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Post by hawkeyes on May 20, 2022 5:36:15 GMT -7
On a side note, paranger... What's a man gotta do for that fine pieces above? Could certainly give it a good home! LOL...I dunno, Hawkeyes. It's the only 20 ga. I have left. I reckon you'd probably have to build me an English or colonial 20 gauge fowler to replace it 😁. I'll PM you later... 😉 |
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on May 20, 2022 6:26:26 GMT -7
Hawkeyes…Ash? Nifty! Our bottom along Buffalo Creek was predominantly Ash. When the Emerald Ash Borer killed it all, we had a lot of it taken down because of all the widow makers along the trails we have open to the public. Most was marginal stuff. Firewood. But the saw logs were lovely. Unfortunately we had to trade saw logs for labor to get to net zero cost for removing the widow makers. There was something like 200 of them! Would have been neat to build a flintlock with wood from a tree on the property.
We do have a lot of black walnut… hmmm… next one!
Chambers English Fowler kit or work up a colonial-built smoothbore? A good quality Pennsylvania maker gun in cherry or maple with better hardware would be appropriate for my impression methinks. I’m good on working the inletting, carving, finishing. But nervous about getting the butt stock architecture right. My eye isn’t trained yet.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on May 20, 2022 6:29:11 GMT -7
Also… I love the barter system. Hawkeyes and paranger are being very HC/PC.  |
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Post by hawkeyes on May 20, 2022 9:32:29 GMT -7
Curly ash indeed. Heats the house splendid in the winter but makes one beautiful stock. This piece I've been working for some time, embarrassing to say the time I've spent! However I've worked it slow and judiciously as it'll test your patience and tools you think are sharp...
Side note, hate what's happened to our ash trees. However it does seem the blue ash has some resiliency to the damn beetles. My blue ash in the back and several others look very healthy.
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Post by paranger on May 20, 2022 10:32:54 GMT -7
Yes, I have admired many a curly ash stocked rifle. Can't wait to see pictures!
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on May 20, 2022 10:47:58 GMT -7
Biggest issue for us is with the loss of canopy in the riparian edge, the invasives have gone BONKERS. I’m at war with mustard, rose, privit… good grief.
This is decision weekend for a flintlock build.
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Post by artificer on May 20, 2022 12:32:46 GMT -7
Hawkeyes…Ash? Nifty! Our bottom along Buffalo Creek was predominantly Ash. When the Emerald Ash Borer killed it all, we had a lot of it taken down because of all the widow makers along the trails we have open to the public. Most was marginal stuff. Firewood. But the saw logs were lovely. Unfortunately we had to trade saw logs for labor to get to net zero cost for removing the widow makers. There was something like 200 of them! Would have been neat to build a flintlock with wood from a tree on the property. We do have a lot of black walnut… hmmm… next one! Chambers English Fowler kit or work up a colonial-built smoothbore? A good quality Pennsylvania maker gun in cherry or maple with better hardware would be appropriate for my impression methinks. I’m good on working the inletting, carving, finishing. But nervous about getting the butt stock architecture right. My eye isn’t trained yet. A cautionary note, if I may. If you decide to assemble the fowler from "pieces/parts," then be sure the parts are correct for EARLIER and NO LATER dates of the time period in which you are interested. Finding out later that something as major as the butt plate or trigger guard is from a later period, will make you sick. Gus |
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on May 20, 2022 13:41:03 GMT -7
You bet, Gus! We’ll have a “parts approval thread” before I whip out the debit card!
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 12, 2022 12:31:40 GMT -7
Ok. So I’m lined up to start a build from basically an unfinished Getz 20ga octagon-to-round 46” barrel with a nicely tapered profile. This is a barrel originally made for Mike Brooks trade guns and will need a bit of file work… as original imported barrels likely needed. The barrel comes with a mentor and the cost of the guidance is that I agree to have the gun judged at Dixon’s.
From here, I can essentially go anywhere on this build and my new found mentor (whom I actually knew 25 years ago along with his son through Scouting…) is going to help facilitate all the local contacts. Allen Martin is 4 miles away and has stockpiles of seasoned wood. Fred Miller actually lives in my town and has an enormous catalog of stock profiles. There’s a Mennonites fella doing barrel inletting and drilling ramrod pipes 5 miles away in the village of Penns Creek. He can also do a rough carve if I wish.
