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Post by stevein on Apr 22, 2018 12:09:37 GMT -5
I am gathering the parts for my version of what a Minute Man would have carried in answer to the alarm on April 19, 1775. Cherry wood full stock, 46" octagon to round smoothbore barrel, flintlock. Lots of planning going into this one. I have settled on a Caywood tradegun lock. It is the largest left hand flintlock available without having it custom made. I am not fitting it with a bayonet at this time as a lot of the enlistments were for a very short period. Barrel and buttstock inlet and shaped by Know Mountain Muzzleloading. All that is left is to secure the barrel, shape the foreend, inlet lock, trigger, ramrod pipes, install buttplate and finish everything. Long gun. I figure it will end up about an inch or two shorter when I get the buttplate installed. It is a lot lighter than I expected. It shoulders very well. I think when finished it will end up under 8 pounds.
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Post by bill9068 on Apr 22, 2018 17:11:25 GMT -5
Looking good, how long will it take to complete?
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Post by stevein on Apr 22, 2018 20:17:37 GMT -5
If I am done at this time next year I will be happy. I am going to take my time on this one. I hope to have all of the major work done by fall. I will have the breechplug inlet in the next couple of weeks, then the barrel lugs in and pinned. I am ordering the lock next week and that will be inlet when I get it. I had a buttplate I planned to use but when I got the stock I found it would not work so I will get another at Friendship in June. There are a couple of skills that are new to me I will need to learn and practice. I plan to scrape instead of sanding for finish. Many of the guns were done this way so the smith did not need to by sandpaper. There will be some carving around the tang and I will need to practice some before attempting the real thing. I will have plenty of wood when I cut most of the excess off the forestock for practice and finish experimenting. I am looking forward to the challenges.
I forgot to mention it is a 16 gauge.
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Post by oldhoyt on Apr 23, 2018 9:39:33 GMT -5
A friend of mine made something like that many years ago, he called it a fusil I think. His was 16 gauge as well. Do you intend to hunt anything with it when done?
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Post by stevein on Apr 23, 2018 17:13:14 GMT -5
A friend of mine made something like that many years ago, he called it a fusil I think. His was 16 gauge as well. Do you intend to hunt anything with it when done? I will use it for deer and maybe turkey depending on how it patterns. Hunting is a great way to do the patina many want in a new made gun. I will use it mostly to defend the bridges on our road should the need arise. Fusil, fuze, fowlers, muskets all discribe these early smoothbores. There were minor differences in them. If I am not mistaken fusils were scaled down muskets. Lighter in stock and smaller bore than the .75 cal Brown Bess. They were fitted for a bayonet. Often made by some of the better makers for officers use. This gun will be more like the modern shotgun. Think like if you could only have one gun and you had the opertunity to hunt small game, bears, deer. moose and had to supply your own gun for your national Guard duty. I will be able to shoot ball, shot and buckshot through it.
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Post by oldhoyt on Aug 7, 2018 6:40:11 GMT -5
Update?
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