AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: HighUintas on July 16, 2023, 06:18:34 AM
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Hi All,
My rifle is finished, with the exception of the engraving. It will take me a long time to learn that and I'll get it added eventually, so I'm calling this rifle ready to start getting beat up.
It started as a Jim Beckwourth rifle, and then became something inspired by the William Clark rifle made by Philip Creamer and the famous Hawken rifles. It is supposed to be an 1825 rifle, maybe made by a new gunsmith in southern Illinois that was impressed by Creamer and Jake Hawken.
This rifle is supposed to be as new or slightly used. Bright steel but with a bit of Birchwood Casey's brass black rubbed mostly back. I left the rear sight much darker to dull the shine in full sun, even though it is obviously darker than the barrel. 36" colerain 58 cal., 7/16" rod. Chambers late ketland lock with the rear tire removed from the plate. Stock blank provided by Allen Martin. Davis triggers. Hawken butt plate and highly modified Ohio guard. The Ohio guard sort of throws this our of the time period, but I was hoping it would be modified far enough away from being "Ohio" that it would just be a good looking guard. Plain pipes that I modified. I made the keys, escutcheons, inlay, toeplate. Made the patchbox side plates from sheet and the finial/door was a kit hinge. Patch box is copied from the Creamer/Clark rifle. Finish is gilsonite in turp, then LMF Lancaster maple, permalyn sealer as sealer and finish.
Feel free to critique as much as you see fit for things that could be improved, based on what I've stated. There's a few obvious goofs I'm aware of that I didn't have the skills to fix properly... Off side lock panels lock bolt hole #1, mis-drilled tang bolt.
Thank you everyone who answered the many questions I had. I love this forum and all the gentleman and women that keep this art alive. I'd especially like to thank Herb Troester and the late Louie Parker.
It's my first and certainly won't be my last!!
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That is one beautiful, we'll executed rifle! I'm working on #10 and I can't get the tight inletting you have on #1. Your lines are great, I think.
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Just a beautiful job!
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Beautiful work. Very well done.
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Very nice work. It’s been fun to follow along over the last several months.
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Nothing not to like.I like the single cross bolt holding the lock and the very tight inletting contributes to that. I have made a few of these locks using the Chambers externals and two with the reenforced :cock"from the Ketlands I once made and it,to me at least makes it better looking.I tried to talk Jim Chambers int making up some so a wider choice can available.Philip Creamer made some superb guns.I made a special caplock for Bob Browner several years ago and he made a Creamer pistol copied from one owned by one of the presidents.
Keep up with the quality work.
Bob Roller
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The only critique I've got is that she needs to be taken out and carried and hunted with so she starts getting some patina! Excellent work my friend!
TC
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Your rifle turned out great! You should be proud of yourself!!
Kevin
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Super nice clean build. BJH
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Beautiful rifle...no nits to pick on this one and not a tool mark in sight. They look kind of neat in the white. Start engraving lol.
CheersRichard
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Extraordinarily nice build. I like it much.
Christian
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So far so good…
Nice work,
Jeff
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Very nice work. Thanks for sharing.
Bob
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An aspiration/inspiration. A percussion version is bouncing around in my brain.
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HighUintas, you do better work than I can, and I've built 0ver 200 ML rifles. I can learn from you. Really fine work!
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Your workmanship is just splendid. Fit and finish is excellent. You should be delighted with the rifle.
The only issue and it's a personal thing with me, is your choice of a butt plate. It has no heel! From the top line of the patchbox lid up to the top of the heel is virtually a straight line...the pleasing curve of the lower part ends there. And that's pretty small beans in the overall rifle, but like I said, just a personal thing.
And while I'm at it, I'd like to see a rust blue or brown on the iron...again, just persona preference.
Excellent work, Sir.
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Thank you gentlemen for the kind words. It means a lot coming from such talented builders.
Your workmanship is just splendid. Fit and finish is excellent. You should be delighted with the rifle.
The only issue and it's a personal thing with me, is your choice of a butt plate. It has no heel! From the top line of the patchbox lid up to the top of the heel is virtually a straight line...the pleasing curve of the lower part ends there. And that's pretty small beans in the overall rifle, but like I said, just a personal thing.
And while I'm at it, I'd like to see a rust blue or brown on the iron...again, just persona preference.
Excellent work, Sir.
Taylor, I agree on the butt plate. I actually did want to have a heel on the plate, but couldn't find one that represented what would have been a thinner steel two piece (the Creamer plate or earlier Hawken plates) that has good width. There's a couple good looking Hawken plates out there, but they're all pretty narrow. I've also found in shooting it that it would be more stable with a heel to lock it into by shoulder/arm better.
