"Corn-Teen" Flintlock diversion

[Leoparddog]

I built this Late Lancaster from a TVM kit a couple of years ago and this is what sucked me into the boolit casting world. I started casting for this rifle and then it was that rifle and "oh I have some wheel weight lead", so now this pistol and that one too. This was my first and so far only ML rifle build. I don't see myself ever really building a caplock but maybe a smooth bore .62 cal. or a Jager style rifle.

[LAGS]

Good looking rifle.
I am surprised you ain't Hooked on front stuffers.

[smithnframe]

Good lookin rifle.......what does a TVM kit cost?

[Leoparddog]

I am a bit hooked on my BP rifles, and I have a Hawkins cap lock as well. I just have a lot of gun interests. I killed a nice doe this past season with it. I've killed deer 3 in the last 4 years with my Hawkins or this Lancaster.

The TVM kits can vary depending upon specifics. I'd say that they start about $800 and go up depending on model, furniture and grade of wood

[smithnframe]

Thanks Leopard!

[MrWolf]

You did good. Very nice.

[sharps4590]

Stunning rifle. Well done sir!

Perhaps it's because I'm from Missouri and have studied the rifles by Jacob and Samuel most of my adult life but, it's HAWKEN!! Not Hawkins. Hawkins is a character in the book Treasure Island.

[JoeJames]

I assume the stock is Maple. What did you use to stain it - water based, alcohol based, or oil based? Guessing alcohol based stain. And the finish - Tung Oil? When I made my first with a Maple stock I tried an oil based stain, but it just would not soak into the Maple. Had to start all over again.

[Leoparddog]

Stunning rifle. Well done sir!

Perhaps it's because I'm from Missouri and have studied the rifles by Jacob and Samuel most of my adult life but, it's HAWKEN!! Not Hawkins. Hawkins is a character in the book Treasure Island.

Damn auto-correct. I know better

[Leoparddog]

I assume the stock is Maple. What did you use to stain it - water based, alcohol based, or oil based? Guessing alcohol based stain. And the finish - Tung Oil? When I made my first with a Maple stock I tried an oil based stain, but it just would not soak into the Maple. Had to start all over again.
Yes, a Maple stock, mid-grade on the figure.
It was coated in Aqua Fortis and heated - which turned it black in that photo. Once I knocked the black color down, I stained with the LMF Red Maple stain. The final finish was True-Oil. The first few coats were cut with turpentine.

[sharps4590]

Good ol' Aqua Fortis. I don't think that stuff has ever been improved on.

[Leoparddog]

When that stock turned black, I almost freaked out. I had heard that it would turn but was deathly afraid I had ruined it. I ended up doing it twice to get the figure to really show. I do want to build another one and might post a build thread here. I spent tons of money on nice Pfeil chisels and other tools. I considered taking rifle "stocking" up as a hobby, definitely challenging fun to build from a rough kit like this one. There are kits that are easier and just as nice (Kibler) they weren't offered in the caliber or style I wanted for a deer hunting flintlock rifle.

[JoeJames]

When that stock turned black, I almost freaked out. I had heard that it would turn but was deathly afraid I had ruined it. I ended up doing it twice to get the figure to really show. I do want to build another one and might post a build thread here. I spent tons of money on nice Pfeil chisels and other tools. I considered taking rifle "stocking" up as a hobby, definitely challenging fun to build from a rough kit like this one. There are kits that are easier and just as nice (Kibler) they weren't offered in the caliber or style I wanted for a deer hunting flintlock rifle.At least yours came back ok. I remember now that after I tried an oil based stain for the Maple it just would not completely wipe off. And the stain I tried after that pert near stayed on the surface. I never was able to get any kind of decent finish on it. Finally gave it to one of my nephews who was young enough to like it anyway. It seems to me that unlike Walnut, Maple has very tight pores, and the oil just filled them up irreparably.

[sharps4590]

When that stock turned black, I almost freaked out. I had heard that it would turn but was deathly afraid I had ruined it. I ended up doing it twice to get the figure to really show. I do want to build another one and might post a build thread here. I spent tons of money on nice Pfeil chisels and other tools. I considered taking rifle "stocking" up as a hobby, definitely challenging fun to build from a rough kit like this one. There are kits that are easier and just as nice (Kibler) they weren't offered in the caliber or style I wanted for a deer hunting flintlock rifle.

Welll.it is certainly beautiful.

[Leoparddog]

Thanks Sharps4590.
Finally found the photo of the doe I took with it this past season
260916

[bedbugbilly]

You did a beautiful job on it! Their booth at Friendship was always one of my favorites to stop at to see what they had on the racks. Good folks to deal with and they offered nice kits as well as well as finished rifles. That rifle is going to bring you years of fun and pleasure! Thanks for sharing!

[sharps4590]

I haven't built one in...decades. I always told myself two things I wanted to do when I retired was to build a 6'6", 2/2, 3-4 wt. bamboo fly rod and either an Ohio rifle in 40 cal. or a.....well horse manure...I forgot what county style of Pennsylvania rifle it is. Bedford...Bethlehem....the one with the Roman nose, virtually no wrist and it too in 40 cal., flintlock. The rod is finished, the rifle is waiting for a decision. What can you tell me about those Kibler kits?

[ogre]

Kibler kits are CNC machined and really hard to beat. If you like .40 caliber, as do I, they have a Southern Mountain Rifle kit that you might like.

https://kiblerslongrifles.com

[mazo kid]

I almost bought a finished left hand flinter off their rack at a Southeastern rendezvous. Still regret not buying it. The price at that time (20+ years ago!) was nearly half of what a kit sells for today.

[Leoparddog]

Jim Kibler's kits are considered to be the best quality kit out there now. Everything should fit together, just assemble and finish, very easy. I would have bought one of Jim's kits back in 2018 but he was only making the Southern Mtn Rifle then and they didn't come in a .54 or .58 caliber that I wanted, so I went to TVM. Since then Jim has come out with the Colonial series.

The TVM was work. I took a lot of wood off the stock, pretty much everywhere to get it to a svelte Colonial profile. The major inlets were all done but everything needed to be chiseled or rasped down. Metal had to be drilled for screw holes for the lock and barrel, under tenons had to be cut, filed and drilled, doing the buttstock and forend cap was involved. The brass was all rough cast and had to be filed and cleaned up. I think it took me about 4 months of evenings and weekends.

I'd bet putting together one of Jim's kits could be done in 4 to 6 weekends including finishing.