Shaping a fowler nose

I started rounding my fowler nose off this afternoon. Should the ramrod groove disappear near the place where the forend tapers or fade away on it's way to the nose?

Here is where I stopped this afternoon.

Depends on style. You've gone with a smooth taper but could make the taper more S shaped in profile, resulting in "no groove" near the muzzle (more common). Some English trade guns and fowling pieces had a little relieved area an inch behind the muzzle (or so) that allowed easier gripping of the ramrod. Your first thimble is close to the muzzle so you'll want to go carefully/slowly to get a nice transition.

I really like how nice this is going to look. Drives me nuts to see a ramrod hanging with a big gap off the nose cap area of any gun. And it inevitably snags everything. Are you going to allow for a bulbous ramrod end or is it a straight (constant diameter) rammer?

Thanks a bunch. I am planning on a bulbus ramrod. This is my first fowler so I have been working off pictures for reference which always leaves some voids in the available information.

Just a tip....Don't make your nose narrower than the rest of your forestock. It should be at least as wide and a little wider is better....with the forend tapering in ever so slightly as it follows the barrel back and then back out as the lower forend wides to meet the lock panels. One continuous, almost inperceptable arch.

Shape it to the same profile that the nose cap would have if it were there. Enjoy, J.D.

Hi Eric,
The stock ends were often simply tapered until the ramrod groove almost disappeared and the end rounded over a little. However, I prefer to shape a subtle "Schnabel" forend, which was used on many higher quality guns. To do that, from a point a little in front of the forward ramrod pipe, you gradually taper the bottom of the stock until the groove just about disappears at about 1.5 inches from the end. Then you allow the stock to smoothly flare again until the groove is much more distinct. Finally, you simply round over the end at the muzzle. The fuzzy (zoomed in) image below shows the "schnabel" end. I did not form a smooth taper from the first ramrod pipe because I cut a molding along the ramrod groove on this gun.



dave

This muzzle shape has always appealed to me.

I made the pins to put the ramrod pipes, trigger guard and barrel lugs in today so I put everything together to see how it looks. I still have fat wood places I need to thin and a host of other cosmetic things to fix but it is ready to go bang.

i don't know if what you have is HC/PC, or whether this is important to you.

having said that, i would like to congratulate you on your work thus far- your gun looks really great.

i like the way the ramrod - stock end thing works, and i wouldn't fuss with it any further.

just one guy's opinion - free and no doubt well worth the price.

Not a strict HC/PC guy. This smoothie is jug choked which blows the PC stuff out the window.

I am a new builder(second gun), build what appeals to me and plan to wear my builds out while using them for chasing critters over the hills and hollows.

My first build, I call it a "sorta" Beck rifle, is far from pristine from so many days in the woods and the associated dings and scratches accumulated there in. Put a bunch of deer in the freezer with it using it like it was intender to be used. No wall hangers will ever reside at my house.

I started with some HC/PC plans but changed things to make the turkey gun I wanted(38" barrel, jug choke etc)



Been a long journey from the blank just back from Fred Miller, to a finished gun.

looking good Eric!

I'm thinking of doing a horn cap on the end of the two I'm working on. Dunno how HC that is...but it does look nice imho.

I've always liked this one.





Spence

very nice! is there any good tutorials on doing one like that? I've got a long ways to go before I need to be too concerned with it, but it cant hurt looking .

AkDan, Midway USA has a couple of good clips in thier video library on installing and rounding an Ebony forend tip. Good luck, Steve

Spence, that's really nice looking work!

:hatsoff:

MSW said:

Spence, that's really nice looking work!

Click to expand...

Not mine, sorry to say, I'm no builder. That gun was done by Ron Paull, and his craftsmanship is very impressive, to me. I own several contemporary ML guns, and none of them show the sure hand this one does.

Spence