Fowler

[huckfinn]

Put the finish on my fowler.  It is a Colerain 36", .62 barrel with large Siler lock.  
Weight: 7#
OAL: 51 1/2"
LOP: 14"
1/4" cast off
Drop at top of  butt:  2"  

Started from a 4" slab of curly soft maple.  Inlet the barrel with a spoon gouge.  That took a long time.  Learned alot, especially from this site.  It has turtle front sight and snake rear sight.  Rear sight is to shoot round ball.  I kind of based it on the Pennsylvania Fowler.  Would like to post pics but how do you do that?  Photobucket is slow on dial up.

[Acer Saccharum]

You could try 'Tiny Pic', which seems faster. Maybe because it has fewer pop-ups and movies. Photobucket is getting really bogged down with advertising glitz.

Check the  'posting your photos' in the tutorial section for links and how-to.

Tom

[huckfinn]

Acer,

     Flinter was kind to let me email him some pictures. He is going to post them for me.   Thanks for the hint on how to load pictures.  I will post more when I figure it out.  The guns you folks turn out on this site are phenomenal.  Mine is pretty plain but I am proud of it.  My next project is a rifle for my son.  I was thinking .45 caliber maybe straight octagon barrel 7/8" diameter and 32-36" long.  He is going to be 7 so I should have it done when he is 12 if I work twice as fast as I did on my last one   I would like to pattern it after something Daniel Boone might have used.  Maybe a Lancaster style rifle?

[Daryl]

A longrifle with a 38" to 42" 7/8 X .45 is going to be to heavy for a 12 year old, unless said 12 year old is rather large - ie: 180 pounds.  With a patent breech, you could go 13/16" x 38" to 42" in .45, but the rifle will still weigh in the 8 pound range, I think.  That would make into a slim rifle.
A short barreled little 1/2 stock 13/16" X 32" x .45 might be a better choice until the lad puts on some tonage and size.

[Acer Saccharum]

I agree, Daryl. If you want to encourage the lad to shoot offhand, it should be easily do-able with a lighter gun. In the muzzleloading scene, offhand is the game.

[northmn]

I made this little rifle many years ago for my wife to shoot.  7/8" 32 barrel, 45.  She won a few matches with it.  A 12 year old might be able to handle it as it has a different balance than a longer rifle.

DP

[J.D.]

Chuck Edwards made a nice, light rifle for his son, who was about 12, at the time,  using  a 38", either A or B wt swamped barrel in 40 cal. It was a beauty, not only in weight and balance, but in over all workmanship. The LOP of that little rifle was made a little too long for a 12 year old, but since kids grow rather quickly, he grew into it right away. He is still shooting that "little" gun as a young man, and due to Chuck's foresight of extending the lop. he, will continue to use it throughout his life.

God bless

[northmn]

Problem with kids is that you don't how much they will grow into something.  My son used to borrow some of my clothes like jackets and boots.  At about age 14 or 15 he left my boots alone as his feet were about size 11 compared to my size 9's.  He is a rather rangy type fellow now that he is full grown and I really ahd no indication of how big he would be at 12.  I think its best to build a  kid's rifle that they can shoot and expect to make another when they grow older.  Kids rifles are not all that hard to get rid of if desired.

DP

[Daryl]

Length of pull is less important than a lot of people think- as long as it's too short, not too long.  Too long is difficult for anyone to shoot, however a short pull is easily shot by raising the elbow and pulling your shoulder foreward.  My .40 is a case in point - way too short for me @ 13 1/8", however, at 6'1" and 210 pounds, I can and do shoot it well indeed.  This is a 1/2" rifle off the bench at 50yards and has made some 1 1/2" offhand groups for me at the same range, proving the short stock shoots just fine.
Stock design has some effect upon what feels good, what's too long and what feels short.
In stock length, it's best to err a bit short, than too long for comfort.
If you cannot shoot a short stock or think you need X inches of pull to shoot well - you just might need more shooting practise, in my MOST humble opinion, that is.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Acer,

     Flinter was kind to let me email him some pictures. He is going to post them for me.   Thanks for the hint on how to load pictures.  I will post more when I figure it out.  The guns you folks turn out on this site are phenomenal.  Mine is pretty plain but I am proud of it.  My next project is a rifle for my son.  I was thinking .45 caliber maybe straight octagon barrel 7/8" diameter and 32-36" long.  He is going to be 7 so I should have it done when he is 12 if I work twice as fast as I did on my last one   I would like to pattern it after something Daniel Boone might have used.  Maybe a Lancaster style rifle?

