Pedersoli Blue Ridge Redo.....

[Critter Getter]

I have an almost new looking Pedersoli Blue Ridge 50 caliber flint rifle. It looks nice as is but if I wanted to make it look better and maybe like it fits into a proper time period, what changes would you make? It has a walnut stock that is medium in color and a blued barrel. Was thinking staining the wood dark and browning the barrel or stripping the blue and leaving it that way to bring on a natural patina. Any thoughts what would improve it's looks? Greg.

 

[FishDFly]

"Any thoughts what would improve it's looks?"

What is wrong with it as is, define better?

 

[Critter Getter]

I guess compared to my Hatfields with the maple stocks I just don't care for the look of walnut on a longrifle. Thought maybe a darker stain and filling in the grain might help disguise it. Trying to maybe make it look not so new. . Greg

 

[jbwilliams3]

Howdy, Mr. Critter Getter. That's a very good rifle. I had one myself in .45 for years. It looks good from a distance, like something from the late flint period, but it has - I won't call them issues - historic differences in stock architecture, furniture, assembly, etc.

Again, that doesn't mean it's not a great rifle and doesn't look good. Since it approximates something from the later flint period, browning or bluing will just be a preference because both were common. Most Mt. rifles I've seen are browned but the Frontier/Blue Ridge isn't 100% a Mt. Rifle. A refinishing of the stock would look really nice, I think.

 

[Scota4570]

I picked up a Hatfied a while back. Same rifle?

I made an entry pipe. Bought a decent replacement lock. Made an entry pipe. Made a side plate. Reshaped the stock. Browned the barrel. Made the triggers work properly. Finished the wood better. Remodeled the sights to be more period correct looking. I removed a bunch of wood on the fore stock. I also installed a for end cap.

Buchee's book on recreating the long rifle will give ideas on what is "correct". For instance, the area between the rear of the lock molding and comb should be round. Rooooooound. On mine the cross section was a weird squished shape with sharp corners at the right and left mid lines. Really bizarre.......

The but stock is still shaped wrong, it really looks goofie with the tiny but plate. It still feels awkward to hold and shoot. Can't do much about that.

It is yours to modify and customize. Have at it you can't hurt it.

 

[Spikebuck]

After I finish the current build I'm on in the next couple of weeks, my next project is a re-do of a Pedersoli Frontier (Cabela's Blue Ridge) that I own.

It was a .36 and I've already had the barrel rebored to .45 and cut just a tad shorter.

Mine was percussion and I have a Chamber's Builder's lock to convert it to a quality flint lock.

As far as the stock, the major stock work will be to reshape the forestock. To me,that angular shape is not good. I'm going to thin the whole thing down and make the shape more "oval-roundish" in cross-section vs angular. Currently, like most production guns, the area at the top of the forestock is a wide flat spot instead of a thin edge "melting" into the barrel. I may do some work around the lock panel to thin it up. I'm adding a brass sideplate, nosecap, and entry thimble and replacing the other two thimbles to match. Pinning the barrel instead of having it screwed on through the thimbles. Reworking around the cheekpiece a bit. Adding a "humble" patchbox.

I've always hated the 10+ pound pull of the trigger (sans set)so am installing a single trigger.

I do plan to darken the stain on the Walnut.

Basically, I'm treating this thing like a KIT. For a couple hundred bucks and my labor, I'm hoping to end up with a nice-skinny .45 "kinda" mountain rifle. The weight will be very lean and I'm hoping it will make a nice flinter for my wife.

You probably weren't thinking of doing that much! :wink: :grin:

 

[Critter Getter]

Those sound like the improvements that I was talking about. Please post some pics when you get it done. I would be very interested to see the results! Greg.

 

[Rick Boylan]

I would think that a new rifle now would look like a new rifle bought back then. I don't believe that a new rifle in the 1750s or 1800s would look used. So why would you want to make a new rifle look like it's 100s of years old?

I figure that if I were alive back then and bought a rifle new, it would have that new unused appearance. It will age as I use it. :v

 

[Critter Getter]

I am currently working on a Virginia 45 cal build now so I may leave my Pedersoli the way it is and sell it when my build is complete. I guess I am just wanting my Pedersoli to look as nice as my Hatfields do but without it having a maple stock it just isn't going to. It does look nice tho for what it is..... a walnut stocked longrifle. Greg.

