5/1/2023 0 Comments Riffle mitBelieve me, I got my quarter’s worth, but there was still an awful lot left uncovered. When I built my first rifle, I used a 25-cent instruction sheet from Dixie Gun Works. There is also more good information available than there was in the past. Today there are far more suppliers of quality parts than there were then, and, thanks to the internet, those suppliers are easier to find than ever before. Luckily, today’s rifle builders have it easier than I did back in the dark days of the 20th century. So, just as in 1978, if you want an authentic flintlock long rifle, your best option is to build your own. And to be honest, even they leave a lot to be desired. But if your interests run to the long rifles that would have been carried by frontiersmen during the 18th century, there are only a couple of production models available. If you are interested in 18th century military muskets, there are a number of very good, period-correct production models available to choose from. That was 36 years ago, but things really haven’t changed. Don’t get me wrong, it would not have won a ribbon at Dixon’s Rifle Makers Fair, but it shot well and it certainly looked more legit than anything I could’ve bought off the shelf. Surprisingly, given my lack of both tools and experience, that first build turned out quite nice. The author put approximately 300 hours of work into this rifle. Completing a long rifle build takes patience. For tools I had a power drill, an X-Acto knife with an assortment of knife and chisel blades, and a small collection of rasps and files. Luckily, I was young and I had a strong grip. I didn’t have a workbench…I didn’t even have a vice. 45-caliber barrel and the various small parts needed to build a flintlock long rifle.īy then I had moved to the city of Philadelphia to start my career, and I built that first rifle in a one-bedroom apartment. So, in 1978, I picked up the Dixie Gun Works catalog and ordered its least expensive, pre-carved stock along with a cheap flintlock, a Douglas. Early Inspirationīack in the 1970s there were only a couple commercially available long rifles that were even remotely historically correct, and they were priced out of my reach. Unfortunately, in terms of aesthetics, not to mention historical accuracy, my CVA had about as much in common with the sleek Berks County rifle that Fess Parker carried in his Davy Crockett role as Spam has with a perfectly grilled ribeye. I won my share of muzzleloading matches with it. It was a solid rifle that was blessed with an accurate barrel. I used that CVA Kentucky throughout my college years. From that day forward, I’ve never been without at least one flintlock long rifle in the gun rack. I plunked $78 on the counter and walked out with one of the CVA Kentucky flinklock rifle kits. So I saved my money and, at the ripe old age of 18, I drove my beat up Chevy Malibu to the headquarters of Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA), which, at the time, was located in Old Saybrook, Conn. But my desire to emulate the exploits of Boone and Crockett never went away. My dad outfitted me with modern rifles and shotguns, and I hunted beside him with those guns from the time I was 12 years old. How to Build a Sub-MOA Precision Rifle With Optic for Less Than $1,000 My Own Flintlock Rifle
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