shutinlead
12-26-2018, 03:44 AM
I've been meaning to start a post here but they seem to take time and that's a precious commodity - time. Where does it go... Anyway I was making another tang sight then a simple front sight, (had to make one on the order of a Lyman 17A only big enough to use the inserts of a Parker Hale) I got to thinking what am I wanting to make to fit this sight?
The local college had been asking me to teach a gunsmithing class and after a few attempts, my work load first, then the lack of interest it took a couple years for this to get going. Still doesn't fit my schedule that well, but I'm not getting any younger... It worked out and I had a class. I encouraged the members of the class to purchase a high wall casting from Mr. Storie and we'd make an attempt to finish it in a semester? Half the class chose to follow my urging and with the semester finishing a little over a week ago, they were mostly complete.
I built one along side - mostly outside of the class as the class was fairly intense - but mine served as a model and enabled the students to see what each process looked like - it refreshed my memory as it had been a couple years since I'd built my last one.
ANYWAY, this is what I'm making for the sight to fit, sound silly? I've had things less than that start a project.
I've attached a couple pictures - beginning with the eyepiece that started it all, the base, the staff, on to the casting, the barrel - I didn't say much about that - it's a Green Mountain barrel in a .44 caliber. As this rifle is kind of odd to begin with, why not make the caliber to match? It's my version of a .44-85 Wesson after making the reamer, dies and mold(s). The wood came from a blank I've had kicking around the shop for several years, if I remember right the guy I got it from said it was harvested from a tree on his dads place back in the 60's or 70's so it's well aged. I know the what and the how-to but I don't have the patience with wood I have with metal - so this is the weakest part of the build. Then the final parts making it all come together is the caps, or butt plate, grip cap and schnabel - it's Damascus, like the sights. Time permitting and if I don't get booed off stage I'll post a few more as it progresses.
The local college had been asking me to teach a gunsmithing class and after a few attempts, my work load first, then the lack of interest it took a couple years for this to get going. Still doesn't fit my schedule that well, but I'm not getting any younger... It worked out and I had a class. I encouraged the members of the class to purchase a high wall casting from Mr. Storie and we'd make an attempt to finish it in a semester? Half the class chose to follow my urging and with the semester finishing a little over a week ago, they were mostly complete.
I built one along side - mostly outside of the class as the class was fairly intense - but mine served as a model and enabled the students to see what each process looked like - it refreshed my memory as it had been a couple years since I'd built my last one.
ANYWAY, this is what I'm making for the sight to fit, sound silly? I've had things less than that start a project.
I've attached a couple pictures - beginning with the eyepiece that started it all, the base, the staff, on to the casting, the barrel - I didn't say much about that - it's a Green Mountain barrel in a .44 caliber. As this rifle is kind of odd to begin with, why not make the caliber to match? It's my version of a .44-85 Wesson after making the reamer, dies and mold(s). The wood came from a blank I've had kicking around the shop for several years, if I remember right the guy I got it from said it was harvested from a tree on his dads place back in the 60's or 70's so it's well aged. I know the what and the how-to but I don't have the patience with wood I have with metal - so this is the weakest part of the build. Then the final parts making it all come together is the caps, or butt plate, grip cap and schnabel - it's Damascus, like the sights. Time permitting and if I don't get booed off stage I'll post a few more as it progresses.