Markwell Arms .45 project.

C

cloud8a

New member
Just got this out of my brothers closet. He had used it as a wall hanger for a few years. It is a Markwell Arms Spanish made .45. I originally obtained it from my neighbor years ago as an unfinished kit. He got it as a Christmas present when he was a kid in the late 70's. I did a poor job staining the wood and an ok job blueing the barrel. It is missing many parts like the lock and several screws. the inner barrel seems to be in excellent condition.

What I want to do is make this into a good looking shooter. Im thinking about getting rid of the wood fore grip so that it will look more Hawken style. Here is what they look like complete on gunbroker.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=226094859

Or I could keep it the way it is and redo the wood finish.

If I try the Hawken style I think I am going to have to remove some of the brackets molded to the bottom of the barrel. Also the groove that the ramrod fits into is not deep enough to keep the rod close to the barrel.

Give me suggestions please. Where i can find parts? How to refinish a poor stain job? How to remove molded brackets and fix the ramrod problem.
Also the barrel has a seam at the rear in front of the cap that appears to be the breech plug. This looks strange and dangerous to me. Is anyone familiar with this brand of weapon and breech design that can advise?

Here are some pics.
 

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What you call "brackets molded to the bottom of the barrel" are either wedge slots or pin slots where either a wedge or pin goes through the stock and through the slots or pin holes to hold the barrel to the stock. Usually they are simply tapped into a dovetail slot cut into the barrel and removed by gently tapping them out with a flat ended punch. I've never seen a set that was actually molded to and a part of the original barrel. I'd bet yours are dovetailed in too.


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Most of these so-called brackets (tenons) are welded to the barrel on these Spanish guns.
A bit of advice, these kind of guns are not worth your time and effort to make it into a shooter, unless you have all the parts. A lock that will work for that gun gun is going to cost more than the gun is worth.
 
Finish it.

First, get thee a file and file off those welded lugs that are not needed. Second, buy a rib from one of the many suppliers (Track of the Wolf, Log Cabin Gun Shop, Dixie Gun Works, etc.) and silver solder it on for the Hawken rifle look. Give them the barrel diameter and buy it only if they will allow for exchanges (best to take it in and make sure it lines up at the store). You'll have to take the barrel and lock in to match it with a hammer anyway.

They make decent shooters and are good beginner's guns. BTW, where' the brass patchbox?
 
Many new & used parts can be purchased on eBay which can be found by simply typing "black powder" into the eBay searchbox.

The ebay category listing is such:

Sporting Goods > Outdoor Sports > Hunting > Vintage > Black Powder

Sometimes there are more listings for specific parts by searching for each item individually.
Outfits like Dixie Gun Works, Track of the Wolf, Deer Creek and Traditions all sell new parts but it's difficult to determine in advance which parts will fit if any.

Depending on their tools and skill level, some folks can manage to make things fit and work while other folks can't.
It looks like you could use the lock off the Markwell gun listed on Gunbroker but that's starting to approach the cost of a new or a good used gun and there's no guarantee that the gun will work in the end.
You just might be better off selling your gun for parts and using the money to buy another one that works.
 
A hammer is not too hard to fit.
His photos are not clear or close up enough for me to be able to tell. cloud8a said that he was missing the lock so I thought that he only had the lockplate.

cloud8a said:
It is missing many parts like the lock
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He has the lock he just needs the hammer.
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Exactly why I suggested he take the gun into some place like Log Cabin Shop or Dixie Gun Works for fitting with a replacement hammer and a barrel rib. Finishing it will be good for the learning experience.
 
They make decent shooters and are good beginner's guns. BTW, where' the brass patchbox?
Click to expand...

There was not a patchbox.

My mistake on the Lock. It is missing the hammer. The lock seems to work because I twisted the knob back that the hammer screws into and it engaged the trigger and snapped forward.

It really only needs sights and a hammer. The sight slots are dove tail.

I would like to put the work into it because I have another BP rifle and do not really have the desire to buy another. I would rather put money into a 1858 BP pistol. Besides I enjoy these kinds of projects.
 
The hammer has to be fitted so as to ensure that it falls on the nipple. Can't really do it by catalog pictures.

You might ask the dealer if they're familiar with the old Markwell Arms gun. They might have a used one and be able to use that to fit you with a new hammer and a hammer screw.
 
You might ask the dealer if they're familiar with the old Markwell Arms gun. They might have a used one and be able to use that to fit you with a new hammer and a hammer screw.
Click to expand...

So am I SOL if I cannot find a used one?
 
No. Read my above post. The barrel, lock and stock should be together to fit the hammer. See if Dixie or some other outfit will take the entire assembly for fitting.

Alternatively, you can take the barrel, lock and stock to a black powder rendezvous or shoot. Sutlers sell parts and you can get it fitted right then and there.

Don't lose hope. This is a very doable project.
 
If you're going to go that route why not start from scratch? If you're going to invest that much in it why not go all the way with a barrel designed to shoot the style of bullets you want? If it was me I'd prefer a .54 or .58 to a .45. I'm pretty sure the barrel you have is a 1:48 twist which is ok for either conicals or round balls but isn't the best for either.
 
For want of a hammer, getting rid of everything to build from scratch is a big step in the wrong direction.

You need to select aged stock wood and layout the barrel and inlet it for the barrel and tang. Then from the nipple, you determine the lock placement. This is to ensure that the hammer (which still needs to be acquired) will fall directly on the nipple. So, unless you've done it before, expect to spend a couple of hours to inlet the lock.

After the lock is inletted, you drill through the wood to determine where the sideplate is located. Then you inlet for the sideplate.

The position of the lock's sear arm determines the trigger placement. You then inlet the trigger. Where the trigger goes determines how the trigger guard is placed and most importantly, the buttplate. You want to ensure that the length of pull with the buttplate attached fits you.

We're talking several hundred hours of work, especially if you aren't skilled with chisels and don't have a more experienced gunbuilder/gunsmith to guide your work.

Have patience, attend a rendezvous or black powder shoot where you will find sutlers who can fit you with a new hammer. Write Dixie or someone else to see if you can send the lock, stock and barrel to them for fitting of a new hammer.
 
You don't have to go that deep into building one. You can get stocks from Pecatonica inletted to any degree you choose. They don't sell kits but do sell recommended parts.
 
You don't have to go that deep into building one. You can get stocks from Pecatonica inletted to any degree you choose. They don't sell kits but do sell recommended parts.
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This is what I was considering after looking at the Pecatonica site. Maybe I could send them the barrel and they could fit a Hawken half stock for it. I could also go to one of my local welders and see if they could take off and smooth out some of the excess tenons and lugs that are on the barrel now. It looks like they have a Hawken half stock for $75 and then whatever the extra cost to fit it to my barrel.

I have a CVA .50 I am happy with and might be interested in getting a .54 some day. I would like to make this .45 a shooter for small game. I have the .45 already so I would like to make it useful. If I dont it will wind up in the closet because my wife isn't cool with hanging western memorabilia up on the wall.
 
Call around and talk with some gunsmiths. They will often have spare muzzle loading parts that they've salvaged from beater guns.
There's also vendors that have a lot of gun parts for sale at gun shows. They don't always have all of their parts on display so you may need to ask if they have any hammers. Bring the gun with you so you can get a better idea if any that they have can be fitted. Or get their phone number to contact them after the show in case they have more parts at their home or shop.
A hammer can be heated and bent to make it line up with the nipple.
Always ask around to see who might have some available.
And there's also places where you can send the gun to have a hammer fitted.
 
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