| Current Projects |
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S.W. VA Style Rifle
This is going to be a little fancier version of my S.W. VA style offhand target rifle with a bit of silver wire decoration. I plan to sell this gun when it is done.
The technical details:
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Stock: |
Moderately curly, slab cut, red maple |
| Lock: | Chambers Late Ketland lock |
| Barrel: | 44", 50 caliber, medium weight swamped barrel by Wm. Large with 8 lands and furrows. |
| Mounts: | All iron/steel with a hand forged butt piece and guard. |
| Triggers: | Davis longrifle double set triggers modified to fit the guard. |
This project started out as a Beck a number of years ago. The roughed out stock blank with the barrel installed has been hanging on my shop wall for years. I just didn't want to finish it. I decided to make something out of it that I wanted to make. It is the rifle at the top in the picture below. The blanks for all the mounts have been cut out. I just need to forge the butt piece and guard. I will do this at the same time as I forge the mounts for my chunk gun.
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Colonial Augusta/Rockbridge VA Style Rifle
This is going to be a carved and engraved rifle for my brother. It is based on the early Augusta/Rockbridge VA rifle documented by Wallace Gusler in JHAT Volume 2. This rifle, by an unknown maker, probably dates from 1770-1775. I am using a slightly earlier style lock and a similar barrel along with commercially available butt piece and guard castings from Virginia rifles of the same period that are similar by not identical to the original. The rest of the mounts will be made from sheet and be close copies of the original. The architecture and carving will be of the same style with some minor variations for personal taste. I will maintain the look of the unusual early patchbox, but I will implement it as a 4 piece box using the construction employed by John Davidson. Because of the close similarities between the work of the JHAT 2 builder and John Davison's work, it is thought that John Davidson was an apprentice of the builder of the JHAT 2 rifles. I will maintain the unusual latch mechanism as it is a very solid design. The engraving on the patchbox will be simple with some initials and some line and scroll work.
The technical details:
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Stock: |
Stump cut, quarter-sawn curly sugar maple |
| Lock: |
Chambers Colonial lock |
| Barrel: |
44", C54, "Dickert" profile by Rice |
| Mounts: | Brass butt piece (#10) and guard (VA Rifle) castings from Reeves Goehring. All other mounts made from sheet. |
| Triggers: | Davis early longrifle double set triggers modified to fit the guard. |
I have already cut out the stock blank (second from top) ready to inlet the barrel and cut the ramrod groove. I have also cut out the blanks for all the mounts, formed the thimbles and formed the patchbox hinge.
S.W. VA Style Chunk Gun
This is going to be an iron mounted chunk gun with stylistic elements found on guns from the Augusta/Rockbridge area down into S.W. VA and East TN. That means little or no carving and engraving. Instead, the gun will be decorated with silver wire and sheet inlays. I am building this gun for my personal use hoping that I can use it to get back into some competitive shooting that is compatible with my physical disabilities.
The technical details:
Stock: |
Fairly curly, slab cut, red maple |
| Lock: | Chambers Late Ketland lock |
| Barrel: | 46", 45 caliber, 1 1/8" straight custom barrel by Getz. |
| Mounts: | All iron/steel with a hand forged butt piece and guard. |
| Triggers: | Davis longrifle double set triggers modified to fit the guard. |
I already have blanks for all the mounts already cut out. I just need to get a good days work at the forge to get the butt piece and guard made. I have the barrel in the stock and the ramrod groove and hole have been cut. I will pick this project back up once I finish the Colonial Augusta/Rockbridge VA style rifle. It is the middle rifle in the picture below.
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1775-1785 Augusta/Rockbridge VA Style Rifle
This is going to be a highly carved and engraved rifle for my personal use, at least until I build a better one. It is based on the early Augusta/Rockbridge VA rifle documented by Wallace Gusler in JHAT Volume 2. This rifle, by an unknown maker, probably dates from 1770-1775. I will be building a slightly later verion of this rifle with a more evolved patchbox design and the side plate used by the original maker on the later rifle described in Wallace Gusler's JHAT 2 article. I will be using a similar lock and barrel to the original in a slightly larger caliber. I am using commercially available butt piece and guard castings from Virginia rifles of the same period that are similar by not identical to the original. The rest of the mounts will be made from sheet and be close copies of the original. The architecture and carving will be of the same style with some minor variations for personal taste. I am updating the look of the unusual early patchbox, implementing it as a 4 piece box with a finial that I imagine might represent a few years of evolution. I will maintain the unusual latch mechanism as it is a very solid design. The engraving on the patchbox will be much more elaborate than the original.
The technical details:
|
Stock: |
Stump cut, quarter-sawn curly sugar maple |
| Lock: |
Chambers Early Ketland lock |
| Barrel: |
44", C54, "Dickert" profile by Rice |
| Mounts: | Brass butt piece (#10) and guard (VA Rifle) castings from Reeves Goehring. All other mounts made from sheet. |
| Triggers: | Davis early longrifle double set triggers modified to fit the guard. |
I have already cut out the stock blank (top) ready to inlet the barrel and cut the ramrod groove. I have also cut out the blanks for all the mounts, formed the thimbles and formed the patchbox hinge.
This page was last updated on 8/5/09 .