AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: smart dog on February 06, 2019, 02:30:31 AM
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Hi Folks,
I am starting a new thread about building an historical New England fowler. I am making a gun inspired by the Jonathan Hawke's fowler on display at the Historic Deerfield Memorial Hall in Deerfield MA. Beth Gilgun allowed me to view the original up close and along with historian, Richard Colten, I was able to analyze and understand its properties thoroughly. I am building the gun for a member of the 40th regiment of foot, one of the best living history units representing British troops. He also portrays a French officer during the F&I wars and desires a gun that could double as a French officer's privately made gun as well as a colonial militia gun owned by a prosperous volunteer. A Connecticut River Valley gun such as the Hawke's fowler with heavy French influences will do the job. Below are photos of the original gun. I am adapting a TOW Tulle lock, some commonly available cast French hardware, and a 48" 20 gauge barrel from R. E. Davis. The original Hawke's fowler had a French made barrel 57" long. For practical reasons, I am going shorter but I will shape the barrel to resemble the original. The stock will be black cherry logged in Vermont. This thread will evolve slowly at first as I finish my current work.
dave
(https://i.imgur.com/CxgAdFM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/oeKWgvD.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HzXxDnt.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YrNJ3XG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uCKgvki.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yje3zLh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FeL9PDA.jpg)
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Hi Dave, I remember you talking about this piece at Dixon's last year. That gun has some interesting carving, engraving, and a third lock bolt as well. Looking forward to your posts on the build.
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Love that fowling gun. Can't wait to watch this build play out. I suspect yours will be better executed than the original........
And, thanks for making the effort to share the build with us.
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I too am looking forward to it, Dave!
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Kind of a serial, "Stay Tuned For The Next Exciting Episode". Really do look forward to seeing how you progress. Thanks for taking the time to record it.
Tim
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Pardon my ignorance, Dave - have not seen this one before. It seems extraordinarily fine for a Colonial fowler. Are there ideas about when it was made?
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I built a new England fowler/militia musket for my persona of an ancestor who served in the conneticut provincials in the F+I war. One source I used was the great flintlock fowler book. I get a lot of attention at shoots and events with this unique gun. It also was very enjoyable to build.
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Pardon my ignorance, Dave - have not seen this one before. It seems extraordinarily fine for a Colonial fowler. Are there ideas about when it was made?
Hi Rich,
It is indeed very fine and also in remarkably good condition. The hardware, barrel, and lock are French with styling that dates as early as the 1730s. The lock could even be a little earlier and is marked "Palan". The gun was owned by the Hawk family since it was built. Unfortunately, no one knows the date, location, or maker. Jonathan Hawk was born in 1707 and died in 1784. Some believe he carried the gun during the F&I war but Richard Colten and I believe it could have been made in the 1760s. However, we don't dismiss the possibility that it was made earlier and used in the war. It shows wear and tear from use but it developed a hole in the barrel. Instead of cutting it off and continuing to use it, we believe it was put aside, which may account for its good condition overall. The stock is cherry and has typical NE carving around the barrel channel and tang. I call it "potted plant" carving because it sits at the end of the tang like a potted plant on a pedestal. Before ever seeing the Hawk's gun, I used a similar design on a NE fowler after seeing it on several original NE guns.
(https://i.ibb.co/VJG1T8F/Chemerkas-fowler-finished-11-zpss6hvnkuk.jpg) (https://ibb.co/8NwC9Vy)
The carving around the lock panels and trigger guard are unusual but not unknown on NE guns. It is clearly a fine fowler of the quality produced by some other NE gunsmiths like Earle, Pomeroy, and Sawyer. It is ideal for my client's objectives because it can double as a NE-made gun or superficially as a French officer's gun (until you notice the cherry stock).
dave
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(https://i.imgur.com/YrNJ3XG.jpg)
Dave,
can't wait to watch you build this fowler, should be a good education!
I'm curious about the picture I show above. Are those tool marks I see between the lock/side panel moulding and the trigger guard finial carving? (Obviously, I don't mean the echo of the trigger guard finial).
Doesn't seem like the could all be dents/dings from age.
