Anyone on this forum like guns from the early flint period? I am currently building a 75 caliber smooth rifle, of the transitional period Jaeger to early PA rifle. The barrel is 28", 1- 3/16" across the flats, which I am making from 1141 stressproof steel. It will have a patent style breech, which is very strong and also facilitates the rear of the flintlocks' pan to be flush with the back of the breech. Some other characteristics would be a large, flat & wide butt, the wrist being wider than it is high, all typical of the period...I wanted to build a gun for the serious trecker, to be extemely reliable, easy to load quicky, and strong enough to be loaded heavily for larger game. In my experiences, good quality, straight unrifled barrels, when used with the proper patch and ball combination, will shoot exellently to about 50 yards, and this is definitely a close range weapon. I will post pictures throughout it's construction.
