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Couple pics and want your opinion. Tulle Fusil de chasse

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Crow#21957

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The name is to long. Ok pics coming up. Trying to decide between brass or steel. I've git brass and just ordered steel.I like a nice medium dark piece of wood with steel furniture. When I'm done with this one and my next one if I go steel I will have 4 with steel one with brass. That doesn't matter really. Ok pics.
 

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Ya alot . It's from pecatonica. It is suppose to be a dechasse but doesn't the brass or steel and maybe which side plateaus but plate style would determine if it's a dechasse or fin
 
I'm pretty new to the pc stuff and fusils. Where does it need shaped the most? I plan on really thinking the forearm from lock panel all the way out and the width if buttock. Probably the wrist. The lock panels are a chore fore me ,I hate to mess with those anymore.
 
When I built mine, I was lucky enough to be able to ask Alex Efremenko, the recognized guru of French guns (by other gun builders of note) many questions and even sent him build pictures. His #1 advice? "It must be trim with NO EXTRA wood on it. Remove wood. Do it again. Again ... and then when you finally have removed enough to where you think you ruined it ... you're done!"

Lock Area - Start at lock panels, ensure to add the finial on the end. Shape around under the lock too as there should be a slight depth transition from the lock area to forward where the forend starts. Sometimes that view of the lock area is akin to a snake head, i.e., wider than deep. Then work forward or backward.

Lower forend - This can be tough if your barrel breech area, where octagonal, is not tapered. (Mine wasn't - see photos to follow).

Wrist - Very small around, I go until I can touch my thumb to my fore finger, maybe even smaller (depends).

Buttstock - Carry the ballister line from the wrist way down. Look up some of Alex's guns, online or Facebook.

Upper Forend - A continuous taper to the muzzle, following the barrel taper. Look down from above and there should be < 1/8" to much less wood appearing outside of the barrel on either side. The web between barrel inlet and ramrod channel should be thin, danger thin haha! To make my forend appear thinner I scraped the ramrod hole or groove deeper and cut down the side height to show more ramrod, at least 2/3rds. Trim upper forend top to show 1/2 the barrel.

Be aware this forend will be VERY fragile without the stock in it. I found a wood dowel that somewhat matched the barrel diameter that I placed into the upper forend with elastics, if I had to do any work on it.

Ramrod - Must be very bulbous at the muzzle! I started with a 5/8" hickory bank (from Dan Putz) and turned it down to a 3/8" rod after a few inches, then fully tapered it all the way to and in through the entry thimble/pipe.

Front sight - A good ~5" back from the muzzle and NOT a turtle-shaped blade! They would be shaped like a barleycorn, made of brass, without ONE straight feature on it anywhere ...

Note that this one below, my 1st build, is in no way and NOT intended to be the end all/be all of French arms, but even Dave Person on here commented on it, stating: "Nice job!! Looks very credible as an early French gun." You can find that post under the title by me of, 'Tulle Fusil de chasse, albeit Left-Handed'.

Maybe these will help you visualize your's! Keep asking questions, that's how you learn! Also follow 'Rob M.''s post, as he's building one now. As I probably missed a few other points, like filing in the barrel facets cut on the octagonal before the wedding band transition.

FdC1.jpg


FdC2.jpg


FdC3.jpg
 
Nice photos, good workmanship, and no doubt very helpful to the OP. What is missing and always gave me problems is that it's hard to find views from the top and bottom. There are a lot of details and dimensions there that can't be seen by the side views. A couple of those photos would really help him.
 
