Well, here is the final version of the second E. Tennessee build. There are a few changes from the first rifle, but not many. I gave the butt plate a little more curve, changed the top profile of the comb (very slightly), the bow of the guard is a little smaller and there is a slight difference in the shape of the box. Also, the toe plate is a little longer than the first one, and the tang is made as a one-piece tang instead of two as the first one. More on that later. Both rifles have Ed Rayl .25 caliber, ¾-inch barrels that are 42-inches long. The only parts that I didn’t make on either rifle is the barrel, lock, triggers and rear sight. I can’t say that I forged them in the true sense of the word, because I don’t have a forge. And if I did have one, I wouldn’t know how to use it, although I would like to learn. However, I did beat, bang, heat and wield each and every part. On the first rifle, I browned all the parts. But when I read the threads on different types of bluing, I decided to rust blue the parts. This was my first attempt doing this, and the results are very pleasing, at least to me. They turned almost a black, and were worked down a little with 0000-steel wool to more of a blue-gray color. To do the barrel, I used a 4-foot section of 4-inch PVC pipe and capped one end. After browning the barrel, I placed it in the pipe and poured boiling water into the pipe until it was full and allowed it to cool. I read where someone had filled the bore with boiling water to rust blue it, but I didn’t think that I would have much luck pouring boiling water down a .25-inch hole. So I opted for the pipe. It seemed to work good for me. Now to the tang. For you guys that have done this, more than once, my hats off to you. I made the tang in two pieces as mentioned in my previous thread, and inletted them. Then I wielded the pieces together. Sounds simple, right? Well, that’s what I thought too. I worked the wield down and it looked great. It even fit the inletting well. But when I pulled the barrel later to dovetail it for the sights, the tang broke at the wield.. After that, it really went down-hill. I had to add a small piece of metal to lengthen it to its original size, tried to re-wield it, and burned through the metal. I eventually got it, but only be replacing the section from the rear screw to where it joined what would be the “normal” length of the tang. To give it strength, I notched the rear of the tang to hold the smaller section about 1/8th of an inch. I also wielded the sides to give additional support, and rounded the shape instead of having it squared off. I held after re-inletting the new shape of the tang when I removed it for sanding the stock and finishing the metal. I just hope that I never have to remove the barrel, because I would hate to break it again. Feel free to comment, critique, give opinions on technique or anything else. I welcome them all. I also want to thank those that commented and gave advice after the first rifle. I followed most of it, and chunked the rest (sorry). I included a picture of both rifles together, but it is at a distance, so I don’t know if you can see the differences or not. Anyway, here’s the rifle and I look forward to your thoughts.
Gibster
