Lancaster Build Update

I thought I'd give a progress update on the Chambers Lancaster project I'm currently working on. If anybody wants me to stop rambling about this build... let me know. :redthumb:

I fixed the tang issue I posted about earlier... and I have some small gappage around the tang, but nothing major. At least I know it won't crack the stock when it's fired! :: Barrel is back nice against the channel face now. Did some draw-filing on the barrel and sanding on the sides of the barrel channel... it fits better into the channel now... it was pretty dang tight before.

I cleaned up and inlet my trigger plate, and drilled and countersunk the hole for the rear wood screw, but apparently the bit drifted or something because the hole is off-center. So, I'm probably going to get a replacement plate. It's not major, and it will be hidden by the triggerguard, but it will still bother me.

I got most of the excess wood off the buttplate, cleaned it up, and have it on. There's apparently still a small bump of wood towards the bottom of the buttplate that is causing a small gap near the bottom. I will remove that and the buttplate should be on. It still needs to be cleaned up, but it's there. I made a small goof when I drilled the pilot hole for the lower screw... used the wrong bit and didn't leave enough wood for the screw to grab. Had to fill the hole with toothpicks and epoxy and re-drill with the proper bit.

I got the dovetails cleaned up and the barrel lugs installed. Made a mistake on the first one... realized I had not ground enough material off the "safe side" of my 3-sided file, and didn't have a sharp corner. Back to the grinding I went, and was able to fix that no problem. The rest of the lugs went in without a hitch.

Got the lug mortices cut into the barrel channel, managed somehow to not break through into the ramrod channel on a single one, and got the lugs drilled and the barrel pinned to the stock. Used Jim Turpin's method of marking the width of the barrel on a small carpenter's square with masking tape on it, used that to determine where to drill each lug. Didn't miss one, all four hit just fine.

Since I ended up not making it to Dixon's for the fair, but still had Thursday, Friday and Monday off from work, I instead spent the time working on the gun. Got the tang bolt hole drilled, tapped into the triggerplate, countersunk and tightened up. Cleaned up the lock plate and got it inletted into the stock, and did the sideplate with the same treatment. The pre-inlet mortices for both were very close, so there wasn't a whole lot of removal required for these steps.

Measured about 5 times, made my marks, and finally got brave and drilled the holes for the lock bolts. The measuring paid off apparently, because I nailed them both with no problem. Got the front hole tapped, but broke the tap doing the rear hole. Of course, I only had the one tap like an idjit... so I'm waiting for more to arrive to finish tapping that hole and move on. I was fortunate, the tap broke way back and didn't stick in the hole, so there were no removal issues.

I continued and was able to get the lock inletted with all of the guts installed on it. I think my sear bar is hitting down in the hole where the trigger meets it, I need to file it down a little bit, but the rest of it seems to have good clearance. I also got the little notch cut in the side of the mortice to allow the cock-stop to clear the stock and land on the lockplate.

I've ordered a toeplate (kit didn't come with one), as well as some ramrod tips and some sheet brass I'm gonna need for the rear end of the patchbox. Until then, next is the trigger, then on to ramrod pipes and the muzzlecap. I'll tackle the patchbox and the triggerguard last.

It's definitely starting to look more like a gun now!

 

[oldarmy]

What, no pictures???

 

[Packdog]

Sounds like it is coming along very nice. I second the picture request.

PD

 

Yeah, I know I know... I hear ya. I just took it out back and took a few snapshots.

 

[Packdog]

It's looking good! Thanks for posting the pics.

PD

 

[Stumpkiller]

Be careful! There might be a rifle in there! ::

Looking good. You've got the sideplate in nice and square (nothing spoils a rifle like a whonky side plate running crooked & off the flat), and the lockplate has just a small border around it, and is mirrored on the sideplate flat. :hatsoff:

You're not afraid to remove wood. That's a good thing. Very nice work.

 

Yeah, with the Chambers kits, the sideplate is already inlet, you basically just have to square up the corners and it drops right in... so sideplate alignment wasn't an issue here. However, I agree with your view... it's tough to look at a rifle with a sideplate that isn't lined up right. On future builds of mine, I will probably get pretty anal about that if I have to inlet the entire plate myself.

The small border around the lockplate is shadow, not gap. In fact, it's tight enough at the rear of the lockplate I really need to relieve it a little more... I have to tap it down in with the handle of a hammer, or give it a good squeeze to get it in. The lock sits just a little too deep when it's in completely, I will sand the face of the mortice down to the bevel during finishing to eliminate the shadowing.

I appreciate the compliments. I wouldn't be so bold as to say I'm not afraid to remove wood; the fear exists, but I just take a nice deep breath, swallow hard, and do it. :shocking: I need tang inletting practice... that was probably the most difficult part of the build so far, and it shows. I would have preferred a much better fit.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The small border around the lockplate is shadow, not gap.

No, no. I was referring to the wood border, the remaining flat regions, not the gap around the plate. I see lots of rifles that have 1/2" or even 3/4" flat showing around the lock-plate and :imo: it looks klunky. Yours is thinned down nicely.

 

Aaahhhh... I see. Again, I defer to the stock carver. That's the way it came. I haven't done any sort of wood removal in that area yet. It's testament to the quality of Chambers' kits.

I worked on it just a little bit yesterday and got the end of the sear bar clearing the bottom of the mortice. I also got the trigger mostly cleaned up... just to the point where I could get it up into the trigger slot. Hopefully tonight I can get it pinned up and start working it down to match the sear bar.

 

[Java Man]

Stumpy,

I agree completely about the "border" of wood seen around the lock plate on many rifle pics. You can really see the a lot of examples of both on the TOTW site. They is one for sale where the tail of the lock is way off alignment with the tail of the mortise. Looks awful. :imo:

Pics I have from Mr. Palyszeski, show nice fine broders around the lock. Looks very nice.

Good luck Static, coming along nicely.

 

Well, did some more work on it this evening, and we now have a functioning trigger! It took some filing and cutting, and fitting, and filing, and fitting and filing... finally, she went in and the lock went in and the sear held!

Trigger's nice and tight up against the sear bar, no play at all. I don't have a trigger scale, but I can tell you, it's a pretty light pull. Sear breaks nice and crisp, no creep. Put a fresh flint in her, and sparked her a few times... oh man! White hot sparks that bounce around in the pan and hang out for a while! Very sweet! I still have to do some polishing on the sear bar and the trigger... but it's very nice right now, rough surfaces and all!

I wish the set trigger on my GPR was half as good as this single trigger! I may never go back to a set trigger! :redthumb:

I also found a small problem with the lock... sometimes the sear will just ride right over the fly and not drop into the half-cock notch. Sent Jim Chambers an e-mail, and he recommended that I send him the lock so he can fix it and send it back, so I'll be shipping that off first of next week. I have plenty to work on and don't need the lock right now, so no big deal.

Man I feel great right now! It's REALLY nice to get the trigger in and actually run the lock in the stock! Who knew this gun building stuff could be so stinkin' cool? ::

 

I've started getting the ramrod pipes on the gun. I was on call over the weekend, so I was told I didn't need to come in to work until noon-ish yesterday. I spent that time working on getting the entry pipe inletted and pinned. I got the middle pipe cleaned up, inletted and pinned last night.

Two down, one to go, then I'll move on to the muzzlecap. I'll take a couple more pics after all three pipes are in. :redthumb: