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davemuzz Senior Member
     

Joined: November 13 2004 Location: Pittsburgh Pa. Posts: 4906
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Posted: June 16 2010 at 5:35pm | IP Logged
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Well, here in Pa. we are now allowed to hunt whitetail with a flintlock pistol, as long as the caliber is 50 or greater.
Soooo....I got this great idea to search the internet and came across a fellow who builds.....well not the gun. But he will build you the "kit". The nice part is, you can order what you want.....and leave out what you don't want.
I wanted a long barrel, with rifling. I wanted something that I could load up with 50 grains of FF-BP or so, and send a 240 Hornady Conical thru the lungs of a whitetail at 50 yards. So.....I ordered a DeHass barrel that is 12.5" in length. But, by the time I screw in the tang, it will actually have about 12" of barrel length.
I also ordered all of my furniture so that I will "control rust" (ie: blue it) to be black. With the exception of the barrel, which will be traditional blue. This will be a hunting gun, so I will have no brass on it.
I thought I may have it ready for this fall.....but I have a lot of work to do. I have the barrel to drill for the flash hole, "stuff" to line up and "stuff" to rasp 'n file, 'n sand, 'n "just stuff!"
I also ordered a Chambers lock. The stock is a curly walnut....I picked it from a local custom wood shop here in Pa. and sent it to the fellow to cut the stock from. The wood came from the base of the tree. The fellow cuts the wood, beds the barrel and pins it, along with drilling the ram-rod hole.
Here are some pics of what I'm starting with:
(Ghee....I just hope I stay alive long enough to finish it and whack a few whitetails with it! )
Dave
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

Joined: January 11 2005 Location: Menifee, California Posts: 11354
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Posted: June 17 2010 at 2:21pm | IP Logged
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Wonderful project!
I am currently building a .50 Kentucky rifle from the same kind of "pieces parts".
I'm not working with any sort of deadline, just whenever I feel like it. So it's going slow, just the way I like it.
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 17 2010 at 2:37pm | IP Logged
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Rigs.....I've had this for about a week. So far....I've managed to look at it a bunch. And then I decided to photograph it...and post it so you guys could see how far along "nothing" has been done!
It will get there....soon 'nuff!!
Dave
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

Joined: January 11 2005 Location: Menifee, California Posts: 11354
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Posted: June 18 2010 at 10:42am | IP Logged
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davemuzz wrote:
Rigs.....I've had this for about a week. So far....I've managed to look at it a bunch. And then I decided to photograph it...and post it so you guys could see how far along "nothing" has been done!
It will get there....soon 'nuff!!
Dave |
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I know what you are feeling pal, I did the same thing. I even started my very own rifle building blog to document my progress! I haven't done anything worth documenting for some time now, but hearing about your pisol project just might get me in the mood.
My rifle build BLOG
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 18 2010 at 12:22pm | IP Logged
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Ha! Maybe we should start our own thread...."How far have you come along doin nuthin on your project this month?"
You gotta figure....if we don't update the thread.....it would still be current!
Dave
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 18 2010 at 3:59pm | IP Logged
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LOL. true
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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Ham Gunner Senior Member
     

Joined: August 12 2007 Location: Ozark, Missouri Posts: 5409
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Posted: June 18 2010 at 8:05pm | IP Logged
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Looks like some nice wood you are working on.
__________________ 73 de n0ubx Rick - NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE MEMBER/VFW LIFE MEMBER - A government big enough to GIVE you
everything you want, is strong enough to TAKE everything you have. - Thomas Jefferson
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Old Ranger Senior Member
     

Joined: April 11 2010 Location: East Texas Posts: 3528
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Posted: June 27 2010 at 5:15am | IP Logged
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Dave,
My dad got a Spiller & Burr kit in 1975. He did some outstanding finish work on it. The grips were fantastic. The frame was polished to a mirror finish. I did the blue job for him as I was still an active gunsmith. (I did work on the timing as it was way off) But it took him until 1980 to finish it. So don't dispair, it will get done in time!
As a side note, I had customers that would buy a kit and then go nuts trying to work on it then just bring the thing to me to build. I told most that they'd be better off buying an assembled factory weapon as my time cost them more than what they saved buying the kit!
Hang in there and you'll have a nice piece to be proud of! And you and Rig can have some fun swapping progress reports as well!!!
Wade
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 27 2010 at 10:46am | IP Logged
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Wade,
Actually....I'm going to pick up a couple of new rasp this week and start to fool with it. I've been surfin the internet just lookin at photos 'n what not so I get my thinking in order.
It's getting hotter than heck here in Pa. now....up in the high 80's and low 90's. With my disease, I can't take the heat 'n humidity. (I'm prolly the only guy with a window A\C unit in my garage! That's where I do my reloading 'n gun stuff!!) So, I'll be putzin around with this to keep me busy. 'Cause I sure can't watch Oprah!!!
Dave
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 27 2010 at 11:30am | IP Logged
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Dave, it's gets pretty hot here in California, you are not alone, I have a very good A/C in my Garage!
I have spent hours of online time looking up Kentuky rifles and all the carvings and engraving and finish. I have a few nice books on it as well.
For Father's Day, my youngest bought me two very cool books. One was a collection of stencil art for engravers and the other is called "Steel Canvas" and is a wonderful book on carved and engraved art on weapons!!
I'm going to have to do a number of rifles just so I can try different designs. LOL.
I worked on my rifle a little yesterday... well.... actually I moved the rifle to another area so I could sort a batch of .308 used cases I got in the mail...
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 27 2010 at 2:06pm | IP Logged
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Rigs....your crackin me up!!! I say the same thing!! If I pick up a project and think about it for a minuet or so....that's considered "time worked" on it!!
BTW....not that it's related to a Kentucky Flinter.....but last week the family and I went up to northern Michigan near Mackinac Island. I give you the link as that 'splains the island we went to (didn't stay there....just took a ferry across...more like a big speed boat!!!) and spent the better part of a day.
Now....in this fort they had on display a pristine Springfield Infantry Flintlock!!!
I'm not really all that much of a history fanatic....but I gotta tell you I was ready to commit grand larceny for this flinter! It looked just like the one in the link! They had it behind a plexi-glass container and I could get about 6" away from it. That gun was just plain awesome!!
FWIW
Dave
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Old Ranger Senior Member
     