I'm not being critical of the gun, instead I find it interesting to see them. If they are tool marks, it gives good insight into how they approached the build in the period.
cheers,
Norm
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I am interested in this one as I have been researching my family genealogy for a year now and have found out that my 6th great grandfather owned a 100 acre farm in Pelham, Province of Massachusetts Bay as well as a farm (about 90 acres) in Halifax, Vermont so he probably could have afforded guns like you are duplicating. His son who would be my 5th great grandfather was born on the Halifax farm. He and his brother were at Fort William Henry in 1757 with a reactionary force after the massacre. He appears on the Pelham MA muster roll for 1757 [Co. of Capt. Robert Lotheridge in Regt. of Col. Israel Billings to relief of Ft. William Henry). The 2 brothers also are noted as enlisting in April 2,1759 with Jeffery Amherst for the invasion of Canada. Will be following this build as they could have carried similar guns. Very interesting. 8)
Dave
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Hi,
Okay, here we go.
I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to post on this project. My camera memory card is full so I started downloading older photos and getting them posted. The first photos show the stock when still rough. It is a nice piece of black cherry cut in Vermont and air dried for 4 years. You can see the rough profile of the gun and particularly note the straightness of the top of the wrist. There is something very "Lehigh" like about it. The gun will be very slim. I used a round-bottomed router bit and my router table with fence to cut out the smallest round dimension of the barrel. The rest of the inlet was by hand. I'll show more photos soon.
(https://i.imgur.com/0QMZuY1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3qSGA7W.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xlcGkiS.jpg)
One feature one the original Hawk fowler and on many French-made barrels is a long sighting plane running from the octagon to round transition to the front sight. It is really just a hint of a flat with sides that almost seem like incised lines. Hint, it does not stick up very high at all.
(https://i.imgur.com/ORwGRvb.jpg)
I had to figure this one out. I made a coarse cutting barrel float from an old file. I flattened the bottom precisely and then filed in coarse, stout teeth, bent the tang, and then hardened and tempered it. I attached a wooden handle.
(https://i.imgur.com/uLVqeOX.jpg)
It works well, but I have to file in each edge of the plane on the barrel with a bottoming file, then use the float to deepen the cuts. I used my Roubo bench, leg vise, sliding deadman, ruler, and hold fasts to create a very effective fence to begin the job.
(https://i.imgur.com/gaGpjqn.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xsCwI7s.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZR7pZAz.jpg)
Once the edges were established using the fence, I could remove it and use the edge as a guide for deepening the cuts. It worked really well and was pretty simple.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZEd7T9v.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gkfnNgh.jpg)
More to come.
dave
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As all the others have said I too look forward to the progress reports. These follow along discussions on this forum are one of the reasons this is the best site on the internet IMHO. Smylee :)
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Very interesting gun and nice start, Dave!
Chowmi Norm,
I don't think it too unusual to see facets between the carved areas, A sharp chisel was often used, and not scraped much afterwards, so often left the faceted marks showing.
Richard.
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I have always wanted to do the typical New England/French sighting plane but I 'm too stupid and lazy to figure it out. Looks like you have it down now.
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I did a sight plane on mine with a file, but it doesn't look as good.
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Hi,
Thanks for looking folks. Before continuing I want to emphasize that I look forward to other fine NE fowler makers like Mike Brooks, Eric vonAschwege, and Eric Kettenburg chiming in. I would value their input and insights greatly. However, there is another great modern maker of 17th-19th century New England guns who I want to give a shout out to. Richard Colton recently retired as the historian at the Springfield Arsenal in MA. He has examined and analyzed more NE guns from the 17th through 19th centuries than probably anyone alive today. He is also a fine gunmaker specializing in NE firearms. He incorporates every historical detail possible today. One of his rifles is on display and used at historic Sturbridge Village in MA. Richard is a tremendous and largely unsung star in our community. Spending a day looking at NE firearms at historic Deerfield, MA with Rich Colton is like spending a day with Wallace Gussler at Williamsburg. He is a highly valued contributor to my effort.
