I’ve got the bug … to build my own

S

Scott Evans

Staff Alumnus
I’ve got the bug to build a “from scratch” muzzle loader. I’m sure I have no idea as to all I’m getting into but I love the style, history, elegance and any other intangible that goes along with the premium quality Kentucky / Penn style rifles. There is just something about them.

Right now I’m into the planning phase.

A little background before I go on: About 10 years ago I built a couple of CVA kits and was far less then satisfied. The experience was too much like “paint by numbers” and the finished products, although they looked nice, were lacking in balance and overall quality. There is simply no genuineness to them. Recently, however, my interest has been rekindled by two separate instances where I have had the privilege of handling some art grade, historically accurate, handmade reproductions. The rifles I sampled were beautiful masterpieces both in form and function. I thought first of all of buying one but realized what I actually wanted was to make my own. I think my wife realized this before I did as I spent more then an hour talking with one of the makers of the rifles I was handling gleaning every scrap of information I could get.

So … I have purchased several books on the making of such rifles including; Fox fire #5, one by Hershel House, one on casting parts, a video by Hershel, a good quality blue print through Dixie Gun Works and a smattering of other information resources.

I am planning on at least two guns so as to more gradually move into the more challenging aspects of building them. Also, I have no time frame in mind for this. In fact I hope it takes a year or two or more.

First Gun; I plan on purchasing the Barrel (a 42” .45 cal “swamped” with breach plug), The lock, trigger guard and the But Plate. Everything else I hope to fabricate in my shop. The stock will be Curly Maple.

The second Gun I plan to make every thing. The Barrel, however, I plan on machining with modern equipment and not forging. I’ll save that for later.

I suppose my hope is that a few fellow TFL’ers are accomplished makers of such rifles so that I can from time to time pick your brains. So if anyone else has been so bitten by the bug and gotten through it let me know as I’m all ears and nearly ready to dive in.




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“This is my rifle, there many like it but this one is mine …”
 
Building a rifle from parts bought from a suttler is one thing, but to build it entirely from scratch is quite another. That's more than I can handle right now though I did meet a Dale Shinn of Davis who scratch builds rifles for English Civil War Reenactors. He hand makes his own locks including wheellocks and snaphaunces. Amazing. He even built a leather cannon which he shoots regularly!

Get the Kit Ravenshear booklets on gunsmithing. They're relatively inexpensive ($5.95 each) but contain a wealth of knowledge and information. On the lock, I would suggest that you buy a unassembled lock and assemble it yourself. You'll have to drill the lockplate for the frizzen, hammer, frizzen spring, etc. You'll also have to harden the frizzen and scear (modernly "sear"), tumbler so buy a can of kasenite (or take it to someone who has a furnace). At least that way you won't have to trouble yourself with trying to make springs from scratch.

There's no dishonor in buying the lock. Remember that even in the 1700s, gunsmiths in America (or England) bought preassembled locks, or barrels, and were mostly "assemblers" than scratch builders. Not that they couldn't do it but it was just more cost efficient and time saving for them.

I would love to try building a rifle barrel, but that takes blacksmithing skills (great series of articles on barrels and barrelmaking in the NMLRA magazine, MuzzleBlast). I've got a book on making a rifling machine and it doesn't appear too hard. Once it's set up, it'll take about a day to do it. Reread Ned Robert's, "The Muzzleloading Cap Lock Rifle," for a good description of how to do it though.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
I can’t argue the skill necessary in forging a barrel by hand. Certainly a monumental challenge all to it self. For now I won’t even attempt it as I’m already biting off more then I can chew. If the day ever comes when I think I have the other skills mastered I’ll consider working on that. For now a barrel that I machine myself on modern equipment seems challenging enough. As such I’m going to leave that to the second project.

The area I’m most concerned with right now is properly inlaying the barrel to the stock. Being that I want a swamped barrel the cutout for it will have to taper to match. In the video by Hershel House he machine cuts the majority of material out with a shaper and fits the barrel by trimming / finishing with a wood chisel and custom made rasp. He makes it look easy. However I’m buying a piece of wood large enough that I can get an extra stock from as I rarely get things right the first time.

Any suggestions on selecting the wood for the stock and the inlaying of the barrel ?

