Riflefor The Western Trade

[alacran]

I don't usually build rifles from pre-carves. However this came under an offer I couldn't refuse. The pre-carve was for a full stock Hawken along with an 1&1/8th"  36 inch long Green Mountain Barrel.
I all ready had a  NOS L&R Late English flintlock .  It was about 30 years old. Before they were bead blasting the exterior surfaces. It is a well put together lock. Also I had an L&R Trigger on hand.
I did not want to build a Flintlock Hawken.  Mainly because I've been down that road before. 
I wanted to build what I think was more prevalent at the time. A Midwest rifle built for the Western Trade.
Luckily the pre-carve was only inlet for the barrel and the ramrod channel, nothing else.
There are a lot of things that can be done with that stock since it has ample wood to work with.
I have seen big Honking rifles similar to this one. though usually they are cap locks.












top boy names 2003

I will make mention of the ramrod. It is 7/16" diameter with a 5/32" piano wire core. It tapers down to 3/8th" and has a brass ramrod tip on the tapered end. All the ramrods on the rifles I make are steel reinforced.
I built this about 2 years ago and really haven't fooled with it very much outside of a cursory sight in job.
I donated this gun to the Arizona Winter Independent National Shoot. Since there was not enough time to commission one in time for the shoot.
I do not have those details yet
Any thoughts and comments are welcome.

[stubshaft]

Very nicely done.

[rich pierce]

I’m liking the later Lancaster rifles more and more and this one adds to that. Nicely done.

[Gun_Nut_73]

Beautiful rifle.  What caliber?

[Martin S.]

How do you manage to drill the 5/32 hole the length of the ramrod?

Even on a lathe, I think it would be quite a challenge.

[alacran]

Beautiful rifle.  What caliber?
I'm getting old, I thought I had stated the caliber but I see that I didn't. It is .54 caliber.

[alacran]

How do you manage to drill the 5/32 hole the length of the ramrod?

Even on a lathe, I think it would be quite a challenge.

Heck I have trouble drilling a 5/32" hole straight  if only drilling 11/2" deep.
So no drilling is involved. I'll try to explain the short version on how I do it.
1st I start with a fairly straight grain hickory board about an inch shorter than the rods finished dimension. the board should be about 3" wide
Next I straighten the board on my jointer. One face and both edges. Then I cut a 5/64" deep x  5/32" wide dado on both edges.
Then I rip one of the dadoed edges off the board about 1/2" thick.  I clamp the wider piece on my vice., and I clamp the piece I ripped to it. I make sure the dadoes are aligned. This is done dry. I then run a 5/32" inch bit that I brazed to a 4' rod through the dado to clean it up. Mind you the board is clamped about 4 inches on center. once that is done I take off the clamps. I clean all the grease off of the piano wire. Mix the epoxy. sandwich the whole thing and re clamp it.
After the epoxy is cured, I rip the laminated rod off the board. The trick now is to rip it to the finished dimension of the rod eg.7/16"
while maintaining the same distance to the steel  rod on all four sides. You do not want more than .005 runout. After that there are many ways to turn it round. You can first make it octagonal with a hand plane and pull it through a doweling plate.
Maybe I'll take some photos next time I make one.  One caveat, if piano wire is used the ends must be anealed about 2 inches. If not you wont be able to drill it to cross pin it.
Wow that tired me out almost as much as making one.

[Martin S.]

Thanks for the very detailed explanation!

Your method sounds very doable.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Very credible rifle for the purpose.  There were dozens of rifle makers other than the Hawken shop, in St. Louis alone, and your rifle is a good representative of one of those.  Interesting accent lines around lock panels and cheek piece...I sort of like that - not seen often.

[Marcruger]

Your finish color reminds me of Taylor's, and I mean that as a high compliment.  Nicely done.  God Bless,   Marc

[alacran]

Very credible rifle for the purpose.  There were dozens of rifle makers other than the Hawken shop, in St. Louis alone, and your rifle is a good representative of one of those.  Interesting accent lines around lock panels and cheek piece...I sort of like that - not seen often.

Thank you Taylor. I think I saw something like that on the lock panels of an English Gun, or it could have been a late German piece. At any rate beaver tails had pretty much had gone out of style by the late flint period. I didn't want to leave the lock panels unadorned.
Thanks to every one for the kind words.  Did not think many would appreciate this type of late flint rifle.

[Craig Wilcox]

Very beautiful rifle, good workmanship shown throughout.  Great color also.