plr

[knapper]

I have been wanting a flintlock rifle to hunt with for many years now, so Iooked around for a while.I thought about a pedersoli but I wanted a rifle to shoot a round ball only.Also I wanted a semi custom rifle that I could afford so I went with a pecatonica river,this will also be my first build, did I choose wrong and how hard are they to finish,I need all the advice I can get please !!!!

[Acer Saccharum]

Welcome to the forum, Knapper! If you're not in a rush, you'll come across every question and answer devised by mankind on the construction of the longrifle.

I can't speak for the Pecatonica kits, as I've not built one yet.

May I suggest you get a book on building longrifles, just to familiarize yourself with how everything goes together? There are a number of publications out there, and I'm sure other will chime in with suggestions. Chuck Dixon's book is one, available from Dixon Muzzleloading shop.

There is a lot to learn, even with kits, so prepare to do the homework required. It really helps to have someone close by who can guide you now and again. A little friendly advice at the right time can save you hours of frustration.

Another thing that helps is to learn how to post photos of your work in progress. Photos are crucial for others to understand what the problem with the build is, and to showcase your finished work.

Congratulations!

Tom

[galamb]

Track of the Wolf gets many of their pre-carves from Pecatonica.

In answer to the "how long" question they state  "Typically 40 hours of skilled labor is required to build a longrifle rifle"

The keywords here are "skilled labor".

With a good book or video, taking your time and asking questions when you get stuck could mean that you spend 100 hours +

On my first build, not that long ago, I was worried about doing something wrong, taking too much off etc that I spend about 100 hours just getting the stock shaped the way I wanted and close to 20 or 30 hours just getting the butt plate fitted without gaps (before I learned you could persuade it with a ball peen hammer).

My advice would be "don't rush to get it finished". If you get frustrated just sit it aside for a day or two and do something else. And if something bugs you, don't ignore/leave it because later in the build it will probably really bug you, so fix what you can when you see it - you won't regret it later on if you do but may always regret it if you don't.

The guys here have been helping with some questions I have for a rifle I haven't even really started yet. Many many hours of research and at least 20 hours of just cleaning up castings have gone by and I haven't even touched the wood yet - the barrel is still in the shipping tube - I expect to easily have 200 hours into that rifle before it's ready for stain.

[Ky-Flinter]

Hi Knapper,

Welcome to ALR.  My first build was a "kit" from Pecatonica and it was a great experience.  They offer a quality product and, in my opinion, offer excellent service.  How hard are they to finish will depend on your level of experience with woodworking and metalworking.  Pre-inletted stocks, whether from Pecatonica or any other supplier, will require final inletting of the various parts.  Metal parts will need the casting lines filed off, the barrel will need dovetails cut for the mounting lugs and sights, holes will need to be drilled, and so on.

I would suggest you get one or more of the books on building longrifles, if you haven't already.  My favorite is Recreating the American Longrifle by William Buchelle, George Shumway, and Peter Alexander, but The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle by Chuck Dixon and The Gunsmith of Grenville County by Peter A. Alexander are also very good.  I have all three.

Good luck, go slow and have fun.  And when you get stuck, do a search on the problem here on ALR., someone has probably been there and done that before.  If not, ask here and you'll get some great advice.

-Ron

[Bob Roller]

Frequently,skilled labor as applied to a muzzle loader is a negative value
in the opinions of many.I think this may go to the subject line of "cottage"
industries.I have NEVER depended on anyone involved with building muzzle
loaders to keep my shop going and can easily go over to automobile enthusiasts
that don't let $3 stop their projects.I still have all the tooling for various automatic
transmission bushings as well as samples of small parts for the Packard and
Duesenberg cars.I do "one off" jobs for these cars and their owners are glad to find
someone who will do only "one" part.The last one was a water pump shaft for a Duesenberg.
I used to make bell housing bushings from bearing grade bronze for the 1949 to 1956 Packard
automatic transmissions and I got a call from a dealer in Packard parts and he wanted to know
how many he would have to buy to be considered as a dealer. I told him I can't make less
than one.He bought 12.
Most round ball rifles can be constructed,IF care is used from parts frequently found in
a tool box once a decent barrel is obtained. Not so with my all time favorite muzzle
loaders which are these fine English long range rifles.Taylor called them "Predators"
and I call them "Thousand yard Specials" because like the old phone ads,long distance
is the next best thing to being there.No such thing as "good enough" with these rifles
because they don't lend themselves to such an attitude.