I finished the sighting plane today. It came out well and looks exactly like the original gun. Eventually, I will clean and polish up the barrel and plane but the photos give you the idea. Next, I will be going back in photo time to document the stock work.
(https://i.imgur.com/75pxW1Q.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yY75Y3R.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0EGMhFg.jpg)
Notice in the last photo, which shows the muzzle end of the plane, the Sharpie marked arrow pointing toward the breech. That is to make sure I file the plane in that direction, rather than toward the muzzle. I need those markers because I make such stupid mistakes.
More to come,
dave
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Dave,I built a cherry stock fowler this winter, using Mr. Grinslades book, I find the French influence very interesting and made the lock very french except that I did use a bridle on the frizzen. With no raised cheek or patch box, I felt like I was getting away with something, running free with scrapers and sanding boards. Using straight grain wood with almost no carving provides a great opportunity to focus sharply on the stock design and the wood surface. That gun led me directly to an East Tenn rifle which was equally smooth and focused. I look forward to your fowler's progress.
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Dave you're off to a great start, and I like your approach to making the sighting rib! On modern barrel steel that's probably the way to go. I suspect on original wrought barrels at least some of the time they used a scratch stock that followed the profile of the barrel to scrape away the line. This of course made for a tapering sighting plane as well. The Thomas Earll I have has the sighting rib full length save for the last inch at the muzzle, and then two side flats filed in as well for the first 12" or so at the breech.
Rich Colton has made some wonderful pieces too, and is a wealth of knowledge. I've only talked with him once or twice at shows, but hope to see more of him with my move North.
I draw arrows in pencil all the time on my stocks to remind myself which way the grain is going, and I still miss them occasionally ;D.
-Eric
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Dave,
That is serious work on the sighting plane. A thing rarely seen these days.
I think it would be wonderful to know how they did all sorts of things like this originally, same with flutings and such.
Beautiful work as always Dave!
Eric,
In an appropriate place, I'd like to know more about a scratch stock. I have my own ideas how to make such a device, but you could maybe save me some mileage!!
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Hi Eric and thanks,
I draw arrows too and see the photo below:
(https://i.imgur.com/MGwqEbY.jpg)
It should be easy to guess why I marked all the wood to be removed in pencil. I made some spectacular mistakes and finally had to learn to take steps to compensate for my mindlessness.
dave
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" Mindlessness " . I think I have that too . :)
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I had that once, too. My Dr. recommended Single Malt. It owrks! Well, he's more of a friend,
than my Dr. He wanted to be a Dr. at one time, but didn't want to go to college.
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Hi Daryl,
But I drink single malt scotch. It's not curing my mindlessness but at least I am at peace with it.
dave
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Nice fowler. I really like the lines on the New England fowling pieces. How do you like working cherry?
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Hi,
It all depends on the cherry blank. Some is dense and hard, others are not. This one seems good but it does have a few bad spots that I am able to work around. Modern black cherry trees usually do not get very large anymore. The biggest still often come from the Allegheny National Forest in PA but in NE they are usually small in diameter. My stock comes from a moderately large tree logged in VT, but the edges included sap wood. I have to be careful and know what I am doing.
dave
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Hi,
I've been so distracted with finishing Tony' rifle and putting siding on my house that I've not spent much time posting photos. Here are some more. The first shows the cherry stock profile after cutting away some extra wood.
(https://i.imgur.com/60MzPEQ.jpg)
The barrel and tang are inlet. Note the width of the straight tang is a tiny bit less than the barrel flat as it is on the original.
(https://i.imgur.com/GCJKzRx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nLw624l.jpg)
I cut the ramrod groove with a 5/16" round bottomed router bit. I had to make a new ramrod drill for a 19/64" hole. Things are packed pretty tight in the forestock. The groove and hole are roughly parallel with the profile of the barrel, not the bore. The web of wood is fairly constant at 0.14"
(https://i.imgur.com/JMBztNz.jpg)
I used TOW's Tulle lock, which needed modifications for this gun. A trick that Richard Colton showed me was to replace the flintcock with one from a Chambers early Ketland lock. The shape and curl at the top is very close to the original and it fits the tumbler very well. Next, I had to add 1/4" to the tail of the lock to allow for a third lock bolt. I ground the sear bar narrower to help make some room for the bolt and then welded on the metal. I also welded over the Tulle name. I cleaned it up and filed in a step and decorative groove.
