Longrifle: 40cal swamped flintlock

[danmart77]

​

With the heat level backing off a bit, I decided to get back to the bench and start working. Its not the heat that bothers me(see that fan is great)-- its the bugs eating me alive.​

​

Well here's the beginning of a flintlock longrifle. The photos below show the curly maple slab with the most difficult part of the project completed: Inletting the barrel into the stock. In some cases, the barrel is octagonal and uniform from breech to muzzle. Not so with this rifle. The barrel is 44" long and it is "swamped" What that means is the the barrel is 1" wide across the flats at the breech then it slowly tapers down to 11/16" and then flares to 13/16" at the muzzle. The barrel channel has to be tapered to seat this kind of barrel.

After many hours, the barrel is inlet and you get to inlet the breech plug.

You will see I jumped ahead and cut the channel for the ramrod and drilled the hole for the ramrod to be stored.

I will be posting photos in my photo album area under Rifles: Blackpowder only. The photos are an attempt to show the sequence of building a longrifle from a slab. Hopefully the photos will make things understandable.

danmart77​

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

 

[TracyP]

Interesting project. I'll be looking for more in process pictures:icon_thum

 

[rcflyer23]

Can't wait to see this one through. Looks like it's going to be a Nice long gun. How did you shape the channel for the barrel?

 

[woodArtz]

Very interesting. Can't wait to see more of the progress.:icon_thum

 

[Threejs]

Looks like it is going to be a beauty. Where did you get your barrel, and what kind of lock will you put on it?

 

[sawman101]

That's a fascinating project! I'll be anxiously watching it come together.:eusa_danc

 

[Sealeveler]

Thanks for the pics,keep the photos going.Looks like a fine piece of maple there.
Tony

 

[BWSmith]

Neat!

Agree with other posters....keep pics coming and that does look like a nice pc of Maple.BW

 

[jdulaney]

One thing I've always wanted to do was to hand forge a barrel. I've done replacement parts of locks; etc. before, but never a barrel. One of these days...

Jolly good show, so far.

 

[danmart77]

Forging the barrel is a major task but its not the end of the deal. I was up at Chuck Dixons Gunmakers Fair in PA at the end of July. There was one group making a barrel(at forge and anvil). Next to them was another group that was reaming the bore of a hand forged barrel to a uniform circumference. Next to them was a third group of guys that were putting the lands/grooves in the bore of a reamed barrel for the proper twist.

Now this was the work of 3 different groups taking turns working on a stage of the rifle barrel completion. I don't even want to know how long it would take to make the boring machine(hand cranked) or how long to build the reamer. Well if you complete that... now you have to make the reamer cutters and the rifling cutters. So now you have the tooling.. is your forge up and running? Do you have a friend who is willing hammer some of the time while you get your "second wind" going?

At some point you will get to shape the stock and work on the fun stuff. Its too much for me. Lately, I am considering pre carved stocks so I can get to the carving, wire inlay, and patchbox engraving. You know... the arts and craftsy stuff we can do with magnification under artificial light with the air conditioner on like the guys did in the 18th century. Ha.

I'm doing this at the end of the day when I can get ahead of the grass, broken cars and leaky roofs. All I do is really "gunstocking" in the 21 century. On occasion, I like to make a lock or make a buttplate to do something a little different. Its fun but time heavy. In a way its like cutting hand dovetails. Its good for the soul I guess.

Hope to get back to the bench tonight to work on getting the breechplug tang inlet. If I get lucky, I'll do a little on my tomahawk. I need it for my students who are going to come over the hill on Thursday(1st day of school).

later
danmart77

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery

 

[jdulaney]

I'm in the process of 'tooling up' my shop. I've started building the forge. Once I get done with that, I have to make several general purpose smithing tools (chisels, flatters, fullers, nail header, etc.). Then I'll build a treadle lathe. I plan to make it so that I can bore barrels as well as turn both metal and wood by switching the tools on top. A lot of work, but this is all a hobby. By that point my shop will be heated/cooled, so unless I'm using the forge it will be climate controlled.

 

[danmart77]

John
It sounds like you are in the "have fun" mode big time. Love to see the boring machine when you get going.

Dan

 

[jdulaney]

There's a reason why I crank techno when I'm smithing. A nice beat works well with hammering and pumping the bellows (yes, I've made a set of great bellows for my new forge; I had the materials on hand, so that's what I went with). I'm waiting on firebrick now to build the actual forge. I've also taken delivery of a 200# anvil that's in great condition. Won't be much longer and I'll be going at the house.

This Friday I'm planning on doing some smithing downtown for Fourth Friday if the coal the city has ordered arrives in time.