poor boy

[TomG]

Wadedog, it shouldnt be much longer.
I will probably get the tennessee poor boy pistol kit to go with the poor boy rifle kit.
Right now Im just trying to make up my mind on which caliber to go with.
I want 58 cal. in both rifle and pistol but I dont know if that is the best way to go.
I want a 42" barrel so Im afraid it might be awkard with 58 cal.
I dont know how the balance will be effected with that much weight.
Im open for suggestions.

[TomG]

Thanks Wysmith for the info.
What would a G/M barrel,42" be like.

[TomG]

Thanks Wyosmith, I appreciate your help.
Ill keep you posted.
I have to think on this a bit.

[No Rod]

Yes Wadedog, I take measurements from the customer and stock the gun to those dimensions.  It's not hard to do if you know how.  It's no different then going to a taylor to have a coat made.

That reminds me I need to send you a set of measurements. i have them... just need to find them!

[Captchee]

yep as steve said , the measurements can be taken  pretty simply

 As to swamped barrels . I can only add to what Steve has said by saying  that there are different profiles  which  not only weight differently but the also balance a little differently .

 A well balanced rifle even  when heavy is comfortable to carry  and shoot

[wadedog]

I was reading in The book of buckskinning about hershel house and stephern h davis on the guns they like to make and they both said they favor the soutern style with iron instead of brass.

Is this their old uneducated idea of what a southern gun was,( I know these books were written a while back)
or are they on to something real?

Also they say they modify and tune the silar locks, anyone do this or know what they do to them ?

[Captchee]

you know steve ,  that first photo ?, if you got rid of the  iron buttplate and replaced it with a wood plate , heal and toe .
replaced  the large side plate with a small  inverted T plate .
 got ride of all the carving  and inlay work patch box and such .
 that resulting rifle would look very much like my Hershel .

 its plain , simple m very little iron work

[IronDawg]

OH! cra..... maaaan.... I just drooled on my keyboard!!

I guess I'm truly blessed because an ol hog huntin buddy of mine happens to build custom flintlocks. So when I embark on this gun building journey (Hey I make my living as a carpenter and I've been a traditional bowhunter for ever. it's in my blood to go the DIY way) I have a skilled friend who's been around the block a few times to help me out.

I do know these guys are right when they say get one built the right way and fitted to you.

I was absolutely positively SURE I was NOT going to like shooting mine, and not going to be able to hit a bull in the butt at 10yds with it (and at that range I can poke him with the barrel) But I was dead WRONG on both occasions.

I'm a total raw rookie at flintlocks. But from what I have read and what I have been told....... "A good quality flintlock will hook you forever. a poor quality flintlock will make you cuss."

[wadedog]

good input, thanks to all.

[tg]

Those are some nice guns, I think if you cornered the House boys they would tell you that all the iron furniture on their early guns is more due to customers desires than histotical evidence,most consider the iron trim thing as being considerably later on American guns, it has becone way overdone on every type of gun being made, the main reason is to have something that does not glare in the woods, this doesn't hold much water considering al the deer that fall to brass mounted guns,the iron mounted guns are nice looking but really hard to justify before the late 18th century.

[Mike R]

The southern iron mounted rifle is mostly [as  known from surviving examples] a product of the 19th cent.  Alot of folks grew up with them--they were part of the link from old time to modern day longrifle use, used in overthelog shoots and other such surviving events, still used for hunting in the southern mountains of my youth [I am 64]....alot of builders during the heyday of buckskinning built them.  The problem began when folks started to want to reenact 18th cent or take part in 18th cent events--they kept asking for an 18th cent version.  There are darn few such survivors.  Yep, the iron mounted southern rifle is way overdone for 18th cent, but was very common in the 19th cent and even in my youth in the 20th cent...by the way, Steve, whose beautiful rifles are posted above, is one of the leading makers in the world!  Glad he is here to share with us.  .....I have been away a long time, but I am glad to be back here, too....

[jtwodogs]

"Poor Boy";I believe that is one of the terms the Antique gun dealer used when he was describing my gun I have posted as a civil war era piece. He said they were often made as cheaply as possible, for the common man, and often were made of parts there were available, thus iron and brass mounted.
I also read somewhere that gunsmiths often order locks from England by the barrel, and just fitted a particular lock to all the rifles that that particular smith put out at that time. Mine has the back action lock more commonly seen in shotguns, but was probably all that was available to the particular "Smith" at the time.
I think "She" (My gun) is so ugly, "She's" pretty.
I just wish "She" could talk of game taken, maybe even of defense of hearth and home. Neat.