(https://i.imgur.com/mGO4if6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/riNAQ0D.jpg)
I'll load up more photos soon.
dave
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Hi,
A few more photos. I had to figure out a way to make a butt plate similar to the original Hawk fowler. I did not necessarily want an exact copy but something close. I took an old large early Northampton, PA style sand cast butt plate, annealed it, and then beat the snot out of it until I had the shape I wanted. Then I carved a finial out of maple, cut it out of the wood block and used it as my model for casting. I created a mold in Delft clay and cast the finial. After some cleaning up and chiseling, I fitted it to the butt plate. Eventually the 2 parts will be riveted and silver soldered. The rivet will also anchor a lug on the underside for a cross pin in the stock. The joint will be invisible and hidden within engraving. This method also made inletting the plate easy because I could first install the butt plate and then the finial.
(https://i.imgur.com/gfljUE5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2kSMPmj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/M5nOyQe.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2KHyCQd.jpg)
dave
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Hi,
Here is the butt plate assembled and inlet. The first photo shows the 2 pieces soldered and riveted with the rivet forming the lug for the cross pin. It was a very simple but strong solution for tying the parts together. I will do more clean up, shaping, and polishing of the finial later. The base of the finial will also have a chiseled and engraved border. Inleting the two pieces separately made the job pretty easy although it took some time to bring the base in really tight against the finial after the finial was inlet. I like the result and it looks right for the gun.
dave
(https://i.imgur.com/tZ1KAum.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tvzBDBh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XfL7UOK.jpg)
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Very Nice . . . Impressed by your resourcefulness
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Hi Dave: thanks for the run down on your work so far. There are a lot of folks here, me included who will never do that type of work but it is still very interesting to follow along and see it done and done so well. Thanks again. Smylee :)
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Hi,
Here is the roughed out stock with lock inlet. It is going to be very well balanced and have very nice handling. The maker of Jonathan Hawk's fowler is teaching me some things. We don't know the maker but IMO there are many features of the gun that suggest Seth Pomeroy of Northampton, MA.
dave
(https://i.imgur.com/vDQ1icQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fdJc00B.jpg)
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Hi Dave, I am really enjoying the progress on your Hawke Fowler. Your recent work on the buttplate, besides taking it to another level to achieve authenticity, is a great problem solving example to all the challenges we face when trying to recreate this art form. Not to mention your approach and craftsmanship is always inspiring. Thanks for sharing this with us. Looking forward to seeing the finished gun. Oh and in that last pic - is that green I see in VT??? ;D
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Really neat Dave, I especially like the mold/casting thread. I have always been fascinated with mold making and casting.
Tim
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Please keep the pictures coming. Very fun to watch your process.
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As usual, beautiful work, Dave. Thanks for sharing your progress.
Bob
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Hi,
Its been slow and the weather has been lousy but the sun has been trying:
(https://i.imgur.com/XYuSeiZ.jpg)
I've been so focused on getting the new siding and front door done on my house that work on the fowler was really slow. The door finally came on May 30, so in it went.
(https://i.imgur.com/ck0fz6G.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Qv0MCWx.jpg)
I modified a French trade gun trigger guard to be more of the style used on the original Hawk fowler. First, I designed the final to be inspired by the original but not a copy, then carved it in maple, and cast in brass using the Delft clay method.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ihk2mpd.jpg)
I cast it with a tab that slides under the trigger guard to create a strong solder joint
(https://i.imgur.com/2gwYM2d.jpg)
Cleaned it up a bit and it came out really well.
(https://i.imgur.com/NkV9YNZ.jpg)
I then inlet it and continued to shape the butt stock.
(https://i.imgur.com/ODl7iMv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mOa6GGO.jpg)
Here is where I am at. Shaping will go fast now but I still have to cast the sideplate. That will be this weekend.
(https://i.imgur.com/b1qMpIM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Vf6O1Hh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LqCOVK1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VppjoXy.jpg)
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Coming along great. Superb guard!
