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TOW TULLE questions...

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sooter76

40 Cal.
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So I'm considering having someone build one of TOW's TULLE kits for me and I have a couple questions regarding historical accuracy...

1) TOW offers both a 42" and 44" barrel kits. I understood the 44" barrel is the proper length. Is this accurate?

2) TOW offers two 20ga barrels. One made by Colerain and one just listed as 'made in the USA'. Being the same price is there a difference in quality? If the Colerain is the better barrel, is it enough so that it's worth waiting for them to get more in stock?

3) I'm leaning towards the walnut stock over a maple stock. Historically what was used?

4) I understand that fusil-de-chasse guns were mounted in both iron and brass furniture but that iron was more common? Can anyone verify this statement?

Thanks in advance...
 
44" is most correct as is iron mountings most common. Smaller caliber was common but today the barrels are interchangeable so going smaller just means a thicker barrel. Walnut was the go to wood then and would be most typical. I don't think tracks is offered in European walnut that has more of a red or yellow tone then American walnut. Lock shape is close but not perfect and the barrel is the same one they use in their fowler and NWG, close but not exactly like. TFC.
Please don't think I'm being picky or pointing out flaws, mine is a center mark, and I'm very happy with it, buts it's a close but no cigar repro.
Also I have nothing but praise for Track
 
Technically it would be a ~62-caliber/20-gauge barrel 44.3" (IIRC) in length, if/when converting the early French barrel length in pieds ... but let's not split hairs.

Walnut stock and iron hardware. Fusil fins upgrades to brass trim. The front sight would be a simple brass barleycorn about 4+" back from the muzzle. One pin in each ramrod pipe, as the early TOW full-size blueprint had this WRONG ... and it shows 2 .... grrrrrrrrr, ask me how I'd know.

The barrel goes from octagonal to round, where it have a single wedding band transition, from the tapered breech portion. You can file in the faceted transitions at the breech transition end yourself, where the depth, length and taper of there vary when talking about where gun was sourced - Tulle vs St Entienne and year of contract. Tulle-made guns were superior in every way.

The difference between the Colrain barrel and the cheaper barrel "could be" that the breech area of the cheaper barrel is not tapered, rather full measurement across the flats for its length. This can be done, but for a purist, it is not correct, plus it keeps the lock parallel to the barrel, when it should be front-in pointing towards the muzzle, i.e., following the taper of the breech area.

It then also causes the lower forestock to entry pipe to be rather 'clubby' in hand and affects the weight and handling of the overall arm. It is then a challenge to make it as trim as can be, as the French arms, especially from Tulle, were ULTRA trim, with much wood removed, probably more than ANY other flintlock in the evolution, less perhaps a late Golden Age Bedford (admittedly of much smaller caliber).

Other - You lock should have an faceted pan and an unbridled frizzen, plus be close to 6" in length. Flat or round-faced locks depends on year made.

The ramrod should be bulbous for the first ~5" or so, tapering down fast to the typical rod diameter.
 
Sooter76 said:
So I'm considering having someone build one of TOW's TULLE kits for me and I have a couple questions regarding historical accuracy...

1) TOW offers both a 42" and 44" barrel kits. I understood the 44" barrel is the proper length. Is this accurate?
Yes, according to Russel Bouchard in The Fusil de Tulle in New France 1691-1741 originals often had barrels of 44" (US measure)


Sooter76 said:
3) I'm leaning towards the walnut stock over a maple stock. Historically what was used?
Technically, yes. It is my understanding, however that the typical wood used was European walnut J. regia. That said, seal the black walnut stock, and stain it and it would pass the 10 ft. rule.
Sooter76 said:
4) I understand that fusil-de-chasse guns were mounted in both iron and brass furniture but that iron was more common? Can anyone verify this statement?
That's my understanding, too. One does come across references to brass mounted FDCs. Your best bet is to read up on these guns. The Bouchard book is great, and not very expensive, either. You might also want to check out The French Trade Gun in North America 1662-1759 by Kevin Gladysz. He has some information on the fusils of Tulle, France.
 
Spoken fro experience...good job! :wink: Looks like the locks have been redone to look more correct too compared to some years ago. I'd also go the extra for the Colerain barrel myself. Bouchard's book is small and inexpensive and would well be worth the investment for it's info and pics. Good luck.
 
I built one about 3 years ago. I ordered the full size drawings and found them helpful. They show only 1 pin per ferule and lug. I thought their pins were too big. Their lock (which I believe is made by Jim Chambers) is probably the closest commercial lock (other than TRS) to the originals.
 
JohnN said:
I ordered the full size drawings and found them helpful. They show only 1 pin per ferule and lug.
PLANS - To clarify, TOW's new plans show the period correct 1 pin per pipe. Their older plans were sadly wrong ... and I didn't know better (1st build).

LOCKS - No one makes a truly correct lock. To get one for my 1727 contract to the Tulle factory build, I took a round-faced trade lock from Caywood, filed the lockplate flat, reset tumbler fit for the cock (or else it projected out some), cut facets into the pan and did some overall reshaping.
 
Were The Rifle Shoppes clocks accurate or just kinda close like so many others. You're right, to my knowledge, no one has exactly duplicated the Tulle locks.
 
I ordered plans when building my TRS 1743 Tulle Marine musket and they showed 2 pins per ferule for the models that didn't have 3 barrel bands. The plans covered 1717-47.Can't remember where I got them from.
 
That's interesting. With actual Tulle made guns in collections, it's odd they chose one made by ST. Etienne over a Tulle made gun. Maybe it was all they could get for dimensioning. That's the fun of research...tracking down the "say what" bits of history. :wink:
 
I think TRS copies originals for their guns. Maybe that's all they could get. Not sure if there is a lot of difference between the 2.
 
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