Need Wrist Dimensions

[QuanLoi]

When I was at Dixons last summer, I purchased a copy of "The Northampton School of Penn. Gunsmithing" which is a great reference source.  However, it fails to give wrist dimensions for the Lehigh rifle.  While I'm aware that the cross section should be egg shaped and that no two guns are alike, I was wondering if someone on this forum could give me an example of the wrist measurements.

Thanks in advance...

[Tom Currie]

I am building a lehigh that has wrist dimenisions of 1 1/4 " high by 1 3/8 wide. It's not an exact copy but is fairly well researched.

[Dave B]

Just as you have said no two guns are a like but you can say that if you pick a maker like Moll you can see the wrist is not the same dimension from the lock panels being Oval horizontally to them being oval vertically at the point of  wrist step.  Now take into account the  size of the barrel breach and lock bolster. Are you using a straight barrel or a tapered barrel? This will change your dimensions. you can extrapolate a scale by the size of the lock plate being   1" tall and do a full size drawing using a copier to bring it up to the actual size. Now you have your dimensions. I have a original Lehigh butt stock with a mild wrist step and its dimensions with a barrel size of 1 1/16" at the breach is  1 3/4" at the tails of the lock panels horizontally as well as vertically at the tip of the breach tang to trigger plate. The mid 2/3rd portion of the wrist (2"from lock panels) width is 1 7/16" wide all the way back to the tip of the patch box finial. The height at the wrist step is 1 7/8", the height of the wrist at the tip of the comb is just under 2" like by1/32.  So the profile is more cylindrical with bump outs for the lock panels then moves to a oval with the long axis being vertical. The width of the flat where the trigger plate was inlet is 5/8". The plate was just under 7/16" in width. The distance from the tip of the comb to the tip of the lock panel flat is 2 3/4" the step occurs at 1" ahead of the tip of the comb. It is not so much a step as a rounding of the squared off toe plate flat that is extending up through the wrist to the forearm. it is very subtle

[Steve Bookout]

I've been to Quan Loi.  Last Huey out.

[QuanLoi]

I spent ten months on that hill with 3/17 Air Cav...  Welcome home.  During two tours over there, I liked the time I spent in those woods the best.

Thanks for the replies regarding the wrist dimensions.  I'm building this gun inches at a time.  With the work required by my wife, I'll be able to finish this rifle by the year 2020.

[rich pierce]

Dave B hit the nail on the head in that a gun's parts dictate much of the dimensions.  Barrel thickness at the breech and whether tapered or swamped will make a difference, as well as thickness of the lock bolster.  These work together to determine width of the stock at the rear of the lock panels.  That, in turn, affects wrist dimensions.  Within certain limitations, style can change the wrist shape and therefore dimensions.

[Acer Saccharum]

The parts make the gun. That's my experience. I start with a concept of what I want to build, but find halfway through the parts are telling me I have to change course.

Barrel and lock, mentioned above by Rich, dictate the breech size and the wood around it. Then the wrist, comb and butt are dictated by the buttplate. The underside line is determined by the guard, what it allows you to do stylistically, a step toe or a straight run. If you ignore the parts and forge ahead, sometimes you end up with an odd duck looking gun.

Tom

[Acer Saccharum]

I just measured the Lehigh I'm working on.

Barrel: 7/8 across the flats.

Wrist: 1.28 wide x 1.15 tall. Rounded diamond in cross section, with the points being up and down, and side to side.

[QuanLoi]

Thanks for the info... I guess I have more wood to reduce.  Which is ok since it will further accent the the rear of the lock panels which looked too flat against the wrist.

[Tom Currie]

Tom, That scary little.  Gonna be really petite with that 7/8 barrel.  My barrel is a full 1 1/32  at the breech so my wrist is about 1/10 'larger each way. Lending support to Dave and Rich's comments about the choice of hardware and how it affects architecture and build type.  I thought mine was scary little.

[smshea]

Thanks for the info... I guess I have more wood to reduce.  Which is ok since it will further accent the the rear of the lock panels which looked too flat against the wrist.

Just be carefull how you address the Lock panels tapering into the wrist. This is an area I have tried to really look at and study on original Lehighs. While some have very distinct lock panel to wrist transition, most (especially well know earlier examples) do not.
 



These are just a few pictures I found that kind of describe what I mean. I have better pictures, two of them are Neihart guns but I don't have permission to show them off. One of those is actually flat with no real transition.
    That would be an extreme example but I do try to not have an abrupt step between the tail of the lock panel and the beginning of the wrist if that makes sense. I have plenty of pictures where there is a more abrupt transition but its almost never as pronounced as some other schools. If done correctly I think it helps to not have the whole wrist /step area look overly dramatic as many contemporaries(including some of my own)look.  I have not always done it this way, my comtemporary brain wants very distinct lock panels. Just something to think about, there is not a wrong way.

[Tom Currie]

Scott.  Thanks for the detail in the pictures. The transition from panel to wrist is very delicate on these wide wristed Lehighs. These transitions unique to Lehighs are part of the appeal for me.

[QuanLoi]

Smshea,

Thanks for posting the pictures... It seems I'm not too far off after all.  Also... I went into your website and was able to view the "sheath" style buttplate that's defined in the "Northampton School..." as the extension being nearly invisible when viewed from the side.  It seems the extension is inlet down into the comb and shows almost no profile.   I read about that feature but the illustrations offered in the "Northhampton School" pamphlet don't show that particular feature too well.  But you do... Now I think I need to modify the buttplate tang a bit.
 

[smshea]

Happy to help! Keep us posted on your progress. To both you and Steve Bookout....Thanks for your Service! Dad was over there from 65-67.