Buck's County Smoothbore

[Tom Currie]

My Buck's County smoothbore ready to finish. Photo's are not the best (need a better camera, won't focus under 24 inches ) but you can get the idea on what I'm doing. Just about ready to finish, carving and engraving is pretty much done. I love my 60% V tool , have gotten pretty efficient with it , I have entitled this rifle Volute Madness. I have woked hard on making a very slim rifle, I hope the photos reflect that. It's a bit more embellished than I originally thought it would be, but I believe it's tastefully done. Design elements are from Verner, Shuler and AP with some artistic license of my own design. I'll have her at Dixon's with me in July. Lot's of help and assistance from ALR members this past year and a half, couldnt have done this without you guys. I'll provide better pictures after she's done.

[Brian Jordan]

Looks good! Can't wait to see it finished!

Are you using the macro setting on your camera? If not that should help with your focus problem.

[Tim Crosby]

 Looking really good Tom. Your entry pipe looks GREAT,  I am still playing around with mine. I look forward to seeing it at Dixon's.

Tim C.

[Stophel]

Hey, when you do a pipe tang like that, do you start with it relatively flat, then bend it around the sides as you inlet?

[longrifle]

That is going to be a beauty when your finished. 

[dogcreek]

Thanks for sharing. The gun looks great so far. I'm building a Bucks County longrifle so this is motivation.

[t.caster]

Thanks for sharing. The gun looks great so far. I'm building a Bucks County longrifle so this is motivation.

Me too....if & when I find time.

[flehto]

Having made and  inletted a few of the long tailed Bucks County entry pipes, I can appreciate the work entailed . Yours is excellent. Is it one piece or two?......Fred

[Tom Currie]

Thanks for the comments guys. The entry pipe is 2 pieces silver soldered together. The main part of the pipe is pre formed in a mold I made. I actually had it inlet and after a suggestion by one of our members, I re worked the lower forestock down farther and reinlet in an quest for slimness.
Engraving this  very curved surface proved a challenge as you are always changing the angle of the graver as you move across the surface and feeling for how much the graver is biting in as you go.

I wish my photos were better , my Vivitar digital camera does not have a macro setting.

[b bogart]

Tom
That gun has come along way since the last pictures I saw of it. Nice job! Please keep us posted. I too will attempt a Bucks Co gun in the near future, after a few projects get clkeared up.
Bruce

[FG1]

Tom , how do you get the long tail to stay put ? A couple brads in the web ?

[Tom Currie]

FG1, Besides the 2 pins through the web on the pipe itself, there will be a brad placed into the  " winged " extensions on each side. Right now it is just setting in place. 

[FG1]

Thanks , thats what I thought but wasnt sure as any place else looks like it would be in r/r hole .

Sure looks sweet !

[Long John]

Tom,

That's going to be a real fine looking gun!

JMC

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I've only done one of these, and it was a long time ago.  When I did mine, the extension piece was separate, as was the original I was emulating.  I shaped it around a piece of pipe that was close to the same curvature as the forend minus the thickness of the metal, before inletting it.  That way, there was very little brass to file off once the inlay was flush with the wood.  I hope that answers your question, Chris. 

[Stophel]

But don't you have to kind of bend it around the curve as you go in?  Something like a thumbpiece I can put straight in because it doesn't curve around that much, but this curves and runs up the sides of the stock.

And your carving looks good, Tom.  Like that V tool now, don't ya?  Once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty easy to do (though there is still ZERO room for error).  I've been working on a Lehigh gun, and once I got going with the carving I began to impress myself with it.

Oh, and how old is that can of "Archer" linseed oil??

[Tom Currie]

Stoph, That's a cool can . Copyright on it sates 1950. Found it in my Father in laws garage. It's still 1/3 full.  With the stock upside down I inlet the bottom of the entry pipe finial which sort of forced the "wings " of the finial out as they weren't inlet yet. I then scribed the outline on the sides of the stock , carved out the inlet and that got me pretty close.

I worked hard on tool sharpening on this rifle, including the V tool,  which was really important going across grain. That's when you know if its sharp enough or not.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You're right of course Chris.  Just as Tom says, even with the inlay curved to match the forend pretty well, as you inlet the middle part, the wings spread, and you just keep going out toward the edges.  On the Fancy A. Verner - RCA # escapes me now - there are piercings which complicates the inlet.

[brokenflint]

Tom   Look on your camera and see if there is a small flower looking icon.  This is a macro (closeup) focusing length on digital cameras, most have this but not all.

Broke