compare pictures and share what we have learned.

 

[oldarmy]

thanks,
It's going to be Cherry, or Walnut. Depending on the quality that I can get.

 

[44-henry]

Both walnut and cherry would be nice choices. I have an original Southern poorboy with a nice curly maple stock. Don't rule out figured woods since they did use them on occasion.

 

[oldarmy]

You are right,
I love working with maple. It's just a wonderfull wood. Clean, honest,cuts well, finishes out beautiful.
To be honest, Jack is going to probably talk me into buying a "nice" piece of maple. :surrender:

 

[chuck-ia]

I want to build a similar rifle, just waiting on a barrel. Are you using plans, blueprint? If so where did you get them? Where are you getting the furniture? Lots of questions huh? flinch

 

[Dane]

This is a plain Cherry NE fowler. Made a very nice stock. Planning another right now.

Cherry was a fairly common Eastern wood. Very stable, nice to work with. Finishes nicely

 

[oldarmy]

I want to build a similar rifle, just waiting on a barrel. Are you using plans, blueprint? If so where did you get them? Where are you getting the furniture? Lots of questions huh? flinch

I am going to call up my friend Jack Garner and order a "kit" from him..He inlets the barrel,cuts the stock to lenght and rought shapes it.
It's going to have the longest swamped barrel he has in .40 either a Colerain or GM,and the smallest lock that will fit.His Siler's are the best buy around... steel furniture.. what there is .
Wood, we will argue :bow: He will want to sell me maple :surrender: He likes maple, maybe I can get a good price on a primum piece. :applause:
Other wise I am going to buy a piece of cherry.
I plan a simple and plain rifle. The artitecture of the rifle will speak for it's self. No frills are neccessary.

 

[Jim-Iowa]

I am working on a Southern in Cherry now.
I like working it for the most part.
Any wood you use will have it's own quirks.
I find that cherry is real sensitive to grain direction. By that I mean it sometimes cuts and scrapes well and in other areas not so good.
Another quirk common in cherry is inclusions(almost like pockets of bark sometimes pop up unexpectedly). It is softer than Maple to my experience, but harder than walnut. It seems to be more expensive than either.
If thats what you want go for it! It is apropriate.
If you want a Cherry Stock go for it.

 

[Elnathan]

I want to build a similar rifle, just waiting on a barrel. Are you using plans, blueprint? If so where did you get them? Where are you getting the furniture? Lots of questions huh? flinch

I am going to call up my friend Jack Garner and order a "kit" from him..He inlets the barrel,cuts the stock to lenght and rought shapes it.
It's going to have the longest swamped barrel he has in .40 either a Colerain or GM,and the smallest lock that will fit.His Siler's are the best buy around... steel furniture.. what there is .
Wood, we will argue :bow: He will want to sell me maple :surrender: He likes maple, maybe I can get a good price on a primum piece. :applause:
Other wise I am going to buy a piece of cherry.
I plan a simple and plain rifle. The artitecture of the rifle will speak for it's self. No frills are neccessary.

There are better locks for a poorboy than a Siler. If you care about being PC use a Chambers Late Ketland, or something similar.

 

[oldarmy]

so I should use a later period English style lock?
How about an L&R late english with goose-neck hammer?

 

[Donny]

FYI...the "experts" say they have NEVER seen a southern mtn. type rifle with a Siler type "germanic" lock, they were way too early. the Siler Southern MTN percussion would work, but they don't make it in flint. :grin:

 

[oldarmy]

Well,
I have a wonderfull story about a driffter that left Lancaster PA shearching for open spaces with a nice Brass mounted LR.. Got down to the Ozarks and broke the stock.. No money.. needs a rifle to head to Texas.
Swaped the brass dohickyies and furniture for a plain old poor boy stock. Kept the lock and barrel. Used it until it was beat, then sold it for scrap.. and bought one of those new fangled percussion guns.

 

The Chambers late Ketland is an excellant choice. You can customize it quite a bit by bobbing that little tit on the end, or square it off. Many people build and sell the Siler locks, and many are as good as the Chambers Siler, but don't have the warranty that Jim provides. Other Locks that will work well on Southern Mountain guns are the Davis Twigg, Late English, and the Becky for a youth gun, The L&R Durs Egg, Late English, and Manton locks will all be fine choices. The Manton is a smaller lock, and will work well for a slim gun like I'm working on now with a 3/4" barrel. As to wood, Cherry, Walnut, Maple, and even Ash would be quite appropriate. As for plans Ron Borron has many different sets of full size plans for Southern rifles He has two sets of five different plans at $20 a set of five. They are copies of originals, but have been modified for use of modern locks. I would recommend set two first. Ron can be reached at 317-422-9750. Jerry Noble has four volumes of history, and pictures on Southern rifles. Each book is $37, I would recommend Volume 2 first. He can be reached at 309-582-2852. Stonewall Creek has some really good deals on Precarves without the lock mortice cut, you can get a lock stock and barrel from Troy for about $350.

Bill

Ice makes an effective non addictive pain killer, it works especially well when whiskey is poured over it!

 

[bioprof]

I am going to call up my friend Jack Garner and order a "kit" from him..He inlets the barrel,cuts the stock to lenght and rought shapes it.
It's going to have the longest swamped barrel he has in .40 either a Colerain or GM,and the smallest lock that will fit.His Siler's are the best buy around... steel furniture.. what there is .

You may want to check with Rice Barrel Company. I have heard that he is planning a run of 46" swamped barrels (if he gets enough orders). My opinion is that his barrels are right up there with the very best.

 

[oldarmy]

I have handled Rice barrels and Jim Chambers locks.Undoubtabley that are the best.
The problem is when I look at the cost of them.
They will make me a "poorboy"
I have to wonder at the wisdom of spending so much money for a rifle that will be shot so few times.

 

[Dane]

As in most anything else, you get what you pay for.
If you want accuracy, dependability, and longevity, the lock and the barrel are where you need to spend your money.

 

[Jim-Iowa]

As has been pointed out the Siler is germanic and most Southern Mountains are english type locks.
Some are very fond of the Siler and use it anyway, but modify it to apear more english in style. Bookies Site demonstrates the mod's. I missed whether you were going Flint or Percussion.
If your going Percussion Chambers Mountain Lock would be a very good choice and reasonably priced, since the plate apears english and it uses the internals from the Small Siler.

Here's a link to Bookies mods on the Siler. http://www.iowatelecom.net/~toadhall/modify_siler_lock.htm