Need members advice on modifying a modern Scottish ramshorn-butt pistol

[Prairie Banditti]

Hello All,
I tried attaching this to a previous thread, but doesn't seem to be getting out to the forum, so I'm creating a new thread...I'm trying to modify one of the Pakistani-made copies sold by Dixie GW, etc. back in the 80's and 90's. Pix are attached to show where I am in the modification process and look forward to your thoughts and suggestions:

Pix 1: Ed Rayl custom brass barrel versus stock steel barrel; the small brass ball will be fabricated over the existing vent pricker
Pix 2: General view of the style of ramshorn-butt pistol I am trying to recreate - the color photo is from "The Swords and the Sorrows" (page 70; belonged to James Boswell)
Pix 3: General view of the project thus far
Pix 4: Cut pipe piece will form the extension of the metal stock and barrel channel
Pix 5: Lip of existing end of metal stock/barrel channel - ideally, I would like to braze/weld the extension onto the existing end to get the longer lines of the Boswell ramshorn, but this is likely my biggest unknown as to whether or not it can be done.
Looking forward to receiving your comments - all and any advice appreciated!
P.S. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Donnie Shearer? I'd like to contact him, if possible...

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
The repro is a much later style of Scottish pistol so you need to round the stock a lot more. The balls on the trigger and vent picker look to be silver not brass. Silver was the common material for them. The original probably had a highland lock with a lateral sear rather then the vertical sear on the Pakistan version. Do you plan to chisel and engrave it? It probably had silver wire inlay in the handle as well. These pistols look naked without engraving.

dave

 

[Prairie Banditti]

Hi,
The repro is a much later style of Scottish pistol so you need to round the stock a lot more. The balls on the trigger and vent picker look to be silver not brass. Silver was the common material for them. The original probably had a highland lock with a lateral sear rather then the vertical sear on the Pakistan version. Do you plan to chisel and engrave it? It probably had silver wire inlay in the handle as well. These pistols look naked without engraving.

dave

Copy and thanks for your input, Dave...I agree that the overall look of the stock is somewhat "clunky" so that's on my radar to try and soften the overall look...nothing I can do about the historically correct lateral sear found on the originals, but I'm just trying to get as close to a "copy-cat" as I can without the price of buying an original one (and good luck with that). I've looked into the metal-working techniques to engrave it, but it may be above my ken. Farming it out for proper engraving might be prohibitive, but I agree that that's what makes this style of weapon so intriguing, and the artisan/craftsmanship of the hammermen using the technology they had to work with at the time makes these pistols almost take on a mythic quality.