What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Friend and I took our first trip to Tandy Learher. Came home with stuff to begin messing around. Here’s my first piece for a knife I bought here a week ago. Be gentle! I know I have a LONG way to go but this was just to try making something. I need lots of help learning.


View attachment 332033View attachment 332034
Should have also bought Tandy's book on hand stitching leather. Not bad for a first try. It would look better with a saddle stitch. ( instructions can be found on the net )
 
I do my gunsmithing in my bathroom, put a large cutting board over the sink.

Yesterday I re-fitted the hand assembly in one of the three Colt 1849 Pockets I own; just got this one and the hand that was in it was too long, the wrong shape, and the spring was bad, so the cylinder would not revolve.

Works great now.

All in my bathroom…View attachment 331811
Most people read a magazine 😬
 
Went out to the backyard for a little flintlock shooting with my daughter's boyfriend. His 1st time shooting a flintlock, not a bad 1st shot.

Screenshot_20240705_212537_Gallery.jpg


20240705_162953.jpg
 
Finally finished my PA fowler from Chambers. Very happy with looks. Will maybe see how it shoots this weekend.
Would like to see some pictures of it. Also some commentary on your thoughts on the accuracy of the inletting. I'm on the edge of ordering an English sporting rifle kit but am a little afraid I might be dealing with Pecatonicaish out of position inletting.
Should have also bought Tandy's book on hand stitching leather. Not bad for a first try. It would look better with a saddle stitch. ( instructions can be found on the net )
I agree on the value of saddle stitching and rarely do otherwise but his lacing is attractive. It could probably use a welt to protect the lace.
 
Friend and I took our first trip to Tandy Learher. Came home with stuff to begin messing around. Here’s my first piece for a knife I bought here a week ago. Be gentle! I know I have a LONG way to go but this was just to try making something. I need lots of help learning.


View attachment 332033View attachment 332034
I'm learning too. I did the same kind of sewing that you did but was told that having the stitches outside the sheath would cause them to wear out and fray quicker than keeping them inside the welt using a saddle stitch. I'm still learning to saddle stitch.
 

Attachments

  • DSC00290.JPG
    DSC00290.JPG
    5.4 MB
Not quite muzzleloading stuff yet, but hung out with my new, soon to be chasing squirrels, MtCur pups. I will have them out this fall. And at some point, they will know the boom of the flintlock like their mom n pop!!!
 

Attachments

  • D2018EFD-832B-4568-BE0A-FB1080217088.jpeg
    D2018EFD-832B-4568-BE0A-FB1080217088.jpeg
    2.1 MB
  • 85D6CEC9-89CF-4E8E-9CFD-9381C9A5B837.jpeg
    85D6CEC9-89CF-4E8E-9CFD-9381C9A5B837.jpeg
    2.2 MB
  • 8F0DC455-E95B-4223-8DB0-D3FB62FA6336.jpeg
    8F0DC455-E95B-4223-8DB0-D3FB62FA6336.jpeg
    1.4 MB
I fiddled with this little 45 kid gun that I built 30 years ago. Replaced the trigger guard with a cva Kentucky guard that was broken off in the rear extension. The first one was a very poor excuse with ultra thin brass that cracked at all the mount screws. Found some interference in the lock inlet and fixed that. It wasn't allowing the sear to fully engage. One of the thimbles had fallen off (soldered) and I fixed that a couple days ago.

When I built this gun I used a rough blank that had a barrel channel and did the RR hole myself. The guy I got it from, $10 maybe $15 thought it was maple. When I tested a piece of cut off the ferric nitrate turned it black as a manhole in hell!!! So it probably isn't maple. It was one gnarly ball where the breech, tang and lock come together. Learned a lot with this little beast.

Grandsons shot it in many matches and always placed at least top 3. Has a good GM barrel on it.

Trigger was always too light and needs to be re pinned further from the sear arm.

Pretty much a waste of time but it was fun.

20240706_160034_copy_800x214.jpg
 
I fiddled with this little 45 kid gun that I built 30 years ago. Replaced the trigger guard with a cva Kentucky guard that was broken off in the rear extension. The first one was a very poor excuse with ultra thin brass that cracked at all the mount screws. Found some interference in the lock inlet and fixed that. It wasn't allowing the sear to fully engage. One of the thimbles had fallen off (soldered) and I fixed that a couple days ago.

When I built this gun I used a rough blank that had a barrel channel and did the RR hole myself. The guy I got it from, $10 maybe $15 thought it was maple. When I tested a piece of cut off the ferric nitrate turned it black as a manhole in hell!!! So it probably isn't maple. It was one gnarly ball where the breech, tang and lock come together. Learned a lot with this little beast.

Grandsons shot it in many matches and always placed at least top 3. Has a good GM barrel on it.

Trigger was always too light and needs to be re pinned further from the sear arm.

Pretty much a waste of time but it was fun.

View attachment 332227
Nothing wrong with a functional rifle! Especially a good looking cheap one!
 
Today I’m changing brake pads on my car and I might be the only middle-aged man left in New Jersey That can actually do it himself.
One of the many automotive diy's that we grew up with. Saddens me that these skills are not often picked up by the younger generations.

BTW my wife says that I am cheap, I counter that I am frugal. 🤑🤪
 
Last edited:
The day my oldest daughter got her driver's license we went home and parked the car in the driveway.

Then I supervised and gave instructions as she removed a tire and put the spare in it's place. Then I had her pretty much on her own put remove the spare and remount the original and then store the spare in it's place.
 
I made a trip to a Wally World an hour away with a small hope they'd have caps. I've called them 3 times unsuccessfully but I didn't trust the answer I got since I bought them here last summer.
It took a while but I looked until I saw a familiar looking clear plastic package in a box way up above the racks.
I could barely reach it but finally got my finger on it. Success!!! A full box of 10 packs of caps. Looks like they came in but were never put on the shelves. Not even priced yet.
It was tempting to buy them all but I didn't want to be greedy so I only bought 6 and left 4 for someone else. I figured that would be enough in case I need to share with someone that is in bad need.
I was a little concerned that they weren't priced but when I checked out they were priced at $5.62 each.
My pistols are ready to get outside for a workout.
Make sure the WM you are looking for caps also carries guns. It seems they are the ones that have caps. Also look for them all around. They're not always where they should be.
 
Back
Top