silver coin inlays

[the skrat]

hello i want to build my first rifle hope you guys can help out a newcomer.
met a coin dealer who sold me some halfdollars 4 bucks apiece said they were to worn out for collecters items.they look like after you file them down smooth they would be the correct thickness. would sheet silver be cheaper and where can i find it.
thanks curly maple.

 

[musketman]

Silver is malleable, hammer it to the desired thickness, no since loosing silver in the teeth of the file...

Remember when we kids use to flatten pennies on train tracks? :winking:

 

Also remember when a round object goes over a curve it will shorten in one direction .
I just finished a rifle for a friend of mine and put a Sacagawea dollar in the sliding wood patch box turned out real nice

 

[Zonie]

would sheet silver be cheaper and where can i find it.
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Talk to a jeweler who specializes in custom made pieces.

IMO you are probably better off using the coin silver.
If your into "PC" (Period Correct) stuff, coins were often used to make the inlays in the guns of the 18th century. (Of course a lot of those were Spanish pieces of 8 which were almost pure silver.)

The silver coins we have today (or used to have before the government went to copper alloys) are alloyed so they don't tarnish as easily as pure silver. This IMO makes them ideal for inlays as they don't turn black as easily from the sulphur in Black Powder smoke.

You can of course buy pre made sterling silver inlays from places like Muzzler Builders Supply (Ozone, Ark.)