I picked up a percussion rifle that someone had put together a several years ago. It has a bit too much wood left on it for my taste, but it shot well. Brass hardware of Lancaster style. I used it as my foul weather hunting rifle. Nicely figured maple stock that was either flawed structurally (probably) or improperly inletted (also probable). I got it dirt cheap as it had some cracks around the breech area; it was way less than what the parts cost. I made several repairs to the stock over the years and used it for a good twenty years. A really bad crack developed in the wrist, bad enough that I didn't want to shoot it again. I decided to restock it into a Deep River North Carolina style. Re-using as much of the hardware as I could. (Yes, I'm cheap. Twenty years of service out of a $65 gun, and I'm still re-using the parts.) Actually I believe that recycling old but good hardware is a long rifle tradition worth continuing. My least favorite piece on this rifle is the triggerguard. I thought I could remodel it into something more to my liking. To make a long story a little shorter, I didn't get the finger rail properly annealed and now have a less than ideal two-piece triggerguard. Sound familiar? Guess I will buy myself a Christmas present from Track of the Wolf!