 

[BrownBear]

...Pedersoli Blue Ridge 50 caliber flint rifle....stripping the blue and leaving it that way to bring on a natural patina.

I have the same rifle (a Pedersoli Frontier that didn't pass through Cabella's for the Blue Ridge name change) that had been around a lot of years before it came into my hands. Dandy rifle (dark walnut), but with a "plum" browning on the barrel that's almost purple and really polished. Never liked the looks of it.

I also have a capper version of the same rifle in the carbine length, this one with a regular browned barrel, but also the dark walnut stock. I'd been leaning toward rebrowning the flinter while leaving the stock dark like the capper.

But here lately I'm leaning toward just stripping the barrel as you describe, but also stripping the stock to lighten the color. For my eye the bare steel would look kinda funny, even with the patina, against a really dark stock.

Dunno. Still rumbling around in my noggin.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Here is my old Hatfield after re-finishing. Picked this rifle up In great shape. Brand new bore, browning was excellent but it looked as if the rifle had been hanging for many years. The old finish was starting to crack due to possible sun damage or just age. Stripped her down to bare wood, applied several coats of stain with many coats of hand rubbed BLO to make the grain pop, then final applications of tru oil finished her off. Also she wears a new lock, all screws I fire blued a deap blue for added apeal. Polished the brass and she shines like a new penny! IMO, besides a new lock, I really wouldn't add to much... I'm a sucker for simplicity, these hatfields and blue ridge smoke poles are definitely not dressed rifles, yet they shine with that simplistic beauty they were given from the factory that's all their own! :thumbsup:

 

[Claycow]

Hmm. So does adding more tung oil=better looking wood? You guys have auch nice looking stocks

 

[Grizzly Adams]

What a stunner! Great work :hatsoff:

 

[Crewdawg445]

Boiled linseed oil is what I use, all hand rubbed. If your stock lacks grain lines and curl (which it won't have unless it's curly maple) no amount of tung or BLO will make it look like the many stocks you see. What you are seeing are the natural features in the wood, the BLO and tung oil certainly help bring out those features all while adding a level of protection. Thanks Mountain Dewd! Pics certainly don't do her justice!

 

[Crewdawg445]

To add... When I say grain lines and curl I'm referring to my above curly maple stock. All wood obviously will have some sort of grain lines and patterns, some more prominent than others, the BLO and tung will only help to bring those features out to a certain degree. What you are seeing above is about a month of work... Staining, light sanding, whiskering and many nights of hurting fingers from hand rubbing the BLO into the wood. Stock work isn't fast, takes patience but the results of your hard work will show. :thumbsup:

 

[Spikebuck]

applied several coats of stain with many coats of hand rubbed BLO to make the grain pop, then final applications of tru oil finished her off.

Your refinish job looks great. Nicely figured stock. Almost hard to believe a stock that beautiful was used in a production gun. :thumbsup:

I use the same process. I had read about popping the grain with boiled linseed oil in Susanne Warren-Bicio's gun building book...and her advice was to rub it in hard to create heat. I hot rub it in over a few days, coat after coat, until the stock will just not absorb any more. When done, the stock looks dry, but if you touch it, the linseed oil surfaces. Then I finish with tru-oil coats.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Thank you! Indeed it is surprising the stock came from a production rifle. It's my understanding Hatfield offered several choices for stock grades. I can only assume this was probably one of the higher offerings. However, before I re-worked the stock, I wasn't truly aware of just how beautiful the wood was. BLO certainly take patience, yet the work definitely is worth it!

 

[Critter Getter]

Very nice Hatfield ya got there! I have a grade I and a grade lll. My grade lll is beautiful but your gun is outstanding! I wish the walnut stocked Pedersoli copies would look half as good as the Hatfields! Greg.

 

[thecapgunkid]

27 years old and you have such an eye for quality, huh?

Your work may not be surprising, but the quality that seems to come with Pedersoli wood certainly is.

Good shooting...hope it follows a great job with a tight group...

 

[Crewdawg445]

Thank you kindly, I'll take more pictures today. Definitely have the time since we are under another 6+ inches of snow here in SW Ohio.