Beginner's first build in the planning stages

First off, you CAN"T build just one, but you can build your first one. Don't try to be too ambitious right at first. Most of the old guns that we all admire and love are carved and engraved. There are a few folks that can pull that off on one their first attempts, but very few. Build a good solid gun that you can learn how to handle and you will be well on your way. In the meantime get access to all of the books that you can and study these things. Soon you will start to notice that these are in fact hand built objects and they do not have the perfection of parallel lines that are produced by machines. A few bobbles will show up here and there, but that is historically correct. Not all of the old guns were built by masters. Your first gun (or your tenth for that matter) will not be perfect, but it will still be a better gun that a machine made copy of a handmade gun. You can build a better gun than you can buy.

When you begin to study you will also begin to learn of the different "schools" of historical gun building. Soon you will be ready to start planning another and you might go for a swamped barrel and fancy wood; maybe even a pierced patchbox. Now you are on your way and there is no turnig back.

Great advice from everyone, I'm in the same boat, researching to build my first rifle. Leaning towards a Lancaster style .54 flintlock. Have several years of custom cabinet and furniture making under my belt and a shop, have done some metal work on the farm..... still apprehensive on inletting a swamped barrel?

Slim - inletting a swamp is far more "mentally difficult" than the actual physical work involved (if that makes sense).

With a straight barrel you have a set width and set depth.

With a swamp (and a taper to a lesser degree) The width is ever changing as is the depth.

Sometimes if you read how to do it you end up more confused than you thought you were in the first place.

But, if you think it out and take your time (2 or 3 hours a night for a week on your first swamp inlet would be normal/typical) it really isn't all that difficult. Try and rush and it will look like something Fido left on the ground in the back yard.

I'm going to start a swamp inlet in about a week or so and had already planned to document it with pics.

Here's kinda a "teaser" of the method I'm going to show, right from preparing the flat steel, top of the stock etc.

May help you decide if you are up to the job unless I really jigger it up :rotf:

Best way I have found to upload photos is get a photobucket account. Create a library, ie: "FIRST BUILD" You upload pics from there then once they are uploaded you can click on each picture. On the right will be a tab that says share this album. Left click the botom tab that says slide show. It will say copied. It only copies the one picture. Then go to your post and left click where you want it to get the curser then right click and paste. It will show up and you can check by hitting preview post. Remember though if you ever remove the picture from PB you will loose it from your post. I hate researching things from a year or so ago and find all the pictures have been removed because the photobucket was emptied.

I'm gonna fiddle with photobucket once I have something decent to post. Thanks for the advice.

I'm ordering my barrel tonight or tomorrow and decided I'm gonna give the dovetails a shot but will let them install the breech plug.

As for moving on, I've been trying to find a decent used benchtop bandsaw though craigslist has been slow on those recently. I'd prefer a bigger one, but given my work space, creating that much saw dust and then having to hide from my wife till she cools off just will not bode well for my progress. I'm opting for a bench top that I can take out under the porch.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a minimum size bandsaw? I don't want to run into a problem where the motor just can't handle the piece of wood.

Another question and I can't find any previous posts on it, but as far as barrel thickness, does anyone have a specific preference? I was thinking of going with a 7/8" .50 caliber barrel for no reason other than many folks I've read or talked to have gone that size. Seems more common.

Just for the sake of throwing more options in the air, does anyone have any preferences? Other than weight, is there any other difference that makes some folks lean other ways with selection?

If you talking about a 42" straight 7/8ths .50 caliber it might be too muzzle heavy for you. I would get a swamped barrel myself. I shoot a G.M. 7/8ths .50 caliber now but its been cut down to 33 inches long and shoots pretty good. I'll be putting in a vent liner soon, the hole I have for a vent has gotten too big. 1000 rounds plus through her.

If we're talking about a swamped barrel it doesn't really mater too much but if we're talking about a straight barrel I always choose the smallest octagon that is offered for the caliber I want.

These straight octagon barrels can be quite heavy and if the barrel is the typical 42 inch ones a LOT of that weight will end up way out there in front.
To say this makes the gun a bit muzzle heavy is a understatement.

According to my TOTW catalog, a 7/8" barrel is the smallest straight octagon barrel available for a .50 caliber bore.

With this being my first build, there is an intimidation factor with inletting a swamped barrel, though like anything else, with patience and care, it will all come out well. I was worried about the weight of a straight octagon barrel at that length, and your replies seem to justify the concern.

I didn't really mean to say that a 7/8 inch octagon .50 caliber barrel is too heavy.

Actually, that barrel weighs 5.05 pounds at 42 inches length which is over a pound lighter than the .50 caliber 15/16" barrel at a similar length.

A 5 pound barrel isn't that muzzle heavy. Add a pound to it and it makes a lot of difference.

I've also found the 13/16" .45 caliber X 42" long barrel to be easy to carry, not noticeably muzzle heavy and great to shoot. It weighs about 4 1/2 pounds.

First build from a blank ? Go with a Straight barrel, learn to Build the Rifle Correctly.... There will be more if you do this one correctly. It is a learning experience & not a race. Correct procedure & building a Safe rifle is a must, & the end result you should strive for.

The Dickert is a good build, I would not go over 42" with a straight barrel as after that the muzzle gets pretty hefty. (for me :idunno: )

Keith Lisle

Put lee valley tools web site in you favorites....and pay no attention to the Creditcard bill each month :youcrazy: :surrender:

I guess still being young and foolish, I might just go with the straight octagon and not worry about the weight, because I'm strong enough to carry it around, right??? I won't get tired, right???

As Birddog said, if I just wanted another rifle, I'd go buy one. I'm doing this to learn to build one.

I'll have to take a raincheck for the credit card statement hiding, or I won't live long enough to finish the rifle if my wife catches wind.