Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Traditional Firearms => Flintlock Long Guns => Topic started by: prairie dog on December 26, 2017, 06:09:45 PM
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I have been absent for a while, finally did some computer upgrades and it seams to be running better. I hope to become more active here again.
My 40 caliber Lancaster rifle is in the build process. Now that I can post again I will get some photos and up dates posted.
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Full disclosure: I am not building the rifle myself. I'm not capable of this level of skill. It is in the capable hands of a good friend who is a skilled rifle maker. Name to be revealed when the rifle is finished. He has a long backlog of orders and It was five years ago that I first added my order to the end of his long list.
I purchased a Rice A weight, 38 inch swamped barrel, a Jim Chambers Deluxe Siler lock, and the prettiest piece of maple I could find. Then I placed it all in his hands.
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and things started taking shape.
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And that's about where things are now. Hopefully I will be shooting squirrels soon.
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Lovely! So much so in fact, you might not want to carry that in the woods for fear of dinging it up! :laffing
I'll be real interested to see the builder's name once it's done.
~WH~
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Thats' coming along real well. I think your buddy just might be getting the hang of it. Where did you get the plank from?
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He is doing avery nice jod on it for you P.D. I'm sure you will play real good togather wen it's finished.
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He is doing avery nice jod on it for you P.D. I'm sure you will play real good togather wen it's finished.
I totally agree with the Roaddog....
:hairy
Uncle Russ...
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Very nice workmanship for sure! :hairy
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That's a super piece of wood; and a master appears to be handling the build quite well. :hairy
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Very nice. Your builder is doing an outstanding job.
:hairy
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Here is an example of my builders work.
This rifle is owned by another friend of mine.
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WOW! :hairy
~Kees~
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I do love the eye candy photos. :wave
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Me too
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A little more carving has been done.
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If you ain't tired of looking at it yet.
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other side.
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I will get to see it in person this weekend. It's likely that all the carving will be done by then.
This is my once in a lifetime custom flintlock rifle and I'm sure excited to watch it come together. I promise to answer all questions and give the details when it's finished and delivered.
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Lookin real good.
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Lookin real good.
:hairy
Uncle Russ...
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promise to answer all questions and give the details when it's finished and delivered.
We'll hold you to that. Or hold your toes to the fire! :*: :lol sign
~Kees~
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I got to handle it this past weekend. The balance, fit, and weight is better than I imagined it could be!
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A little decoration going on behind the cheek piece.
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That's going to end up real purty, I can tell! :hairy
-Kees-
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She's purty as a speckled pup so far. Your gonna gets lots of enjoyment out of that :hairy
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moving along on the carvings.
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cheek piece side.
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got a thumb plate now.
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Looking really good! :hairy
Someday I'm gonna try my hand a something a bit more fancy then just the plain Jane rifles I've made. It looks like it would be a great learning experience. :shake
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little more work on cheek piece.
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I'm impressed; that's beautiful work. :hairy
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He does nice work and I am blessed to be getting an example of it.
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Color and 4 coats of finish applied.
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rain and humid weather are slowing down the finish. However the barrel browning is coming along well. :D
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That is plumb GORGEOUS!!! :applaud :applaud :applaud
~Kees~
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WOW!!!- and what Winter Hawk said :hairy :hairy :hairy
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She is finished!
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Lancaster in the style of Isaac Haines with a little artistic liberty on the butt carvings. 1790's
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So, we have a Rice A weight swamped barrel. Jim Chambers deluxe Siler lock. Trigger is small Davis double lever - double set slant back with some modifications to fit the trigger guard and the slim wrist. Chambers vent liner. The wood is from Dave Keck. I have $ 1,312.00 just in the parts. About 150 hours went into the build. My good friend Chuck Hinkle did the build. Here is a link to his site.
http://www.customflintlock.com/
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When it arrives and I have it in hand I will get the weight and perhaps some better photos.
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Now I wait for the brown truck.