Joined: April 11 2010 Location: East Texas Posts: 3528
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Posted: June 27 2010 at 4:07pm | IP Logged
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Dave,
I can relate to the heat. It's 98 to 100 here in East Texas, and I have no a/c for my little shop of 80 sq ft. All I have is a box fan. But then if I leave the door open (NO WINDOWS!!!) The dogs, cats, and bull calves and my horse all want to join me in the tiny shop! The meds I take for my diabetes makes me a bit ill if I stay in the heat too long. So I do my work early in the am on the weekends.
I like the idea of you two going at the flinter building and possible engraving. I apprenticed under a master for four years for no pay just to learn his gunsmithing skills. The army taught me well, but not like this guy. He was an artist. Never saw such stock carving and engraving in my life. Naturally, I can't draw a straight line! So I have NO engraving skills at all! I hope you and Rig can get it done like the big boys so. You guys will make this old man proud!
Best of luck with the build. As to rasps.....My favorite is a 10" Half round-Half flat shoe rasp with two different gage cuts. Takes wood off easily, but not to the point that you're gouging on each stroke. Built many a stock with this and a spokeshave. Like the old man I worked for always said "You can take it off, but it don't go back." His way of saying go easy with the rasp!
Later, Wade
__________________ "I ain't doin' nuthin' I can't do from a horse."
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 27 2010 at 4:57pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the rasp info Wade. Don't stay out in that heat too long....I can tell ya (and Rigs will for sure back me up) it will zap the energy right out of ya before you even know it!!
Dave
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

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Posted: June 27 2010 at 5:41pm | IP Logged
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Dave, thanks for the links. Sounds like you had a great time. Nice info for sure. I like history, especially American Military History. I'm no expert but I like reading and seeing it in person like you did.
Heat... I have a heart problem and diabetes and arthritis thrown in for the heck of it. Heat will lay me out faster than anything. With a heart that don't beat right, it's hard to cool the body off. I've passed out cold just walking my lawn mower around the yard (self propelled no less). Keeps the neighbors on their toes.
So, I have plenty of time on my hands to do stuff like this. I just don't like to go at a project as though there's a deadline or something.
I'm using wood chisles to bed my barrel and breach as well as fitting my trigger and guard and such. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.
After you make your first big oops, you'll be glad you got it overwith... LOL
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: July 06 2010 at 11:39am | IP Logged
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It's been in the mid-90's here. I've been "camping out" in my A\C "man-cave". Here is my progress:
And this was\is the kit that I started out with:

Edited by davemuzz on July 06 2010 at 11:44am
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

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Posted: July 06 2010 at 4:48pm | IP Logged
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Makes me want to blow the dust off my rifle project!
I had them inlet my lock when I ordered my parts. I didn't feel like I could do it without seein gone done "right" first.
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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The_Shadow Senior Member
     

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Posted: July 06 2010 at 6:10pm | IP Logged
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That reminds me of my Kentucky 45 cal 33" octogon barrel kit. Talk about slow to do, I bought the kit the night before I got married, 11 years later I decided to work on it...finished it and didn't shoot it till it was 24 years old. When I did finally shoot it is was bless with very accurate shots on paper at 100yards with 45 cal sabots holding my cast 0.400" 175 grain bullets.

Edited by The_Shadow on July 06 2010 at 6:24pm
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davemuzz Senior Member
     

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Posted: July 06 2010 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
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This link is a real nice step by step picture and explanation of "how to" build a flintlock rifle from basically a chunk of wood and cast metal pieces, and chunks of metal and brass.
Dave
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Rigmarol Senior Member
     

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Posted: July 07 2010 at 8:36am | IP Logged
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That's were I started my project, on that web page!
__________________ "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." - Futurama
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nascflattracker Senior Member
   
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Posted: July 07 2010 at 12:07pm | IP Logged
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there are some to go by you got a lot of carful rasping to do . some look like they hav emedel caps on pistol grip   
__________________ Reloader Jim
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