Ideas for early dutch 16 ga barrel

[Osprey]

I just picked up a gorgeous Rice, 41" early dutch barrel in 16 gauge (.66), rifled from a forum member.  Will be a while before I get to it, still don't even have a workbench set up in the new house from when I moved this year and a few things ahead of it on the mental schedule, but how about some ideas?  I'm leaning toward something early, germanic and transitional, guess I've looked at too many of those Ed Wenger guns, but far from settled on direction.

Suggestions?

[P.Bigham]

Look at Alan Martins website. He has used that barrel.

[Dave Marsh]

There is a guy in Iowa that might have ideas what to do with that barrel..... 

[rich pierce]

It’s kind of surprising to buy a barrel without a plan!

Well the first decision is whether to make a gun that could have been stocked here or build a European gun. This will determine what wood you use and also the range of sophistication of carving and engraving.

If you choose to stock up a European gun you could use the book of Shumway’s articles Longrifles of Note articles from Muzzle Blasts. There was a series of articles on Euro guns.  I’d look for something made 1720-60 for a barrel that massive.  Expect to pay $300 and up for Euro walnut blanks.

If you choose to build a gun that could have been stocked here then it would likely be a restock of a gun made in Europe with either all the same parts or a collection of parts married together. Less sophistication. Maple or cherry make it clear it was probably stocked here.

I have 2 mondo barrels we had Charlie Burton make years ago. Both are 36.75” long and 1 and a quarter” or 1 and 3/8” at the breech. I forget. One is .54 and one .62. The plan was to build rifles based on the Musician’s rifle, the Deschler rifle, the tulip rifle, the Natty Bumpo rifle, or an unpublished rifle a guy I know sent pix of. Hopefully I’ll get one done using one of these barrels in 2021.

Locks are a tough choice. Most likely lock type befitting a build with such a barrel is a mid 1700s Germanic lock. Limited selection but Chris Laubach’s CNC’d jaeger lock is waaay up there.

[Ed Wenger]

I’d second the suggestion of lookin at A. Martin’s website, lots of inspiration there!  Best,

Ed

[Osprey]

I like that early swiss/lancaster on Allen's site, sort of the direction I was already thinking.  Was leaning toward either the Laubach lock or Chambers early germanic and already have some odds and ends of Jaeger brass.  Thinking more of an american rebuild, already have a full set of wood, lock, brass and barrel to do a proper Jaeger, too. 

It's good to have a plan, but just like hunting sometimes it's better to listen to the wind and see where it takes ya.     With wait times on barrels I'd rather get ahead of myself on ideas and parts, too.

After a year off building anything from selling my farm, looking around, moving and now working on the new place I'm really anxious to get back to the bench.  Of course I still have to build a bench, and finish house work, and hunt some, and build benchwork for the new train layout, and etc, and etc...

[alacran]

Though European walnut was the commonly used wood on Germanic rifles. It was not exclusively used.  Maple was also used.
In Steischloss Jaegerbuschen, there are four rifles, two smooth bores , and a pair of matching pistols made of maple.