It would Crisco Kid but I'm good now. That was a great explanation and to the point and explained quite well I thought. That's the kind of info I would like to get on other questions I've had in the past.Thankyou very much Flint62Smoothie
Alot of guys go off into some explanation that has nothing to do with the question at hand. Thankyou thanyou.
No disrespect meat to others. It's easy to do. I was 40 yr hvac tech I pitty the young guys who ask me for help. LOL
 
Nice photos, good workmanship, and no doubt very helpful to the OP. What is missing and always gave me problems is that it's hard to find views from the top and bottom. There are a lot of details and dimensions there that can't be seen by the side views. A couple of those photos would really help him.
Track of the wolf has plans for the gun. Showing cross sections and top and bottom views. It can even be framed post used
I would highly recommend getting on Rumble videos Bill Raby has an excellent series on building a FDC
 
Hi,
Not all Tulle hunting guns were mounted in iron, some were made with brass mounts, particularly the better grades. You asked for some shaping advice. Lock panels are not difficult. Some have trouble with them because they do them wrong. Ignore cutting in any moldings until the gun is almost ready for stain. Shape the flats for the lock and side plate using rasps and half round files, resorting to using small gouges and round files just for the front end. Once the flat areas are defined, leave them until you are at the last stages of shaping the gun. Then go back and stab in narrow border or moldings for the panels and remove the background wood. The edges do not need to be very thick. On your stock, I would cut, scrape, or file the ramrod groove deeper in the wood as you approach the muzzle such that only 1/8" of wood separates the barrel channel from the top of the groove. That will slim out the fore stock and look more authentic. Here is what the muzzle and ramrod end should look like when finished.
YExXDfd.jpg

Msk4FUV.jpg


Note the swelled end of the rod. The double beaded borders on the second gun are entirely appropriate if you are making a fusil fin or finer grade of Tulle.

dave
 
I beg to differ. Tulle de chasses were all the same grade and mounted in classice de chasse mounts. St Etien was occasionally contracted for De chasse guns when Tulle couldn't keep up with demand. St Etien did fill a couple contracts for de chasse guns with the classic de chase mounts in brass. Quite rare and I believe only a couple hundred were ever made.
Tulle is the name of the armory, not the name of the gun.
Please excuse my awful spelling of the French vernacular.
 
I beg to differ. Tulle de chasses were all the same grade and mounted in classice de chasse mounts. St Etien was occasionally contracted for De chasse guns when Tulle couldn't keep up with demand. St Etien did fill a couple contracts for de chasse guns with the classic de chase mounts in brass. Quite rare and I believe only a couple hundred were ever made.
Tulle is the name of the armory, not the name of the gun.
Please excuse my awful spelling of the French vernacular.
Hi,
I guess Russell Bouchard must be wrong on pages 22 - 23 and 34-35 in his book "The Fusil de Tulle in New France" in which he describes Tulle-made fusil de chasse and fusil fins in both iron and brass.

dave
 
Ops. Forgot to mention: This gun is from a Centermark kit that someone built and I purchased second-hand for a song. Not an accurate copy, but reasonably close. Poor job of insetting on the butt plate. Had it refinished in Aquafortis. Just posted so you can see the stock color with the iron hardware.

Rick
 
Thanks Rickystl
I've always like wood like that snd steel furniture. I use to think brass was real nice and it is but I'm older and my tastes have changed. Very nice.
 
Hi,
I guess Russell Bouchard must be wrong on pages 22 - 23 and 34-35 in his book "The Fusil de Tulle in New France" in which he describes Tulle-made fusil de chasse and fusil fins in both iron and brass.

dave
Not my favorite source. There are mistakes in that book. One new England fowler in that book is identified as a fusil fin. Gladyzs book is a far more accurate source of information.
 
Gladyzs book is a far more accurate source of information.
Well, I for one dissected Gladyzs’ book for EVERY single use of the word ‘Tulle’, and it is a POOR example for anything from that factory. Both Alex Efremenko and Mike Brooks have talked about the errors in Bouchard’s book, but THERE’S NO WAY it is at all THE book on arms from Tulle. The errors are about a misidentified Fusil in the possession of Parks
Canada.

The one who really knows French arm and has handled more originals than anyone else, but he doesn’t build … is Ken Hamilton and he and I consult regularly on French arms.

Kevin’s book will not tell you how to build anything Tulle, but just that of a French Fusil de Trait
 
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