So in fairly short order I’ll have a barrel and a stock blank inlet for the barrel and drilled for the ramrod.
This feels good… and damn authentic.
Now to absolutely pin down what I’m building so a concrete build plan can be made. So far I have this:
46” 20ga. octagon-to-round tapered Getz barrel
Last minute advice GREATLY appreciated. I’m going to get very specific on the build spec. BJ (my mentor) has it in mind for a Christian Springs smoothbore (not a smoothrifle) that appears in Volume 2 of the Moravian Gunmakers books… which I don’t own. I’m still leaning mid-grade English Fowler or a better built colonial gun. But I will decide today. There’s always another to build some day!
Exciting! What say you all?
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Post by artificer on Jun 12, 2022 15:35:50 GMT -7
Ok. So I’m lined up to start a build from basically an unfinished Getz 20ga octagon-to-round 46” barrel with a nicely tapered profile. This is a barrel originally made for Mike Brooks trade guns and will need a bit of file work… as original imported barrels likely needed. The barrel comes with a mentor and the cost of the guidance is that I agree to have the gun judged at Dixon’s. From here, I can essentially go anywhere on this build and my new found mentor (whom I actually knew 25 years ago along with his son through Scouting…) is going to help facilitate all the local contacts. Allen Martin is 4 miles away and has stockpiles of seasoned wood. Fred Miller actually lives in my town and has an enormous catalog of stock profiles. There’s a Mennonites fella doing barrel inletting and drilling ramrod pipes 5 miles away in the village of Penns Creek. He can also do a rough carve if I wish. So in fairly short order I’ll have a barrel and a stock blank inlet for the barrel and drilled for the ramrod. This feels good… and damn authentic. Now to absolutely pin down what I’m building so a concrete build plan can be made. So far I have this: 46” 20ga. octagon-to-round tapered Getz barrel Last minute advice GREATLY appreciated. I’m going to get very specific on the build spec. BJ (my mentor) has it in mind for a Christian Springs smoothbore (not a smoothrifle) that appears in Volume 2 of the Moravian Gunmakers books… which I don’t own. I’m still leaning mid-grade English Fowler or a better built colonial gun. But I will decide today. There’s always another to build some day! Exciting! What say you all? So, what would be the most likely gun for a German/Swiss immigrant? Or was your persona born in this country and if so, were you first generation born here? If you like what your persona would have chosen, it might be the way to go. As a self-admitted Anglophile as far as period guns go, I think you know what I would get, but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for you. Gus |
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Post by artificer on Jun 12, 2022 15:39:21 GMT -7
Oh, P.S.
Though he wasn't old enough to have built the gun in your time period, the noted German/Swiss gunsmith Durs Egg chose to stay in England and make British Guns, rather than go on to the Colonies, as was his first intention.
Gus
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 12, 2022 15:57:42 GMT -7
First generation Pennsylvania-born to Swiss-German immigrants.
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Post by artificer on Jun 12, 2022 22:00:00 GMT -7
First generation Pennsylvania-born to Swiss-German immigrants. Where did your persona's parents settle and have you? Pretty sure they would have come through Philadelphia originally, but did they stay there or move westward. If they moved westward, how far west of Philly or wherever they settled? Gus |
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 13, 2022 4:43:07 GMT -7
Came in through Philadelphia. I haven’t narrowed down exactly where they settled, but not far west. Farther than Germantown, but not as far as Reading.
Good thought questions!
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Post by artificer on Jun 13, 2022 6:58:18 GMT -7
Came in through Philadelphia. I haven’t narrowed down exactly where they settled, but not far west. Farther than Germantown, but not as far as Reading. Good thought questions! Since people have a tendency to buy or have guns made they are familiar with, I'm trying to establish whether and how much you might have been influenced by the guns made or available in Philly or Christian Springs? Of course I'm assuming you might like both equally and this might help you to choose. This doesn't mean you HAVE to go by this, alone, as your personal tastes might run one way or the other, even back then. Gus |
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