So it begins, the Tn. bear pistol

[Eric Krewson]

I have never built a pistol; I decided my last build should be one but I didn't want to build something ordinary. I am from TN, I looked at a variety of southern pistols and settled on a TN bear pistol, something I could hunt deer with. I wanted the pistol to be a completely scratch build, I planned to do everything including forging the mounts which would include the trigger guard, nose cap, ramrod pipes, trigger and such.

I bought this stock blank for my project as well as a Kibler lock. Looks like I am not going to need this stock blank.





I ordered a barrel a year and a half ago but the maker had issues and got behind, no barrel was forthcoming.

I started looking for alternatives; a nice guy on the ALR board offered me his just started bear pistol project at a very fair price, he said he didn't have time to finish it. The barrel and stock came in yesterday.

The barrel is a Rayle swamped 15'" barrel in in .54. The barrel was inletted perfectly into the stock my Mark Weader, he drilled the ramrod hole as well.



This is going to be a winter project, a very long winter project.

Here is the original I will be trying to replicate but not too closely.

[Mike Yancey]

I like it!

[Buckskinner]

Looking forward to this one... Might get me to do one also. 

Is that the new CNC Ketland?

[Eric Krewson]

Yep, the CNC model.

[GlisGlis]

the original is awesome and I'm in love with the holster too 
will follow for sure 

[Eric Krewson]

The seller misplaced the breechplug for the barrel, he said he would ship it to me as soon as he found it but was really tied up with farming right now. I have to repair the forge a friend gave me so I can make the trigger guard and ramrod pipes.

Like I said, this is going to be a long-drawn-out project.

[Eric Krewson]

While still gathering "stuff", I am working on making an anvil out of a piece of railroad track that someone cut a crude anvil out of with an acetylene torch. After watching the YouTube videos on the subject, I decided I would like a more refined anvil in my shop than of the rusty object I bought for $5.

This piece of track was well worn with the train wheels rolling the edges over like a mushroom. The first order of business is to square it up, this is going to take a while.



One side done;

[Eric Krewson]

The winter doldrums and hunting season is over, time to get back in the shop.

The breech plug was misplaced by the seller, I bought a new one and decided to change things up so I bought one with a lollipop tang for a TN rifle to use. I have to be different.

The first order of business is to time the plug, it has to bottom out in the breech and have the tang line up with the top flat of the barrel at the same time. This involves filing off the end of the breech plug little by little until the fit is right.

The plug is a little long;



The threaded breech depth;



I used a 5/8 18 nut as a filing guide to keep things straight. I was told if I split the nut I could close down on it in a vise and it would hold my breech plug securely for filing, nope, the nut is too thick to compress.