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That is one fine rifle, and I'll bet she will shoot as good as she looks. :hairy
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Thank you kindly. If I can shoot it half as good as she looks.....
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Thank you kindly. If I can shoot it half as good as she looks.....
I have no doubt, but what you two will do each other justice. :) :hairy
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That is a beautiful Rifle! :hairy
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That is a beautiful Rifle! :hairy
:hairy
You're absolutely right Joe!
I'm also pretty sure Steve and his rifle are going to get along just fine.
On the other hand, it would never do for me to own a beautiful rifle like this, it would in all likelihood just end up as a wall-hanger and never get used.
But, it may, on really nice days, see a few very careful trips to the range, but it would never get hunted with... I have other, ugly rifles for hunting.
Still yet, me having one just for "looking & braggin" wouldn't be all that bad either. :pray:
Uncle Russ...
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WOW!!!
-Kees-
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Thanks for the kind words fellows.
Russ, I hear you and understand. Historically speaking, ornate rifles were not that common and not likely used every day. That's why they survived to be collected today. The plain working rifles were used until they were completely worn out. A man who made a living with his rifle would not have paid the cost of all that fancy art. A plain Lancaster rifle can be built in about 40 hours of shop work. My rifle has 150 + hours of work into it. That is considerably more expensive provided you can find someone with that level of artistic talent. Anyone who might have owned such a rifle would likely be a wealthy man who hunted for sport more than food. And he may have never hunted with it but, as you suggest, displayed it on the wall.
Believe me, I have plain simple, ugly guns for hunting and rendezvous use. This new one is my only fancy smoke pole. I would never drag a rifle like this through the fields to hunt big game. In that situation, I am much more concerned with making meat than being careful not to ding up a rifle.
From the get go I intended to use this rifle for match shooting and the occasional small game hunt. Hench the small caliber and all the art work. I have simply reached a time in life where I'm not going into the briar patches after a squirrel or a bunny. And I have reached a time in life where I can appreciate having one rifle that is so pretty it must be handled carefully.
This rifle will be used and shot. Alot. But it will also be handled with kid gloves and cared for like a baby.
It isn't the gun I will carry when portraying a mountain man either. That will be my flintlock smoothbore or one of my plains rifles.
I don't want to sound like I am justifying anything. Just attempting to put it into proper context. Rifles like this were never common, and no long hunter or mountain man would have owned one. If he did it would have been during his twilight years.
This rifle will not be a safe queen I plan to shoot it, often!
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:hairy
Good words Steve!
I enjoyed reading that, and I was somewhat relieved to hear that others feel the same as myself about rifles such as yours.
I am more than just a little anxious to hear about your first outing with that beautiful gal.
I betcha she shoots as good as she looks.
We used to say, "take along a lot of film"...but I guess we need pixels to make those picture thingys work nowadays, so make sure you have a few of those with you when ya do the deed.
Uncle Russ...
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We used to say, "take along a lot of film"...but I guess we need pixels to make those picture thingys work nowadays, so make sure you have a few of those with you when ya do the deed.
You can count on it. This is one of a few places I know where folks appreciate these things and tolerate me rambling on about it.
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That shore is a beauty. Some day.....
:bl th up
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Iktoma, I understand your feelings. :toast
At least for me, that green eyed monster is one bad hombre indeed.
Uncle Russ...
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The brown truck came today!
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Photos just don't do justice to it.
She is 55 inches total length, 14 inch trigger pull and weighs 6 pounds 8 ounces.
Hope to shoot it tomorrow.
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She is a beautiful gal; what's her name or have you picked one yet?
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You owe me a new keyboard.... I drooled all over mine, looking at that pretty little thing! :laffing :laffing :laffing
-Kees-
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Just finished cleaning and polishing her up after shooting today. It sure shoots sweet. I did no load development or sight adjustments just poked some powder and ball down and shot. Cleaned the barrel thoroughly first then again after every shot for ten rounds. That's all I got done due to the Saturday crowd and a dozen or so gawkers.
