OT: Black Powder Rifle Building
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OT: Black Powder Rifle Building
Anyone here build their own black powder guns? Care to share pictures, target, gear, etc? I found www.trackofthewolf.com and was thinking of getting a kit and trying a build some day.
Johnny
Johnny
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
You should also try www.americanlongrifles.com (I moderate there, too).
I don't build anymore. I don't think I'm good enough. There are a BUNCH of pros over there and they are GREAT guys, just like here!
I don't build anymore. I don't think I'm good enough. There are a BUNCH of pros over there and they are GREAT guys, just like here!
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Okay Hobie so you've got to have some rifles and/or gear laying around. Lets see some of it.
Two rifles that I want, a Hawkens and a Whitworth. I see that Navy Arms sales a Whitworth that is .451 Don't know much about casting but it seems black powder would be a good way to get into and learn about both.
Johnny
Two rifles that I want, a Hawkens and a Whitworth. I see that Navy Arms sales a Whitworth that is .451 Don't know much about casting but it seems black powder would be a good way to get into and learn about both.
Johnny
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
No I don't, nothing I've done. It has all gone to others to "fix" and use. As I said, I wasn't any good. I just don't have the eye for the lines. Mechanically I'm ok but my aesthetics suck.
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
- kimwcook
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 7978
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:01 pm
- Location: Soap Lake, WA., U.S.A.
I've thought of doing that for a number of years. Here's another site you might like to look at. I've drooled over their pieces for as long as I've had the urge; http://www.tennesseevalleymanufacturing.com/
It looks like they're currently carrying only one kit. They used to carry about 10.
It looks like they're currently carrying only one kit. They used to carry about 10.
Old Law Dawg
- Griff
- Posting leader...
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I built a T/C Hawken, .54 from one of their kits many years ago. Sold it off a few months later for a Uberti built copy of a J&S Hawken in .53 cal. The kit only re,quired metal & wood finish, and I did that poorly.
The Uberti with its longer barrel & 1:66 twist is a much better RB shooter, evwn with its primitive sights.
And, far better lookin'!
The Uberti with its longer barrel & 1:66 twist is a much better RB shooter, evwn with its primitive sights.
And, far better lookin'!
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
- Old Time Hunter
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 2388
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:18 am
- Location: Wisconsin
- horsesoldier03
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 2072
- Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:32 pm
- Location: Kansas
Here is my .50 cal Lyman GPR and a Pietta 1860 .44 and a CVA .45 kit pistol that I built when I was 16. I am currently making a bowie and a patch knife out of an old horse rasp that I am working on. The antlers that you see in the pic will end up as the handles for the two knifes and hopefully a short start and powder measure for my rifle.
Almost forgot, checkout www.muzzleloadingforum.com
Almost forgot, checkout www.muzzleloadingforum.com
- Shasta
- Senior Levergunner
- Posts: 1558
- Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:50 pm
- Location: Shasta County, the far right stronghold in California
I started a left-hand .54 percussion Hawken fullstock back in the late 70's and quickly realized I did not have the necessary skills. This was not a kit gun. The various parts were purchased from several sources advertised in "Muzzle Blasts", the official magazine of the national Muzzle Loading Rifle Association.
The job was turned over to Art, a very good friend who made me a fine rifle of the parts. He later built me a fantastic left-hand .62 caliber flintlock early Hawken style rifle that is an exceptional shooter.
Unfortunately Art passed on a few years back. I was able to purchase a few of the guns he built for himself.
Here is a pic of my flintlock collection. Top gun is the .62 Hawken rifle by Art; second is a .62 smoothbore trade gun by Art; third is a left-hand .54 caliber rifle with swamped barrel built in Oregon by Don Reimer; bottom is a nice little .45 caliber Kentucky style pistol built by Art.
The job was turned over to Art, a very good friend who made me a fine rifle of the parts. He later built me a fantastic left-hand .62 caliber flintlock early Hawken style rifle that is an exceptional shooter.
Unfortunately Art passed on a few years back. I was able to purchase a few of the guns he built for himself.
Here is a pic of my flintlock collection. Top gun is the .62 Hawken rifle by Art; second is a .62 smoothbore trade gun by Art; third is a left-hand .54 caliber rifle with swamped barrel built in Oregon by Don Reimer; bottom is a nice little .45 caliber Kentucky style pistol built by Art.
Last edited by Shasta on Wed Jul 01, 2020 1:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Advanced Levergunner
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- Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:13 pm
- Location: DeeDee Snavely's Used Guns and Weapons
What makes a barrel a "round ball barrel"? Can/do you swap the two barrels pictured, if so, why?salvo wrote:Here's my Mule Deer gun, TC Hawkins .54 After market round ball barrel, rust brown finish on the barrels/lock and solid brass ram rods.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
-Mark Twain
Proverbs 3:5; Philippians 4:13
Got to have a Jones for this
Jones for that
This running with the Joneses boy
Just ain't where it's at
-Mark Twain
Proverbs 3:5; Philippians 4:13
Got to have a Jones for this
Jones for that
This running with the Joneses boy
Just ain't where it's at
I built it in 1984-85 so my memory is a bit fuzzy as far as twist rates go, but the long barrel that is installed is the round ball barrel, it was made to just shoot round balls, it has a different twist rate and deeper rifling. The other barrel came with the rifle, it is made to shoot conicals and round balls, kinda an all around barrel. They do interchange if I ever want to shoot conicals.