If you want a gun for your son that Dan'l might have carried then I suggest that it have a swamped barrel... especially if it is to resemble something from his life prior to moving to MO. Could be Lnacaster as they shoot well, or any other PA rifle of pre Rev war such as a Moravian Christians Spring gun...Or perhaps something built in NC or even KY for later in his life..... You have a lot of choices.... with swamped barrels.

DonBruton designed a gun that fits your requirement. Curt lyles had the pattern and sold kits as a Sothern Colonial rifle..Someone else has the patterns now I think. Perhaps they will contact you... It has a long swamped barrel, but is quite light in .54. I have had 10-12 year olds shoot mine with no problem.

[Curt Lyles]

I do have about 8 stocks and barrels on hand in the patterns that Tim referred to.  I've got  a few 38" octagon to rounds and about 6 in 42 to 44" "B" and "C" weight Colerain barrels.  Most of them have a lot of curl and are not cut for a lock mortise ... so you can use the lock of your choice.  I also have a couple of finished rifles if anyone's interested.  
Curt Lyles  www.cdlyles.com

[Flinter]

Here is a couple of huckfinn photos.






I will PM you instructions on how to post a pic.

Mike

[huckfinn]

Thanks for the ideas on 12 year olds, guns and Daniel Boone.  Also for flinter posting my fowler.  As long as it took me to build that fowler my son will be full grown when I'm done with his rifle   I really do like the swamped barrel and .45 caliber.  Does the 13/16" barrel give enough metal for a touch hole liner?  Daryl, that was a sweet little rifle you built for your wife.  I will Check out Lyles rifles too.  I am probably going to buy one piece at a time as $$$ is available.  I have a nice piece of curly maple that has been drying for about 12 years now.  We cut it from a log with a chainsaw.  It needs squared up to get it ready.  It is probably about 5" thick and 6 1/2' long.  Could probably make two rifles from it.  Maybe a pair...one for a kid and one for a full grown man. 

[northmn]

I have seen and placed touch hole liners in more than one 13/16 45 barrel.  You might consider a 40 in 13/16 for a younger shooter.  A 40 is still pretty competitive out to 100 yards even with a 45-50 grains of 3f, where a 45 may take a little more charge and be more intimidating.  Depends on use.  For a deer rifle I would go 45 and have even shot a lot of squirrels with a loaded down 45.  40's are still pretty good starter rifles.  Nice fowler, I would put a rear sight on one too.  I have been playing with a 20 bore smooth rifle and getting good results with a patched ball out to 75 yards. 
A pointer on air dryed wood.  I suggest getting or building a hot box which is nothing more than a insulated box large enough to take a blank with light bulbs in it.  Unless you live in Arizona, air dryed wood tends to stabilize at about 10-12% moisture content.  Stock blanks are sold at about 6-8%.  Placing a air dryed blank in a hotbox on occasion, does not hurt while building.  I started a fowler in June out of a stock blank I whittled out in March by using accelerated home drying techniques. That was two years ago and it is still stable.  You see a lot of shrinkage from inletting on older guns that may have been due to the use air dryed lumber.  Mostly air drying works but a as stated, there is a reason that places like TOW like to sell wood dried to max at 6-8% as it is more stable.


DP

[huckfinn]

Is the difference in water content due to the slab being kept in the barn and the finished gun being kept in the living room?  I usually take my stock upstairs at night when I am done working on it.  I like to look at it and study it to plan my next part. 
I like the .40 caliber idea.  That is the smallest caliber legal for deer in flintlock season in PA.  Seems like it would do the job. 
Good luck on your smooth rifle. 

[northmn]

The old timers used to store their wood either in the attics or rafters overhead whcih would gete hot enough to act something like a kiln.  Wood dryness relates to ambient humidity and can differ from area to area.  The old saw about one year for per inch is practically worthless unless you live in a fairly dry area.  If you look up sites on wood technology you will find that it almost takes a form of a kiln to get wood really dry.  In Mn we have a lot of trouble with wooden chairs that expand and contract so much that glue joints pop and supports loosen and fall out.  True hardwood floors need a humidity contro system to remain stable.  I was told that in a state like Colorado for instance, that would not be needed.  Most guns are made without using a hotbox, but I am talking about getting your plank dry up front.

DP

[Daryl]

50% humidity average will cure wood at 9% - or thereabouts.