I happen to build longrifles. Feel free to PM me with other questions...I am no pro...but would be glad to help you out.
Don't be afraid of a long barreled gun. First gun I built was exactly what I thought I wanted. Fiber optic sights. Fast twist 50cal. Good lock. Half stock shorter barrel. It's a killer. Killed 2 of my biggest bucks. But it's heavy and unbalanced.
I bought my first longrifle and fell in love.
38" barrels actually feel short to me now lol. I have a couple 44 inchers and the 38 seems short lol.
With a good swamped barrel, the rifle handles and balances really nice.
I spend my days of the late season still hunting and tracking. 44" barrels aren't a bother.
As far as sights, they are absolutely completely adjustable! They are typically dovetailed into the barrel so you can adjust for windage easily. Elevation, most come with a pretty tall front sight. I'd recommend finding a load that is accurate...then filing down the front sight to get your POI lined up. I use a steel rear sight and silver front sight. Some guys use brass for the front. I find silver is easier to see and keeps it's brightness/shine longer than brass.
As far as cleaning, there's several methods.
There's a few "clamp" type things on the market that clamp over the vent and you put a hose in a buck of water. I have one..it works fine.
Some guys plug the vent with a tooth pick and fill the bore with water and let it soak, clean the breech face, dump, swab repeat till clean...
Personally, I pull my barrel nearly every time. I just prefer it. It's easy. Take the lock bolts out, take the tang bolt out, drive out the pins holding the stock to the barrel and the barrel is free. I then clean it in the laundry tub, dry it, clean the lock and reassemble.
As far as caliber, I personally like bigger bores. 58-62cal. I do have a 54 in the closet to build one day....I just didn't care for what I saw from 50cal roundballs. Lots of guys love 45s and 50s. I like the earlier styled guns as well so that plays a little bit of a role in the guns I build as earlier guns were typically larger bored.
Where about are you from??
Like I said, feel free to send me a message and I can try to help you out!
Last edited by Mauser06; 02/03/20.
