working on the English sporting gun again

[Justin Urbantas]

So, I started this gun in 2019 or 2020 I think, and never got around to finishing it.
It has an English walnut stock, Charles Burton barrels and Chambers late Ketland lock.
I have a .20 ga smooth, and .62 rifled barrels for it.
I got it finished in the white with the smoothbore barrel, and brought it to a shoot in 2021.
Since then I brought it to 2 more shoots in the white, the last one I broke 10/10 clays in a row and won the shoot.
Taylor asked if I was ever going to finish it, and I joked that I was worried about finishing it because it might not shoot as well.
I am usually busy with stained glass orders, but I decided to take a break between making Halloween glass, and starting all the Christmas stained glass in a couple weeks to work on it.
Earlier this week I sanded the thimbles and filed notches into the rib to get it ready for soldering.

I don't know how everyone else hold the thimbles and rib in place for soldering, but I find it to be a real pain.
I decided to clamp in in the vise so nothing moved and use my wire twist pliers and lock wire to hold it all together for soldering.
I  used a 3/8" brass rod to align everything and hold it in place, then I soldered the rib onto the barrel, and then the front sight.


Next I need to alter the forward sling swivel a bit and drill a hole through the rib to install it.
I managed to get a single leaf rear sight from Track a while back, so after I remove the finial I will work on installing that.
Then all that's left as far as building is putting in the vent liner and rear swivel stud.
After that comes all the super fun (very sarcastic) metal and wood finishing.
I'll probably engrave it in a few years after I do a lot more practice.
If it's not -10 next weekend I'll probably be able to bring it out for a test shoot.

[Joe Stein]

That's the way I held my thimbles to the rib on the couple of barrels I did. The gun is looking good, Justin.

[Daryl]

I remember that gun the first time you shot it on trap. Glad you are finally getting around to finishing it, Justin.

[Pukka Bundook]

Justin,
Good job, but you might find it easier to solder ribs, if you put barrel upside down in vise as you did, but put wire loops over barrel and rib, and hang decent weights on them.
As solder melts, it automatically pulls the rib down tight to the barrel.   Same for thimbles.
The rear sight looks a bit German.

All the best,
Rich.

[Justin Urbantas]

Oh that's a good trick with the weights.  Yeah, I cut most of the sight off, so it's a basic sight without the finial. Express sights are hard to find.

[Daryl]

Not so hard, but hard to find inexpensive ones.
The sight is all that is needed, not the base for round barrels.
2 leaf with standing sight.
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/proddetail.php?prod=4250
3-leaf with standing sight. This is the one I used, back in 1986. It was $96.00 from Brownells, back then.
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/proddetail.php?prod=4249
Brownells doesn't have them any more, but these look the same.

[flatsguide]

The proper folding sights would most likely have to be custom made. I was looking at a A. Henry rifle the other day that had express sight and the leaves were only about .015” thou thick. Here’s a company that makes express sights but not for early rifles. Nice shooting!
CheersRichard
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/products.php?cat=336

[Daryl]

I didn't scroll down far enough. This is the one I bought, but from Brownell's.
I changed the angle on the rear sight's back end. $120.00 - not bad considering mine was $96.00 in 1986.
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/proddetail.php?prod=4252

[Justin Urbantas]

Yeah. It's been frustrating.  None of the options seem correct to the period. I tried making one from scratch,  but it didn't work out. I may just use a standard rear sight.

[Bob Roller]

A lot more "class" than a Hawken IMHO.What's the cost of a piece of English walnut that will make such a stock?
I have a piece of black walnut that would work and a lock is no major problem.
Bob Roller         

[Justin Urbantas]

I paid $230 for that chunk of English walnut,  but I've found some for less.

[alacran]

The wood is very nice Justin. I assume that the wrist area is just dirty, since you have already shot it. As far as the sight goes, sometimes when using a manual mill (hack saw and files) you have to pitch some and start over.

[Justin Urbantas]

Yeah, it's mostly fouling and oil that darkened it up. It's all about the same colour as the butt area.