virtual rifle building

[Dave B]

Ok no one throw any rocks just yet but One of our other threads here made me think about those programs that let you produce a picture of a bad guy swapping out eye shape, noses, beards, chins and ears to produce a picture of who you are looking for.  Why not make a program that would allow you to type in a geographic area and time period and the options menu would let you choose the barrel profile appropriate for that school, the details of architecture also presented in the same format. The program would recommending trikker guard and butt piece available to day that would work for the build and it could give you a print out of what this project could look like all done with correct dimension for your trigger pull length. 

I find that we will always be compromising when we take originals that we like and try to make a similar product using components that don't match what was originally used. I see some rifles on TOW that say this is a -------school rifle and the trigger guard is not correct for the style.
 I know that is why we have folks out there selling high quality parts sets as a kit to build a correct school of gun-making project.
I just figure some folks out there could use some extra help picking out whats correctly needed to build a piece from a particular school of gun making.

The other Idea was that if you were to catagorize the original builders architecture and details you could clearly see the progression of the builder from early to late and how the shape subtly changed over the span of time. I think that could be a really cool thing to have. It requires lots of page flipping for me right now to make my comparisons.  There is apart of me that really likes the part of the process that lays out the parts on paper and draw out  the plan that will be the rifle in the end. If I could do this electronically it could be a lot of fun.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Ya know any sponsors that might want to fund such an undertaking??  Could be a looong bit of work......and then would anyone care??  But then.......

[Dave B]

There you have it.  Half the fun of what we do is the digging required to build a representative piece. I guess its also the reason I would rather build from a blank vs a precarve. I like the work of removing the bulk wood to reveal the final shape.

[Acer Saccharum]

Not something I'd be interested in creating.

I'd like to see the form of the gun evolve over time, for example: in French, German and English cultures.

[Bill of the 45th]

Acer, Don't need a computer to visualize that.  I can see the French guns influence on the Lehigh, and the English influence on the coastal Southern colonies guns.  We shouldn't mock Animus, as at some point he will get it.  For us the real use of the computer is to shorten the distance between us, and to expedite research, and to share.

Bill

[Lucky R A]

    Lets see, I have a sneaking suspicion, that companies like TC,  CVA, Traditions, Lehman etc. have been using SOLID ware and CAD programs to create guns for years....that worked out well.   You get a gun that shoots, but falls far, far short on style.   I guess that is why some folks can make a living producing guns that have correct style and soul.    I guess it is all in what you want....and what you will get.   
I must be getting old!

Ron