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Dave, with that inter-connect on the two finials, we are going to have to change your name to "Smart Old Codger". And yeah, I'm teasing - you don't want to give up on your old pal.
Marvelous job on the whole firearm - I love the swooping shape of the butt, and the long slimness of the fore end. You are giving the rest of us subjects for our imaginations to run rampant.
I do not know if you are going to decorate the stock more, or paint it, whatever - but you have a very lovely piece of work. Thanks for updating us, keep it going.
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Hi Folks,
Man, I am having to figure a lot of stuff out that I've not before. This is fun but challenging to say the least. I carved a sideplate from wood and cast it using Delft clay but the model was just a hair small given the small amount of shrinkage during casting. So I cast it again but this time I pushed the edges out a little in the mold to make it bigger, hence the rather rough edges. It came out well and fits just right.
(https://i.imgur.com/4ViA4mi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3Cby2to.jpg)
Many New England fowlers have beaded molding lines along the top edge of the barrel channel.
(https://i.imgur.com/fht44C9.jpg)
The Hawk fowler has it but also another along the ramrod channel. These are actually raised above the level of the background wood and not just incised.
(https://i.imgur.com/LLLX2uv.jpg)
Soooo I had to figure this one out. I consulted with some of my colleagues and decided to adapt my great-great grandfather's wooden marking gauge to also be a beading tool or scratchstock. I slit one end for a blade and a tightening screw and then filed a blade from spring steel. I hardened and tempered the blade and then tried it. After some practice on an old stock I found I could confidently scrape a double bead along the barrel channel and on the angled surface along the ramrod channel.
(https://i.imgur.com/EBaCphS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OlPw2Sa.jpg)
Then I cut away background with a dog leg chisel.
(https://i.imgur.com/wfMXWyB.jpg)
The result was pretty good.
(https://i.imgur.com/FXpTCBv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IyPwALX.jpg)
Next on to cutting the lock panels and carving.
dave
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Dave,
Magnificent work as usual, really enjoying your progress. I really like the look, as well as the purchase that the moulding will afford.
Mike
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Excellent as always Dave. Much appreciate the extra work to make it right.
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I'm pretty certain that your method of doing that molding is exactly how it was done back in the day. Great job . :)
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Nice, Dave! Looking good.....
Ed
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Great idea for the beading tool. You needed to post it a couple of weeks earlier. I just make a wood frame and a molding blade for an upper forestock bead and cove. Repurposing a marking gauge that has been collecting dust hanging on my wall would of been a wee bit quicker to make and much more versatile. Making note to self for next time.
David
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Dear Dave,
I would love to be able to read your mind but I simply cannot. I hope my solution helps.
dave
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You really got your groove on there!
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Yes Rich, I am definitely in the groove and pretty soon I am going to be suffering from "nick and dot" disease again.
dave
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Look Great, you didn't waste any time.
Tim
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Hi,
OMG the stock is all black! Whatever will I do? I sent this photo to the owner, heh, heh, heh.
dave
(https://i.imgur.com/CXXnPi0.jpg)
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Hi Folks,
I've just been too busy to post photos of my progress. The gun is almost done and I should post final photos next week. Anyway, here is the side plate. It is closely modeled on the original fowler but is not an absolute copy. It is very French and of the quality seen on higher end trade and civilian guns sent to America. I love the funky bugle horns. They look so tinny and battered.
dave
(https://i.ibb.co/h74TzMf/engraved-side-plate.jpg) (https://ibb.co/X2KGR48)
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OK, Holding my breath!! Beautiful!!
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Hi Tim,
Another teaser.
(https://i.imgur.com/LY5C28J.jpg)
dave
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I like it!
Curtis
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Beautiful work. Love that beading tool design. Thanks again for sharing your work. So much to learn.