Also, Where do you suggest to purchase the Lock kits?




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“This is my rifle, there many like it but this one is mine …”
 
Hi, Scott,

The old makers did not drill barrels, they made them by wrapping red hot strips of iron around a mandrel (iron rod) and welding the pieces together. (The refined process produced what we call "Damascus" barrels.)

It's not really hard to do, but it takes skill and experience (and a lot of muscle) to make something that won't blow the first shot. Then the barrel has to be bored true and rifled. If a solid barrel is used, barrel drilling and rifling equipment is expensive and not feasible for a one off.

This has been a long way of saying "buy the darn barrel".

Jim
 
Another method of fabricating barrels was to take the metal and wrap it lengthwise over the mandrel. There would be a single seam running down the center which would be "welded" by use of borax and iron filings. Either this method or the wrap method produced good barrels. In the early 1800s, Remington introduced the cast steel barrels and actually devoted most of their work in producing barrels for others in stead of making complete guns.

As for inlaying a swamped barrel, it's not as easy as a straight octagon barrel for obvious reasons. You want to position the tang first. Then you can gouge/chisel/scrape out the rough outline of channel. Use inkblack for final fitting or as my uncle showed me, carbon paper (place the carbon paper with the carbon side against the wood. Lay the barrel against it and rap the barrel smartly with a rawhide or plastic mallet). Where you see the carbon you remove with a chisel.
 
Just ordered:

1- Colerain Swamped barrel … .45cal; 6 grove; 1/48 twist 42” long with breach plug.
1- Jim Chambers Golden Age Germanic lock
1- Brass trigger guard
1- Brass Butt plate

The wood for the stock is not yet purchased but I plan on making some stops this weekend at several specialty wood outlets in the area. I’m thinking I want to see it before I buy it if I can. The one shop I talked with in Wilmington said they had what I described … but we’ll see. Or if that doesn’t work out what suggestions do you have for good quality wood sources?

As far as making the Barrel … like I said defiantly not on this one. However, at some point I would like to give it a try. We do a good bit of CNC machining at my shop and deal with several other shops in the area on items that we are not equipped for. One of these shops has a horizontal boring machine. My thinking is to call in a few favors and have them bore a piece of two inch round stock. I would then take that and turn it on a lath, tapering and flaring it. Then I would put it on our CNC mill and mill the flats. Last, I would attempt to rifle it with an old style homemade rifling jig. I’m sure though once will be enough to get it out of my system… and I’ll be back to buying them.



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“This is my rifle, there many like it but this one is mine …”
 
BTW, I'm thinking of a flintlock grenade launcher for myself. It's suppose to hurtle a tennis ball a couple hundred yards. In a clipped English accent: "I'd say, tennis anyone?"
 
No joy on the wood for the stock from a local supplier. They said they could order what I want but they build boats not guns and seem more pricey then they let on over the phone.

I’m thinking I will order from Dixie Gun Works Monday as I’m aching to get started. I have some good photos of a rifle I will pattern mine after.


Gary,
How-a-bout a flint spud gun :)

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“This is my rifle, there many like it but this one is mine …”
 
Howdy,

I remember going to Colonial Williamsburg and visiting the Gunsmith shop there. After what seemed like only moments, yet was actually more like two hours, my wife succeeded in extracating me from the shop. (She had practice, as she had to do the same thing at the Cabinetmakers shop earlier)

Anyway, while I was there, I watched him (the 'smith) harden a lock in his furnace/forge, and then do some shaping of the various pieces of a lock and fit them to the Rifle stock. There was a lot of file work, in addition to using a hammer and chisel to shape the different parts - but he was working mainly by eye, and there was a lot of trial fitting going on.

There were many Rifles in various stages of manufacture there in the shop, and the smith was good enough to give a running commentary of what he was currently doing on each.

It seems to me that if you lived in the area of Williamsburg, VA - or were even close enough for a weekend visit, it would be worth while to give that place a look. It could possibly give you a world of infomation and insight as to the 'tricks' and kinks of the trade. Oh yeah, for a truly awesome spectacle, go to the Governers Mansion, and step through the foyer - there, in full display, are more firearms then most gunstores can boast. AWESOME!

If nothing else, that place is just really NEAT!!!

Good luck,
Unkel Gilbey
 
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