Author Topic: Stock shape question.  (Read 2212 times)

mjm46@bellsouth.net

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Stock shape question.
« on: September 06, 2011, 04:51:37 PM »
 I have built several Lancaster style longrifles. In general I have tried to emulate the style of Dickert and Haines and these have all been from precarved stocks. I am preparing to start a new build from a blank and I want to do a rifle more in the style of J.P. Beck. I have been studying everything I can find with pictures of his rifles, and I'm not picking up very much difference with his stock shape from early Lancaster maker stocks. Maybe I'm just too dense.  ???  Aside from the obvious differences in certain hardware parts what are the most important differences in Beck's stock shape from the early Lancaster makers?

keweenaw

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Re: Stock shape question.
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2011, 05:24:20 PM »
I suppose the answer to your question depends on whether you've seen the difference between Dickert and Haines pieces in things other than carving.  If you had three original rifles, a Dickert, a Haines and a Beck, each build completely without carving the stock architecture and handing of details is different enough that you should be able to assign each to the correct gunsmith.  The rifles differ in buttplate shapes with affects the entire butt architecture .  Cheekpieces are fairly different as well.  Lots of things....., but one can't just come up with a list.  What you need to do when trying to make any rifle following an original maker is to NOT look at the carving but look at the architecture.  Look at your photos again comparing things other than decoration. 
Also compare the list of dimensions in appropriate pieces from RCA.  Dickerts are rather massive rifles compared to Haines rifles as Dickert frequently used considerably heavier barrels.  Beck used barrels only about 1" at the breech but carried a lot more wood into the wrist of the stock than Schreyer did working at the same time with barrels of comparable dimensions.  It's difficult to carry as much wood into the wrist as Beck did without having the tail of the lock below the surface of the lock panel.  If you look at photos of lots of Beck rifles that have original locks you'll see that the tails are almost always below the surface.  All small details but with profound differences in overall architecture.

Tom