Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Muzzleloader Project in SE Az.

Pictured here prior to the crazy balancing act in the mill stunt, the sight has been substantially modified from it's first configuration, a wider "table" being the main mod


Screws will prevent the windage slide from doing a disappearing act, the original eyecup has been cut down into a locking wheel, and a new eyecup generated

Marine Bronze "Barrel Foot"



Still needs counterbored and final dial in, as well radii on the bottom, fore and aft faces, so's to slide / glide on the big "stump".

In the last series of pics, one can see that the horrible and unsightly "rust freckling" that was evident at the point where the False muzzle / ball starter was being made seems to be going into abeyance, disappearing,as it were.
The surface finish on that barrel looking just a bit more presentable ?

It is,...and the "formula" for getting there is going to be spoken about, at some point hence. Something I've never tried before, and man, does it ever WORK.

later,

GTC

I'll give you a blue ribbon for your clamping. That's some Rube Goldberg level stuff, nice job...

Repetitive LIGHT cuts were the order of the day, amigo.

I mean half the thickness of a blond angels pubic hair light.

Actually, with some good hand pressure down on the buttstock, holding the thing into the angle iron "Trough", that setup was remarkably stable.

Been doing the "dial in" with shooting the old beast for the last coupla' days, pics and some comment soon.

GTC

Cross

I'm waiting for your report on the results of the shooting!!

Looking good. Checking for updates often.

Soon,...promise.

GTC

Amazing work. I couldn't find the on switch for your equipment. Looking forward to an update too.

Things got sideways with posting pics, and I think I've got it sorted out now.
The commissioning of this rifle called out a good 50 yard backstop,...some iron and a LOT of dirt got moved and the foundation for what will probably grow a bit emplaced.
An old radial arm saw gave it's life to become a new shooting bench, as did a very heavy desktop.Building the bench and the Backstop pretty much wiped out Saturday,a Sunny calm sorta' day. I worked well into the night, assembling the rifle and it's kit






GTC

By mid-day Sunday it was blowing cold, gusty and wet....ably assisted by a local Bud, the shoot went forward.

First shot in God only knows how long,...Fairly light at 70 Gr FFG behind a .510 Round ball.



It commenced to get WET.....wasn't exactly a warm and toasty wind, either.

Taken on a somewhat nicer day ( this AM, actually), one can really see the extreme cast off in this old target rifle's stock design.



I'll candidly state that so far I cannot shoot this rifle well at ALL. With the lighter charges and a very LONG barrel time / slow recoil impulse I could actually FEEL the buttstock pulling itself off to the right.
Increasing the charges to the load noted below eliminated a weird elevations problem, ....OK, maybe not so weird, I think that wedge was a bad idea. Anyhow, while consciously moving away from a soft "free recoil" style of benchwork, and over to a harder hold, I could STILL feel the bloody aft end of this thing trying to move itself off to the right. The shot tossed out of the raggy assed, and embarrassing "group" below is, I firmly believe, the result of feeling that shot going wrong and actually pulling the gun back, and over correcting.



Alla' that said, this old beast looks to be showing promise,...Load development and exploration of different rests and holds will no doubt yield better results.

GTC

Outstanding, Greg! Thanks for getting that piece of history back up and running, even though it isn't mine.

Do you have any 3f KIK? The .50 cal muzzle loaders I have worked with all preferred it. ~85 gr. or so seemed to be a consistently good load.

Can't wait for the next installment!

Ed

The next installments will (hopefully) be coming from a place South and East of my lurk, Ed. As quick as the bellicose and aggressive creature that's taken up residence in it's intended crate, this rifle will ship out.
This rifles stock WAS quite literally broken in half, and I was basically held together by the lock and trigger guard screws. Seeing as how a Leonard Rifle graces the cover of Robert's Book, resurrecting this one was a good path. The wood was in bad enough shape that REPAIR of same was chosen, with a view towards running it hard in competition, and perhaps later re-stocking. There's a LOT of both metalic and organic reinforcement laying under what's basically a thin veneer now, the view below showing the abbreviated and repaired original trigger German Silver / "White Brass" guard and an unabashed plug of hardwood dropped in with no apologies,....the wrist was split , and the crack that ran through the lock mortise is clearly visible.



The sight was given a quick dunk in the Niter pot, and rusting it to matching patina may, or may not go forward at some future date. ( jeez, that sounds like something written by .gov, no ?).

I made up three apertures, and the last one was punched with a .024 hole,....

Ya done good! Thanks for the update!

If I'm reading coordinates correctly, that piece of art and it's case (minus the Chupacabra hybrid remains) will have to pass in the vicinity of my and Sharpsman's places before it gets home.

I recommend that it pause for a rest at each locale to "stretch it's legs" and a fresh cleaning and oiling before resuming it's journey.

Ed

Do you think ya might could employ a bigger maul??

Going to put up some "project file" pics,....pardon the patchwork aspect (kinda' like the gun) ....questions welcomed. I'll put pics up in blocks, one phase at a shot.

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