Back before 2004 or well before the 200th anniversary of the start of the Corps of Discovery on their epic quest to explore the new Louisianna Purchase, I had decided to make a rifle for that. Maybe even try to get acquainted with the people who were building boats and planning to go on the journey. I bought the Track of the Wolf's 1803 advanced projects kit, translation: Rifle Shoppe Parts sold as a Track of the Wolf kit. Things slowed considerably as I ordered the lock to be assembled by the Rifle Shoppe. Really slowed as it took about 2 years for the lock to be built and delivered. Also, the controversy was building as to what exactly was the rifle that was carried. This was before the research into the 1800 rifle and the publishing of the finding of the converted prototype rifle. The 1800 Rifle was not carried in the Rifle Shoppe catalog at that time. My Der(r)inger rifle would have been close to the 1792 Contract Rifle, but it was built along the 1809 pattern. The final stall occurred when I was putting the lock into the stock. The breech plug as supplied with the Colerain barrel was too long for the fence and the lock didn't really line up by about a 1/4". The barrel was tapered, and the stock was preinlet for the lock and barrel. It took about a year or better to accept advice from the Mad Monk and others, that I should just go ahead and notch the breech plug and continue the assembly. Now I finally have my 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifle and am very happy with the performance. I have still about 1/2" fully engaged threads in the breech plug after the notch. I did an inside cone for the touch hole. The lock is very fast. It is great that research has come up with more insight as to the equipment carried by the Corps of Discovery as Lewis did not describe the rifles carried as well as the airgun and the collapsible boat.
