Muzzlecap rivets

[Long John]

What diameter wire do you guys use for the copper rivets that hold the muzzle cap onto a post-Revolutionary War long rifle of the Lancaster School?

Thanks.

John Cholin

[Jim Kibler]

Rivet it on so it is well secured and call it good enough.  First, nobody is going to know if it's done as was typical in the "post Rev War Lancaster school" and second I'm sure there was substantial period variation.  One of those things that isn't wort worrying about.  With that said, I like to use brass rivits and position them in the angled flats of the barrel.  Seems to secure the cap better than in the bottom.  I had been using four brass rivits in these oblique flats, but the last one I did, I only used two.  Got the idea for four positioned as such from the "Bower's " rifle (RCA 92).

[Dave B]

I have #14 copper rivets that I use for muzzle caps. You can find them through your local harness shop / farm supply. I get mine from Oregon Leather in portland OR. Though I have not tried it yet I think you could use #12 copper wire to make your rivets. Jim's talking about brass rivets remided me of seeing some old brass rivets in some of my long past uncles brake shoe repair stuff. MMMMM Maybe.

[Lucky R A]

   Another thing that works well is copper carpet tacks, they have a nice head for the inside the barrel channel.  Buy the 1/2" length insert them in the hole put your barrel in place, cut off the excess and rivet the soft copper into the countersunk hole, dress off.

Ron

[TMerkley]

Got any pictures?

[Acer Saccharum]

No pictures, but it's easy enuff to go down to the local hardware store and get some copper carpet tacks.

Oh, wait, my hardware store went out of business. So did the one in the next town over.

I've used #10 electric wire, form a head on the wire, cut it to length desired, and rivet away.

from a 'one piece nosecap' tutorial (http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=9.0) :

[Pete G.]

I use the copper tack method. Easy, cheap and just enough color difference to tell that the cap was retained in the old way. One box is good for a lifetime supply for anyone except Dickert.

[Joe S]

[Dave B]

Jim's bring up the carpet tacks brings to mind an original from The Alemenganal ?  school. its missing its muzzle cap but the remnant section clearly shows the small pin holes of clinched nails of some some sort, brass copper or Iron next to the barrel on the oblique flats. With out the actual cap its hard to know for sure. I lean more towards the brass or Iron other nails on the the rifle are both brass and Iron.

[Long John]

Thanks for your input.  On the last rifle I had in for judging at the Fair, I was chided by the judges for using brass rivets for the muzzlecap - they opined that the rivets should be copper.  I see many of you are using either brass or iron.  Its easy to make a rivet from a 4 or 6 penny common nail!  I'll have to think about this some more.

Thanks again.

JMC

[Jim Kibler]

Another good reason not to bother with events such as this.

[JTR]

I get to see a lot of old guns and it seems lots, if not most, have copper rivets. A lot have brass rivets instead, but very few brass mounted guns have iron rivets.
For modern makers I guess the material would depend on the look you're trying to achieve.

On the other hand, if you're copying a particular old makers style, I'd put the rivet, or rivets, in the location he used, and use the material he used.

John

[StevenV]

I use 10 ga. copper wire cut one inch piece and form in solid square metal "mold"

Place copper rivets in counter sunk holes.

Cut copper "rivet" to .140 to .150 past nose cap .
Place barrel in stock to use as anvil and peen over on vice into nose cap counter sunk hole.

File flush to nose cap.


 I checked out that tutorial on making nose cap, that is fantastic, thanks I am going to try that one piece nose cap on next gun.   Steve