TOW Bucks County Rifle Kit Update

[Swamp Rat]

Dang we getting to the end Mr. B. Hope you plan on doing another Build season after this one.

 

[duelist1954]

The stock is stained and finished. The patch is certainly visible, but I guess it could have been worse.

 

[Swamp Rat]

there still the vent pick idea. :wink:
I had my daughter look and she did not notice the patch. Mr. B I think the cutting board may have had some trace oil deep into it, that probably did not allow the stain to penetrate like the rest.
I think I've learned another thing from you, work on left side of gun first then the right side.
Lets see we got Staining video, sight installation video, Rust browning video, shooting video, then the article. Then Chambers Rifle kit build coming in the fall. :thumbsup:

 

[tlallijr]

Looking good !! The patch gives it character, makes it yours...

 

[duelist1954]

Swamp Rat, the sights went on today. I used a Brownell's dovetail file to do the front sight after the TOW sight chisel rolled a 7, but I tried the chisel again on the rear sight, which has a much shallower dovetail. It worked, but I still cleaned up the undercuts with the file.

The barrel is now browning in my make-shift humidity box, which is a lunchbox sized cooler with a beer stein of boiling water set into it and the whole shebang covered by a 55-gal contractor's plastic trash bag. (I might be a redneck... LOL)

 

[Swamp Rat]

I looked at that tool and must say you have a better picture than the people selling it. Also I would be terrified to use it on something I cared about. Your not a red Neck by a long shot you have sentence structure. also never played craps so don't know if roll 7 is good or bad.
so which chambers kit you going to do? what I've seen is you get better with practice.

 

[duelist1954]

My next build won't be a chambers kit. In fact, I doubt that I'll ever build another kit. I don't think the kit's partially inletted lock mortice does you any favors.

My next project will be a .40 caliber Lehigh County rifle. I picked up a stock with good tight curl from Tiger Hunt and a nice Siler late Ketland flint lock along with some brass from Dave Keck at Knob Mountain. iI've got a Green Mountain barrel, and I'm ready to get started when I wrap up the current build

 

[Vaino]

Hi....Nice going on the present build. Picking a Lehigh for your second build displays a lot of courage and perseverence or something....Lehighs are probably the most difficult LRs to "get right".

Is Keck profiling the buttstock....that's what I would have done. Getting the architecture correct from a blank, especially the wrist, is achieved by very few beginners.

TOW sells some Lehighs and most aren't "right" and a few are even built by fairly experienced builders. Anyways....good luck w/ the Lehigh.....Fred

 

[duelist1954]

Hi Fred, Tiger Hunt profiled the stock. I picked it up at Dixon's fair last July.

 

[Swamp Rat]

Whooo HOOO Season Two! Good deal I'm glad to hear that. I followed your advise from, like video three when I ordered my wood and did not have the lock inlet, worked out good for me. I'm doing a 40cal 13/16" Green mountain straight barrel. Not following a school, more like a the John Cash song, where he built a car from parts he took home in the tool box, built a 63,64,65,67 Mustang. So Mine is a 1720,1820,1850,1950 Squog. Using Jaeger thimbles OH what a pain. LOL.

 

[THOM]

Mike; sure hope you are going to film .40 caliber Lehigh County rifle project..
Have learned much from this build..
Thank you so much..
be well
thom

 

[duelist1954]

The Bucks County build is 99.9% finished. I'm just waiting for the finish to dry on the ramrod. Then I'll pin the RR tip in place, and...DONE!!!

Video in a week or two...
Bigger picture
http://i.imgur.com/4QNF4nv.jpg

 

[Swamp Rat]

She came out Nice Mr. B., How you getting your pictures coming out so good. You take it to a studio to get those done?

 

[JackP]

That thing really turned out nice Mike.
Thanks for all you movies, they are a real encouragement.

Jack

 

[stuartg]

The rifle really did turn out wonderfully. Your videos actually encouraged me to do my first build! Thanks so much for contributing that :grin:

 

[duelist1954]

Swamp Rat, I have a studio down in the shop. I earn my daily bread as a gun writer, so photography just goes with the territory.

Of course, shot I took on the bench while building aren't as controlled as beauty shot like this one.

 

[duelist1954]

Here is the second to the last video update on this build. This one covers stock finishing and installing sights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYDucmmmOY8

 

[Birddog6]

Just an observation, but I keep looking at the finished rifle & think the lock panels are not correct going into the wrist. I think the thumbnails are too large & just don't appear correct in shape for that rifle.

Also I think the patchbox is slightly oversize for the size of the buttstock, which got the bottom right side of it almost in the molding line. I know they are large for the Bucks like that, but that just appears a tad large or the angle is off slightly or both.

Also, since it is such a large patchbox, I think it needs some lines & engraving to enhance it.

Now these are just thoughts...... you said to toss them at you in the initial post, so I am tossing. :redface: And I am not cutting the rifle, as it is a nice rifle. :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[Swamp Rat]

That dove tail tool, would be a door stop tool. You getting short on the videos Mr. B. should have had the barrel work in front. The browning looked like it came out good.

 

[duelist1954]

Keith, You won't get an argument from me on either of those points. This is only the second time that I've put beaver tails on lock molding, and I wasn't completely happy with them either.

I'll just say that it is still the best lock molding that I've done to date, but I have a long way to go before I'll be proud of it.

I agree about the size of the patchbox. This is "The" commercially sold Bucks County patchbox, and I figured the maker knew what he was doing, but as I was installing it, I thought it was awfully big. But, by then I was committed.

I may get a border engraved around it...been thinking on that...

Thanks for the feed back.