Value of a custom flintlock

[Swampman]

Petroleum based grease will cause the wood to rot. I'd avoid it myself.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Most custom guns are sold for about three times what they are worth.

I would suggest you try building guns for a living for a while then tell us all how over priced they are. :shake:

 

[Dane]

Couldn't agree more Mike.

Let's see, $800 to 1200 worth of parts.

100 to 250 hours of labor. Oh we should be able to sell that for $1000, sure. :rotf:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Mark If you read my post thoroughly, I said first to coat the barrel channel and lock mortise with a good stock finish. This will protect the wood from any ill effect from the oil based grease. I have a 107 year old Swedish Mauser, with a walnut stock, that has water pump grease in the barrel channel. I wanted to make sure the wood was sealed properly under it, but could not get the main stock bolt out of the gun. I finally gave up, figuring that if the stock has lasted that long, it surely is stable, and its not falling apart from rot, either.

i understand your concern, and thank you for reminding readers of the importance of protecting the stock from the effects of oil and grease. I do that by sealing the stock with a good finish, inside and out. After that, you can put the grease in the barrel channel to protect the barrel from rust. :thumbsup:

 

[Jeffrey Hecht]

Mike:
On the average how many hours do you spend on building the average long gun?

 

[Seafarer12]

What kind of wood finish would you use? In all the stocks I have refinished I have either used the Berchwood Casey stuff or linseed oil. I think this stock just has an oil finish on it.

I have to disagree with the statement about custom guns being overpriced. When you consider the man hours that go into building them. I mean the builder has to provide for his family. He can't work for free. When you work on something you usually don't take into account you time because you enjoy the work or you know how to do it and can't afford to pay someone to do it. Like last week I had the water pump go out on my car. It would have been a 500 to 700 dollar job if I had taken it to a shop. I spent 200 in parts and did the work myself. If I paid myself for the hours I worked on it I wouldn't have saved that much. When you consider a custom gun is usually made out of superior parts and is totally hand built. Sure you can buy a production gun from Lyman or someone for half the price or less but they just don't compare. I have a Cabela's Hawken and my flintlock. The are both good guns but just looking at them you can tell which one has better craftsmanship. Now if I could get that Hawken to have the same trigger as my flintlock I would be set.

 

[Roy]

Thats o.k. Old Charlie I believe most custom gunsmiths are making about three times too little for there effort. Just think about it basically a skilled worker getting payed un-skilled wages.

I'd rather do this and enjoy my work though, then to do something else and hate it.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Mike:
On the average how many hours do you spend on building the average long gun?

I'm not sure what average is. A gun with no decoration may take around 40 hours give or take 5 one way or the other.
Most guns I build take 60 to 80 hours. After that point I generally lose intrest in the project.....

 

[chuck-ia]

sure wish I could build a gun in 40 hours. I'd bet I have close to 20 hours in making a simple single trigger and plate, inletting the plate and drilling the trigger. to those of you who see someone can build a gun in 40-80 hours, these are very talented people. flinch

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Petroleum based grease will cause the wood to rot. I'd avoid it myself.

Agreed, finish in the barrel channel will not protect the stock from grease, the grease is unnecassary. Be careful pouring the water down the barrel and you won't have problems with rust. There will occasionally be condensation under the barrel from drastic temperature changes when shooting outside on cold, damp days then comming inside to a warm house or hunting in the rain but it is not a problem, it will take hundreds of years to cause serious damage to the barrel.

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu are talking " serious damage " and I am talking rust. For what I pay for my barrels, I don't want rust on them. Thank you, but I will use the grease. There are some synthetic products out there that are good to 60 degrees below zero, and over 100 Degrees above that can be used these day. I am careful pouring water down the barrel, but I hunt in a place where it sometimes rains when you are a long walk back to the car. Water does get under the barrel unless its sealed with something. Grease works. Your choice of grease is up to you. If I lived in the SW, for instance, I would definitely be looking for a grease that has a very high melting point. In the north, I would be using a grease that does not solidify until its so cold, no animal would be moving around anyway, to hunt. I have been out in -24 degrees F. here in Illinois, with 20-35 mph winds. The snow squeaks under your shoes and boots at those temperatures. And you have to breath through your nose to avoid chilling your lungs. In those conditions, you want a grease that still works. Some of the newer synthetic greases designed for use by the USAF to maintain planes is the ticket to use.