What to do?

[T*O*F]

In a moment of weakness, I agreed to build this gun for an old friend who is no longer able.  It was a pre-carved stock of unknown origin and very old and the barrel is a repurposed one that was a take-off from another rifle.  Do I:
1.  rasp the molding off and get rid of it.
2.  pour a pewter cap and try to carve a terminus of the molding into it.
3.  glue a block of wood to it and do as in #2. (will be extremely difficult to match)

What are your ideas?

[rich pierce]

Pictures?

[T*O*F]

Sorry, guess I forgot em!!

[Robby]

Cut the barrel and proceed as usual.
Robby

[oldtravler61]

  The moulding shouldn't be that hard to match. Really depends on what your trying to finish...what style , school before I'd do anything..you could put a piece of wood on the end..put a brass or metal nose cap a tad longer an viola know one would see the added piece. Shape and blend...or whack the barrel off...lot's of possibilities.... Have fun...!!

Oldtravler

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Looks like the stock has a very thick web.  You could add a piece to the end of the stock, then shape it down for a nose piece.  You wouldn't even see the joint as the nose cap would cover it.  If you use a grooved nose cap, the moulding can terminate back a bit from the end.  If not, same thing...terminate the moulding several inches back from the cap, and finish it up.  Don't you love these one-off challenges?

[Stophel]

Easy.  Glue on a piece of wood to extend the stock out, and fit a nose cap on over it.  You'll never see it.

[A.Merrill]

   I second Taylor's idea.   Al

[Sidelock]

That looks like one of those old Golden Age Arms pre-carves - often nice figure wood in those stocks but a lot of flaws with the design.  All good ideas mentioned so far - since you are probably not going to match any particular school here the easiest solution may be to get a hunk of cow horn and fit that on there for a nose cap.

[T*O*F]

Taylor has grasped the crux of the problem.  It's not how or what to stick in the end, but rather how to terminate the molding in a pleasing manner.  As Sidelock mentions it's probably an old Golden Age pre-carve and it does have a lot of design flaws.  The wood has shrunk to that wavy hand-scraped look.  It's tough to work and chips pop out with regularity.  It's also carved off center with the right side being thicker than the left which also raises problems at the other end where the molding terminates at the entry thimble.  I suspect that I'll just end up getting rid of the molding to make it easier on myself.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Dave:  here's a way to end the mouldings that looks ok and is historically correct.

Taylor

[Elnathan]

Well, here is a crazy suggestion: If the barrel is reasonably short (i.e., 42" or less) you could mimic a rifle that was cut down at the muzzle for one reason or another. The KRA CD showing Kentucky-made longrifles has a Rizer and Weller rifle that was obviously cut down in this way - nosecap was set back and the ramrod groove was just faired down to match, with no attempt to rework the molding. The molding just runs right up to the nosecap inlet.

You could glue a piece of wood to the end, fit a muzzlecap long enough to cover the joint, and round over the end of the ramrod groove. Then you drill a hole or two in the forend, with inlets to match, where the thimbles were before being relocated, and presto! You have a rifle that was shortened for use on horseback.

[Curtis]

.... It's also carved off center with the right side being thicker than the left which also raises problems at the other end where the molding terminates at the entry thimble.  I suspect that I'll just end up getting rid of the molding to make it easier on myself.

TOF, considering the first part of the above statement, I would surmise that the second part of the statement is your best solution.  If you are going to have to remove considerable material to even it up, just get rid of that molding in the process.  Just my 2 cents worth.   

Curtis