Off the bench...

[ppb]

... this afternoon. I've been working on this one for a while - it's been one of those protracted tussles.
The wood is unstained Cherry with only a tung oil finish. (I had asked for an interesting piece of Cherry and that's what I got - complete with birth marks and a sincere disdain for nose caps.)

 

[The Appalachian]

VERY nicely done........

 

[PathfinderNC]

Looks very nice. I like the nosecap.

 

[ppb]

VERY nicely done........

Thank you!

 

[ppb]

Looks very nice. I like the nosecap.

Thank you!

 

[oldwood]

Looks fancy enough to me.....U done good......

 

[Jetmech]

Very nice work. May I ask the caliber and weight?

 

[HighUintas]

Beautiful! I like the matching curves of the nose cap and entry pipe. That is a fantastic detail.

What's the barrel length?

 

[ppb]

Very nice work. May I ask the caliber and weight?

Thanks for your comment!
50 caliber and as close as I can get with bathroom scales, it comes in @ 7.5 - 8 lbs.

 

[ppb]

Beautiful! I like the matching curves of the nose cap and entry pipe. That is a fantastic detail.

What's the barrel length?

I appreciate your comments. Thank you!
The barrel is a 7/8" 50 cal. Colerain at 36"

 

[Jetmech]

I've not seen many halfstock flintlocks and none as elegant as this. Did you build it for a specific shooting event or hunting purpose?

In a smaller caliber it would be an impressive squirrel rifle.

 

[VA Hawken]

Very nice rifle!

 

[ppb]

I've not seen many halfstock flintlocks and none as elegant as this. Did you build it for a specific shooting event or hunting purpose?

In a smaller caliber it would be an impressive squirrel rifle.

Thank you for your comment!
This was more of a "what if..." project; not having any particular goal in mind. I like half stocks and flintlocks and this is what I came up with. This one is based on the North Carolina model from Pecatonica River Long Rifles.

 

[ppb]

Very nice rifle!

Thank you!

 

[Tradbow]

That’s very nice.

 

[woodsnwater]

I really like your "what if". Is that a Kibler lock?

 

[woodsnwater]

Is this the barrel that had the run out problem?

 

[ppb]

Is this the barrel that had the run out problem?

Thank you!
The lock is a Chambers Late Ketland that has had its mainspring replaced/reworked by the factory.
The barrel with the run out was graciously replaced by Colerain. This one is that replacement.
I must add that in working with both companies, Colerain and Chambers, my concerns were dealt with professionally - both were gracious, friendly and willing to share knowledge/experience. That’s a plus in this day-and-age!!

 

[The Appalachian]

@ppb, you've got me pondering a half stock now on my smoothbore build this winter. It'll be mainly a run & gun turkey shooter. So light and quick is the goal, and half stock is becoming more appealing as i think about it.

Barrel already acquired is a Colerain 62 cal with turkey choke. Problem is, its a half round barrel and I'll have to figure out how to attach a rib under the barrel. Not enough meat to drill/tap, and that's a pretty big soldering project. Not sure how I'm gonna sort that out if I go half stock. I don't think it would look right without a rib.

 

[ppb]

@ppb, you've got me pondering a half stock now on my smoothbore build this winter. It'll be mainly a run & gun turkey shooter. So light and quick is the goal, and half stock is becoming more appealing as i think about it.

Barrel already acquired is a Colerain 62 cal with turkey choke. Problem is, its a half round barrel and I'll have to figure out how to attach a rib under the barrel. Not enough meat to drill/tap, and that's a pretty big soldering project. Not sure how I'm gonna sort that out if I go half stock. I don't think it would look right without a rib.

Sir,

That sounds like an interesting project.

I don't have a lot of experience with this, but here are my thoughts.

I would think the wall thickness of the barrel would garner some serious consideration. If it is not thick enough to be drilled and tapped, it may not be thick enough to take the heat required for soldering a rib onto it without warping or some other type of damage. A conversation with Scott at Colerain may shed some light on that for you. Delving into this forum's archives may be helpful also. I know the barrels of some double barreled shotguns are soldered together but I don't know how that's done...

Another consideration is that the contour of the under-rib's mating surface needs to be a very good match to that of the barrel. You may be able to get one from a muzzleloader supply house that's close, however, it may take some careful massaging to get a good fit.

But then, (just tossing this out there for you to think about) there are some among our number that would swear an industrial grade epoxy would be key to your success. I've never tried that - but it might be worth an investigation...

Again, thanks for your interest in my project - and here's wishing you the best of luck with yours.

ppb