If you've ever wanted to build a muzzleloader, flintlock or black powder rifle from a kit, this is for you. With complete instructions from start to finish for muzzleloader rifle kit assembly.
This page is photograph intensive and may take several minutes to completely
load.
This is the cheek piece before working it. There is plenty of wood rear and
below the piece but is shallow at top and front. I studied along time on how I
wanted to fashion it. Finally deciding on a shadow line on what I will call a
3/4 cheek piece.
The shadow line is started by cutting it with a sanding block. Following the
outside of a pencil mark, the block is used to cut into the wood that slopes
away from the cheek face. The cut is made perpendicular to what will
become the flat face of the butt of the stock. 100 and 120 grit paper is used.
Working forward the slope becomes too steep to control the cut well enough with
the wooden sanding block. Here a steel measuring scale is used with 100 or 120
grit paper to start the cut. After a small ledge has been cut using the scale
the block is used to deepen the cut.
At the extreme front and rear, where the shadow line will taper to the face of
the stock, a small pointed file is used to cut the line.
After the shadow line is cut almost as deep as it will be the scale, file
and sanding block are used to square up the face of the shadow line and
properly curve the line around the face of the cheek piece.
Once the shadow line is about finished high spots are sanded out of the rear of
butt section. The wood is leveled from brass butt piece to shadow line. All
sanding is done in the direction of grain flow. Note that sanding block is
angled so as to run flush into shadow line as sanding is performed.
A sanding block with 80 and 100 grit paper is used to contour the bottom of butt
section and mate it with the bottom of shadow line.
Here the shadow line is close to completion.
The curved slope from face of cheek piece to shadow line drop off is fashioned
using a cigarette filter as a sanding form (block). The filter is easily
shaped with finger pressure and, with some difficulty, can even be used at the
extreme front and rear tapers.
Using a sanding block with 80, 100 and 120 grit paper the face of the cheek
piece is dropped and contoured to preference. This also helps to sharpen the
edges of the face. Great care is taken to keep the sanding block flat against
face so that the edges of face do not become rounded from sanding.
Except for final sanding and final inspection the cheek piece is complete and
ready to have the flute cut into it.
Like the shadow line above, flutes are not essential on the Hawken. I will add
them because it enhances the rifle and because it offers an opportunity to show
how I do it.
Right and left sides of front comb before cutting flutes. It may help to have
a model to reference. The picture on the right shows a factory flute on a
Remington
model 700BDL. There are probably about as many past and present Hawken designs
as there are flies to trout fish with however, in keeping with what I believe a
Hawken flute might look and fit like I will attempt to point the apex of flute
more toward the bottom of stock than that of the above model which, as can be
seen, runs rather horizontal to center of stock.
After reviewing some pictures of Hawken percussion rifles I decided to mark
with pencil approximately how the flute will lay. The actual flute may deviate
some depending on how I feel it looks and fits as it is being shaped. I will
use the penciled outline as a perimeter not to, at first, exceed.
Right - measuring outline to help duplicate on other side of stock.
Starting flute with 100 and 80 grit paper. Notice the handy cigarette filter
as a sanding form for cutting small curves. The deepest cutting is made at the
front comb drop.
The beginning of a flute.
Smoothing the contour and curving wrist area into flute. One of the few places
no sanding block is used.
Mineral spirits was sometimes applied to highlight errors.
Right - Finished after 8 coats of
surface finish
.
Left - Here the flute is almost fashioned. The rear curve needs to be made
greater
and begin closer to tip of front comb.
Right - Finished flute and cheekpiece after 8 coats of
surface finish
.
