Heelerau

The unknown 13th apostle?

Apparently I will need the 12 apostles !

At 25 m it shoots pretty well to point of aim, 2 1/2 drams of FFg, with a thick greased patch and a .490 ball.

Neat job of the cutoff, I normally cut almost through, then put the piece cut on the edge of the anvil and strike off the waste with the hammer.

Will do, have to make some slow match first !

Matchlock is now done and ready to try ! It has been a fun project, lots of learnings. Kit Ravenshears handbooks have been invaluable. Thank you all for shewing interest.

I have a noisy parrot you can have, will even through in a years worth of parrot mix, darn galah, is noisy as all get out.

Thomas, one of the blokes at the Muzzle Loading Club I belong to makes it, so may get a piece from him to start with. I have been told Spotlight have nice braided cotton cord, so I will also make some myself. I don't intend using this piece much, it was mostly for the experience that I made it, plus I have not to this time got a match lock. I have mostly flint and percussion rifles, and smoothbores. The match making looks like an interesting exercise, I have plenty of wood ash and saltpetre

Made from scratch the under barrel lugs, barrel is now pinned to the for end, but plate is now screwed on, ram rod thimble fitted . I made and fitted the flash shield today, so now just have to put the finish on the stock and proof her. Photos to follow. To the moderator, is this font size ok please? Cheers Gordon

Gentlemen, I have been messing about, finally got the ram rod hole drilled to the correct depth, and it takes its ramrod nicely. Today Iit up the forge and made a trigger guard, then converted a cup head bolt to a screw slot, drilled and tapped and fitted the tang bolt and also fitted the trigger guard. Nice and solid, reshaped the trigger, made it wider. I am thinking period tudor electricians tape to keep barrel in the trough. I have made up a couple of under barrel lugs, I will silver solder those on next and then inlet and drill and fit the pins. The for end cap, I will find some tin for that I think. The piece hold nicely and seems well balanced, quite comfortable in fact. Cheers

1 1/4 inch bore, 10z of Fg, ball just over 1/2 lb cast lead. We have a terrace on the south side of the house with an embrasure for the gun, next to a flag pole. That was a time shot hence the double image. Weight of about 70 lbs, cast iron around a seamless steel bore with welded breech plug. Cast in a local Perth boundary, a chap had a number of these made, my in-laws gave it to me as a 50th birthday present.

Something I have been working on for a while. A mate forged the lock many years ago, and sent it to me recently. I have forged the pan out of a railway spike, drilled with my blacksmiths post drill, forged the pan cover, triggers, but plate. Still to forge the trigger guard, and ram rod pipe. Have to drill the ram rod hole in the fore end, finish shaping the stock, make a fore end cap. The barrel is smoothbore .50 made from carbon steel hollow bar, a mate turned it for me as I have no lathe. Stock I cut from an old jarrah plank I had lying around with the bandsaw. Lock inletting is not the greatest as I need more practice !

I trust you are making it with a square bore for shooting non christians! That is a mighty project, will be interested in the finished result. I love the Krupp pack cannons. I have a 3rd scale 32lb naval gun that mounts in the bed of my old pickup

50/50 acetone and auto trans oil, works a treat, just have to leave it for a week or two sealed up so the acetone does not evaporate.

I have been buying lump charcoal from Bunnings in Midland, it mostly works fine in my Buffalo Forge. I am located at Gidgegannup. A local artisan smith make his own charcoal, I am yet to find time to do it.