Lancaster Barn Gun

[A.Merrill]

    I didn't want to build something very fancy to show you guys because I know how brutal you critic's can be....LOL .
    Tell me what you think honestly.
    She's got a GM .45cal 13/16 x 42in. barrel, M&G classic lock that throws a shower of sparks, hand made trigger, H. Albright trigger guard from Reaves Goehring, Tip Curtis pre carved stock, traditional RS, silver blade w/ brass base FS, Wahkon Bay AF stain and Tru-Coat finish, the barrel is browned and the lock blacken with LMF.
    I still have a few things to do to her, shoot a few rounds, a little more finish and she will be ready to sell, so I can buy more gun parts.    AL  





















got it fixed.  next time choose the URL in the box in tinypics called "IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards
" (RP, Moderator)

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I like it a lot Al!  Nice color  that fits the style and architecture in my eye. Somebody should be real proud to own it soon.  Nice soft finish too!!

[Eric Smith]

Nice job. Good looking piece of wood. Nice finish.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I think it looks great. Nice Job!! I can't tell if it has a buttplate of sorts, or is it dark because of end grain. Does Reaves Goering have a website, how do you buy parts from him?

[Meteorman]

        Tell me what you think honestly.

Looks like a handsome piece of work to me.
2 comments:
My eye was kinda drawn to those shiny screw butts in the lockplate, but you could of course still address that if you wanted.
And i mighta skinnied down the roundness of the forestock a little more, but that's just me.

I like the way you handled the lock plate transition - i guess some people say keep sandpaper away from those corners, but the smoothness works on this gun, at least for me.
I like.  thanks for sharing!
/mike

[JDK]

Nice rifle.  I esp. like the muzzle treatment, color and the flowing architecture.

The one distraction for me is your ramrod entry seems a bit abrupt or squarish.....more Southern Appl. i.e. Tennessee.  Most Lancasters flow smoothly into this area and I believe it would be in keeping with the rest of your lines.  Granted all Lancasters I've seen had entry thimbles with skirts.

It looks like you have enough wood there to do this, if you desire.  Look at the pictures in the virtual museum you will see all but the John Gibbs have this trait....for my taste, your lines are allot nicer than that Gibbs.

Overall a very nice rifle.  J.D.

[LynnC]

I just plain like it 

You don't expect the perfection of a high art rifle in a barn gun.

Somebody will be proud to own it.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

This is a very nice clean build.  It has an overall comfortable feeling about it...a nice trail companion.  Colour and finish is warm and easy - I like it.
I would have preferred a muzzle that paralleled the bottom flat of the barrel a little more, rather than angling down to the groove.  That's very minor and just personal preference I know.
I would not use 3/32" pins for the guard, trigger and barrel.  The biggest I go is .073" finishing nails,and they are "loader" than 1/16" pins.  I just see them as a distraction from the beauty of the wood.
Cut the slots in your tang and lock retaining screws a little deeper before you finish them.  That will take out the radius of the factory cutter and when a turn screw that is properly ground for them is used, it is less likely to slip and upset the slot.  I use a knife file for this, but a hack saw blade will work too.
I agree with the others...it's a lovely rifle and someone is going to enjoy it a lot.

[hanshi]

I can't, for the life of me, understand how a plain but very elegant gun can be called a "barn gun".  It is, after all, a good gun meant to perform the same as a museum piece but at a fraction of the cost and minus any "tacky".  I'm not a builder but I wouldn't kick that gun's flints from under my bed , no-sir-ree.

[t.caster]

I love these things! Good architecture, good mechanics, good wood, doesn't need embelishments.

[Ezra]

I really, really like what you have done.


Ez

[Gregory]

Like our more knowledgable members have said before  "You can't hide poor workmanship or poor lines on a plain gun".

That's a beauty you got there.  A beauty!

Some guns you just wanna get your hands on.  That's one there.

Greg

[FRJ]

If it was mine it sure wouldn't sit in the barn!!!!! I love rifles without all the eye candy and this on does it in spades!! FRJ

[grouchy]

Very Nice! The gain, color and finish are very nice!!

[Flinter]

Nice looking flintlock Al. The only thing I see wrong with it is not the correct caliber. Though, I wouldn't mind having a slim 45.

[TinStar]

Very nice! Simple has a beauty all by itself. Love the wood. To me that is the real beauty of a gun.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

[Kermit]

I just purely LOVE Poor Barn Boy Schimmel Guns! 

[A.Merrill]

     Thanks guys for the compliments, they mean allot to me.

    Toylor, thanks for the tip.

    Micah, Reaves Goehring does not have a web site but give him a call, 717-684-2922. He has a lot of very nice brass BP's and TG's that are cast from originals. Tell him what style gun your are building and he will tell you what he's got for it. Trust him, he has a lot of knowledge on these gun's.
                     
                       THANKS again guys     AL

[Don Getz]

Al............now wasn't that a lot of fun to build, didn't take six months to do it either.   Nice plain gun, good architecture.
Now you know why I like to do them.    Change the comb and triggerguard and you have a Berks county gun, or whatever.   Even Tim, in his nice new shop would enjoy this type of gun..........won't make that much dirt either.......Don

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

  He! He!  Thats the secret Don...... 

[A.Merrill]

    Don, thanks for your reply.  YES, it was fun and I plan on doing  another one as soon as this one sells.
    I agree with Don, it would be a good build for Tim.
    But I really would like to know what Tim's wife has to say the first time she tries to wipe inletting black off that white couch.     AL

[Don Getz]

Al........couple of simple things you could do just to dress it up a little.    Put a simple moulding on the edge of the cheek
piece, only takes about 15 minutes, and would really dress it up.    Also, in shaping your butt....make it look like a butt
plate.  I usually try to get a nice rounded effect similar to a buttplate,  round the edges a little.   I have even filed the top
of the heel to look like a buttplate.....filed flats to resemble about five flats normally seen on a buttplate, and at the front
of these I shape a round band across the comb.    Just a few little things that are easy to do but dress it up greatly.....
Don

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

The more I look at it the more I'm thinking I want to build one.

A couple of questions. What does it weigh, without all the extra brass I think it should be a real lightweight. How prone to damage is this style of rifle without protection on both ends of the stock?

Looks like a nice simple build, a lock, a stock, a barrel, sights, a trigger, 3 screws, and 9 pins. Put them all together and you get a rifle. Pure simplicity!

[oldarcher]

If I built it I would sure be proud to shoot it!!! Very nice job!! I would not expect to see such nice wood on a "barn gun", but it really works. Good luck with it.

[A.Merrill]

     Thanks for the ideas Don, I'll use some of them.

     Micah, sorry but I don't have anyway of weighing it. It is lighter, but not all that noticeable. What I did notice is the balance point is about a hands width farther up the barrel than a gun with a BP an SP.
    As far a damage to the butt, as long as your not stomping it down on rocks it should be fine, with a little care. The muzzle will be fine. Ask Don Getz, he's has built more barn guns than I have.    AL