NMLRA

[4V50 Gary]

I'm presently in Bowling Green, Kentucky and enrolled in the NMLRA's Gunbuilding Workshop's English Rifle class taught by Ron Scott. First day I finished threading the trigger guard to the trigger plate. I had tapped the latter at my friend's place and then threaded it with some success. Used another die and threaded it a wee bit further before I took a reamer and reamed out the trigger plate to allow for more clearance for the trigger guard. Now it is flush but the trigger guard was bent during the threading process (lesson: use a decent vise). Anyway, because the trigger guard was bent it had to be heated and straightened. Then the tang was ground down (it was approaching 3/8" thick from top to bottom). Afterward the tang was fitted to the breechplug/barrel.

Temporarily unitized the tang and breechplug/barrel and inletted them to the barrel. It took me over a day to accomplish. Previous tangs that I've inletted were simple trapezoid shaped. This was more like a Mauser 98 in that it is shaped liked an arch that sits atop of a square before arching out again. After locating the breechplug, the location of the touch hole was determined and the lockplate's inletting begun.



There are eight students in the class. Five of us are building our English rifles from start. Two are finishing their English rifle projects they started a while back and the eighth working on another flintlock of American make (teachers allow you do this and are used as consulatants/guides so students may finish uncompleted proejcts).

Yesterday after class we attended a BBQ/picnic at our host's home. We had a rifle frolic but I didn't bring a smokepole. I'm too lazy to spend an hour cleaning it and that will wait for Friendship. Got to talk with Hershel House who is doing well. Mark Silver shared images of a Mauser 98 he is working on (recognized it immediately because of the bolt release). Spoke with a fellow San Franciscan (I'm an expat from there) who is selling some Ballards and a Win 1885 in 45-70. One of my classmates also works in the movie industry and told us about his training in high falls (into an airbag or mattress). Another owns October Country. I also reacquainted myself with a lot of people I haven't seen in over a decade.

If you have a chance an am inclined to learn gunbuilding, take one of the NMLRA's summer workshop. Mark Silver just finished his three day talk on the longrifle and stock architecture. Lally House did a three day porcupine quill work class. Art DeCamp is starting his powder horn class tomorrow and Mark his lock assembly class. Jack Brooks is teaching how to make the Edward Marshall Long Walk rifle. George Suiter (3rd master gunsmith of Colonial Williamsburg) recently retired and is teaching a 9 day class on making tools with which you construct the long rifle. I'm going to have to take George's class next year.

[99whip]

Sounds like a great experience Gary.

[4V50 Gary]

Inletting the lock and will do the mainspring tomorrow.

[swathdiver]

Thanks for sharing. I was hoping to go this year but still too weak. George Suiter's class seems interesting!

[4V50 Gary]

Lock is done and working on the buttplate. I was hoping to finish it today but didn't.

BTW, got to examine some original English locks. They are different from American locks. First, they are not screwed in from the left side of the stock into the lockplate around the frizzen spring. Instead, they have a stud with a shelf that is attached from the inside of the lock. Said stud has a shelf that slips underneath a screw that is placed into the stock. This holds the front of the lockplate in place without necessity of a long screw. Second is the safety. Guns were carried on half-cock and to prevent it from being pulled back to full cock and risk the danger of a negligent discharge, a sliding safety is installed. When pushed forward, it engages a notch in the sear, preventing the sear from movement. A leaf spring provides tension that keeps the safety from moving inadvertantly. It rests between the sear spring.

The English buttplate is similar in that it has a little bracket on the bottom of the top. Said bracket goes into a screw that is installed and prevents the buttplate from rising over the comb. American longrifles generally have shorter buttplates that don't have this issue. Jager rifles do have a long tang that runs along the comb but are secured by a screw. What the English did with their locks and buttplates was rather clever as it reduces the visible screws on the stock.

BTW, I was told that Jack Brooks' class is not building the Long Walk rifle but another rifle. Sorry.

[4V50 Gary]

Wasn't online last night as I was at H. House's place. His brothers Frank and John were there as was Frank's wife, Lally.

Anyway, buttplate was inletted and stock drilled through for the lock bolt. Because it passed through the area of the hook breach, the hook was relieved today so the bolt can pass through it. Started working on the horn nose.

[4V50 Gary]

Horn nose wasn't finished by the time I left Bowling Green.

