|
Post by osprey on Jul 28, 2007 20:58:03 GMT -5
Just got back from Dixon's Gunmakers Fair a few hours ago, and I dove off the deep end. Got the gun I want to build, in kit (although that's being generous in description) form. John Armstrong style longrifle, brass furniture, flintlock and double set triggers, 42" Colerain swamped .45 caliber barrel, med-high grade curly maple stock pre-inlet for the barrel, ramrod and lock. Shelled out $730 smackers for it. 'Course just now it's hit me that I've spent that much on a gun in pieces without blueing or finished wood that I won't be able to shoot for months and without tons of work, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Got three polished white horns, too, gonna do some powder horns with scrimshaw when I need a break from working on the gun...
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Jul 28, 2007 21:01:24 GMT -5
Hopefully it'll look more like this when I'm finished, although I don't plan on adding the patch box and want to do some detailed relief carvings of sika and sika antlers on the stock.
|
|
|
Post by THE DEER HUNTER on Jul 30, 2007 8:17:43 GMT -5
Hopefully that kit is better than the one that I bought last fall. I only paid about 150 for a pistol kit & I might as well have cut the tree down myself & carved out the stock as NOTHING fit into place.
Good luck.
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Jul 30, 2007 12:29:09 GMT -5
This isn't a cheap kit like the CVA or Cabela's kits, this is the real deal. Lots of stock inletting to get thing fitted correctly, high grade woods, etc. Started making the first cuts yesterday to inlet the barrel tang. The hard part soon will be attaching (cutting dovetails) the barrel tennons (the pieces under the barrel that pin it to the stock) and the sights. I may farm that out to a gunsmith - I'll see how hard it is from from the fellas I know that build a lot... There were a few of these in the white (meaning they were put together and ready to shoot, but wood and metal wasn't finished, stained or blued) that began at $1,100!!!! I'm hoping to have something good when I'm done.
|
|
|
Post by davep on Jul 30, 2007 16:46:33 GMT -5
Great project!
If you get hung up, get a hold of the guys with Choptank. Some of them build A LOT of rifles! I was working with Steve last week over your way.I mentioned that I had seen on this site that you were at their shoot.He said, "Oh the guy with the Scrambler!"
(We needed a knife, and he grabbed up one of his homemade ones (deer horn) A few years ago, he had made a nice one out of a bear jaw bone (He took the bear with a .72 flint!) I swear, making the stuff is haf the fun.And addictive (but you know that already, don't you?)
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Jul 30, 2007 19:56:07 GMT -5
Davep, I'm already on it. A half dozen of the Choptank guys meet in St.Micheals every week to build guns, been once and imagine I'll be a regular at least for the next few months. Heading over this week with my new toy parts.
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Aug 2, 2007 11:00:49 GMT -5
Went over yesterday evening to work on it, got the barrel seated tight and the breech/tang all inlet into the stock. Also marked out the ramrod holders and the barrel tennons - gonna start the metal work to attach the tennons next Wednesday.
You guys gonna start a pool on how long it takes me to get this thing finished??? ;D
|
|
|
Post by Bartman on Aug 2, 2007 15:24:57 GMT -5
That salt water should do a number on that brass. Don't want to tip the kayak with this one abord.
|
|
|
Post by Hardcorehunter on Aug 2, 2007 19:35:28 GMT -5
I say it will be 100% complete by Nov. 18th.
2008
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Aug 3, 2007 14:33:26 GMT -5
I don't want to tip the kayak anyway - can't swim! Nov 18, 2008 huh Hardcore?? Now how did you pick the exact date that you'll finally see your first sika as my completion date?
|
|
|
Post by Hardcorehunter on Aug 3, 2007 16:26:13 GMT -5
Coincedance, I'll be using your gun to shoot it!
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Aug 5, 2007 10:32:11 GMT -5
No problem, by then it'll be a certified killer with several dead sika notched on it!!!
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Aug 6, 2007 16:40:20 GMT -5
Moving ahead on it, worked on it a bit this weekend. Got all the brass sprues filed off, brass all polished, going from 180 to 220 to 400 grit sandpaper to ooo steel wool. Also got the lock inlet and tight against the barrel - that flint hammer feels mighty smoooooth when you cock it! Think I'm going to work on the buttplate inletting next, at least until buliding group meets Wednesday night. Just ordered some stuff from Track of the Wolf, too. Got some silver thread for inlaying, some moon shape cut blanks to inlet, barrel keys, and a book on making accoutrements. Picked up three horns at Dixon's, going to work on them as I go along and make some powder horns - with scrimshaw work on them. Just trying to decide if I want to scrimshaw the battling sika scene or some ospreys on my hunting horn?!?!
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Aug 9, 2007 10:06:02 GMT -5
Got a bunch more done last night. Marked, drilled, placed and peened in the underlugs, inlet the stock for them, drilled the holes and pinned it all together so the stock and barrel are tight now. Coming along, gonna work on it a bunch over the next few days...
|
|
|
Post by osprey on Aug 13, 2007 13:29:55 GMT -5
Here's the underlug attached to the bottom of the barrel... ...and pinned through the stock to secure the barrel to wood, there are four of these... This weekend spent some time working on the butt and toe plates, getting them tightly attached. Got to work the stock down to flush with the buttplate yet, but waiting for that to do all my stock shaping at one time. So far I have around 20 hours of work into her...and many more to come!
|
|