building a Muzzle loader from scratch

[crackerjack57]

that is some very nice work done there. Im curious.......... I am in my early fifties and by trade I am an electrician. if millwright would of been offered in my early teens i would of gone that way. what might the ages of some of you be?

a 12 year old could easily wax my back side playing a video game but most 20 somethings dont even know how to add air to their tires let alone change one. the craftsman abilities of people as a whole seem to be diminishing. to simply see what is needed like the change required in the hammer that you saw and proceeded to make from scratch. these days, to see a good tradesman or craftsman is getting too few and too far between. It would be nice to see younger, yes, much younger then me keeping up with these abilities and learning about how things were done in yesteryear.

[KCSO]

John

When I was a kid I built my first muzzleloader from a steering post from an old ford. It worked and I am still here, in the early 70's I was involved with the 12L14 debate in the Buckskin report and wrote to Bill Large at the time. His opinion was that the softer 12L14 would bulge but never split. I have slicked out a few original rifles and do a fair amount of restoration and although the old barrels are soft they are thick compared to what you see on a modern gun. A 40 calibre rifle with a 1" tube is not at all unusual and I have never seen an original with a 13/16 barrel in any calibre over 32 in 40+ years.

That said I would not choose seamless as a barrel to rifle just because of its cutting properties. I go with Pope in that if a barrel is CUT properly from proper metal you should not have to lap it to get it to work. I would stick with a good free machining steel with a 100% rating or better for rifling a first barrel.

[Col4570]

that is some very nice work done there. Im curious.......... I am in my early fifties and by trade I am an electrician. if millwright would of been offered in my early teens i would of gone that way. what might the ages of some of you be?

a 12 year old could easily wax my back side playing a video game but most 20 somethings dont even know how to add air to their tires let alone change one. the craftsman abilities of people as a whole seem to be diminishing. to simply see what is needed like the change required in the hammer that you saw and proceeded to make from scratch. these days, to see a good tradesman or craftsman is getting too few and too far between. It would be nice to see younger, yes, much younger then me keeping up with these abilities and learning about how things were done in yesteryear.

I will be 80 Years old in December and I still have projects in mind.at present I confine my activities to maintaining my Rifles and Guns.I turn out most Sundays for Target Shooting or Clay Shooting.My background is as a Maintainance Fitter working for various companies.1974 I worked in the USA for 6 months.From baton Rouge to Philadelphia and places between.I have worked in France,Italy,Spain,Sardinia.And a trip up to Edmonton Alberta during my work in the USA.Propr to that from the age of 15 to 21 I was an apprentice Fitter.at 21 I joined the merchant Marine and Traveled the world on Oil Tankers working For the BP Clyde Tanker Co for 6 years.Then worked for a spell at Rolls Royce Derby as a Millwright,then British Celanese Derby ,Then contracting,wich led me to work in the USA for an English Company who sent me there after working in the UK for two years my total time with that company Was 22 Years until retirement then for a spell I went self employed as a Gunsmith having repaired and made Guns during my other employments.

[FrankG]

Heres a 45 cal Tenn. style I scratch built with exception to lock and barrel . Stock is Oregon Myrtle , furniture was bench made copying 'store bought' but modifying to fit me . The single set triggers were also bench made.












Butt plate on left is one I made , and is a little larger and wider to suit me .

[crackerjack57]

a job nicely done!! what kind of wood is that?

[Col4570]

FrankG,that is a nice Rifle you have produced Sir.

[FrankG]

The stock is Oregon Myrtle . Grows on coast from northern Cal. up through Oregon coastal area. Grain is nice but a bear to work .

[crackerjack57]

Well gentlemen.... 2 years later and its coming along. i can actually shoot it already but its not finished. the barrel was made from seamless tubing, rifled, filled and fitted in every way by hand. barrel has been proof fired with no issues also. i think it will be usable next hunting season.

[mazo kid]

You are a glutton for punishment! But, I admire your work and perseverance. I am the same age as Col4570, a retired electrician, and have built 7 muzzleloading guns, re-stocked several single shot rifles, and built a Trapdoor Sporting rifle using a pre-carved stock. My current project is a Gemmer Trapdoor using a home grown walnut stock. I have had to modify purchased parts, but still like to call some of my guns "scratch built" even though they are not completely from scratch. It still takes some bit of skill to put the parts together looking like a gun! Mine are not perfect, but I am proud of the work I put into building them.

[jmorris]

Looking great!

[lar45]

That looks great. You guys don't even want to see my first scratch built gun. It was more of an exercise in I have 2 weeks over Christmas break and can I build something that goes bang. I did and it goes bang, but man is it ugly.

[crackerjack57]

You are a glutton for punishment! But, I admire your work and perseverance. I am the same age as Col4570, a retired electrician, and have built 7 muzzleloading guns, re-stocked several single shot rifles, and built a Trapdoor Sporting rifle using a pre-carved stock. My current project is a Gemmer Trapdoor using a home grown walnut stock. I have had to modify purchased parts, but still like to call some of my guns "scratch built" even though they are not completely from scratch. It still takes some bit of skill to put the parts together looking like a gun! Mine are not perfect, but I am proud of the work I put into building them.

Ha!! I’m a retired electrician as well!! If I was young enough, I would of taken machinist. And if you have built 7 plus...... your the glutton for punishment. I’m only doing a easy one. Not trap door or any of the other types. But thanx for the kind remarks y’all

D

[rking22]

Nice work! What is the stockwood and did you design the lock or find drawings? I very much admire you patience and focus!

[crackerjack57]

the stock material is either alder or mountain ash. all i remember is that it started with a "A" and that its either of those two. as for the lock design, all in my own head. i wanted something with a different approach then a standard flint and i liked the wheel locks. so the flint material is from a BIC lighter flint, the striker is the actual BIC thumb roller and i made it fit over a shaft with a gear on it. the hammer has the other gear that mates with it. so when the hammer comes down, it turns the BIC striker and produces spark. i just wanted to do something a little different..... a little ME.

D

[rking22]

Sounds interesting, I like creative solutions. I "invest", wife calls it waste, some mental time on alternate designs using easily available components... please post closeup if you get a chance.

[John Taylor]

one of the first rifling jobs I did for a friend about 40 years ago. All parts except a few screws were made in my shop. also has a single set trigger. Took first place the first time in competition.

A brass framed under hammer in 32 caliber. I used a commercial barrel and the hammer/trigger were from gun parts.

[crackerjack57]

Sounds interesting, I like creative solutions. I "invest", wife calls it waste, some mental time on alternate designs using easily available components... please post closeup if you get a chance.

Here are several pix of my lock. It’s almost done however worked as it is and I will still put some pretty on it.

[RobertS]

One great source is americanlongrifles.com. Take a look and you won't be disappointed.