We went to Friendship afterward where it was like a mini-reunion. Spoke at length with Wallace Gusler and Eve Otmar. Also spoke with Jim Chambers who shared some insights into the Siler lock (see separate thread). It was like a mini-reunion as I met folks I haven't seen in over a dozen years.

Went to the primitive range and blasted away at the British redcoat target. It was painted red and two strips of white tape placed diagonally across it (think Cross of St. Andrews) to represent a British redcoat. It was at a substantially higher elevation (I'd estimate about 50 yards) higher than where I was standing and about 120 yards away. If you hit it high enough, it would fall down and then you had to pull on the rope to reset it. Got it five times on Sat. and then five more times on Sunday. Then I called it quits.

Bought a second hand vise (literally my biggest purchase), some books (naturally), and from Dick Miller, some scrapers.

Thanks to the humidity, the heat was oppressive. We unloaded the car to repack it and then staggered back into the shade to cool off. After it was loaded up, we found it wouldn't start (there's a short and the battery died). Security came along with jumper cables and got us going (thank you Mr. Booker).

It was a lot of fun and for anyone interested in black powder, they should join the NMLRA and attend the national shoot at Friendship. This Sept. they will have a class on making V springs.

[tranders]

Originally Posted by 4V50 Gary

Horn nose wasn't finished by the time I left Bowling Green.



We went to Friendship afterward where it was like a mini-reunion. Spoke at length with Wallace Gusler and Eve Otmar. Also spoke with Jim Chambers who shared some insights into the Siler lock (see separate thread). It was like a mini-reunion as I met folks I haven't seen in over a dozen years.



Went to the primitive range and blasted away at the British redcoat target. It was painted red and two strips of white tape placed diagonally across it (think Cross of St. Andrews) to represent a British redcoat. It was at a substantially higher elevation (I'd estimate about 50 yards) higher than where I was standing and about 120 yards away. If you hit it high enough, it would fall down and then you had to pull on the rope to reset it. Got it five times on Sat. and then five more times on Sunday. Then I called it quits.



Bought a second hand vise (literally my biggest purchase), some books (naturally), and from Dick Miller, some scrapers.



Thanks to the humidity, the heat was oppressive. We unloaded the car to repack it and then staggered back into the shade to cool off. After it was loaded up, we found it wouldn't start (there's a short and the battery died). Security came along with jumper cables and got us going (thank you Mr. Booker).



It was a lot of fun and for anyone interested in black powder, they should join the NMLRA and attend the national shoot at Friendship. This Sept. they will have a class on making V springs.

My brother and I were thereTuesday and joined the NMLRA while we were there. Great time.



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[4V50 Gary]

While at Gunmakers' Hall I also bumped into John Shippers, the man who wrote the definitive book on engraving. I had taken his class at Conner Prairie and was taught the basics. His book is also a very good pattern book and if you have no other book on engraving, his should be the one you get. While at Gunmakers' Hall another person pointed out a rifle he finished and told me it was started by John Plybomb (sp). John was my first instructor and has crossed the Styx.

Bumped into Barry Bohnet who whose research into the Golden Mean is an important book for anyone who wants to understand rococco and baroque carving. We had taken a class together at Bowling Green over a decade ago. His book is based on a shorter article that was originally published in one of the Journal of Historic Arms Making. I was fortunate to obtain all five volumes the year that the NMLRA decided not to stay in the publication business.

[4V50 Gary]

Picked up the horn nose and fitted the octagon portion. The rear portion is supposed to be crescent shape in its interior. Tried doing it with a chisel but got a lot of galling. I was thinking that if from scratch, the horn could be put on a milling machine and a mill end bit used to cut away the desired part. Since there's no mill, the dreaded high speed spinning tool (Dremel) was hauled and and with a sanding disk the material quickly removed. The corner where the crescent meets the octagon flats was cleaned up with a grinding bit. So, there is a use for the Dremel after all.

[AKexpat]

Since there's no mill, the dreaded high speed spinning tool (Dremel) was hauled and and with a sanding disk the material quickly removed. The corner where the crescent meets the octagon flats was cleaned up with a grinding bit. So, there is a use for the Dremel after all.

Gary, I understand where you are coming from. I appreciate your sense of humor and also your expertise. I have used a Dremel (judiciously) in previous endevors with good luck on a 1911 project, but more is not better with the Dremel. Good thread, sir!

Jim

[4V50 Gary]

flatted the ends of the horn nose and started shaping the stock. Stopped when I realized I needed the Dremel again to clean up the horn. It's easier to do now that it has been shortened.