Bob Roller

[pushboater]

Welcome to the forum Knapper.  It's always great to hear from new builders.  Like Ky-Flinter I also started out with William Buchelle's book, and it's an excellent resource. I don't know about the newer Shumway/Alexander anointed verson as I haven't had the opportunity to see it, but I'm sure they only improved upon an already outstanding reference.  I also wholeheartedly endorse "The Gunsmith of Grenville County". Both are a wealth of information and they do not take for granted that you know anything about building a flintlock longrifle.  Just don't get in a hurry, take your time, and enjoy the process.  All the builders on this forum are more than happy to share their wealth of Knowledge and experience in order to help you to hopefully avoid those beginner mistakes.  Most importantly though, have fun!

Capt. David

[hanshi]

Welcome aboard, Knapper.  I can't add to the advice already given but you can see there's a lot of experience here to call upon.

[KLMoors]

Welcome aboard Knapper.

There has been plenty of good advice given already. There are tons of folks on this board, from all over the country. I am in northeastern North Carolina and would be glad to help if you are anywhere nearby.

Try to think waaaaaaaaayyy ahead while you work  so you don't back yourself into any awkward corners.

[davebozell]

There have been numerous posts about the order a builder should follow when assembling a longrifle.  I agree that the books mentioned previously are very valuable in getting your kit into shootable form.  The books however generally give the assembly order for a build from a blank rather that a pre-carved stock.  From my very limited experience, with a pre-carve it's very important to establish the relationship of the barrel touch hole to the lock before removing much wood.  In my build, I started with the barrel and breach plug inlet, only to find out after I was done that my lock would not line up properly.  I ended up having to move the barrel and plug back in the stock, which created a lot of gaps and patching that I should have avoided.  

I would also recommend watching as many videos as possible to see how others work out their issues.  There is one series referenced here that is for a pre-carved stock, that should be very useful.  Best of luck with your build, take your time, and enjoy the process!

[Smoketown]

Welcome Knapper!

Take the time to scroll through the “Tutorials” and “Shop Made Tools” sections.

Also, there is a great You-Tube series by Firelock.

Check it out at -

Cheers,
Smoketown

[gumboman]

Knapper, I know exactly where you are now. I bought my first components from Pecatonica more than 25 years ago. I remember clearly the anxious feelings I had about whether I could pull all those parts together into a weapon that would look right and shoot too. After making a couple of missteps early, I learned to look at each metal part and it's inlet into the stock very carefully before working on it. I found inleting black to be very helpful to show me what was keeping the part from going into it's inlet. I learned to go slowly, and if there is doubt stop and let it sit for while.

In the end my gun turned out wonderful. It is a beautiful weapon and shoots great. I still have it and love it to this day. At the time I built it the stock and components cost me around $500.00. The same gun from a custom builder at the time was $1600.00. I saved a lot and enjoyed every minute of the work.

I am sure you will enjoy the journey too. Cannot go wrong with Pecatonica components. Also do not set a deadline for completion. Take you time and enjoy each step

[Gene Carrell]

I have and will continue to use Pecatonica's precarves. They leave plenty of wood and can be shaped to your need. I also like that they will leave the lock inlet blank so that I can use the lock of my choice positioned as I need it in my layout.

[Acer Saccharum]

From my very limited experience, with a pre-carve it's very important to establish the relationship of the barrel touch hole to the lock before removing much wood.  In my build, I started with the barrel and breach plug inlet, only to find out after I was done that my lock would not line up properly.  I ended up having to move the barrel and plug back in the stock, which created a lot of gaps and patching that I should have avoided.  

Dave, your mention of the difference between starting form a pre-carve or a blank is a HUGE issue, but invisible to the first-timer.

If your lock inlet has already been done for you, and it's an almost drop-in inlet, you really won't be able to position the lock much. So you might have to position the barrel, set it back, inlet it deeper, etc, to get the right alignment between touch hole and lock.

But before you cut wood, check how much web there is between barrel and ramrod hole. Many inletters drill little witness holes between the bottom of the barrel channel and rr hole to see what the distance is.

The web will tell you where the front lock bolt needs to pass.


However, if the lock inlet is undersized, you have some freedom to move the lock around, higher, lower, etc. This eases tremendously the task of positioning the touch hole and front bolt.

I feel like I'm blathering on now.

[frenchman]

Welcome Knapper you will be in good hands on this site with these builders there are no bad question , these guy's are great.They help me out often
Here are my two bits on gun building , the tools needed , don't go crazy and buy the complete store for things you will never use .Here i found that quality is much better than quantity, this will be easier than always fighting with the tools that don't stay sharp. You don't need that much really and take the time to learn to sharpen these @!*% things

For the first go with inlet stock & barrel.
Measure twice and more and cut once

[woodburner]

Knapper, welcome to the forum.  This is where it's at regarding all things"black powder".   Tim