My first build progress

[Bill Ladd]

I was really cooking along.  Thought I would even beat gunmaker and the squirrel rifle he's just finishing up for me.  Then the tendonitis in my right pointer finger and trigger thumb in my left hand kicked in and stopped me dead.

Oh well.

Gillespie-inspired southern mountain rifle in .45. Here's what I got so far...








Here's my biggest goof.  Made my cheekpiece too short. I did say Gillespie-inspired though!




Thanks for looking.
Bill

[gunmaker]

How long is the cheek piece ?  Only needs be 4", even less somewhat....Looks good....

[Bill Ladd]

How long is the cheek piece ?  Only needs be 4", even less somewhat....Looks good....

The Gillespie cheek pieces I've seen are fairly long.  It shoulders well and feels good, but I wasn't paying attention to all the Gillespie photos I've got strewn about my immaculate shop.

[moleeyes36]

Bill,

You can't be far off on the length of the cheek piece.  According to Dennis' full size drawings the cheek piece is only about 4 inches long on the bottom and about 6 along the widest part of the top.  I see you're using a the correct trigger guard and butt plate.  Your project is coming along nicely.  I'm currently putting together the parts for a Philip Gillespie rifle like Dennis shows in his book.  As soon as I get the trigger guard from Dave Rase, I'm ready to roll.

Mole Eyes

[Bill Ladd]

Thanks guys.  I got the drawings when I ordered his book.  Mine's about an 1.5 inches too short.  I kept taking material off to get it "just right" and wound up rasping off too much.  Still, I'm happy with the shape.  I think she'll be a fine shooter.

[kaintuck]

What is that lock?
Marc in HOT tenn

[Bill Ladd]

What is that lock?
Marc in HOT tenn

Man it's HOT here too.  Got close to a hundred with the heat index.

The lock is an old Italian DGW lock I got from gunmaker that I reshaped and tuned up.  Nice little sparker.

[PPatch]

There is nothing wrong with that cheek piece, don't knock yourself on it. Rifles looking good. You might think about thinning it some more.

dave

[Bill Ladd]

There is nothing wrong with that cheek piece, don't knock yourself on it. Rifles looking good. You might think about thinning it some more.

dave

Thanks dave. I was in the process of thinning the forestock when my hands gave out.  I'll post here once I get going on it again.

[Bill Ladd]

Okay!  Been doing a ton of research on here about aquafortis.  Using the small bottle I got from Track a few months back - I went for it this evening.  First coat wasn't dark enough after blush so I applied again.  Have a nice reddish-brown color now and what stripe is there really stands out.

First coat of hand-rubbed Tru-Oil cut 50/50 with boiled linseed oil applied as well.

I realize now that I needed to spend a little bit more time in certain areas with the scraper and sandpaper, but it'll do for my first effort.

Pics tomorrow.

(Also, I've been going to town thinning this thing.  She's a slender one!)

Thanks to all here who've shared their knowledge and experience over the years.  Anything I've had a question about, I've been able to find it using the search button!!

[Bill Ladd]

I have to say I'm a big fan of aqua fortis (or aqua regia - as I've read here on the forum would be the correct name for the modern commercial formula). I'm amazed at all the grain that popped up.  Couldn't really see it on the unfinished blank.

This is two applications/blushings knocked back with #1000 steel wool and my third application of Tru-Oil/boiled linseed oil:

(Right click on image and select "view image" for a larger size)


One thing I've learned from this step is that I need better lighting in my otherwise immaculate shop and better glasses.  Lots of little scratches and lines have showed up that I swear weren't there after the final 400 grit sanding!!

Closeups of those later today - right now I gotta go ply my trade so I can pay for this.

[gunmaker]

Once you get wood to where you think it's smooth,  wipe on a little water to darken it, then shine a lite on stock from a sharp angle.  That'll help see those scratches.  Then wipe wood with really hot water and buff with 0000 steel wool to get a nice smooth surface.  Or hold it over a pan a boiling water to whisker it---twice.   Looks good I like the color...Tom

[Bill Ladd]

Got in too big a hurry and missed that step. Oh well.  Hopefully I'll remember it on the next one! 

[kaintuck]

Tomtom said its beaut!
Handling and weathering will reduce those scratches......wax it, buff it....repeat 20times


Nice job......and next?

Marc n tomtom

[Bill Ladd]

Nice job......and next?

Tell Tomtom thanks.  He probably was napping and missed this thread: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=36320.0

[Bill Ladd]

Well, I worked on getting the barrel set right, but haven't yet fixed the slightly-splintered forestock I was whining about in this thread: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=36534.0

I did, however, make a quick trip up to Lake Junaluska, NC and ventured way up in the Nantahala to Moss Knob Range. Here's a video my loving wife shot (she filmed it vertically, so it's best to view it full screen):



That old Dixie lock sure was a surprise.  I did a lot of work on it, including adding a fly (for set triggers I'm fabricating) and a lot of polishing of the mechanism, but still I had no idea how it would do.  Turns out to be a fast lock now!  I'm stoked.

25 yds offhand.  First two shots off to the left before I moved the front sight:



I'll post up some decent pictures of the gun the next day or so.

Thanks for letting me show it to you.

Bill

[moleeyes36]

Nice work, Bill.  I imagine from that first time out target you're going to have a very accurate rifle when you get time to work up the best load for it.  Again, nice work.

Mole Eyes

[PPatch]

That Gillespie-inspired rifle is a beaut Bill. Love the way the grain popped on you with the AQ. As moleeyes said, I think once you develop a load you'll find she's a shooter. Good job!

dave

[Hungry Horse]

 Nice job. I love Southern mountain guns that aren't the same old same old Tennessee poor boy.
 I Have a  couple of recommendations. First, turn over as many rocks as it takes to find another one of those lock, for spare parts. The internals tend to wear pretty fast, and the plate is pretty soft, so it does also. I don't use steel wool after the Aqua fortis unless I intend to neutralize it, for fear of a reaction with the steel. I use a scotch bright pad instead.

    Hungry Horse

[gunmaker]

Looks like your well on your way.....Great job......Tom

[Bill Ladd]

Thanks fellas.  She's a shooter for sure.  She could have hit the bull every time, but it turns out the nut attaching her to the ground is all worn out. 

Hungry Horse - I got two of those locks from gunmaker, so I do have full spares.  Let me ask you a question though.  As part of the reworking, I annealed and then hardened the tumbler, fly and sear.  Do you feel this will be sufficient to allow long life, or is the quality of metal such that it won't take heat treatment well?  The parts were quite hard once I finished the process.

[Mike Brooks]

Looks good to me, you ought to see my first one.   Of course we all lived in caves back then and the light was bad....
Cheek looks OK, I wouldn't worry. The lock panels are a bit big, but that is probably true on original Gillespies too, so no biggie there either.

[Hungry Horse]

I would suggest trying to harden the plate the same way. If it won't harden, Try a case hardening compound like Kasenite. The mainspring on this lock is very strong, and will put a lot of force on the internals, and plate. A very light coating of Permetex super lube grease with Teflon, will reduce the friction and binding.

  Hungry Horse

[Meteorman]

oh man, that picture gives me the heebie-jeebies - given my graceful lumbering around the shop, I'd manage to snap that stock in two in no time.

/mike