I'll be doing a rust blue and making my own butt plate and trigger guard on the next one :)
As I learn how to engrave, I'll be trying to determine if I want the engraving to be copied or similar to the Creamer or more similar to a folk style like some of the Hawken buffler engravings
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Great design and execution. Louie Parker must be smiling in heaven.
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That's a nice job well done!!!
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The quality of the inletting is stunning like the rest of the rifle and its components.
Bob Roller
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Very, very nice work! And I'm a lover of the .58 myself.
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Very nice clean lines and your inletting is to be envied. You did a very fine job on your first rifle, better than I did on my third! You are going to do great things in the rifle building world. Congratulations on a fine and historical piece!
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That's your first?!?!?!?
Wow, you have talent! It'll be interesting to see your next ones!
Congratulations on a great job, John
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It's just beautiful, love your fit and finish. Brightwork looks great too.
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That's a very nice looking rifle, even more amazing that it is your first. Can't wait to hear how it shoots.
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Nice clean work for sure!
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You did a good job on this rifle. I sort of remember during this build you were having eye problems, how are your eyes doing?
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What may I ask is gilsonite? absolutely beautiful rifle...
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Only 2 words come to mind "very nice" ,take care Steven.
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You did a good job on this rifle. I sort of remember during this build you were having eye problems, how are your eyes doing?
Thank you. They appear to be progressing slower than last year. An additional medication will hopefully stabilize them. I can still drive and my central vision is good, so I'll take it!
What may I ask is gilsonite? absolutely beautiful rifle...
Thank you.! It is a form of asphaltum that is found in surface strip mines in the Uinta Basin in Utah. It would be similar to using asphaltum or roofing tar... Collects in the wood grain providing more contrast in my low curl piece of wood. Prior to redoing the finish, the results were very interesting and beautiful.
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HighUintas I've been following your threads for this build since you started it around the time I started planning my first build. It's great to see the final product and I agree with the others, it's a great display of your workmanship as well as a beautiful rifle. I think any engraving you have planned for the patchbox will only make it more attractive. What do you have planned for your next rifle, or are you still in the process of deciding?
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HighUintas I've been following your threads for this build since you started it around the time I started planning my first build. It's great to see the final product and I agree with the others, it's a great display of your workmanship as well as a beautiful rifle. I think any engraving you have planned for the patchbox will only make it more attractive. What do you have planned for your next rifle, or are you still in the process of deciding?
Thank you. I haven't firmly decided yet. But first I have to prepare for hunting season. When I start another one, I may do a half stock percussion using an instructional book that a friend is working on. Maybe people would call it a Hawken, but I likely won't because I don't have interest yet in copying a single gun to the T.
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HighUintas....beautiful rifle! If my first rifle is anything even close to that I will be over the moon. Your workmanship is true art. If I may ask, did you make or purchase the ramrod thimbles?
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nice work on that. And a couple wipe downs with BP residue-soaked cleaning patches will knock the new right off it! ;)
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HighUintas....beautiful rifle! If my first rifle is anything even close to that I will be over the moon. Your workmanship is true art. If I may ask, did you make or purchase the ramrod thimbles?
The ramrod thimbles were plain pipe thimbles (I think what would be used for a Hawken or similar from track of the wolf) that I filed the details into. The entry pipe was also plain and I reshaped and filed it.
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Somehow I missed this thread. That is a beautiful rifle and definitely something to be proud of. If you haven't already decided on the engraving, in my opinion, this rifle definitely deserves some high quality engraving, not something "folksy"
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I had no idea I've been conversing with a master inletter! Your inletting is just amazing. I have seldom if ever seen such tight inletting. Your work is far better than mine. Now or possibly (probably) ever.
Keep up the good work.
DH
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Very superb craftsmanship all the way around.
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What could I, not even a builder add to this besides a wonderful job - exceptionally well executed for a first rifle.
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HighUintas I've been following your threads for this build since you started it around the time I started planning my first build. It's great to see the final product and I agree with the others, it's a great display of your workmanship as well as a beautiful rifle. I think any engraving you have planned for the patchbox will only make it more attractive. What do you have planned for your next rifle, or are you still in the process of deciding?
Thank you. I haven't firmly decided yet. But first I have to prepare for hunting season. When I start another one, I may do a half stock percussion using an instructional book that a friend is working on. Maybe people would call it a Hawken, but I likely won't because I don't have interest yet in copying a single gun to the T.
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IF you decide to make a half stock caplock,take a look at the N.G.Whitmore rifle presented to General Grant by the citizens of Providence R.I..I had some good pictures of that rifle but don't know what happened to them but it goes way beyond any Hawken ever made.
Bob Roller
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Louie Parker would approve.
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Your rifles adornment is the superb inletting. There is really nothing to dislike.
You didn't outstanding job. Congratulations!