Northwest Trade Gun

[Kentucky Jeff]

Here is my latest creation....  A NSW Barnett trade gun kit in 20 gauge.  42" Longhammock barrel.  

This was probably my most vexing build to date.  Stupid mistakes cost me a lot of time and frustration.  I dorked up one of the lugs when I was cutting the slot and ended up having to resolder a new lug, re-drill the pin hole and re-cut the slot.   I mis-drilled the triggergaurd screw holes not once but twice and ended up welding up the holes and re-shaping/re-drilling both times.  I lost all the pins and screws halfway through the build and had to re-order new screws. (pins I make).  

But the big screw up was discovered while proof firing and adjusting (filing) the front sight prior to finishing the barrel I noticed a hairline crack develop behind the tang.  Its barely visible in the photos.  Upon inspection I found I had not relieved enough wood behind the tang and this caused the crack.  To correct this I created the correct relief, glass bedded the breech,  and inletted a small trough behind the tang.  I then glass bedded a small threaded metal rod across the trough which will prevent and further splitting.  All this is invisible to the naked eye but should make for a bomb-proof repair.  I shot it 10 times after fixing it with no further signs of splitting.   Its honestly stronger now than before the crack but still...

 This gun is a shooter!  My last four shots at 25 yards were dead on and three of four were touching with a single shot opening the group to about 3/4".   I used 65 gr. FFFG Goex, .600 Round ball with a .15 patch lubed with Sagebrush lube.   Anyone who says a smoothbore won't shoot is wacky!

[rich pierce]

Most builds are frustrating at some level but that's a fine-looking gun and apparently a shooter as well.

[Kentucky Jeff]

Thanks Rich,  Its kind of a dilemma when you build a trade gun. You want to make it as nice as you can but then these were generally not well executed pieces.  Functional yes...finely made--no.   

As simple as a trade gun is SUPPOSED to be to make it sure is easy to make your life miserable with one...   

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Looks good Jeff,

I have always had folks tell me that a trade gun would be the easiest to start with.  But I don't know if that is true or not.  It seems to me that drill the hole for the tang screw at that angle would be a nightmare. 

Coryjoe

[Kentucky Jeff]

Drilling the tang hole is fairly straightforward.   If you have a drill press and a simple homemade jig to line up the exit hole and can rig a way to clamp the rifle while you drill the hole its a piece of cake.  I start from the bottom of the rifle and get it just to the point where the drill marks the underside of the tang.  Then I take it apart to make sure everything is on track and lined up before drilling all the way through.  

Drilling any of the holes can be intimidating at first but after you've done a few guns you quickly realize how much you have to adjust some of the tang and lock bolt holes especially as things get assembled and move a few thousandths here and there....it all gets covered up by the screw heads, tang, triggerguard, lockplate, etc... so being off a little is of no major significance unless you drill into the ramrod hole.

[rich pierce]

Not to take it too far off topic but David Rase's drilling jig takes all the drama out of such tasks.  Just got one, used it for drilling a tang bolt.  Easy and accurate.  Almost relaxing work.

[northmn]

Most admit that a smoothbore will do very well at 25 yards.  Now try it at 50 then 75.  If you can beat 3 inches at 50 you will be doing very well.  It looks like it has the straight stock common to originals.  Is it fairly easy to get down on or do you get a little bite from recoil?  Sometimes the easy ones cause the problems.  All in all its looks like a nice gun and should be a lot of fun. 

DP

[Kentucky Jeff]

I have no problem getting down on the gun and it recoils less  than my 12 gauge Benelli Super Black Eagle autoloader with handicap trap loads!  Of course how someone feels recoil is subjective and the repeated pounding of a day's shooting tends to add up... 

But the gun points very naturally for me. 

[dogcreek]

That's a very nice looking trade gun. Congratulations!

[northmn]

Hope you enjoy the gun.  Fit is a combination of things of which drop is one and pictures can be decieving.  A common complaint from the natives was that the stock was too straingt but I think that the kits have kind of fixed taht.   One thing nice about the NWTG and other smoothies is that they usually have a nice wide recoil absorbing buttplate.  Lot of folks in my neck of the woods have taken deer and bear with them.  The 20 gauges I built were fun for grouse and squirrels and shot OK at the range on clay pigeons.  If you are going to shoot round ball a lot they are far easier on the shoulder than the big ones.  Good luck and have fun?

DP