traditions pennsylvania flintlock rifle stock question

OkieReb

Cadet
Joined
Mar 19, 2018
Location
Oklahoma
I have a traditions pennsylvania flintlock rifle. It’s nice, well made and not bad for the price for an entry level.
It looks like this
https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/product/Pennsylvania-.50-cal-flintlock-walnut-blued
The problem I have is the hight of the stock comb. It’s so high I can’t get a good cheek weld with the normal way I hold a rifle, the sights become to low in my sight picture. To line up the sights at all I have to move my head far back on the stock and tuck it low in an uncomfortable position. This is a very technical problem and I can’t find any info online about it. I’m trying to find out if this was just the way people shot back then and I should just deal with it. I have seen other long rifles with deeper angled stocks or straight combs. This one has a curve to it, and is not at nearly as deep an angle.
I could easily file down and refinish the stock to a better fit. But I wanted to see what people had to say before doing that.
Any info or thoughts would be appreciated.
I have a repro Springfield 1861 and have no problems with it, so it seems to be this rifle.
 
I think they call that type of stock (a high cheak piece) a roman nose stock. Those of us who are blessed with a rounder face may have a herder time getting a good sight picture.
I see the ad for the rifle calls it "historically accurate." Well, not really, but as you said, for it's price point it's not bad. And it probably will not ever be worth more than what you paid for it. So with that in mind, and with the hope I haven't offended you, if you wanted to modify the stock so you can use the sights, I would go ahead and take some wood off of it. But I would want to do a little research on Rifles of the period to to get an idea of stock shapes so it would have a pleasing shape after you modify it. I would probably take some wood off the bottom of the stock too so it has a curve that would blend in with the curve you'd be putting in the top.

May I suggest you check out http://americanlongrifles.org . They have pictures of the various "schools" of longrifles and you might come up with an idea how you want to modify the stock.
 
I think they call that type of stock (a high cheak piece) a roman nose stock. Those of us who are blessed with a rounder face may have a herder time getting a good sight picture.
I see the ad for the rifle calls it "historically accurate." Well, not really, but as you said, for it's price point it's not bad. And it probably will not ever be worth more than what you paid for it. So with that in mind, and with the hope I haven't offended you, if you wanted to modify the stock so you can use the sights, I would go ahead and take some wood off of it. But I would want to do a little research on Rifles of the period to to get an idea of stock shapes so it would have a pleasing shape after you modify it. I would probably take some wood off the bottom of the stock too so it has a curve that would blend in with the curve you'd be putting in the top.

May I suggest you check out http://americanlongrifles.org . They have pictures of the various "schools" of longrifles and you might come up with an idea how you want to modify the stock.

No offense whatsoever. All good info. And yeah you’re right it’s not historically accurate I knew when I boutght it. I honestly got it to test the waters of black powder. I didn’t want to go all out just to find out it’s not for me. That said I found that I love black powder shooting and have acquired several others since this one. I plan to get a much better made long rifle and this one will basically be a shooter, and just for fun. Thanks for the site to check out the stocks.
 
.........I found that I love black powder shooting and have acquired several others since this one. I plan to get a much better made long rifle and this one will basically be a shooter, and just for fun. Thanks for the site to check out the stocks.

If you think you may want to try and make a long rifle yourself, check out this guy
https://kiblerslongrifles.com
I'm putting his Southern Rifle right now and have ordered the colonial rifle, (I'm expecting that kit to be sent out sometime in the next month)
His rifles are based off of originals, so you have the historical accuracy, the components are all top shelf, and what set his kits apart is the stocks come precarved with holes drilled; the stocks are carved on a cnc machine, so you only have a minimal carving to do for inletting of parts.
This is my first build of a muzzleloader so I'm taking my time. But I couldn't be happier with the quality of the stock (extra fancy maple) and the components. They sent me some extra wood so I could try out different stains and finishes. They are really good people to work with too.
 
Jim Kibler's new business has been such an unexpected success that he is nearly overwhelmed with orders, to the point he is actively advertising for an assistant!
J.

I got an email from him a couple of weeks ago ( I subscide to his blog) regarding a position as an assistant at his shop, and then he posted on the American longrifle forum for someone to do metal polishing.
The release of his colonial rifle has been delayed for a couple of months. I hope he hasn't over extended himself with his sucesss of his kits. They are first rate though, and very price competitive. Their quality gives someone like me the confidence that I can put something together and be proud of what I've done
 
The Kibbler kit(s) look awesome. I can't wait to see the Colonial rifle. That looks like a fun project for an off-season. These things take a fairly significant time commitment though. In the mean time I wouldn't let the concern about making modifications to the Traditions rifle you bought keep me from making any necessary changes so it better meets your needs.
 
