New French Tulle

[krolick]

Here are pics of a newly minted French Tulle. I took it out for its first test firing today. I used a .600 rb cast in a lee mould and 60 grains of 2f goex.Also i use very finely ground powder for primeing and a ENG-6 black flints. Since my effort was to test the piece for quality and functionality, I was not as concerned about accuracy, so I did not use a patch but rather I did this: powder, shotcard, ball, then another shotcard. The shotcards were soaked in pacth lube. Actually, for a frist time out and shooting off hand, I thought it wasn't too bad. With practice, it's new owner will do quite well. The gun itself is an iron mounted piece all polished. The stock is cherry. The thumb piece is not a stock feature to the tulle, but it could have been added at a later time. By the way this gun would have been new cira 1720-1740. I did stamp the lock with the modern verbage spelling it: A.TULLE. The A is short for address. This piece is staying in the area so I will probably be shooting against it in our upcoming smooth bore matches. (That will be fun). Thanks for allowing me to share this with all of you. GS

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[pargent]

:thumbsup:

 

[TinStar]

Very, very, nice!!


TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[Dausener]

Very nice! She's a real beauty! :hatsoff:

 

[wattlebuster]

I like it :hatsoff: :hatsoff:

 

[JohnN]

Have never seen 3 bolts used in the lock bolt plate on this model. What lock did you use ?

 

[alex efremenko]

With respect,I'll add that I have never seen that sideplate on an original FDC.

Alex E.

 

[rickystl]

Great looking gun!! Nice shoot'n too! :hatsoff:
How long is the barrel? Thanks, Rick.

 

[TinStar]

alex,

I understand your opinion from a HC aspect; but are there any suppliers of parts sets that using HC parts these days? Are any barrel makers supplying barrels that are HC for an FDC or French trade gun? My "type D" is not HC and I knew that going in as do many who put parts sets together that are not HC, but are only representative. To many folks that put these together money may prohibiting them from pursuing a truly historically correct piece or a bench copy. The barrel on my D is tapered oct/round from the breech to the muzzle but is only 42" long and likely is heavier in wall thickness than an original. But I truly enjoyed building it and love shooting it.
I am not trying to debate because I know you have built many guns that are very correct and I respect your knowledge. Just want you to see why some cannot adhere to those guidelines all the time.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[JohnN]

I had that plate on my FDC that I got from Pecatonica in the '90s. I was so "ignorant" of how they were put together back then that I inletted the casting blocks instead of cutting them off.I have the thick barrel also. Gives me a little more feeling of security.

 

[Okwaho]

With respect,I'll add that I have never seen that sideplate on an original FDC.

Alex E.

This side plate is apparently unique in that it was found in Alabama on a left handed "Fusil Fin" {Hamilton 1980,PP 60-61}Hamilton called the gun a "TYPE C" but it is questionable as to whether the gun was a St Etienne trade gun or was manufactured elsewhere.As to the rear screw on the sideplate this arrangement is found on some trade level guns primarily those manufactured in Liege to anchor the sideplate although I have seen one or two where a nail like pin served the same purpose.I too have never seen this sideplate on a Fusil de chasse. A smilar plate is found in Lenk but I don't recall the plate no.
Tom Patton :bow: :hmm:

 

[alex efremenko]

Have you heard of The Rifle Shoppe? They use all parts cast or profiled from originals. I Have a Barrel profile of my own taken off an original ST. Etienne barrel I own[ca. 1740] It is not the lightest barrel,but makes around a 7#plus fusil.I can have it made for a little more than a Colerain barrel. TOW now offers a FDC lock that almost fits in a TRS lock mortise. Those are the two hardest components to match.but they are out there. European Walnut is harder to find than good ML components.

new and old SE barrel

TRS parts, go to page 83-4 in TFTGINA and you will se this gun

 

[alex efremenko]

And i
I'll add this. When one posts pictures of something on a message board.Expect constructive criticism from all sides.If a person wants to hear a bunch of "atta boys!" just email them to your friends. This is how we learn,myself included. :wink:

 

[TinStar]

I understand your view Alex and your knowledge is not in doubt. Just understand that some do the best with what they have and with what they can afford at the time.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[alex efremenko]

That I DO uderstand. :wink:

 

[krolick]

Appreciate the good conversation. Here's some additional info. The barrel is 42" at 20 gauge. The extra screw in the side plate holds the tail end down, its a wood screw. My 1856 Barnett has the same setup. I get the whole historically accurate world. However, when asked to build a gun, I follow the customer's wishes . In the case of this Tulle, the owner picked out the parts he wanted. I think he did quite well. This piece will mainly be used for turkey and smooth bore matches. The modern Tulle and the parts in which they are made are not as hc as they could be, but there's not much we can do about that. TRS does make a one to one component parts set, but their slow delivery time doesn't help me. I try to build one gun a month. The Tulle I've shared with all went from parts to test firing in 3 weeks. GS

 

[Cruzatte]

This thread raises a question in my mind. What can one effectively substitute for European walnut (Juglens regia) when building a French gun if the maker cannot obtain or afford such a piece of wood?

The first answer that comes to my mind is maple (Acer saccharum) and then say that the gun was restocked in Detroit or Montreal. This might be a rather lame excuse. I simply don't know.

 

[pathfinder Ted]

I'm not as concerned about the parts used,if built over here instead of "back home" any parts available would be used,and since it's stocked in cherry,a re-build is most likeley.

What I'm concerned wih is the shape of the lock panels and wrist area. All due respect,they could be a little more refined. I'll post some pic's later of what I mean.

 

[Cruzatte]

Yeah, I hear you. I was raising more of an academic question, I guess you could say.

 

[pargent]

Could be stocked with anything then stained like walnut , it's a trade gun not Louis 14th personal fusil :hmm: