One of my far too many hobies is building flintlock rifles.
Here’s a link to a photo album from beginning to finished product.
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/jeffnles1/Fowler/
Jeff
Jeff,
Beautiful job! I think those are the best looking firearms there are.
Thanks for sharing.
Mike
Mike - thanks. Building these things is one of my far too many hobies. I am pretty sure this is number 18.
Jeff
Jeff,
Those things are just MADE to grace a mantle like nothing else can. Please post more pics of future builds so we can all drool.
Mike
Mike,
Here is one I finished a year or so back.
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/jeffnles1/Marshall/
I will be building another one over the winter. I haven’t quite decided what the winter’s project is going to be other than while my hands hold out I want to build another couple rifles. Arthritis in my hands is making it harder and harder to build.
15 years ago, I was able to carve them out of a square block of wood. Now, I can only work with files, rasps and chisels for about 2-3 hours before my hands start hurting and if I do that for 3-4 days in a row, I have to sit out a week. The last 3 I’ve built were from pre shaped stocks that I then highly modify. Even with a pre shaped stock as a starting template, it’s about 100 hours to complete a rifle.
And, yes, I do use them to target shoot and hunt (as well as one hanging over the mantle that I’m looking at as I type this).
Jeff
Jeff,
Beauty smokepole…
I use to guide back in the day. My tools were recurves, longbows, hammer guns and oh yes bamboo / glass fly rods. I guess all of this just proves maybe we were born in the wrong era?
Gordie
Nice! well done job!
Jeff,
During the time I was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, I was fortunate to spend time with a gunsmith as an apprentice. All the barrels were hand drawn at the shop, locks were hand made and tempered, and the stocks were usually tiger maple dyed with vegetable dyes unless a customer wanted something special. Most of our guns were flintlock, but in special circumstances he would build a percussion rifle or pistol. Revolvers were not allowed in the shop. I started as a wood worker, making the stocks, doing the inletting for patchboxes, gold and silver wire inlays, etc. I did have the chance to build a few rifles of my own, but the boss still made the barrels and locks. Trade secrets, you know.
Very nicely done smokepoles. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them.
REE
I surely miss smoking some black powder
Thanks all for the compliments.
Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the others I’ve built over the years.
REE, I will be starting a new project this fall and will do the same step by step again. I have worked with a few gunsmiths and have been blessed with the opportunity to handle lots of original longrifles. However, like tying flies or any other craft, each one gets a little better and one learns some new tricks on each one.
Jeff
Jeff,
Your very close to giving me the bug again, perhaps seeing another build this fall will push me over the edge. I look forward to seeing you work.
REE
Very nice. They are beautiful looking rifles. I’ve got a 50 cal flintlock back in Canada. I have to get my gun permit soon so I can bring them over.
- Jeff
Beautiful rifles! I have owned two Thompson Center Renegade rifles and now own a Traditions Hawken. All flintlock as that is the only type of ignition allowed in the state wide muzzle loader flintlock season.
Honestly it is my preferred way to hunt. Don’t get me wrong as I dearly love my Ruger M77r 30-06 bolt action rifle but that flintlock is like a time machine taking me back to a bygone era. Like Mikey says they look great over a mantle along with giving a home a bit of that warm, safe feeling.
Great build Jeff. You have reminded me of my younger days. That build looks like a .62 caliber Jaeger but it’s a smoothbore. What style is it? Not a Brown Bess is it?
Joe, thanks.
The first one is a .62 cal smoothbore in the Colonial Fowler style. Although I don’t have the camera equipment to capture it, I have placed London style proof stamp on the barrel as in the 1760’s we were part of England. It’s a lot longer than a Jeager style. Most German / European hunting arms had fairly short (less than 40") barrels. This one is a 46" barrel and being a .62 cal (20 gauge) can shoot shot or ball (buck and ball).
The second one is patterned after the Christian’s Springs school and would be considered a transitional Kentucky style rifle. It’s .58 cal rifle with a 38" barrel and a very thick stock. Very similar to a Jeager rifle but with more Colonial attributes. It’s also a 1750-1760 style rifle.
During the 40 years from 1750 - 1780 there were a lot of styles emerging in the colonies.
I enjoy building and shooting these old school rifles almost as much as I enjoy fly fishing. 
Jeff
Nighthawk,
I agree, something about shooting a flintlock.
Jeff
Thanks for the info Jeff. I was a member of a muzzle loader club for about 10 years some time ago. My persona was Mountain Man. I managed to build two .54 caliber Hawken rifles. One was from a kit and the other was from scratch. The scratch Hawken was a full stock flintlock. Lots of fun to shoot. My all time favorite however, was a .54 caliber full stock custom built Kentucky Longrifle with a 44 inch barrel. I won it at a Rendezvous and was able to take my last deer with it. I still have the hide. Ironically, it was that muzzle loader club where I picked up the moniker Lotech Joe. I miss those days. Thanks for the memories.
Joe, more of an Eastern Longhunter myself although I don’t get into the historical reenactment stuff any more. Too bad you’re not in the East, we could go shooting sometime.
Jeff
I’m sure we will Jeff. Perhaps one day in paradise. You, me & Eric. We could be the 3 musketeers.
I would love to play four musketeers…
BTY Jeff you skills are amazing… I have never shot flints but been a gun nut since I was a kid…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TC2xTCb_GU
Be safe…
Steve, you’re going to have to fix that someday. Shooting flinters is far too much fun.
Jeff