Was able to to finish the rifle up for the weekend. It came out far better than I had expected. Was much easier than I expected and best of all it is beautiful. Very elegant yet simple.
I draw filed and finished the barrel with oxpho blue and rubbed it back until a gray color. I polished up and antiqued all the brass the same 0000 steel wool and the lock is polished up to 0000 steel wool and finished the same way as the barrel. I used Permalyn sealer on the stock as per the directions. Five coats in total I closing the first heavy application. Each one rubbed back with steel wool. I used Kiblers iron nitrate and a heat gun for the staining of the stock. It’s an “extra fancy” grade maple and really is gorgeous.
I put about thirty rounds through it today and not an issue. The lock is fast. Very fast in fact. So fast that a slow motion video shows the main charge igniting before the pan was done.
Accuracy is great. At 50 yards I can put every round inside a 2”dot off a rest. Not bad given I’m terrible with flintlock shooting. I am shooting 70gr of FFFg under a .490 ball and a pillow ticking patch lubed with deer tallow from a deer I killed last fall in archery.
The pics I’ve taken with my phone are too large to upload so I have to get a lower resolution set to post here.
I draw filed and finished the barrel with oxpho blue and rubbed it back until a gray color. I polished up and antiqued all the brass the same 0000 steel wool and the lock is polished up to 0000 steel wool and finished the same way as the barrel. I used Permalyn sealer on the stock as per the directions. Five coats in total I closing the first heavy application. Each one rubbed back with steel wool. I used Kiblers iron nitrate and a heat gun for the staining of the stock. It’s an “extra fancy” grade maple and really is gorgeous.
I put about thirty rounds through it today and not an issue. The lock is fast. Very fast in fact. So fast that a slow motion video shows the main charge igniting before the pan was done.
Accuracy is great. At 50 yards I can put every round inside a 2”dot off a rest. Not bad given I’m terrible with flintlock shooting. I am shooting 70gr of FFFg under a .490 ball and a pillow ticking patch lubed with deer tallow from a deer I killed last fall in archery.
The pics I’ve taken with my phone are too large to upload so I have to get a lower resolution set to post here.
