Half stock question.

[Crow#21957]

I know it would not be period correct but I build for me nothing else. So couldn't I take a full stock and cut it back to about 2 in. On front of entry thimble and pour a nose cap on about 1 1/2in of that add a ribald have half stock. Like a tn classic half stock. The rb would match the area between the barrel and entry thimble I would think.
Just thinking

 

[Crow#21957]

forgive my spelling it's my old fingers. I will proof read from now on

 

[necchi]

Well sure, I question the 2" measurement, I mean you still want the thing to look kinda like a gun should,, and not have 2/3rds of it be just barrel.
But cutting back a stock, pouring a cap and adding an under rib is possible and fairly easy.
Just consider all options before ya make a cut, and remember it's easier to cut more off than it is to un-cut something.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Hey, @Crow#21957

Don't worry about the spelling. I make errors all the time. However, if you find you made an error and you want to fix it, look down in the lower left corner of the box your message is in and find the word "Edit." Click on that, and it will re-open your post so you can add to it or fix spelling or grammatical errors or take care of any other problems you see. Once you have fixed it the way you like it, look for a little orange box that has "Save" in it. This orange box will be right below your post and near center. Your edited post will then go up for everybody to read.

I'm not sure of the time "window" that is allowed for editing. It may be pretty short for new members, possibly as little as half an hour. I think established forum members have 24 hours to make edits. After that, your post is locked in, although if you find a serious error I guess you could contact the moderators and ask them to fix it for you.

As for cutting your full-stocked rifle back to a half-stock, it can be and has been done. This original J&S Hawken rifle was built as a fullstock, but was almost certainly cut back to half-stock configuration at some point in its history:



This next rifle is in the New Mexico State Museum in Santa Fe. It is my understanding that it is unmarked, but it is believed to have been made Samuel Hawken, and it was originally a fullstock. The barrel rib on this one is made of wood! The photo was taken by a forum member who is a descendant of the original owner. He submitted several posts about it. I lifted the image from one of his posts on this thread: Assistance replicating a museum piece



I've never tried to install a wooden rib, but from what I have heard, it is simply pinned to the barrel, using the same tenons that were used to secure the forend of the fullstock. The ramrod pipes are flanged, as they would be for a fullstock, and are pinned to the rib.

James Josiah Webb was a Santa Fe trader who wrote a book about his experiences, Adventures in the Santa Fe Trade, 1844-1847. He had a rifle he called "Old Blackfoot," which was originally "whole-stocked" (full stocked), but after a few years he had it overhauled and made into a halfstock:



So, lots of old rifles were half-stocked as you describe, and it is therefore a "period correct" practice. However, as brother @necchi said, it is pretty hard to un-cut something, so you'll want to make sure you get it right.

Good luck with it!

Notchy Bob

 

[Crow#21957]

Thankyou guys.The 2 in I was talking about is like the ohio vincent was made. That was its design. But it is a little odd.

 

[rdane]

I understand what you mean by the 2” . You can even leave more if you want. There were some that were referred to as three quarter stocks.