ScottS
"No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."
-- Ronald Reagan
"No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."
-- Ronald Reagan
DerekR, I don't remember the name of the rear sight, but I can tell you it is a very nice sight and would be worth looking for one from one of the black powder suppliers.
Here are a few pictures of it and the front sight.
Here are a few pictures of it and the front sight.
ScottS
"No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."
-- Ronald Reagan
"No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."
-- Ronald Reagan
Yes round ball twist are slow usualy 1/48 or slower dependeing on the caliber.awp101 wrote:OK, so there IS a difference between round ball and conical rifling, thanks!
Here is my TC Renegade .50cal that I put together.
Kit
Completed rifle
My boys and I put it together our selves
Jeremy
GySgt USMC Ret
To err is human, To forgive is devine, Neither of which is Marine Corps policy
Semper Fidelis
GySgt USMC Ret
To err is human, To forgive is devine, Neither of which is Marine Corps policy
Semper Fidelis
Just so you're not disappointed a "kit" from Track of the Wolf is not a kit. IIRC somewhere in the pages of the hard copy of their catalog they make that statement. A lot of companies like T/C or CVA have put out kits in that past that would basically go together just as you got them from the factory. All that was basically needed was to sand, stain, and shoot.
Track lists their parts together in groups for ease of shopping. there is more that needs to be done to make a functioning rifle when you purchase your parts from Track. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with that, when you buy from them you do get top quality parts. they also backorder out of stock parts quite often.
Track lists their parts together in groups for ease of shopping. there is more that needs to be done to make a functioning rifle when you purchase your parts from Track. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with that, when you buy from them you do get top quality parts. they also backorder out of stock parts quite often.
If you're gonna be stupid ya gotta be tough-
Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
Thanks Rusty, I didn't know that.
What tools are needed to build a kit? Guess that depends on which kit you buy, huh? Also, how do yall blue the parts? Would a cold blue work?
T/C looks to be the budget kit to purcahse and start with. That Lyman GPR is nice though.
Johnny
What tools are needed to build a kit? Guess that depends on which kit you buy, huh? Also, how do yall blue the parts? Would a cold blue work?
T/C looks to be the budget kit to purcahse and start with. That Lyman GPR is nice though.
Johnny
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
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- Levergunner 3.0
- Posts: 559
- Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:53 pm
- Location: Surrey, England
The Rifle Shoppe http://www.therifleshoppe.com/ has some nice kits but they are not inexpensive. I built their Baker Rifle kit last winter, my first attempt at a kit, and I was surprised at how well it turned out. My home machine shop is back in England so here in New York I only had hand tools, a Dremel and a Workmate as a bench. The metal parts are mostly cast from original parts so a lot of hand finishing is required. The stock was very well inlet and really just required staining and finishing.Hardest part for me was cutting the dovetails for the sights and the three fittings to take the keys that hold the barrel on. Browning the barrel proved to be a problem in a low-humidity winter. I used Laurel Mountain Forge cold browning solution but on my first attempt nothing happened at all. In the end I heated up the guest bathroom to 100F, ran the shower at max for 10 minutes and then suspended the treated barrel above the tub full of hot water. Final result was a deep brown barrel(and a very angry wife).
Perry Owens
Perry Owens
- Griff
- Posting leader...
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For the .50 cal & up rifles, conicals, being heavier, need a faster twist to stabilize. From my reading, I understand a 1:36" for a .54 cal is optimal. From my experience w/my two forays into muzzloading, the 1:48" T/C uses in the majority of its kits and completed rifles is considered a "compromise" twist. They will generally have deeper riflling also. Actual accuracy will be quite dependent on indivvidual barrel's quality and the variable assembly of the componentry you select for your BP shooting. For RBs, the slower 1:66" is more conducive to fine accuracy with its higher launch speeds.awp101 wrote:OK, so there IS a difference between round ball and conical rifling, thanks!
Then there's always the matter of "concentracity and its effect on projectile stability, swaged vs. cast, shallow vs. deep rifling, patch thickness, powder grade or quality, then "sprue up vs. down"! Ad Infinitum!
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
-
- Levergunner 2.0
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:33 pm
- Location: Blue Ridge, Va
-
- Advanced Levergunner
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- Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:13 pm
- Location: DeeDee Snavely's Used Guns and Weapons
I REALLY want one of those...perry owens wrote:The Rifle Shoppe http://www.therifleshoppe.com/ has some nice kits but they are not inexpensive. I built their Baker Rifle kit last winter, my first attempt at a kit, and I was surprised at how well it turned out.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
-Mark Twain
Proverbs 3:5; Philippians 4:13
Got to have a Jones for this
Jones for that
This running with the Joneses boy
Just ain't where it's at
-Mark Twain
Proverbs 3:5; Philippians 4:13
Got to have a Jones for this
Jones for that
This running with the Joneses boy
Just ain't where it's at