Too fat

[reddogge]

Looking good...

I too, struggle with my rifles looking too "chunky" although I have made significant improvements. I keep trying to remember advice from another maker: "Keep taking the wood off until you think you've ruined it, then take off a smidge more..."

I don't know about that. My first scratch built Southern Mountain rifle I took the forearm and forestock down a little too much and it is really skinny. It is a dead nuts shooter and I've won many a ham, bottles of whiskey, prizes, etc. with it so I overlook it.

 

[Pete G]

That cheek piece needs to be shortened. Apply the golden mean and you’ll be close to proper proportion.

 

[PathfinderNC]

That cheek piece needs to be shortened. Apply the golden mean and you’ll be close to proper proportion.

I agree.

 

[WALT53]

Are you kin to George Washington? Be honest.
Talent?????
I just fumble through these.
Tools......
All you really need is a
1/4 inch chisel, a good rasp, an 8/7 gouge, a depth gauge, a straight edge, pencils, markers, a vise, a candle, a drill with bits and a buddy with a bandsaw.
^^^^
No joke you can stock a rifle with that.

Exactly you said it that’s all you really need And a Vise helps .

 

[54ball]

If you are interested, below are two videos that may shed some light in this project.

 

[54ball]

This rifle is unusual. I know of only two that have this long cheek.
The Brass Barreled Rifle and RCA 145
Both are attributed to Johann Honecker by Wallace Gusler.
Sorry that the butt is upside down.
Anyway, you can see the cut line for the cheek.
The cut line runs from the buttplate and fades away up the wrist close to the beaver tail.

The cheek is stepped both front and rear.
The front the cheeks starts as a moulding line and gradually steps to flat of the cheek.
At the butt the the cheek steps down with a vertical round cut, this transitions into a flat that fades away towards the buttplate.
Also the flat of the cheek has a concave groove at the bottom, (top in the photo) two incised lines that are actually convex or rounded above the groove.
Then there will be moulding lined to outline and separate the steps. Plus decorations

Right now you see the foundation.....
All of this will be shaped in.
The flat of the cheek will be shortened as the steps are shaped in.
This joker is tricky.
There’s a lot going on.

Here you can see the rifle full length.
It has a long forearm but with the 46” barrel....I think it works.
It’s still too fat.

 

[54ball]

There’s a lot to this....
Trigger shape
Pinning
Plate
Plate shape
Trigger guard
Bow location
Tang bolt

A lot of stuff meshing or come by together at once.

 

[54ball]

It’s coming along.

 

[54ball]

Well, it looks like it will fit the bow Ok.
Now for the trigger plate. Hopefully it will hold it in the right spot.

 

[deerstalkert]

that is a very nice trigger sir!
would love to see a face on of the pad, showing the heat blue.
heat blue is my current passion. did a trigger plate the other day and it came out with case colors. pretty.
the R key on this old Vaio has to be hammered so there may be some missing. or maybe i am turning Japanese?

 

[54ball]

That piece of steel leaning on the table will be the trigger plate.

It’s fair.

 

[Rudyard]

Are you kin to George Washington? Be honest.
Talent?????
I just fumble through these.
Tools......
All you really need is a
1/4 inch chisel, a good rasp, an 8/7 gouge, a depth gauge, a straight edge, pencils, markers, a vise, a candle, a drill with bits and a buddy with a bandsaw.
^^^^
No joke you can stock a rifle with that.

What about the rod hole drill.? no your fine if a few other chisel's & taps & dies might help. Ime not meaning to be critical you do nice work & are right.
Regards Rudyard

 

[54ball]

What about the rod hole drill.? no your fine if a few other chisel's & taps & dies might help. Ime not meaning to be critical you do nice work & are right.
Regards Rudyard

Well to answer.....
You do not have to have a ramrod drill.
The gouge will bore the entry.
With a chisel and gouge you can cut a ramrod groove in the bottom flat of the barrel inlet.
After the groove is cut for the ramrod, you can go back and glue wood over the cut out groove to restore the wood under the barrel if you wish.

This is a lot of work and it’s not the “best practice” but you can build a rifle, a good rifle without the ramrod drill.

A functional ram rod drill is not that hard to make, if you had to.

 

[Col. Batguano]

That is such an unconventional and (to me), "odd looking" toe line that I'd like to see some pictures of some of the originals that you're (presumably) patterning it after. I want to reserve any comment or judgment on the rest of the architecture until then.

Maybe it's the pictures, but the return of the butt plate looks like it's not centered. Sort of kittywumpus looking and cocked off to the right.