Bob
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Hi,
Finally done and it gets delivered tomorrow at Fort Ticonderoga. It was a huge challenge and one of the hardest guns I've ever built because of all the special parts and the unforgiving stock architecture. There is so many historical nuances to this gun. It is greatly inspired by the Hawk fowler in the Memorial Hall museum in historic Deerfield, MA. I copied a lot and actually traced the stock. I believe the original barrel and hardware came from a fine French buccaneer musket perhaps captured when New Englanders took Fortress Louisburg in 1745. Some highly skilled Connecticut River Valley gunsmith salvaged the parts and made one of the finest pre-Rev War fowlers in New England. I used a Rayl 20 gauge 48" smoth barrel sold by Davis for their French trade gun kit. It is 1.25" at the breech, tapers rapidly, and has nice thin walls. The lock was a TOW Tulle lock which I modified into a fine buccaneer lock with some judicious welding and filing. The trigger guard was made from a wax cast French trade gun guard that I cut the front finial off and attached a new one I cast and chiseled. The butt plate is an old sand cast early Bucks county plate that I beat the snot out of and reshaped, then added a finial I cast and chiseled. The stock is American black cherry logged in Vermont and stained first with black dye, then a nice reddish brown dye. The finish is Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung oil. Most of the engraving was copied from the Hawk fowler where I could. It weighs 7.5 lb and shoulders very, very well. This is a real shooter. Enjoy.
dave
(https://i.imgur.com/a5qlNf7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BCS5gEI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hRYbIcT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XgrW3XQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nXPF8N6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sDbrTC1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2zeM51c.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lrMni6u.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Msk4FUV.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BbGNrpE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/a0WQ1wE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/V0d3kHT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QJXwC8J.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/niAYIi2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/G6WzO9F.jpg)
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Very nice. I have a future project of a brace of pistols that I thought your barrel technique might be a good way to do, Thanks. Hank
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Stunning work Dave!
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Dave, once again a truly incredible fowler. Thankfully for the rest of us you are always raising the bar and conquering new challenges. That is a beautiful gun.
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Neat, neat gun.
Great work Dave.
Jeff
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Masterfully done Dave, I like everything about it, love the lines. Seven and a Half pounds, it looks it, Elegant comes to mind.
Tim
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Beautiful! One of those guns that you want to hold, role over again and again taking in details.
I was hoping it was going to be at Dixons.
Kevin
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Wow.
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Very nicely done - great workmanship and resourceful craftsmanship - what's not to like about it ;) :) 8)!
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Very nice work, Dave.
I would have been very hesitant to start on that one! Such extreme architecture would have scared me!
Mind, I Would love to do an English fowling piece from the late 1600's and that stock shape is very different from most that followed.
Fantastic job! First class.
R.
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Dave always impressed with your style of workmanship. Thanks for sharing the results of your outstanding skills !! Oldtravler
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Another fine example of your craftsmanship, Dave! I really like how the sculpted barrel turned out. Nice carving and engraving too!
Curtis
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Extremely nice Dave. I did expect the same bordering on the butt plate's tang as on the T-guard, though. I REALLY liked the trigger guard bordering. Not usual.
The boys have not been frivolous in their admiration of this piece, Dave. It is super splendid! Well done.
The 'boys' have not been frivolous in their admiration of this "piece" of art. Well done man. WOW!
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that craftmanship is really superb, love it all the way
hawkeye
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Hi Folks,
Thanks for looking and your kind comments. I passed the gun off to the owner yesterday at Fort Ticonderoga. He is a member of a unit re-enacting the British 40th regiment of foot. They are recreating Abercrombe's 1758 failed British attack on Fort Ti this weekend. However, Daniel will be a French officer rather than British and will carry the fowler. Daniel will drop off the gun at my brothers place in SE PA so I can bring the fowler to Dixon's. I'll also have Tony's late flint English rifle, my English fowler from last year and 3 original English fowlers to display. I wanted to mention that I was amazed at how well the fowler fits. Despite its appearance it is not in any way a cheek slapper because the wrist angles down and thins right from the breech and the comb is high. I superimposed the fowler on the plans for Tony's late flint English rifle and all the key points that touch the body were the same except it has greater pitch to the butt plate. As long as the key architectural points are achieved, how you fill up the space between them does not matter. Again, thanks for looking and commenting. I hope to see some of you at the fair.
dave
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A classy classic Dave! Love your stuff!!