.62 Smooth Rifle

[Keb]

I made this one from spare parts I had laying around. I started it the fall of 09. Finally got it done.
It's a 20 ga. smoothbore. Barrel is 36" and I don't know who made it. The lock is a Queen Anne. Brown Bess trigger guard & pipes. Has a silver butt plate I the rest of the hardware is brass.

Feel free to critique. FYI: I'm not a builder/seller for good reason.



 

[greybeard]

I kinda like this gun. I sense a well made working mans gun that could harvest deer as well as fowl and speak with a fair ammount of authority if a body were to encounter unsavory type folk.
Whats your next build???
Cheers   Bob

[Keb]

My next project is to finish a .60 cal. rifle that was started by someone else. Has a home made lock and a pretty nice piece of maple. It's in the white with the fore stock molding complete. It's a monster of a gun too. Has a 50" tapered octagon barrel.  I don't think I got enough grit to hold it though. :/

Then I have a fowler to finish. It's a walnut stock that has a 20 ga. x 44" barrel inlet, ram rod hole drilled, butt plate mounted & general shape. Lotsa work left on this one.

I also have a .40 cal. flint rifle I started in 1993 for my wife. She didn't wanna shoot so I packed it away. She has since passed so I told my daughter I'd finish it and give it to her. I'll get to it one of these days.

I prolly won't get working on any of these until after the rondyvoo season has ended anyway.

[whitebear]

That's a nice rifle, you might not consider yourself a builder but I think that you are and a pretty good one.

[Tommy Bruce]

Well I think that's a great use of "parts laying around".  One could easily see a gun like that being built during the revolutionary war when manufactured parts were scarce.  Keb, you did a really nice job on that smoothrifle.

[rich pierce]

sounds like you have quite a lineup of guns to build.  You clearly know how to build a solid rifle and have clean inletting skills.  At the same time, every one of us strives for improvement, build to build.  I'll tackle a couple areas where you could easily make progreas given the skills you already show here.

Lock panels:  try for crispness.



The panels edges are rounded over.  Better to have a flat where it is flat, meeting a nice sharp edge.  This is getting rounded, maybe when you are in the finishing stage?  Also the top edge of the lock panel on the sideplate side is too high.  The stock should taper more from the tang down toward the sideplate, actually approximate the angle of the barrel flats much more.

Finish:  



The stain looks a little flat, muddy may be too strong a term but there are no warm colors in it.  The stain shows some lack of smoothness before it was applied- scratches are evident in some areas.  There should not be scratches under the stain.  If you are trying for an aging look, you want all the aging to happen on top of a nicely finished gun.

[Keb]

Thanks, Rich. I did round over the lock panels in the finish stages. I'm not sure this is what I envisioned but it's what I got. I see the area where the top edge is too high on the lock panels too. As for the stain, it's something new I tried. I've never used a wiping stain on a gun before, always used aqua fortis. I wiped on a dark brown then a cherry over top of that. I then applied a coat of shellac. Not sure I like it. I may scrape off the shellac & use aqua fortis.
$#*!, I'm still experimenting on this one

[rich pierce]

If you do decide to rip the stain out or scrape it off, you can definitely sharpen up the lock panels and do a little re-shaping there as well.  When I have a build that doesn't completely satisfy me, I waffle back and forth between working more on that one or applying what I've learned on the next one.  It is probably worthwhile to post some progress photos on your next build, to get some input as you go along.

[rick landes]

I like the rifle. It gives a feel of a used and well cared for piece. Sure some things are not "perfect", but what really is.
It really gives a feel of having been carried on many a hunt over more than a few miles. It will really have a great charm in another ten or so years when the barrel and lock age starts to show.
Enjoy!

[JDK]

First, let me say I really like the piece especially since it was "cobbled together" from spare parts.  And for a "non-builder" I have to say, your work is better than some of those that claim they are.

Just on question and this is mainly for the experienced among who are willing to share - using your piece only as an example and not trying to be critical of your work.

Should an octagon barrel like this one be filed/sanded lengthwise to remove the perpendicular machine marks?

And thanks to Mr. Pierce for his insight.

Thanks for posting, J.D. Kerstetter

[rich pierce]

Every round or octagon to round barrel will have some horizontal machining marks and drawfiling followed by a rag with abrasive (if you have an aversion to sandpaper) works great to give a nice smooth, longitudinal finish.  There will always be some scratches (even if we'd need an electron microscope to see them), but they should be lengthwise.

[Keb]

I couldn't leave it alone. Sometimes it's better for me to stick with what I know and leave the experimenting to someone else.
I stripped the stock as far back as I could. I then applied aqua fortis and some linseed oil.
I like the color now.
I also blued the barrel, scratched a few lines on it here-n-there & polished some pieces & heat blued the trigger & screws.

[rich pierce]

You work fast, young man!  Looks better!

[Keb]

Actually, I don't. Like I stated earlier, I have one gun I started back in 1993 that still needs finishing.

[Keb]

Now I have this one done I can move on to the next one. I don't like making these things as much as I use to but I'm obligated to finish them.

[roundball]

I'm not  builder, just offering an opinion:  Looks darn good...