My new Mongrel N'West gun.

[William]

I just revived my N'West gun from Mile Lange,aka, Mongrel. He asked me what I was looking for and I told him, we struck a deal and today I got it.  And what a gun it is! Perfectly shaped and proportioned. If I didn't know better I'd swear I built it! Lol! Seriously, I asked for @ a 1/2" cast off, and that's exactly what I got!  The trigger pull is medium light and crisp, just as it should be. One of the most difficult area's to get right is the breech/wrist. This is PERFECT! And I asked for "in the white",expecting to have to clean up the lock panels, shape the fore stock,ect....  Nope, not on this one! Final sandind(scraping for me),treat the hardware,then final piling and waxing and I'm hunting! I'll post pix's tomorrow before I begin the short journey to a finished gun! Turns out my accident was a blessing in disguise! It may have stopped my hard core building, but I found a builder with my level craftsmanship who ISN'T a pre-Madonna, even though he has every right to be!  Do not hesitate to use Mike for your next gun!

Pictures to match your description to boot!  What a nice piece and something that is high on my list after Mike gets finished building my plains rifle.

[pathfinder]

Nope, computer is broken and I've had no success in posting pic's fr this stupid smart phone. Oh well,I tried!

[pathfinder]

The phone store is 86 miles down the road. I'll get there before fall, maybe, till then I'll keep trying.
Mike is right, very easy gun to make, but to do it correctly, that's the rub. Lot's of N'West"ish" guns, Mikes is spot on in the breech and wrist area, the hardest part to correct.

VERY minor things to do before it's done, less than an hour or two and she's hittin' the first Cedar swamp I come across! 

[mongrel]

Maybe I was in tune with the spirits of trade gun builders gone before me, or maybe shaping things in the simplest way I could contrive ended me up at the same result as the original makers. Because, quite honestly, that's all I did -- looked at some pictures, got the essentials together, and then sort of flowed it all together. This was (is) definitely one of those projects where all I guarantee is getting the basic look and style of the gun right, not that every last detail will be correct.

I'm glad that, however I worked it out, it did work.

Odd how sometimes I can exceed customer expectations without doing more than what I always do -- and then on other guns, I deliver exactly what I promised to deliver and the customer is unhappy (or worse) on a whole slew of nit-picking details that I never promised or even implied would be done "just so" -- the result being that I end up hating and refusing to build an entire class or style of gun, regardless of the monetary incentives dangled in front of me.

[pathfinder]

Ya know Mike, in 33+ years of building that is more often the case than not.

I quit Bedford's for a while, wrist too skinney(!)(?), fore arm too narrow. Have you EVER seen a real Bedford? "No, but my buddy built one from a lot and this looks nothing like his. "Thank God I said. Wrong answer! I ended up buying it back. Setimes it just isn't worth the hassle!

[Hanshi]

My oh my but that gun does look nice.

[Otter]

The wait was worth it.Nice drawing by the way...

[pathfinder]

Up date with pix's



Haven't shot her yet. The cast off I asked Mike to build in is perfect. I think the Deer are in trouble this fall!

[Hawken50]

  All I can say is WOW.....that is one fine NW gun there Pathfinder. The pic were definitely worth the wait.

[pathfinder]

I start with a yellow analine dye, helps"liven up" the Walnut which sometimes get's "greyish". Then, hold onto yer hat's,"Helmsman Spar Polyurathane"! Yep, Polyurathane! Thinned and hand rubbed in like boiled linseed oil. Satin is my preferred sheen.

Then a few tack's. I used Birchwood Casey liquid blue on the barrel,rubbed back with 4/0 steel wool. Brass black on the brass, again, rubbed back with 4/0 steel wool

Nothing fancey for a nothing fancey gun. Mike did a great job. DO NOT hesitate to work him to death! I'll be doing more Biz with him! Fer sure!

[pilgrim]

     Very Nice

[Watauga]

The Wonderful picture of the Trade Gun reminded me of this story.
As the Gun in question was probably a lot like this.


Four Iroquois Hunters


http://www.indians.org/welker/hunters.htm

[beowulf]

that did turn out nice ! the tacks seem to go well with it  and they are`nt overdone !  and the finish is beautiful even if you did use that polywatchamacallit ! 

[Hanshi]

"Work Mike to death...".  My thoughts exactly.

[mongrel]

Typical customer (or would-be customer) attitude -- "I'm gonna hound him and nag him to death, I don't care if it does kill him, as long as I get MY gun...."