the brass nose cap wouldn't fit, too small. rang up jim and he knew of that issue and said to pull off the barrel, turn it upside down, set the cap in the middle of the swamped barrel where it'll fit and then slide it to the muzzle in order to bend the sides open. worked perfectly. the cap is now epoxied in, will pin it tomorrow, then next up is the barrel under lugs and then the sights. i'm just gonna draw file the barrel and have it left in-the-white. will pull the breech plug in order to fit the chambers touch hole liner, and put them both back with nikal anti-seize grease. after that, stock finishing with at least two or maybe three heatings of aqua-fortis to stain (i want it Dark), then the mortises and barrel channel will get CYA sealed, then on to multiple coats of tru-oil. as the stock finishing work progresses with it's cure and dry times, i'll get into the brass filing and polishing. i figure it'll be ready sometime in march, maybe, and hopefully a range date in april if the weather is decent.
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Please be careful,... in my experience with Aqua Fortis,.... more than 1 application will practically turn your beautiful curly maple stock almost
"BLACK" (if not right away, then it will over a period of just a few years).
I've found 1 liberal application of A-F ("blushed" with appropriate heat) to be enough to darken maple for my liking (and I too, like DARK stocks),.... Aqua Fortis treated maple continues to "darken" over time.
I love finishing maple stocks with Aqua Fortis and Tru-Oil, and have done so many times.
