In and earlier post- longrifle 40cal swamp I received a couple questions that I think I can answer with a few words and a photo or two.
How did you shape the channel for the barrel?
1. You can set the barrel in the stock all by hand- very long time.
2. You can use a router to cut the straight channel and finish the taper by hand. Not a bad way to reduce the inletting time.
3. Take the barrel and make a channel for the widest part of the barrel(1" here). Take Bondo and fill the channel end to end. Grease the barrel so the bondo will not stick. Press the barrel in the mix and squeeze out the paste to form a perfect channel. This is your bed form. Make sure you get rid of the excess on the sides. I take this channel and use some bits to create the channel in the stock. I don't have a duplicator so I have to finish high and low spots with my chisels but this cuts back on many hours and gives me good results.
To get the fit just right, I hold the barrel over a burning candle and get black soot on the bottom of the barrel. When I squeeze it in the channel I can set where it is hitting early. Chisel time. Repeat 150 times. Check again. You get the idea.
Where did you get your barrel, and what kind of lock will you put on it?
The barrel in this project is a barrel I got years ago and never used. Its a Colerain 44" swamped 40cal. It is light and it should be a good shooter. I have had good luck with Colerain and Getz over the years so I'm convinced it will be a good one. After many satisfied years of the above I must confess I have gone to another barrel maker. My choice is largely how impressed I am with their barrels but I like the fact that they are in NC. The company is called Rice Barrels. They are currently moving their business from Asheville down to Mocksville. This will be better for me to go and see the shop and talk with them. I have bought 6-7 of their barrels and they are just fantastic. I can't say enough about the quality of their goods.
Locks:
I started this about 25-30 years ago and I have some of the early Bud Siler locks around here that I have "tuned" up and they are just great. I like the L and R locks and I like the Silers. There's a man up near Asheville - Jim Chambers who carries the Siler now and he is the best in the business at getting flints to work flawlessly right off the shelf. He is a bit pricey but his locks are top of the line.
A word on rifles without getting on a soapbox: Get good quality parts right from the start. Don't buy cheap works or you will regret it. You have to figure you're going to have 100 hours in a rifle and the difference of good to bad can be 30 dollars over the course of a lifetime. Think on it.
Wood:
I like to build some straight grained stocks. Many of the old rifles were made with plain wood. If you want to sell a rifle -- curl is the game. The more the better. People love those tiger stripes. After that you get into personal details and that's end less.
Photos below(and in album area)
set trigger 1
Siler flintlock
long bar triggers
Rifle by Gary Brumfield of Colonial Williamsburg. This is a southwest Virginia rifle he made that I have always loved but never got around to building. I am going to build in this school but I am not trying for an exact copy. I've already used a 40cal and he has a 50cal in his. So I've departed from the start. Still I hope I can capture the spirit of this rifle in the next few months.
I will be starting a new thread under Longrifle to continue my update rather than using one thread on page 16 a month from now.
Thanks for the interest
danmart77
How did you shape the channel for the barrel?
1. You can set the barrel in the stock all by hand- very long time.
2. You can use a router to cut the straight channel and finish the taper by hand. Not a bad way to reduce the inletting time.
3. Take the barrel and make a channel for the widest part of the barrel(1" here). Take Bondo and fill the channel end to end. Grease the barrel so the bondo will not stick. Press the barrel in the mix and squeeze out the paste to form a perfect channel. This is your bed form. Make sure you get rid of the excess on the sides. I take this channel and use some bits to create the channel in the stock. I don't have a duplicator so I have to finish high and low spots with my chisels but this cuts back on many hours and gives me good results.
To get the fit just right, I hold the barrel over a burning candle and get black soot on the bottom of the barrel. When I squeeze it in the channel I can set where it is hitting early. Chisel time. Repeat 150 times. Check again. You get the idea.
Where did you get your barrel, and what kind of lock will you put on it?
The barrel in this project is a barrel I got years ago and never used. Its a Colerain 44" swamped 40cal. It is light and it should be a good shooter. I have had good luck with Colerain and Getz over the years so I'm convinced it will be a good one. After many satisfied years of the above I must confess I have gone to another barrel maker. My choice is largely how impressed I am with their barrels but I like the fact that they are in NC. The company is called Rice Barrels. They are currently moving their business from Asheville down to Mocksville. This will be better for me to go and see the shop and talk with them. I have bought 6-7 of their barrels and they are just fantastic. I can't say enough about the quality of their goods.
Locks:
I started this about 25-30 years ago and I have some of the early Bud Siler locks around here that I have "tuned" up and they are just great. I like the L and R locks and I like the Silers. There's a man up near Asheville - Jim Chambers who carries the Siler now and he is the best in the business at getting flints to work flawlessly right off the shelf. He is a bit pricey but his locks are top of the line.
A word on rifles without getting on a soapbox: Get good quality parts right from the start. Don't buy cheap works or you will regret it. You have to figure you're going to have 100 hours in a rifle and the difference of good to bad can be 30 dollars over the course of a lifetime. Think on it.
Wood:
I like to build some straight grained stocks. Many of the old rifles were made with plain wood. If you want to sell a rifle -- curl is the game. The more the better. People love those tiger stripes. After that you get into personal details and that's end less.
Photos below(and in album area)
set trigger 1
Siler flintlock
long bar triggers
Rifle by Gary Brumfield of Colonial Williamsburg. This is a southwest Virginia rifle he made that I have always loved but never got around to building. I am going to build in this school but I am not trying for an exact copy. I've already used a 40cal and he has a 50cal in his. So I've departed from the start. Still I hope I can capture the spirit of this rifle in the next few months.
I will be starting a new thread under Longrifle to continue my update rather than using one thread on page 16 a month from now.
Thanks for the interest
danmart77
