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Big Bore Finished

Brookwood
I've been working on a Germanic hunting rifle since early fall and am just putting on the last coats of stock sealer.

This one is a 60 caliber, having a 31" swamped barrel. Lock is a Dale Johnson sold through Chambers and the wood is ash.
https://image.ibb.co/eyU2bS/P1040133.jpg
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Comments

13 comments

Date Votes
  • iceracerx
    Nice!

    What all have you done to it?
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  • Chief Shaway
    Very Nice!
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  • hillbille
    gonna be a looker or a shooter?
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  • Brookwood
    This is a rifle that I built out of a nicely figured plank of curly ash.
    Basically, I consider myself more of a "gun stocker" than a gunsmith or gun builder. I buy good quality parts, barrels, locks, butt plates, and trigger guards and usually make the rest out of sheet brass or iron.

    In final finishing of this rifle, I used for the first time a homemade acid stain that has been historically documented called aqua fortis.
    It is carefully applied to the stock and left to dry overnight. Then activated by heat to set the color. I cheated and used a modern heat gun for this instead of a bed of hot coals.

    The acid made my stock a bit darker than I would have liked but it has kind of grown on me as I continue to keep adding layers of teak oil and rubbing it into the wood and sealing up all the pores.

    I really enjoy this hobby and do it all to shoot. I hunt Michigan white tails during our season exclusively with a flintlock.
    Also try and get out to my back yard range at least once a week and put a lot of lead patched round balls through various targets.[:)]

    Thanks to all for your interest!

    https://image.ibb.co/nD7igS/P1040103.jpg
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  • iceracerx
    Did you 'rope wrap' that stock or is that all natural 'figure'?

    PS - that is some real nice inlaying!
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  • Brookwood
    Thanks iceracerx, just before my old saw-bones family doctor retired, he gave me a gift that will most likely last me the rest of my days.
    A set of scalpels with a case of several styles of blades.

    The very sharp and very fine cuts in the hardest of woods allow me to do some pretty intricate inlays. I had to make my own very narrow chisels to do the digging in.

    All the grain and striping on this stock are natural in the wood. Ash can vary from plain to extremely curly as this piece shows. It is a shame that the dreadful Emerald Ash Bore has just about wiped out this great hardwood species all across our country!
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  • He Dog
    quote:I cheated and used a modern heat gun for this instead of a bed of hot coals.


    OK, now you have wear your coon skin cap tail front for a month. You ain't supposed to tell them mountain man secrets.

    Looks Great! When to you want to start on my Hawken?[:D]
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  • Brookwood
    Thank you forgemonkey! It is really quite an obsession of mine!

    Have another barrel, flintlock, and some brass hardware, along with a nice piece of European walnut that I intend to make into a fowling piece when it warms up a bit.

    I have been playing with several load variations with my pictured jaeger rifle. The bore on this piece is a bit out of the ordinary, being a rifled 60 caliber. All I had on hand when the rifle was finished were some .57 round balls designed for 58 caliber rifles.

    I shot several of the .57's with some very thick patching material and was hitting paper out to 50 yards, but needed to tighten things up a bit.

    Ordered a batch of .595's as well as some .58's (round balls) and have been blowing holes through the black without having to do any sight filing![:)]

    I will be ordering a custom mold for this rifle in the near future.
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  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator
    [^][^][^]that's nice
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  • drobs
    Looks real nice. I like that stock.
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  • allen griggs
    Good God that is a beautiful rifle! You are an artisan!
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  • Brookwood
    Thanks everyone for the kind words.[:I][:)]
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  • allen griggs
    I built a Tennessee Mountain Rifle in cap lock from a Dixie Kit.
    The stock is made from, of all things, Jap maple.
    The stock is roughed out for the barrel. I had to inlet for the lock and patch box and smooth the stock out. Had to screw in the breech plug into the barrel, brown the barrel, and inlet for the tang.
    Really, pretty difficult for a rookie, I must say it turned out well and I killed 3 deer with that rifle.
    By the way Dixie stopped selling that rifle, and kit, about 20 years ago, sad.

    But that is easy compared to the beautiful work that you are doing.
    You are an artisan.
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