My patching was too thin, the few I found were shredded. But it shot center and all were good enough to ring some gongs at the rendezvous this next weekend. Looking forward to a full load work-up soon. I can already tell she's gonna out shine all my other smoke poles.
No, I haven't named her yet. She will tell me her name soon enough.
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Sounds like she'll do right well when you find out what her favorite load is. :applaud :hairy
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I took her to rendezvous this weekend and shot some gongs. It is a joy to shoot, light and balanced just right. I could hold that front sight on target all day long. The trigger is nice and crisp and the lock is very fast. I haven't gotten it dialed in yet, still hitting a bit low so I did not shoot it for score. Looking forward to load development latter this week.
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BTW- I placed second on the smoothbore trail walk and was tied for first place in the shotgun match finishing second in the shoot-off. Some of my competitors were shooting some very nice original damascus double barrels. One of them was a very pretty 10 gauge. So my load work on that pattern board really paid off for me. I plan to shoot some pheasants with it. The shotgun that is...
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I'd say that's a right fine rifle for sure!
Looks like you had good weather for that Rondy. I bet it really felt good to get out and start making smoke with that Lancaster. :hairy
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Well, she is beginning to settle in and start grouping.
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A few more rounds down the barrel and I can start fine tuning the load and get the sights adjusted. Sure is showing promise.
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Gee Whiz, Steve
:hairy
Uncle Russ...
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Pdog, I've built a number of rifles with Rice barrels and I don't recall ever having to break one in to get them to group. My favorite barrels.
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Nice looking rifle & groups, dog! :hairy
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I'd she's a grouping mighty good. :bl th up
Just a wondering what your twist and depth of rifling are?
Very nice indeed!!! :hairy
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Pdog, I've built a number of rifles with Rice barrels and I don't recall ever having to break one in to get them to group. My favorite barrels.
Maybe it wasn't so much a break-in as it was finding the right patching. The pillow ticking I started with was showing cuts and burn through. When I switched to heavier denim patching it started to settle in. This is my first Rice barrel, but I've heard nothing but good from everyone I know who has one.
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Joe,
According to Rice the twist is 1-48. 6 groves, round bottom at .016 deep.
Rice recommends a starting point of 30 to 50 grains 3-F
a 390 ball and starting with patching of .016 - .018
So that's where I started knowing that each barrel will like what it will like.
To date I've tried all that taking the powder up to 65 grains, with pillow ticking from .018 up to .020, Blue denim at .022 and white denim at .023 plus 395 balls.
Picking up my fired patching, the white denim is holding up best and showing the best groups.
My next step will be to test different amounts of patch lube then go back and re-check the powder charge.
Then I have to see where she hits at 50-75-and 100 yards. All that before I even think about adjusting the sights.
The one thing I did not do that I normally will was lap the barrel with a tight patch and JB bore paste before shooting it. Everyone told me that is not necessary for Rice Barrels.
I have custom match grade barrels on some of my centerfire rifles and I always start with what the barrel makers recommend. If for no other reason, so I will be on the same page as the maker should problems arise down the road.
This is my first Rice barrel and I have high expectations because of having to shoot against so many of them at the monthly matches with the Dallas Muzzleloading Gun Club.
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Sure sounds like all is going well for you, Steve. I've never had a Rice Barrel, might say I've always been a Green Mountain, Douglas, and Rayl Barrel man. Who knows, someday I might just get me a Rice Barrel and build a stock around it. :bl th up
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There's nothing magical about them but they are very good. You still have to do your part. Actually, these days, I don't think anyone makes a bad barrel anymore unless you get a blem (it happens). Some just need more breaking in than others.
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Still enjoying my new Lancaster. I haven't yet found that magic load, maybe it's just going to shoot everything well. I am still experimenting with patch thickness and practicing my follow through. It is just a joy to shoot.
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