I think they call that type of stock (a high cheak piece) a roman nose stock. Those of us who are blessed with a rounder face may have a herder time getting a good sight picture.

I always thought it would be nice to have or shoot a Pennysalvania rifle with that kind of stock. But I always had my doubts about it. Looks cool.
I thought that amount of drop would put the sight up high.
 
The Kibbler kit(s) look awesome. I can't wait to see the Colonial rifle. That looks like a fun project for an off-season. These things take a fairly significant time commitment though. ...........

If you mean it takes a long time to put a kit together, I would agree with your statement if it was one of the many kits offered by various companies. But the Kibler kits can be put together in a weekend if you know what your doing, ( and I don't). The Kibler stocks are produced on a cnc machine, so all you have to do is some light finish sanding. The stock comes with the right dimensions, holes drilled, inlets made, etc. What is taking me so long is the metal polishing, trying to get a mirror-like look to the metal as I don't want to brown the barrel, lock and hardware. After I finish the stock, I may come back and brown some of the metal, or let it naturally age.
 
If you mean it takes a long time to put a kit together, I would agree with your statement if it was one of the many kits offered by various companies. But the Kibler kits can be put together in a weekend if you know what your doing, ( and I don't). The Kibler stocks are produced on a cnc machine, so all you have to do is some light finish sanding. The stock comes with the right dimensions, holes drilled, inlets made, etc. What is taking me so long is the metal polishing, trying to get a mirror-like look to the metal as I don't want to brown the barrel, lock and hardware. After I finish the stock, I may come back and brown some of the metal, or let it naturally age.
How does one brown a barrel? Does it require the expertise of a gunsmith or is it a process one can do in a home shop?
 
How does one brown a barrel? Does it require the expertise of a gunsmith or is it a process one can do in a home shop?
Pee on it and put it in salt,after about a week it should be brown,they mention thiis method on the Antique Roadshow as how they fake patina.
Edit..thats rock salt.
 
Pee on it and put it in salt,after about a week it should be brown,they mention thiis method on the Antique Roadshow as how they fake patina.
Edit..thats rock salt.
I think this method, if taken literally, would guarantee "hit and miss" results...in more ways than one1 Urine in sufficient quantity, mixed with rock salt and applied uniformly over the metal, and then placed in an environment of the proper humidity for a carefully monitored length of time might or might not yield predictable results. Or it might lead to irreversible pitting, etc., if not carefully monitored. I don't mean to give offense, but that's my honest reaction. I would not advise anyone to pee on their rifle barrel and then put it in salt. YIKES!
 
If you think you may want to try and make a long rifle yourself, check out this guy
https://kiblerslongrifles.com
I'm putting his Southern Rifle right now and have ordered the colonial rifle, (I'm expecting that kit to be sent out sometime in the next month)
His rifles are based off of originals, so you have the historical accuracy, the components are all top shelf, and what set his kits apart is the stocks come precarved with holes drilled; the stocks are carved on a cnc machine, so you only have a minimal carving to do for inletting of parts.
This is my first build of a muzzleloader so I'm taking my time. But I couldn't be happier with the quality of the stock (extra fancy maple) and the components. They sent me some extra wood so I could try out different stains and finishes. They are really good people to work with too.
I will just say that I have personally seen the components of the kit which our friend, Booner, has purchased. The components are of top quality. I tease Booner a lot, but I think he is going to be just fine when he finally finishes assembling this beauty!
 
How does one brown a barrel? Does it require the expertise of a gunsmith or is it a process one can do in a home shop?

Browning and blueing of a rifle barrel can both be done at home. As Camp Randall said above, Laurel Mountain Forge makes a browning solution, as well as various dies, which is what I'll be using on my build.
Think of both processes as a controlled rusting on the barrel.
 
Browning is easily done at home with Laurel mountain forge Browning solution.
Thanks for your response.
Looking it up (which I should have done to start with), it seems fairly easy to do. I'll plan on getting some and finish a project I started but haven't finished!
 
I happen to also own a traditions Pennsylvania Rifle in 50 Cal. Once you get used to how to position your cheek on the stock the guns are really pretty accurate. I have taken two whitetail deer with mine. Being used to modern rifle stocks it is a little harder to get comfortable shooting this particular rifle.
 
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