greenhorn question

To all who posted pics. Thanks I truly love to see the BEAUTIFUL things we call flintlock rifles regardless of style or hc/pc correct. :bow:

Number19 said:

Nice. What finish did Matt put on your iron? Was this your choice or his?

Click to expand...

I believe this is their standard browning of the steel furniture.

Chessie said:

Hello everyone. I've ordered an early virginia rifle from tvm with antiqued steel furniture. I read on some other posts that many recommend the brass furniture. I guess the brass would be easier to maintain? Is it hc for that period? The pictures on the tvm site don't show a lot of detail, so I was hoping maybe someone who has this model could post a pic,either with the brass or the steel. Thanks

Click to expand...

Brass is no harder to maintain than steel, except those who insist on keeping their brass mirror bright. I prefer a patina on my metal.

flintlock62 said:

Brass is no harder to maintain than steel, except those who insist on keeping their brass mirror bright.

Click to expand...

In fact that's a non-issue if its done regularly.
A simple touch up to the few brass pieces as part of every clean-up hardly takes more than a minute.
If nothing is ever allowed to build up on the brass over time in the first place, there's virtually nothing there to deal with each time the ML is used / cleaned up...

roundball said:

flintlock62 said:

Brass is no harder to maintain than steel, except those who insist on keeping their brass mirror bright.

Click to expand...

In fact that's a non-issue if its done regularly.
A simple touch up to the few brass pieces as part of every clean-up hardly takes more than a minute.
If nothing is ever allowed to build up on the brass over time in the first place, there's virtually nothing there to deal with each time the ML is used / cleaned up...

Click to expand...

Some of the guys around me should spend more time caring for their bore than their brass. Just sayin

I'm fanatical when it comes to gun care...always have been.
On my Flintlocks I even remove the frizzen pivot screw & frizzen after every use to completely clean fouling out of that area, lightly relube the moving/pivoting parts, top of the spring, etc.

If I case one then go off on a tangent shooting something different for 6 months, I don't worry about the cased one because I know its 100% showroom ready inside & out...

good lord Roundball! I wasnt talking about you! :rotf:
I was thinking of some of the guys that live around me. Rifles look emaculate on the surface but their bores and locks are filthy. Sorry if you took that as a stab at you.

Oh no, I didn't take it as if you were referring to me...was just adding that I'm probably to the extreme in the opposite direction from those you referred to...

:thumbsup:

If you are really interested in PC/HC then there are many issues to look at with this particular gun as it is offered in its basic form from the builder, I woud say first and formost .what associates it with Virginia and how early is it supposed to be,once these atre answered then one can go into the details of furniture type and barrel,lock you will likley add a considerable amount to the base cost if you go for the PC/HC goal, most for hunting or 'vous use just get what they like and be happy with it and not worry about history.

Number19 said:

Have you got some close-ups of your lock and barrel. I'd like to see the difference between your rifle and Trench's.

Click to expand...

Not a good pic but is the only closeup I have.

One of the reasons I went with iron is that years ago I had a "traditional" sailboat that had a lot of exterior brass. Now granted, there is a lot less on a m/l and it isn't outdoors 100% of the time (and is of better quality, I imagine) but I became so sick of trying to keep that presentable I developed an aversion, if not allergy, to brass. The brass on my Bess was so patinaed didn't look much different from browned steel.

But, hey, it's all good.

My thanks to Trench and Hanshi, you've both got fine looking rifles and I was back and forth on which finish to choose for my own gun. After talking to Toni this morning, and because I'm going with a black walnut stock, I decided on the contrasting color of the aged steel finish.

Toni explained that pre-revolution, steel was less available because mostly it was imported from England, and so was reserved for barrels and locks. Brass was more readily available and easy for the colonists to work with, so furniture was made from brass.

I have a TVM Early Virginia by Jack Garner and a .62 smoothie from Jackie Brown and i have iron furniture on both. I personally like the looks of the browned iron look better than brass. Gives em that rustic look!

Stumpkiller said:

One of the reasons I went with iron is that years ago I had a "traditional" sailboat that had a lot of exterior brass. Now granted, there is a lot less on a m/l and it isn't outdoors 100% of the time (and is of better quality, I imagine) but I became so sick of trying to keep that presentable I developed an aversion, if not allergy, to brass. The brass on my Bess was so patinaed didn't look much different from browned steel.

But, hey, it's all good.

Click to expand...

:rotf:

Ah man, how well I relate. I paid for a few years of college as crew on a classic wooden sloop, which meant I was mostly polishing brass.

Come to think of it, in a couple dozen muzzleloaders, there's only brass on a couple of them. And I rub it with dirty patches every time I swab the bore. Long live patina! :grin:

"Toni explained that pre-revolution, steel was less available because mostly it was imported from England, and so was reserved for barrels and locks"

I would like to know of the source for pre-revolution steel for barrels,and that gun is not likely pre-revolution anyway FWIW, this sounds like some revisionalist history at work, I have said many times there are good gunmakers and good gun historians and very few who are both.one cannot rely on a semi-custom builder as the primary source of the history related validty of their own product, independent research is a must to act as a checks and balances system in this situation.

:thumbsup: I sailed on the great lakes in my youth and made the mistake of signing on a passenger vessel;once.You have no idea of how much brass there is on one of those things.I can't stand brass in any shape or form.Iron parts all the way.

tg, I think what they were trying to say is that the locks and barrels would have been steel/iron, and the rest of the furniture most likely brass pre-revolutionary times. At least that is how I interpreted it. I think we can pretty much agree on that. :v

I could go with iron barrels in the 18th century

Iron? Well, yeah! Steel barrels in the 18th century? Can't really say I've heard much about that. Brass? I've seen it used in a few old pieces and that could easily have been bronze, instead. Rifles and muskets/fowlers? Wrought iron seemed to be the metal of choice. I do know of wood being found as a component of cannon barrels :shocked2: .