BECK FOWLER

[t.caster]

This is a 28ga./.54cal. fowling piece based on a couple signed J.P. Beck guns featured in Tom Grinslade's Book "FLINTLOCK FOWLERS the FIRST GUNS MADE in AMERICA", (KF13 & 14). Grinslade put them in his "Kentucky Fowler" chapter.
It has a Getz fully round swamped barrel (circa 1999), a small Stan Hollenbaugh/Ditchburn Beck lock and brass furniture and was made from a curly maple blank. Aside from the Beck lock, side plate, nose cap and tang carving the architecture is very much like a typ. British (Boston) fowler.
The butt plate and trigger guard are modified from Chambers Brit. Fowler parts. In retrospect, I should have used a larger Chambers lock, because of the large dia. of the barrel (1 3/16" at breech) and the smallness of the lock made it rather bulky in that area in my opinion. I had to offset the trigger to the right to engage the sear arm. But a lot of originals were like this too.
This is not for sale. I built it for my own use, for a change.
Comments are welcome.

[old george]

Tom, nice looking fowler. You might be right about a slightly larger lock, but I'm not qualified to critique you. I like the carving, engraving and the wood finish.

george

[t.caster]

This was stained with AF and Laurel Mt. Forge Lancaster Maple. Then one coat of sealer and 3 coats of tung oil and rubbed back with L/O & rotten stone to smooth it.  I was unhappy with the AF stain that I felt looked muddy and just Blaaah.
Now look at the last photo of the stock compared to the first! I just received some of John Beck's (Beck's Flintlocks) new paste finish and rubbed on one coat and it instantly gave the stripes some contrast and the ripples from hand scraping are more pronounced too! I've got to try that on some of my old guns now!














 

[Robert Wolfe]

That's a great one to keep. That book is full of stuff that needs to be built.

[godutch]

  That's a very nice 'clean' looking fowler. Great choice of ga. too.