New Flintlock

[fspitzdorf]

Hot off of my bench. Began this gun in January 2011 and finished it in late September. I've been adding finish coats every couple of days and I have 2 to go. Needs some final regulation to dial it in but otherwise she is ready for the 2011 hunting season.

This is a Lancaster pattern rifle with Dickert & Albrecht influences as well as much of my own artistic license. Uses a 38" Rice transitional contour barrel in C weight, 54 caliber, 1:66 round bottom rifling.

Stock is a not-overly fancy piece of very hard sugar maple. All of the hardware is from the Chambers Isaac Haines gun (more or less generic Lancaster) and the lock is a Chambers Golden Age Germanic. Thumbles are sheet brass and the patch box is my own held shut by a post on the lid that engages a spring lever. You activate it with your thumb nail where it protrudes through the butt plate. It has no knob (at least not yet). The trigger is a simple pinned piece.

Finish is aquafortis and the top coat is Tried and True Varnish Oil.

 

[col.lemat]

Very nice work. Glad to see that there are still a few true craftsmen out there that take pride in their work

 

[Cosmoline]

Outstanding!

 

[Acorn Mush]

Well done. I would like to be able to see it first-hand.

 

[Pancho]

That is a beautiful gun but I'm concerned that it is the product of a twisted mind. That work bench is too perfect. Where is the adventure when you don't have to look under layers of stuff and crap to find what you need? I envy your skill and organization.

 

[towboat_er]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Busyhands94]

that is a really nice rifle! nothing shoots better than a rifle you built yourself.

 

[Harrod]

Beautiful, that inlay work on the butt is amazing. Make sure you let us know how it fired!

 

[Cleburne]

Now thats what I'm talking about.

 

[mdauben]

MAN! Thats one pretty smoke pole! Definetly one to be proud of.

 

[gifford]

Nice looking rifle, great lines. Super pics too. Thanks for posting.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Pancho is soooo very correct. The old saying about a clean car is an indication of a sick mind. Same goes for work benches.

I am soooooooooooooooo envious. My work shop may be huge 24 x 18, with metal lathes, racks for materials, drill presses, table saws, grinder, buffer, Band saw, sanders, compressors, arbor press,etc, But there is so much "stuff" that there are just paths between the machines. Heck even the welder must sit out in the barn

 

[fspitzdorf]

Lest you think me ill in the head... Please know that I "cleaned" just prior to the photos. 10 minutes before there was a mountain of tools, rags, spent sandpaper,etc where that gun is sitting.

Surprisingly though, my shop (and my gun building area) are very clean until I decide to do "something". I just never can get in the groove of stopping 10 minutes before I plan to and commence to cleaning. 5s always occurs after the project is complete...

Except when it comes to reloading, then I am meticulous.

 

[Harrod]

Holy crap you used the dreaded 5s term! I hear that at work enough!

 

[revals]

Absolutely beautiful!

 

[Iggy]

Well, Awsome and Outstanding have already been used.
So I guess the best I can do is WOW!

Wonderful craftmanship

 

[the Black Spot]

that is a sweet looking rifle!!!

wasn't albrecht associated with the christian springs lion and lamb stuff? can't recall.

 

[fspitzdorf]

Andreas Albrecht was the first Master of the Christian Spring gunshop. He immigrated in 1750 and was a teacher prior to opening the gun shop @ CS in 1762. He left in 1766 to become the keeper at the Sun Inn and in 1771 he moved to Lititz (near Lancaster) where he took up gun building again.

There are some historical papers that give some insight into his prosperity in Lititz as a gunsmith. It more or less states that he was having a difficult time securing work as a gunsmith and it was suggested that he begin manufacturing guns resembling those available in and around Lancaster. Therefore it is not really clear whether he was influenced by Dickert, etc or vice versa. Since Dickert was nearly the same age it would preclude him from having been an Albrecht apprentice. The only Abrecht example in RCA 1 has decoration very similar to other Lancaster smiths such as Dickert and therefore would put it as an early 1770's Lancaster built rifle. This gun has since been restored and can be found in the new Moravian Gunsmithing book from KRA.

I modeled the butt decoration from this rifle. My stock is a bit more "slim".

 

[YumaKid]

Unbelievably beautiful rifle. You, sir, are true artisan.

 

[DrLaw]

Sweet, sweet gun!

And Pancho beat me to it. I wish my work bench could be as organized and clean. My work bench is oragnzied.

The Doc is out now.

 

[BCRider]

Did you do the shaping and carving of the stock? If so as a fellow woodworker that's done some dozen carving projects I comend you for the shaping and the detailing. That is one very fine looking job.

 

[BHP FAN]

Looks like something Meriwether Lewis might have toted.

 

[ultradoc]

very nice!!

 

[fspitzdorf]

BCRider,

Yes I did the shaping and all incise and relief carving. All with hand tools.