Thread: I love me some Flintlocks

Looks like you need another rock in that Siler. Good lookin' rifle.

I have to put some final corrections work into my deer rifle. a 40 is next and i have a parts for 2 more. Gotta land a job before i can "waste" any more time fooling with that stuff. Cartridge guns don't interest me anymore, much.

Are the barrels pre-bored? And smooth or rifled?

Originally Posted by Dad

That sir is one nice looking piece o hardware. Only wish I had the know how to do it no kit I am currently constructing a TVM Early Virginia Rifle kit.

which one of the "TVM"s? Oh nevermind, that doesn't matter.

With no kit one simply accumulates the pieces parts necessary for his style/school of gun and gets after it. We used a bandsaw to cut a TN profile into my blank. Back up, before that one has to choose where to locate the bbl, which gives a breech position, then you cut the profile and square up the blank as much as you can, to make drilling/holding the stock easier. We then cut a "pre-channel" for the bbl (swamped) on a jointer and drilled the RR hole with a long bit (this is the trickiest part). You'll be drilling end-grain and the bit will want to follow the grain. Expert assistance recommended.*

Then just inlet the bbl/tang and lock then trigger/s, guard, buttplate, sideplate, thimbles, cap, leaving it square. Then pare away the excess wood. Attach sights, etc. Do your carving and engraving. Finish the wood and metal, reassemble, go shootin'.

Nothin' to it!

But this is what it takes to understand how underpaid the guys making great guns right now tend to be. And how you make yerself a shooter from some iron and a board.

Best current book on the subject: "The Gunsmith of Grenville Co." There are others, but that's my recommendation.

*I may do my own RR hole drilling next round, won't use the jointer at all. Probably use a bandsaw for initial profile if i can access one. Otherwise it's all hand tools for me, except for drilling. BBL and buttplate were my biggest headaches to inlet, but some of that was first-timer trepidation.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by WW243

Are the barrels pre-bored? And smooth or rifled?

Some few guys make their own, most folks buy from any of several sources, rifled or smooth, various calibers and contours and lengths. I have a Colerain bbl on my first one 54x42, and the next one 40x44. My last bbl came from Charlie Burton 30x46. I also have a lock and set triggers from Bob Roller.

Originally Posted by WW243

I am curious about the accuracy? It is a beautiful rifle!

Contests are generally held at 40 standing and 60 rested. Some split the middle at 50. If you can't stack 'em nearly into the same hole, keep working on your loading consistency and prb/powder combination. It's like straight shaving in that regard...a lot of stuff to get right to shoot good. Load development usually _starts_ by getting one-hole targets at 20-30 yards, if you play like i play.

Woods walks are the sort of contests i'm interested in. Various targets at unknown ranges scattered through the woods. fun fun.

Originally Posted by WadePatton

Looks like you need another rock in that Siler. Good lookin' rifle.

I have to put some final corrections work into my deer rifle. a 40 is next and i have a parts for 2 more. Gotta land a job before i can "waste" any more time fooling with that stuff. Cartridge guns don't interest me anymore, much.

I have about 20 extra rocks. The. 32 is my favorite I also built a. 50 cal. For deer. I ended up selling it to someone that did reenactment. It took about a year to do each rifle.

Originally Posted by WadePatton

Contests are generally held at 40 standing and 60 rested. Some split the middle at 50. If you can't stack 'em nearly into the same hole, keep working on your loading consistency and prb/powder combination. It's like straight shaving in that regard...a lot of stuff to get right to shoot good. Load development usually _starts_ by getting one-hole targets at 20-30 yards, if you play like i play.

Woods walks are the sort of contests i'm interested in. Various targets at unknown ranges scattered through the woods. fun fun.

MY rifle was built by Wm ( BILL ) Mowery back in '81. He was the founder of Mowery Gun Works. He sold it and the following owners really gave the company a bad name by selling junk. I had a Rem-Hepburn schuetzen rifle in 38-55. It was NICE. Bill saw it at the Dallas Gun Show and like ot have drove me crazy coming up all kinds of strange trades that didn't interest me. I walked over to his table, saw that .40 and fell in love. He didn't really want to swap and kept trying to shove a big blonde stocked .50 at me. I walked off.

He came back by my table with the .40 and enough cash to make the difference and it's been my baby ever since.

That thing is remarkably indifferent to loads. It does it's thing whether I'm squib shooting with 20 gr of FFF or honking it with with 70 gr of FFF. Doesn't require a ball starter either.

Bill won the TMLRA shoot at Brady in his class for three years running with that rifle. Like I said, it's a tack driver.

I'm out of flints at the moment, I've re-knapped everything I own as far as they'll go. Have to gather up some of those crap black English flints I guess. Had some blonde French flints that were OLD, but I used 'em up. Haven't been able to find any more. Got two musket flints that I suspect are older than most of Zac's razors, but they don't fit that Siler.