AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: Scota4570 on September 16, 2025, 12:30:51 AM
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I have a collection of gathered parts. See photo below. Sure, I could slam them together into something. I am not so interested in franken guns these days. I'd prefer to work in the style of an original gun. As I search the internet I do not see any originals with the faceted grip. That is certainly up for modification. I could add a metal grip cap. The wood is way to abundant all over. The furniture is not important to use or not. I have two barrels shown. The bottom one is 13/16" 45 smooth bore. The top one is 15/16" and rifled. I was toying with the idea of turning the later barrel half round with a wedding band in the middle.
Anyone have examples of originals or original inspired guns I could emulate from the parts shown?
(https://i.ibb.co/zTQm5Y2c/parts.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0RmnXS9N)
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I would have to agree with going octagon to round if you’re hoping to have a gun that isn’t pretty generic. But I think even with a 15/16ths barrel with the forward turned round it’s gonna be a heavy pistol. What size across the flats is the .45? Also have you thought about restyling the Siler lock? They are so common now that they have become pretty Ho-Hum. I don’t know if they still offer a brass plate, and pan for that lock, but a restyled brass pan could give the pistol a French feel if you want something different.
Hungry Horse
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Are you sure the top one is 15/16? The picture has 7/8 on the barrel.
Dale H
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In that style, there are a few nice ones in the Virtual Library. For examples take a look at the pistols by Jacob Kunz, T. Lawerence, and Troxell.
There's not a great deal you can do to improve the lines of the 13/16" barrel. I once took a 15/16" barrel about 10" long, tapered it to just under 7/8", and made the front ~6 1/2" round, then filed in the wedding bands. The finished pistol handled ok, but I got talked out of it before I finished sighting it in. if I were going to do that profile again, I think instead of filing it round I would fade the front section of the barrel (forward of the wedding bands) from octagon to round. If the heavy barrel is 7/8"x.45, you could do the same thing tapering to 13/16.
If you look at some of the posts dealing with converting the small Siler to an English look, it might give you some ideas.
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Are you sure the top one is 15/16? The picture has 7/8 on the barrel.
Dale H
Yep, I was wrong, I typed to fast and did not look carefully.
I am very interested in making something more interesting than a generic pistol with a plain skinny smooth bore barrel. I like having something on the bench to mess iwth over the winter. I attached tow old projects below. The English pistol is tapered from .800 to .735". It shoots so well I will engrave and checker at some point. I also like the half octagon and tapered idea. I did that on the Armstrong-esque pistol. I used Siler guts and made a new plate for that one.
(https://i.ibb.co/Mv0Lx12/lasttwo.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vFn86dw)
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Dyke's "Thoughts on the American Flintlock Pistol", has quite a variety of pistol styles within the genre. Pretty much everything that could be done has been done.
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Thanks, I will order a copy of that book.
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As I search the internet I do not see any originals with the faceted grip.
There is a pistol or two in "Kentucky Rifles & Pistols: 1750-1850" by James R. Johnston that appears to have grips with a flat area on each side. Is that what you are looking for? One of them, signed Landon Cuchran (Fayette County, Circa. 1825), also seems to have a flattened panel going up the back of the grip.
Kevin
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I have a couple of books coming in the mail. I have also been searching the net. I like these, and they work with what I got:
Click link:
https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1046/2431/tom-strohfeldt-contemporary-flintlock-kentucky-pistol
Also these:
(https://i.ibb.co/FqkyqDNv/Picture-1.png) (https://ibb.co/HpLbpH1v)
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Plow handle pistols got flattened grip sides after dueling got popular. The flattened sides made it easier to hold the gun straight. Checkering also gained in popularity as well, with some duelers having both added to their grip areas.
Hungry Horse