Woody's fowler

[mongrel]

Woody (member here) ordered this smoothbore and a .40 caliber southern rifle from me, specifying that I build this one first.

I started on this at 10 AM yesterday -- a walnut blank and a pile of parts. At 5:30 PM the next day this is where we stand, and I haven't killed myself to get it to this point. It's done except for installation of ramrod pipes and three more sandings, with the total actual real time put into it I would guesstimate at about 15-18 hours. The object is to have the gun ready for shipping tomorrow night, so that it can be crated and on its way to its new home day-after-tomorrow afternoon. It will be a close squeak but we MIGHT pull it off (if not, Woody, man I tried....).

The "pile of parts" includes a Colerain-made (but not marked) octagon-to-round, 42" 20 gauge barrel that Track Of The Wolf sells as sort of its house brand. I like this barrel better than the actual Colerain-marked tubes of similar dimensions -- those are slightly swamped, whereas this version is a straight taper from 1" at the breech to 7/8" at the muzzle. The octagonal portion runs 12", transitioning to 16-sided the upper 3" or so, and then there are a pair of wedding bands about 3" apart from one another before the barrel runs in a nice, smooth, round taper to the muzzle.

Ignition is provided by an L&R Queen Anne round-faced lock. The hardware is steel. I made everything, yesterday and today, except the lock, barrel, and screws. I will be making the ramrod pipes as well, assuming I don't find three in the drawer that I might have fabricated awhile back. I tend to do stuff like that in good-sized lots to save time and surprise myself later, when I'm thinking I need to make something and instead find the part(s) I want already waiting for me.

Basic styling is English, though the buttplate extension has a touch of French flavor to it. My mode of operation on any gun of this type is "English (or French as the case may be) influence as filtered through the demented brain of a Colonial American gunsmith" and as such there might be simplifications or changes of certain details that wouldn't have been commonly seen on a gun done in the old country.

I needed a break and decided to take some pictures, post progress here, and fix supper -- then back out to the shop. Hopefully a coat of stain goes on the wood tonight, followed if possible by at least one coat of tung oil. The steel has been ordered in the white, as is way more proper on these guns than a lot of fans of browning seem to realize.

[old salt]

Mike
That is one sweet looking gun.

Woody
If you need help in breaking that beauty in, let me know.

[woody]

My goodness!.....I think I just wet my breechcloth!!

[Dogshirt]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[cutshurt]

Man you sure do some nice work dude :) !!

Darrel

[mongrel]

Ramrod pipes are installed. I must be getting old -- I feel too tired and too considerate of my neighbors at 8:30 on a Sunday night to go back out and resume sanding. Tomorrow that gets done and the stock gets finish on it. While waiting for oil to dry I will polish any metal that still needs it, trim the #6 finish nails that are the barrel and ramrod pipe pins, and have everything ready for assembly. After that it will be a matter of waiting for coats of finish to dry....

This is the first time I've ever halfway timed myself on a single simple gun build. I've always calculated 25-30 hours to do a plain rifle. I'll have less than 25 in this gun and the fact I had to inlet an octagon-to-round tapered barrel took longer than a straight octagon one would -- so it's safe to say I don't have much more than 20 hours in one of my rugrat or trade rifles. It might puzzle some that I would be proud of that, but to me it means I've fine-tuned my process and tool usage down to a very efficient science. Now if I can just get the shop built that I need and have room for the stock duplicator I traded a gun build for, and learn to use the thing....

[Linc]

S-W-E-E-T. Woody is going to be one happy camper. I can't wait to see this baby finished. 

[Papa]

Woody,
Mike's doing his part, and well I might add, now if it arrives you don't have any excuses!! The woods walk is next weekend.
Mark

[woody]

Woody,
Mike's doing his part, and well I might add, now if it arrives you don't have any excuses!! The woods walk is next weekend.
Mark

Uhhhh...  I'll be in Wisconsin at my first rondy.....go figure

[Hanshi]

Mongrel, I like the way you put a lot of attention to detail in that gun.  Yes, it's a step above the usual.

[Papa]

Woody,
Excuses excuses. Hope you have fun and a safe trip. Our turkey shoot will be on November 3rd, will look for you then.
Mark

[woody]

Woody,
Excuses excuses. Hope you have fun and a safe trip. Our turkey shoot will be on November 3rd, will look for you then.
Mark

[mongrel]

Well, here it is finished. I had a couple of other pictures but it's getting on toward dusk and these are the only four that turned out fairly well.

[woody]

SWEEEET !  Man I can't hardly wait...Christmas in October!     It's going to be a long weekend in Wisconsin 

[Dogshirt]

DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN! I have NO use for a fowler or any other smoothbore, but DAAAAAAAAAMN!