Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Muzzleloaders => Topic started by: Mike Yancey on March 03, 2019, 01:37:09 pm
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Started on a new one for me this weekend. Its a 20 gauge smooth bore stocked in cherry. I cut and milled the wood off of a friends place in the mountains a few years ago and its finally dry and ready to work.
(https://i.imgur.com/YshcB5L.jpg)
Got the barrel inlet and ready to put the breech plug back on and inlet it.
(https://i.imgur.com/I2b9q9j.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QAieqGx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8No48i4.jpg)
Here's one of the profile before I started inletting the barrel and after I got it all squared up.
(https://i.imgur.com/GNE4dcw.jpg)
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I’m looking forward to seeing this. Will it be a Fusil?
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No it will be in the Kentucky Fowler style. A basic smooth rifle.
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(https://i.imgur.com/hDiuawr.jpg)
Barrel is inlet!
(https://i.imgur.com/fuX8DPJ.jpg)
Finished the ramrod channel and thinned the front end down some. Ready to drill the forearm for the ramrod hole.
(https://i.imgur.com/TejUFy3.jpg)
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This will sound simple but I’m not familiar with that type of lamp. What is it called? What is it burning?
You have any sage advice on proper chisel sharpening? Especially those curved ones...I need to improve my skills.
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The lamp is a plain old, what we always called a coal oil lamp without the globe. It gets black smoke all over the metal parts and when you tap it with a wooden mallet it leaves a black mark so you know where you need to remove wood.
As far a chisel sharpening, follow the angle on the tool and use a very fine stone with oil. The curved blades require a little eye balling and rocking them back and forth on the stone to sharpen.
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(https://i.imgur.com/oOlY1Sy.jpg)
Ramrod hole is drilled and a success!
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Another interesting build Mike. :OK
That's a nice looking piece of cherry. How thick a slab did you need to start with for that stock blank?
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That piece was almost too thin by the time I cut all the heart and checks out. It was around 2.50 when I started and ended up a little over 2. The only problem is its a little thin on the side plate side, its ok on the lock side and plenty everywhere else.
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That piece was almost too thin by the time I cut all the heart and checks out. It was around 2.50 when I started and ended up a little over 2. The only problem is its a little thin on the side plate side, its ok on the lock side and plenty everywhere else.
So a minimum 2 1/2" thick would work for cutting out and making a stock then?
Depending on the style of course...
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More if you want much of a cheek piece. Thus gun won't have one since it's a Fowler style.
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(https://i.imgur.com/ajvXqKw.jpg)
Put the breech plug back on and inlet it and the tang. Ready to pin the barrel and inlet the lock.
This lock is a Chambers Golden Age lock and it fits this layout perfectly.
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(https://i.imgur.com/GWOsju5.jpg)
Got the lock in yesterday and pinned the barrel. Then I shaped the lock side of the gun that was way thicker than the other to make it look right. Also thinned down the front of the stock.
(https://i.imgur.com/QR59a90.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qwI0v4z.jpg)
Drilled and tapped for the lock bolts. Made perfect hits, just under the barrel on the front bolt missing the ramrod hole!
(https://i.imgur.com/GRaL5bE.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/SbfdSXt.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8mM8yUy.jpg)
Made the side plate today and got it ready to inlet. I also got the trigger in last night and working great with the lock and cut the butt of the stock to length and inlet the butt plate.Now on to the trigger guard and more panel shaping.
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Looking real good! That will be a fine weapon when it is finished! Ready for quail, rabbits, or whatever!
:-M
Hawkdancer
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(https://i.imgur.com/Djh8gwz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mXz4Wnt.jpg)
Got the nose cap on and the trigger guard as well as started shaping the lock panel and side plate panel. Inletting the ramrod thimbles now and that's it except drilling and tapping the touch hole. The stock is shaping up nice.
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(https://i.imgur.com/RELtK7h.jpg)
Got the ramrod thimbles in.
(https://i.imgur.com/F27V7tL.jpg)
Now its sights and touch hole and scrape this thing down slim!
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That's a good job on the entry pipe, along with buttplates, they are my least favorite job.
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https://imgur.com/a/2UWStQZ
It will shoot!
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Do you know about the Skychief load? It sounds out of whack but will tighten your pattern considerably, it has for everyone who tried it, myself included. You roll a 1/2" cushion wad in olive oil and put it over your shot, you would think the wad would blow your pattern but it does the reverse. Skychief is the handle of a guy on the M/L forum who was experimenting and came up with this odd load.
27 yards, 1 1/2 oz of #6, 90 gr of 1F, my gun is jug choked but done poorly and never shot a good pattern until I tried the Skychief loading procedure.
I had two barrels jug choked by Caywood, I sold one to a friend and kept one. I should have kept the other one, my jug was poorly cut, his was perfectly cut. With a skychief load his 40 yard pattern looks like mine at 27 yards.
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Eric, I love that shot pattern there! I've not heard of it. Any other was in the load?
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Just a standard load with an over powder wad over the powder. In the above load I cut some thin card wads out of a cereal box and put 4 of them over the powder, the shot and then a 1/2" olive oil soaked fiber wad over the shot. On the first few shots I put the wad and oil in the microwave to make sure it was saturated. On the shot above I just rolled the wads sides briefly in the olive oil because the completely soaked one made a mess loading.
Go over to the Muzzleloader Forum and do a search on a Skychief load, lots of input from folk that tried it.
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From this to
(https://i.imgur.com/qeNPLsm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SDHlFZj.jpg)
This!
(https://i.imgur.com/tRamjPo.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uZA7gbj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HhMi63y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9BIBkUJ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lNqUuKK.jpg)
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Very nice. That stock is incredibly beautiful. Looks very old. Well done. :OK
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Well done Mike :OK ! Bob
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I tried the log thing, with a chainsaw no less and always ran into wood flaws I couldn't work around. I got a couple of marginal blanks for a weeks work.
(https://i.imgur.com/QDF1HZV.jpg)
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Xvery nice! Good hunting!
Hawkdancer
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(https://i.imgur.com/dLHj2Zf.jpg)
Ran out real fast before dark today to shoot round balls through it. The first two were touching, I pulled the third bad. The next two were a different size ball. 25 yards at a 3'' bull no rest.
I think Ill work with the ball size from the first two and try it at 50 with a good rest.
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Might try a tighter patch, too. Charge seems to be close - 2Fg?
Hawkdancer
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Finally finished up the second one that I started
(https://i.imgur.com/e8qaqWU.jpg)
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Beautiful.
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Great work. That turned out Nice. :OK
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Nice work Mike, I really like the lines on that fowler.
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Nice work Mike, I really like the lines on that fowler.
Thanks Gifford. I like it way better than the other one. The first one I was trying for a Bedford style look but got the wrist too long and the comb to short. BUT it shoots like a dream both round ball and shot. The one that I just finished is more of an American fowler style and the lines on it look right to me.