Mausers current build

[Mauser06]

I appreciate all the help from you guys...i couldn't have gotten this far without this forum....



This build was accidental...i ordered a TC stock from PR with the idea of dropping a 1" barrel in it and essentially having a 2nd TC....

I didn't take many pics of the build...i wish I would have...



This is the stock before I started...





It was thick..lots of extra wood...long on the forend and butt...nothing dropped in place lol...


Send it back? Or learn to put a gun together??


I've always wanted to learn to build o I ordered chisels and away I went...


I don't even know that it'd be close to a Hawken at this point...lol. I kinda used my imagination and went with it...

I still have a little shaping but it's close...



















That's where I am now...

The lock isn't bolted in in the pic...i need to inlet the side plate after I bring down the lock molding a bit...



I know it's hard to tell from pics....but any suggestions on shaping or anything that you guys think should be done??? 

I have a little work to do about the nose, around the lock molding and wrist..i know that much...



The barrel is a green mountain fast twist 50cal...i will shoot it after its done but I do believe I will send it out to become a 58cal roundball gun...

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Reduce the lock panel to 1/8" top and bottom, flaring out at the front and back.

[Ky-Flinter]

It's hard to tell from the angle in the pictures, so maybe it already is, but the top line of the comb and the butt plate return should form a straight line, not an arc.

-Ron

[Mauser06]

D. Taylor, I thought the lock panels looks a fair bit too big...

Not exactly sure what you mean but I was essentially going to shrink it down a bit... especially on the ends.


Ky-Flinter, I see what you mean...i think mostly it's the angles and lighting...but I will be honest...that buttplate was about the death of me lol....i started with several extra inches...and glad I did because I needed them...it's still not at the right angle and I think hats what catches your eye..the front extension angles up toward the comb slightly...

The wood on the comb is 1/8" proud of the buttplate yet...but I can't change the angle of the buttplate...that was a "learning lesson".



Are there any good tutorials on lock panel designing??  I don't remember seeing any...if nothing else I can shrink what is there....


I've been saving that for last...(I use it as my vice point) and because I know it's kind of a main feature on a rifle..


Hopefully i can get it done tomorrow...well..done in terms of its first cost of oil...

Came too far to rush it...but I'm close...

[Dave Marsh]

I see the arc Ky-Flinter mentioned as well.  Personally for me the cheek piece is way too big.  I am not an expert but went through this years ago and that was strongly suggested.  Take a look at Herb's posts on some of the Hawken's he has made and don't rush to get that oil on until you are done shaping.  Good luck.

Dave 

[Mauser06]

I thought the same on the cheek piece strong bear...it basically the entire side of the stock..


I looked at a bunch of Herbs pics...they should help me "clean it up" a bit.



Glad I posted the pics...you guys have good eyes and picked out thingsI that kinda bugged me..



It's far from perfect... but at the end of the day I learned a lot from it...and I'm fairly certain it'll be a dandy deer killer...

[Ky-Flinter]

Reduce the lock panel to 1/8" top and bottom, flaring out at the front and back.

D. Taylor, I thought the lock panels looks a fair bit too big...

Not exactly sure what you mean but I was essentially going to shrink it down a bit... especially on the ends.

M.

Taylor is saying reduce the width of the lock panel wood above and below the lock.  The width of the lock panel areas to the front and rear of the lock look about right to me, but the front of the panel looks too tall.  It should slim down some if you reduce the upper and lower areas  Maybe remove a little of the panel to the rear of the lock, but I wouldn't think much.  But then, I like longer lock panels.....

There are variations.  See pictures in these threads.....

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=39466.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=39675.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=36626.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=38979.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=32088.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=5899.25


-Ron

[Mauser06]

Awesome!!! I appreciate it!!! 



I worked on the wrist and cheekpiece today...will have to get a pic later...looks much better to me...stock slimmed down and doesn't feel so bulky...


Taking the time to do the additional stock work is turning it into something more...itd be easy to slap some finish on and call it done...but that's not what I'm after..

[Mauser06]

Here's a few pics of where I'm at as of now....


Feel free to toss tips and pointers and criticism...(keep in mind itsmy first build! Lol).


I have to finish up the nose and the lock area...maybe slim down the wrist a little more...














I tried to take the wrist line with the check piece line..i removed a good bit of wood...i think it looks better...might take it down a little bit...it is thick...but it feels good...

[Ky-Flinter]

I take it back, the lock panel is still too big.  How's this?



When you are happy with the lock side panel make a tracing of it on paper.  Cut it out and use that as a guide to shaping the off-side panel.

-Ron

[Mauser06]

Wow!  I appreciate that!!   


That's exactly what I was thinking...gunna try to get to that tonight...i think it'll clean it up a bit and relieve it of the blocky look/feel...

[Mauser06]

Took a little bit....but this is where I got to....





Kinda follow the arc and didn't make it such a straight sharp line...used the bottom of the tang as my termination point..

Gotta copy it and match the other side tomorrow...

Still hoping to get the wood done tomorrow....we'll see...just gotta do the other side of the lock panel and clean up the nose...and figure out how I wanna inlet the tear drop side plate..i don't think I wanna inlet it flush..but maybe I do...i don't know yet lol..

[Mauser06]

Well....I got her as done...


I whiskered and scraped 3x....i have some crazy curl areas that wouldn't scrape smooth...i got them the best I could...i didnt wanna take sane paper to them and clog them up...so left the open..


Applied tannic acid...and then the iron nitrate....


It turned a crazy dark green and black....i will post pics when I get back home...hung it to dry..


When I et home I will heat it and either re-applied iron nitrate or start working it....


I think it aughta turn out pretty good looking...we'll see lol....

