Upper forestock question

[chawbeef]

I am building a Lancaster style rifle with a 44 inch "C" weight swamped barrel. Do I shape the upper forestock sides straight or shaped to the contour of the barrel?? Thanks all............Chawbeef

 

[Vaino]

My upper forestocks are approx. 1/16" /side and the lower is slightly more. The sides follow the swamp on both forestocks. I usually taper the last 6-7 inches so the forestock is wider at the muzzle. Hopefully the pic shown will explain....Fred

 

[chawbeef]

Looks fantastic Fred. Thanks for the pics :thumbsup: ..............Chawbeef

 

[Davemuzz]

Wow. That's all I got. :hatsoff:

 

[Col. Batguano]

The side clearance is as Fred said, or as is appropriate for the school you are building. Going forward from the lock, the horizontal line / plane is straight. Though you'll be at about a 40%-50% side flat coverage at the lock area and again at the muzzle, you'll actually be slightly more than that at the waist area of the barrel.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Chawbeef,
The forestock should follow the barrel. I don't have any photos that show that well owing to it is hard to photograph because of the long depth of field. Anyway, keep the thickness of the stock even along the barrel and that will make you conform to the swamp in the barrel.

dave

 

[Brokennock]

Oh man do I love that gun. Every time you post pics of it I can't help think, "that's what a rifle should be."

 

[Davemuzz]

Fred,

Are you saying that the thickness of the wood that "runs" along side of the barrel is only 1/16" thick? The rifle is gorgeous, but I can't tell from the pic's exactly how thick that wood is. I guess I'm "shocked" that the wood being so thin would hold up.

Unless I've read your post incorrectly.

Dave

 

[Vaino]

1/16" is what I make the thickness of the wood that's alongside the bbl of the upper forestock.....slightly more for the lower. Other builders might be a little thicker, but not much.

One thing that helps w/ the strength is that the top of the forestock wood is quite a bit below the bore centerline. Also the fit w/ the bbl helps and the bbl itself.

The pic below shows that the wood is quite a bit below the bore centerline and on a Bucks County LR that the lock is located high up. A fairly large step down from the top of the pan to the wood is seen. Also, most of the bbl side flat is exposed.....Fred

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Are you saying that the thickness of the wood that "runs" along side of the barrel is only 1/16" thick?

I believe another way to say it ... is that as one looks DOWN on the barrel from above - at any one spot - the upper forestock is 1/16” WIDER on each side or that the wood projects OUT 1/16” further than the barrel.

But heed Fred’s comment that it may also start to bell out more (taperingnwider) as you approach the muzzle.

 

[Davemuzz]

Thanks for pointing out the ever so slight differences. A lot of thought goes into these builds for sure!!

 

[tenngun]

I built a generic full stock plains rifle once. I cut the full stock to about 1/16 wide at the barrel then rounded to about 1/4 inch giving it a round profile. It was a well figured stock and that rounded looked very sharp I thought. However I never saw an historic gun that did that :shake: oh well.
I want a gun that’s as hc as possible, and that means I have to give up some of the things I think looks best.
It’s hard to think of a gun that looks better then a full stock flintlock Hawken with tastesfull geometric brass tacking, but such a gun never existed. Real fore stocks is were thin.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Wow, what a beautiful rifle, very nice detail and lines!
That is now my "Wish" I had one like it rifles.
Flintlocklar :bow:

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'm running out of drool looking at pics of yer rifles. :wink:
Outstandingly beautiful. :thumbsup: