My rifle

[billd]

Here's a link to some pictures of a gun I have almost done.  I built it strictly for me to shoot, no claims to any particular style. I'll finish browning it after I sight it in.

I don't want to insult the fine builders of southern guns so I'm calling my gun a non-northern generic rifle built by a yankee. Except for building one of Dennis's Gillespie's it's my first attempt at this style.

This gun began it's life as a copy of Fred Miller's Fourdney pattern. I used that because it fit me perfect. From then on I just took off whatever wood looked like it didn't belong.

It's stocked in curly ash, finished with my own aqua fortis, a Rice 44" B weight .45 barrel, Chambers Late Ketland Lock that I should have rounded off. The trigger guard is one of Dennis's that I thinned down and stretched 3/8", trigger is a RE Davis that I slightly reshaped. The butt plate is an old H&H I found in Fred Millers shop.

I'm not happy with what browning I have done. I'll probably redo it. I started with Wakhon Bay Tru-Brown and wasn't happy with the way it was progressing so I put LMF over the top of it and it got too aggressive.
 
If your interested in seeing it here's the link to the pictures:  http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h98/tobyje/ASH%20STOCKED%2045/

I took this gun down to Dave Keck and had him make me a duplicate in walnut I'm going to put a Rayle .25 barrel in.


Thanks for looking,
Bill

[G-Man]

Bill - looks nice. 

I have the same stock pattern with a 46 inch, 47 caliber Rayl barrel that is going to be used on a Joseph Bogle style gun.  That butt has enough height and width to make a wide variety of styles, depending on how much you take off the comb or toeline.

Guy

[Dennis Glazener]

Bill,
Good looking rifle, how was the ash to work with?

I like the way you "stretched" the Gillespie guard, makes it look more like a hand forged guard.
Dennis

[Birddog6]

That is a good looking rifle !!  Nice job !   

[Bill of the 45th]

Bill, Nice looking.  I like the ash, and the dark stain.  My thoughts are that with that dark a color, you'll lose the profile with browned metal.  I would cold blue and rub back, to leave more contrast between wood, and metal.  I'm glad you used an english style lock, as it's more correct, even for a generic southern style by a northerner.  great job.

Bill

[billd]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Dennis,  
Ash is, well, a pain in the ash sometimes. It's very hard but the rings have a pith in them. If your inletting line happens to fall on a pith line it can be trouble. I had it happen on the entry pipe. It came out OK, but what a pain in the ash.

Sanding gave me trouble too. I guess because it's so light I had problems seeing scratches left over from the coarser paper. I went from 120 to 180 t0 240 to 320 to 400 and wetted it twice and still found left over scratches when I stained.

All in all, I'd do another, I really like the look. Actually I have a 46" .54 inletted into a ash blank already, but that's next winters project.

Bill

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Nicely done.  I love these rifles, and am always happy to see new examples.  One day.......