[Mauser06]

Well here it is after tannic acid and iron nitrate....










Hit it with heat...






Turned a cool deep cherry color...


Gunna start oil sanding now.....

[Mauser06]

Well....i am happy!   


Used scotch brite and sand paper (with oil)  to rub the finish back...


I wasn't going to attempt any sort of aging...but I highlighted the right side of the rest, check piece, and forearm where I hold to shoot and right about the balance point...


Here's a couple pics...















Won't hold a candle to guns most of you guys produce....but being my first I'm pleased...


I still have to do the steel...(barrel is done). So will work on that as I have time...it's prepped...just gotta blue it...

[Mauser06]

Burnished the stock last night with a deer tine...

I wasn't sure what to do after that...i usually use steel wool bit not sure I wanna do that with this stock and the iron nitrate finish? 


I heavily oiled blue (non-scratch) scotchbrite and went over it pretty heavily..

Went over it with heavily oiled clean cotton and let it hand a bit and repeated a few times...

Then went over it lightly with a lightly oiled clean cotton piece....there were some spots that were still porous and thirsty...


Hung it in the "shop" with the dehumidifier on which has a pretty good fan to move the air around...

Took it outside this morning so it can see it's first bit of sunlight...














I cannot get over the colors and figure that pops as I move it around and light hits it differently....it's amazing...as you can see in the pics it literally changes colors lol..

You can get a better sense at my highlighted"worn" areas and my dark "aged" areas...might not be "correct". But it was fun to do and I am pleased at how it is looking.....i know it's not done right as I don't use any black spray paint...lol.

[Long Ears]

Nice job, for a first gun you did great! That's not an easy one to start with. Now you're hooked! Bob

[Mauser06]

Thanx long ears!   


Far from perfect...now that stock is finished the inletting seems tighter so that helps clean it up...some inletting like the trigger area was actually too big to start...can't fix that...


Messed up the toe/buttplate junction...didn't realize my new file wasn't "safe" on the edges...as I worked the old on the buttplate the edge cut...i have a small gap...will likely get a longer toe plate to fix that because it looks sloppy... probably will be cutting it out to fit my inlet...



I have the metal almost finished...i think this will be the last boil...

I used Mark Lee express blue... essentially a rust bluing agent...after its first boil it all looked decent...i think after this boil it'll be what I'm looking for....Couple minutes and I will find out! 





Once the metal is done I will assemble and see what I think....i don't know if the stock needs another coat or not...it has the look I want...i think I aughta stop! 

[Mauser06]

Not a great pic.....but here's  sneak peek!








I am very happy with how the bluing turned out...i am very happy with how the rifle turned out considering it was my first build and happened "on accident".   

Not a work of art...not perfect...but it'll kill critters....and I put it together from a pile of parts and pieces with my own 2 hands...


Got a few tweaks to make...but I will be shooting her within the next few days...

[thimble rig]

Oh that turned out pretty good.I like that.We all make mistakes when we first start out.Thats how we learn.Thanks for posting youre work.Now the fun begins.

[KC]

That's a great looking gun. I like it a lot. Nice fit and finish.

[Mauser06]

Thanx guys!   

I gotta get that dang hammer screw blued...i can't believe I forgot it!! 

I also have clean screws to put in...those ones have been in and out a few times and dinged up...


Also have a hickory ramrod I have to finish...the barrel can with a plastic one that's in it for now...


Here's a couple more pics...














I'm very happy with the look it took on.... really is the rifle I envisioned in my head...


Gunna cut the grass and take care of a few tweaks and hopefully shoot her today!  I guess if she goes boom I an say I kinda built a gun! 



Will make a nice hunting rifle....and although not perfect or correct to anything it'll always be a special rifle to me...lotta sweat and literally blood in that stock..(only stuck myself twice with the chisels and bled on the stock both times lol).


I learned a LOT from building the rifle...i had nearly no prior knowledge...and didn't intend for it to be a build..i thought it'd be a easy "put together"   when I ordered the stock..

I found entire build very enjoyable and satisfying...a lot of time and work...but I know there isn't another one of those rifles in the world...that one is truly MINE...built with my own 2 hands...

Can't wait to drop a deer with it!!!

[P.W.Berkuta]

Looks good -- you transformed it into something you can be proud of - a far cry from where you started .

[L. Akers]

Very credible job for a first build--much better than my first.  You can be proud of what you have done.   To critique your work I would say you could still remove a lot of wood.  If you (imaginarily) extend the top wrist line through the butt, a lot of wood above that line could be removed to become concave-shaped and faired into the wrist.  I would flatten the surface of the cheekpiece, reducing the bulk at the comb.  Laying a straight-edge from the outside edge of the buttplate return to the point of the comb will give you a reference to work to.  Study of antiques, pictures and top-line maker's works will give you examples of how to fair wood surfaces together.  Now that you have one done, you gotta do another!

[Mauser06]

Thanx guys!


L. Akers, I appreciate the input!!   Criticism won't hurt my feelings...i am happy with how it turned out...but I know I have a lot to learn and there is a lot of room for improvement...i can't improve if I don't learn from mistakes and take criticism and put it to use.   

I didn't realize how much wood was actually there when I started...i knew it was pretty "fat" but after I started shaping I realized the bulk left on...which is rather have than not...can always remove wood...but I haven't found a way to add more lol.  The shaping was the funnest part of it for me..i really enjoyed that...and it's one of the areas I want to learn...i would really like to get to the point I an take a plank and a pile of parts and make it into a rifle...


If anyone notices...i know the buttplate is jacked up...i realized i was removing the wrong area a little too late while inletting it....to correct it the stock would end up far too short... still functional and shoulders fine....just looks a bit goofy if you have the eye to catch it...