Wind River "Tacks"

[PetahW]

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I think it was tastefully done, Russ         - and that you were a brave person to attempt it. 

CONGRATS ! ! !   . 


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[Stevep51d]

I was never one that liked the tack look but I have to hand it to you your rifle looks very nice, tastefully done I  might add...Now you got me thinking?

[Winter Hawk]

Now you got me thinking?

DANGER, DANGER DANGER!!!   

~kEES~

[Hanshi]

I'm not a "tack" person but have to admit the rifle does look quite nice.

[Uncle Russ]

Since this was posted, somewhere around a month ago, I got to thinking....... 

I thought.... my oldest son in Gallup, NM, has a nice barrel that I left at his place about 6 or so years ago, when I went back home for a visit.
If he hasn't sold it, or traded it, (not knowing what kind of barrel it really is), I'll get it back.
BTW: He was "supposed" to send it on to me later after I left, since I was flying out of Albuquerque, but then he got to thinking that he was going to build something, and he would use that same barrel....which I thought was fine.

So I gave him a call around the 1st of this month.
And, just as I had kinda expected, he had never as much as even opened the box!!
He complained about life and one of them roundtoits being the reason...but ol' Dad knows the real truth.

So I told him to send it to me, since it's already mine, and I now have the perfect home for it.
About three weeks ago I got the barrel...still in the original box, still in Cellophane, and still in Cosmoline, and she's a beauty!
Green Mountain, six or seven years old, 15/16", .54cal., 1:70 twist, .012 grooves, 33" in length, very nice Williams front & Rear sights, although I do actually prefer the sights of the old T/C.....and, although she cleaned up nicely, she's still unfired....
 

I've gotta work on that 'unfired' business, 'cause I just can't have that going on!
And that barrel, at 33" is only 5" longer than the original, but my-goodness!
It sure seems long to me, at least for being on a Hawken style rifle. But I thought the same thing about the GPR with a 32" barrel.

Anyway, here's how she looks on the ol' Wind River Tacks!


Uncle Russ...


 

[Two Steps]

Yep...saw it right off...looks way to long for you Russ.  Might as well send it on down here...the warmer weather might help shrink it up a tad. 

[Uncle Russ]

Yep...saw it right off...looks way to long for you Russ.  Might as well send it on down here...the warmer weather might help shrink it up a tad. 

I originally wrote .50 cal., but it's actually a .54 cal...I corrected that little matter in my other post.

Seeing it's a .54 and not a .50, I'm thinking that this just may be a little too much gun for ya brother Al.

Plus, if the sun should ever decide to shine here again....Well, ya just never know. 

Uncle Russ...

[Ohio Joe]

Gotta say, I've always preferred the look and feel of the longer barrel, 32 to 36 inches, and the Wind River Tack job looks very well done (not that it didn't before 'cause it did, but it's nice to see the whole rifle. 

IMHO, those Green Mnt Brls are mighty fine barrels. The majority of the rifles I own have GMB's on them and I've got no complaints. My personal feeling is that the GMB Company gave the public a great choice of barrels that covered both, "good rifling depth and twist" for the patched ball calibers they offered (and still offer).

I like it Russ! 

[Fyrstyk]

I took the plunge years ago and put tacks on my Browning Mountain rifle.  This gun have very plain, straight grained walnut stock that was very un-interesting.  I decided to add some tacks to "spice"it up.  I chose to use a pattern from astronomy.  The right side of the stock has a pattern of the big dipper, with the North Star.  Its' only eight tacks, but it personalizes this rifle for me.  Sorry, no pictures.

[Riley/MN]

I think it looks good, Russ. Should I let "Tacks" know that there is a gun to honor his cantankerousness?

[Uncle Russ]

I think it looks good, Russ. Should I let "Tacks" know that there is a gun to honor his cantankerousness?

By all means!
He dropped outta the clear blue and landed on my Facebook Page...a year or so back.... back when I first started this project.
Many folks had some problems with "Tacks", now and then, on the open forum. Still yet, if you played nice with him, he would play nice too.

I never had a single problem with Tacks...ever!
In fact, something few folks ever knew, Tacks DONATED $50 to help get the TMA started, back in the day.
He asked that I kept it to myself, which I did for a long time.
Now, I think it's something folks should have known all along.

Yeah, he was 'cantankerous' at times, but it was crystal clear, at least to these old eyes, that he was a very knowledgeable person and didn't get along well with all the "old wives tales" that once dominated the field of traditional Muzzleloading.

Uncle Russ...

[Hanshi]

 

[Winter Hawk]

Now you have a proper barrel on 'er!  Those short things were just a passing fad anyway.  And with the longer sight distance you should be twice as accurate as you were before, and that's the truth.  Everyone knows that's why the longrifles were so much more accurate than the shortrifles (I just made that word up).  I've become enamored with the Harpers Ferry 1803 rifle and it had a 33" barrel in .54 caliber, although in the second run they were 36".  Lewis & Clark had 15 of 'em, although they were probably prototypes, from what I have read.

That is sure a gorgeous rifle now.  Did I see correctly that you have an inlay with engraving in the toe plate?  And the lock sideplate sure doesn't look like anything messrs. Thompson & Center provided, either!

You done good, mon Oncle!

~Kees~

[Uncle Russ]

Ya got a good eye Kees....yes Sir, ya got plumb good eyes!

I made the side-plate...make that "grossly modified" an old 1854 Mississippi Rifle side-plate, which started out at about twice the size of what ya see...File & Dremel Tool vs brass, lots of brass, finished off on a hi-speed wheel using White Jeweler's Rouge.

And yes, there is a plate on the Toe-Plate..........Wind River Tacks

Here is a picture of the left side, Portside for my Navy friends"....lol

Ya think maybe Mr. Thompson and Mr. Center might approve?
I'm not so sure they would...they mistreated their sub-contractors like dirt.
Lots of bad stories floating around out there, from a few who really knew the 'whole' truth about what they made and what they contracted.

Anyway, the bbl that came on the gun is in 50cal. and is a "standard" T/C bbl., made prior to model or warning stamps, gun has a 4 digit ser. No....and is marked T/C. .50cal. ( very likely a 1972 model.)
Believe it or not, according to my Bathroom scales, both barrels are "just about" the very same weight.
One is 15/16 across the flats, 33" in length, in .54 caliber.
The other is 15/16 across the flats, 28" in length, in 50 caliber.
I need a more exact scale!
 



Uncle Russ...

[Winter Hawk]

I know what you mean with weight.  I bought a kitchen scale a while back so I could weigh my guns, on sale for $10.  It seems to be pretty consistent, at least I get the same readings within an ounce whenever I weigh one several days apart.

The T-C Pennsylvania Hunter went from 7 lb. 9 oz. to 7 lb. 2 oz. after Mr. Hoyt did his magic on it.  The Hodge-Podge rifle lost a full pound going from a 15/16" across the flats barrel to one which is 7/8" across the flats.  Both in .45 caliber, 32" long.  That iron ain't light!

~Kees~