Trying again to get a picture posted...
Success!
Anyway, it started life as Kibler SMR but is getting a bit of a life of its own, mostly in small details here and there.
Reshaped trigger guard to more closely resemble North Carolina School of Longrifles #207, and Notes on Southern Long Rifles #124, though it needs more filing and polishing. It feels better to my hand now, with a more definite location that sets the trigger finger where I want it for my size hand. It also eliminates the rear slide. If the guard were made from scratch, it probably should be slightly larger. Anyway, I did what I could with the original casting and the pre-inlet which put a lot of constraints on how I could reshape it and still have it fit. The perspective of the picture makes it look slightly worse than it is.
Rear trigger is modified to be more similar to pics I've seen of originals (though it isn't shaped precisely the same). That's a replacement not just a bent one, as I broke the original trying to reshape it. Apparently I didn't have it quite hot enough... So I fabricated another shoe from mild steel and managed to get it solidly attached though I had to resort to gold solder to get a really solid joint. I tried various other things before resorting to the gold but they all failed under hard test load. The gold holds strong enough that the trigger will bend first. That was my test. It doesn't bend easily. I like this one quite a bit better than the stock one.
Lock is modified a bit too. Here it shows a little in the pan area. Other minor geometry tweaks would show at half cock. The cock is farther forward at half cock and is very slightly different shape than default. casting shape. Probably doesn't show. Frizzen lays back closer to the cock when closed, and more open when open. Frizzen spring slightly reshaped to adjust timing. Frizzen and some other parts rehardened to be the way I prefer. Various etc, tweaking mostly. So if someone doesn't like the lock blame me not either Jim!
Thanks for the dimensions John! The lock mortice area tapers from about 1.44" to about 1.34". IMHO I don't really have room to narrow it or to lose any of the taper. The stock taper looks good with the barrel taper.
Only other change so far is the buttplate is inlet forward for more complete wood contact and a little down, giving a little more drop and a bit more of a subtle curve to the overall profile of the buttstock. Original holes pegged for new screw locations.
I'll be making a tapered ramrod from a thicker blank. I'm expecting to make other changes but that's for later.
I'm not trying to make the rifle a copy of a Whitson... I don't have one to copy, just pics! But I am trying to make it closer to what J. Whitson might have produced. Or at least my interpretation of it! Something that someone would notice as Whitson-ish at least.
Gerald