Templates of Rifles

[Rnagle]

Hello. I am starting my first rifle from a plank. I want to build a York County style Rifle and was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a template so I can cut out the plank into a rough shape. I am currently using multiple books, the one that gave me the idea to try and find a template is the Art of building the Pennsylvania long rifle. Thank you so much for your time.

 

[rich pierce]

Unless you use identical barrel, lock, and buttplate to any template you’d find, you should make a blueprint based on your parts and illustrations of York rifles.

 

[Rnagle]

Ok thank you so much. I will give it a try.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Draw it out on a piece of butcher paper. Once you get the drop and other dimensions figured out by handling other guns you should be able to do an accurate full scale drawing. I've mentioned before that I was told long ago that if I couldn't draw it right I'd better do more homework or I'd end up with a rifle I didn't like.

 

[Vaino]

The template for my Bucks County LRs I use was traced from a Shuler BC shown in RCA1 and then enlarged in the computer to a stated Bplate plate height for that LR. This template only extends to the breech end of the bbl. For the Lancaster style I just freehand. To achieve drops at the comb point and at the Bplate for both styles I use my squirrel LR which really fits me perfectly and fits most people.

Have made upwards of a couple dozen LRs and have never made a detailed drawing for any of them. ....never needed one I guess .....Fred

 

[TommyG]

Yup, make a blueprint on butcher or craft paper. I did a few this way, scaling them from photos and KRA discs. I use my fuzzy shop math, nothing fancy, just work with proportions, percentages and occasionally the Golden Mean. I like to do the percentages in mm as it is easier in units of 10. Throw in a few "golden rules" from some of the building reference books, i.e. - Peter Alexanders Gunsmith of Greenville County, Recreating the American Longrifle, Chuck Dixons recreating the Pennsylvania longrifle and it works out well. Once the print is worked out, trace the pattern onto some 1/8 or 1/4 inch hardboard and cut the pattern. You could just trace onto the stock itself as well. I like to keep the pattern for future builds.

 

[rchas]

Mark Elliott has a free drawing of an early Virginia rifle on his website www.markelliottva.com
The architecture is similar, and it will help you get proportions correct. You can change details as you research York rifles.

 

[TommyG]

You could also try MBS, they have a drawing for the Davey Crockett rifle, which is a York county gun

 

[excess650]

Track of The Wolf has full size plans for various rifle patterns. York aren't too far removed from an early Lancaster (Isaac Haines) or even John Armstong. The differences between some of these schools is in hardware mostly. There were quite a few makers in Lancaster-York-Adams-and Franklin Counties in Pa, and Emmitsburg Maryland was just below the Mason-Dixon line south of Gettysburg.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/1010/1

 

[Kabulrocks]

The JM Davis Gun Museum used to have masonite templates for various guns in thier reference library. I don’t know if they still have them, but I’ll check. If they have what you’re looking for I could trace it out.

 

[Rnagle]

The JM Davis Gun Museum used to have masonite templates for various guns in thier reference library. I don’t know if they still have them, but I’ll check. If they have what you’re looking for I could trace it out.

That would be awesome. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

 

[Kabulrocks]

Sure thing! It will be after Tuesday (oct 19) before I can find out what or if the museum has the templates now. The person that should know is out until then. Here’s the link to the museum: J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum

 

[Rnagle]

Sure thing! It will be after Tuesday (oct 19) before I can find out what or if the museum has the templates now. The person that should know is out until then. Here’s the link to the museum: J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum

Thank you so much for the info.

 

[Kabulrocks]

Thank you so much for the info.

please forgive my tardiness, the short answer is yes the museum has templates. I don’t know what they are but will go there Saturday with a roll of white craft paper and a pencil to trace them.

 

[Rnagle]

That would be awesome. Thank you so much.

 

[sawyer04]

I used blanks I transferred from butcher paper and even then some adjustments have to be made. The price of plywood or 1" lumber now would make me cringe if I started over.

 

[Kabulrocks]

That would be awesome. Thank you so much.

The museum has two templates, I’m not sure they would be useful without more detailed info as others have stated. Personally, after looking at these templates, I’d get a detailed drawing from TOTW or other vendor to build from.

 

[Rnagle]

Ok. Thank you so much for taking the time to check it out. I really appreciate it.

 

[simonbeans]

I am not sure if this will be of any help in your pursuit of building a York style rifle. Years ago, 1970s or so, a company called Golden Age Arms sold ML parts, etc. They were located, at least for a time, in Delaware, OH. They provided a smallish (maybe 5 X 7") catalog of their items. In the yellow covered catalog they provided a series of drawings of stock profiles based on a "standard" rifle blank, which I believe was one that they sold. The profiles were of various "schools" of long rifles which was the current thought at the time.
Maybe this will be of some value to you.

 

[Rnagle]

I am not sure if this will be of any help in your pursuit of building a York style rifle. Years ago, 1970s or so, a company called Golden Age Arms sold ML parts, etc. They were located, at least for a time, in Delaware, OH. They provided a smallish (maybe 5 X 7") catalog of their items. In the yellow covered catalog they provided a series of drawings of stock profiles based on a "standard" rifle blank, which I believe was one that they sold. The profiles were of various "schools" of long rifles which was the current thought at the time.
Maybe this will be of some value to you.
View attachment 102020

That would help me a lot. Thank you so much. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you until now, I got logged out somehow and didn't realize I wasn't getting notifications.