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Thread: Anyone here build their muzzleloader from scratch?

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy
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    Mar 2019
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    Thanks! I'll look them up and join that forum.

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master


    missionary5155's Avatar
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    Feb 2007
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    Last trip to Arequipa... till April.
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    Home made Matchlock

    Good afternoon
    About 7 years back decided it was time to build a matchlock. Put near 3 months into getting it done but was a lot of fun.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Came up with these photos... If you do a search in "advanced search" more info is there.
    Mike in LLama Land
    "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
    Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.

  3. #23
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    Nov 2006
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    SW Pa.
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    Now That is really cool Mike . An unusual gun for sure
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  4. #24
    Banned


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    i would easily take on the job of a muzzy scratch build again, but at my age i have no desire to pour all that time and energy required to just make a good, basic flintlock. for younger folks of such build inclination, who have both the time and energy to get into a scratch build, it's a great endeavour and they will learn heaps and have a gun they can truly call their own. these dayze, i'd go with a "kit gun" such as a kibler or tvm, because the real major work of the preliminary stock layout, the barrel channel and ramrod hole, are done. there still will be a heap of work to do but now we're talking a few weeks max and not at least a few months.

  5. #25
    Boolit Buddy
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    Jun 2017
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    Delaware
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    Hello,
    I’m building a Dickert style flintlock rifle in .45 caliber. Here are the items I decided I wasn’t up to doing, and I have a gunsmith assisting me with them. Note they are the ones I deemed most critical to safe function. I plan to complete the rest of the rifle after this is all done.

    1. Remove original plug and replace it with a plug proper for my TOW Dickert stock. The back story here is that it is a 1970s Douglas barrel from a rifle that was never completed. The first owner butchered the tang for some reason known only to them.
    2. Drill properly located lock screw. The original owner for some reason drilled my beautiful Siler lock in the wrong spots. And I don’t own a drill press..
    3. Drill, tap, and install touch hole and liner. Call me a wimp, but I wasn’t attempting to do it. If it is set too deep, you can’t clean the barrel.
    4. Cut dovetails to pin barrel to stock. I will probably attempt the dovetail for the front and rear sights, but first owner had done a poor job on some of the pin lug dovetails than need to be sorted.
    5. Drill tang bolt, and tap trigger plate. I understand the proper way to do this is with a long tap that goes all the way through the stock so the alignment is correct. Beyond my skills, and toolbox.

    I received fabulous advice here on the forum. Also, there are a number of guys doing complete builds that you can watch there progress on YouTube. Prepare yourself for a journey that can’t be rushed. On the other hand, my smith told me that gunmakers have been making these for 250 years, and it’s not rocket science. Your final product will “function” as a rifle. It may or not have the artistry we would all like, as we frankly don’t have all the tools, skills and experience necessary to execute the carving, engraving, etc. I wish you luck!!

  6. #26
    Banned


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    wonderful matchlock, mike! Click image for larger version. 

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  7. #27
    Banned


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    IF there is a pressing need for total DIY trad muzzy build, assess both yer smithing skills and special tooling inventory. anything lacking thereof, yer a far better candidate for a "kit gun", which can also range from a screwdriver-it-together kit (the offshore ones that can literally be completed in a day) to a "high end" kit that will basically have most of the major stock work done (but you will still need certain skills and tool inventory) with a build time that can vary wildly from under a week to a month or lots more. lotsa options, lotsa dependencies.

  8. #28
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
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    If someone knows of a 4 bore kit gun I am 100% all for that idea lol. I didn't set out "wanting to build a rifle", I set out wanting a 4 bore. A custom build was going to cost thousands with a heck of a wait time. My cheapest option to get my dream big bore is to build it. Trust me, if there was another way to get it that didn't break the bank, I would jump right on it. The only kit I know of that's a 4 bore is a blunderbuss. Not really what I'm after. I am a huge fan of the stopping rifles from the early days of big game hunting. So, if anyone knows of a kit, let me know! Is there an option for a custom built kit out there maybe?

  9. #29
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
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    174
    So the plan is to get a 1.5" round piece of chrome molly and machine my breach and tang out of it. Does anyone know what heat treatment requirements are needed for the breach? The steel I'm looking at comes annealed.

  10. #30
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Massachusetts, South Shore
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    3/4" diameter ramrod? Couldn't a smaller diameter rod work with a large attachment or flared end? I've drilled ramrod channels before. Had to make a jig that held the stock place in perfect alignment with the bit, which was a single blade bit welded onto the end of a rod and went threw a couple of bushings that were movable. That type of bit doesn't wander off grain. Used my B & D hand drill clamped to the rig and moved the stock forward into it. As I approached the stanchion with the bushing, I just moved the bushing back closer to the drill. I had to back it out frequently to get the shavings out. If I can find the jig I'll take a pic and post it.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check