I'm presently in Bowling Green, Kentucky and enrolled in the NMLRA's Gunbuilding Workshop's English Rifle class taught by Ron Scott. First day I finished threading the trigger guard to the trigger plate. I had tapped the latter at my friend's place and then threaded it with some success. Used another die and threaded it a wee bit further before I took a reamer and reamed out the trigger plate to allow for more clearance for the trigger guard. Now it is flush but the trigger guard was bent during the threading process (lesson: use a decent vise). Anyway, because the trigger guard was bent it had to be heated and straightened. Then the tang was ground down (it was approaching 3/8" thick from top to bottom). Afterward the tang was fitted to the breechplug/barrel.

Temporarily unitized the tang and breechplug/barrel and inletted them to the barrel. It took me over a day to accomplish. Previous tangs that I've inletted were simple trapezoid shaped. This was more like a Mauser 98 in that it is shaped liked an arch that sits atop of a square before arching out again. After locating the breechplug, the location of the touch hole was determined and the lockplate's inletting begun.



There are eight students in the class. Five of us are building our English rifles from start. Two are finishing English rifle projects they started a while back and the eighth working on another flintlock of American make (teachers allow you do this and are used as consulatants/guides so students may finish uncompleted proejcts).

Yesterday after class we attended a BBQ/picnic at our host's home. We had a rifle frolic but I didn't bring a smokepole. I'm too lazy to spend an hour cleaning it and that will wait for Friendship. Spoke with Hershel House who is doing well. Mark Silver shared images of a project he is working on (recognized it immediately because of the bolt release). Spoke with a fellow San Franciscan (I'm an expat from there) who is selling some Ballards (38-55) and a Win 1885 in 45-70. One of my classmates also works in the movie industry and told us about his training in high falls (into an airbag or mattress). Another owns October Country. I also reacquainted myself with a lot of people I haven't seen in over a decade.

If you have a chance an am inclined to learn gunbuilding, take one of the NMLRA's summer workshop. Mark Silver just finished his three day talk on the longrifle and stock architecture. Lally House did a three day porcupine quill work class. Art DeCamp is starting his powder horn class tomorrow and Mark his lock assembly class. Jack Brooks is teaching how to make the Edward Marshall Long Walk rifle. George Suiter (3rd master gunsmith of Colonial Williamsburg) recently retired and is teaching a 9 day class on making tools with which you construct the long rifle. I'm going to have to take George's class next year.

No one finished their project.  One fellow who started his over a year ago returned to work on it.  He silver soldered the parts of the rib together and then the rib to the barrel.  He also inletted the nose cap and buttplate.

I worked on the nose this week and trimmed it down to smaller size.  Still have to work on the internal of the nose and that's where I stopped fitting the nose to the stock.