Tenn. Southern Mtn Rifle kit build from TOTW.

[M. De Land]

I can't find my original post on this I started last year but finally got around to starting on the kit build after getting my belated stock delivery six months late.
I did get the dove tails cut and the breech plug fit last winter but was stalled waiting for the stock that showed up in June.
I elected to make my own vent as I have never cared for the white lighting design which vectors main charge gas outward in the unnecessary fix of reducing the flash channel length. It was successfully acomplished and finished off on the interior flush with the arch of the bore wall.
About the only complaint with the kit was the tang mortise cut was over size and I had to use an alternate breech plug tang assembly to fill the factory mortise.
I got the architecture/shaping correct to the instructions and pictures and found the kit pretty simple to do with the hardest part for me was getting the fore end cap fitted as I wanted which in the end came out well. I did omit the copper rivet to keep it in but may add it later on.
I also made some small inletting errors that bug me but over all am pretty satisfied with the results.
One departure I made from the instructions was in the maple stock dying as I do not care for the dark aqua fortis look so made my own water base stain in a denatured alchol base.
It is a reddish brown blend I like a lot looking much like French Red stain.
Here are a few pictures of the build.

 

[M. De Land]

A couple more.

 

[M. De Land]

I seem to have deleted my one photo of the stain color so will get the finished pictures up later this week as I put the final touches on the project. I think I will just order the parts and stock blank next time around instead of a kit as I would like to try my hand at drilling the loading rod port, inletting the barrel channel and furniture mortises my self. At least any gaps will be my fault and not over size factory cuts.

 

[tallpine]

Nice workmanship, Your inletting looks good to me.

 

[Carbon 6]

I can't find my original post on this I started last year but finally got around to starting on the kit build after getting my belated stock delivery six months late.

This one ?

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/finally-got-going-on-the-southern-mt-rifle-kit.117010/

 

[M. De Land]

That's the one,thanks! How many pages back was it? I still don't know my way around on these puters and forums, to find stuff.

 

[Carbon 6]

I just searched your postings It took me 3 clicks to find it using a simple search technique.

The easy way for you to find it would be to click on "MY THREADS" at the top left of the page.

 

[M. De Land]

Thanks,that's a great help I never noticed before! I guess and old dog can learn new tricks.

 

[Pete G]

Looks good. Next time shorten the cheekpiece at the rear. Stocks are made for the longest length of pull, so the cheekpiece is sized accordingly.

 

[M. De Land]

Thanks for the helpful tips guys. Much to learn about this new lane of gun making for me. I did mess up the side plate inletting a bit so am in the process of making a new one a bit over size and will try and get it right this time. The gap would have bugged be from now on so making a slightly larger one will be worth the effort.

 

[M. De Land]

Here are the promised pictures:

 

[M. De Land]

The rest need to go on another reply:

 

[Eric Krewson]

What is the screw in the wrist for?

 

[Trot]

What is the screw in the wrist for?

My first thought too.

 

[tenngun]

Hold long trigger bar? Looks great

 

[M. De Land]

What is the screw in the wrist for?

That is the back end of the trigger plate screw on this design.

 

[M. De Land]

Had I been able to use the lolly pop tang that came with the kit , it would have had the escutcheon on it for that wrist, rear trigger plate screw. With the over size factory mortise I was forced to use the alternate plug/tang appropriate to this style.
It looks like the stripes are appearing more robust as the stock dries out under the oil finish. It looks to me like the wood was not fully dried out as the stripes darken and some of the inletting opens up from the furniture. I think I like walnut better than maple to inlet with but the stripes look pretty cool.

 

[M. De Land]

The new over size side plate installed: If gaps open up around this side plate I will know for sure the blank was not fully cured before shipping out.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I would have put a wood screw through the trigger plate. I should have known it was for a lolly pop tang, I had a similar screw on the Kibler SMR kit I put together.

 

[Zonie]

My "Tennessee" is also using one of those extra long trigger plates. Being a Tennessee, the extra long barrel tang was appropriate so I used it too.
As things turned out, it was a good thing that I bought the long tang breech plug and the long trigger plate because the Walnut stock Pecatonica River sent me has a very poor grain flow thru the wrist. (It is the only stock out of over 15 that the sent me with this sort of problem.)

By having the extra long tang and trigger plate the two screws that go thru the wrist greatly strengthens the stock by sandwiching the poor grain flow between two pieces of steel.