Back when I was involved in manufacturing trade gun reproductions in the early 1970s, I drew and measured a couple of guns at the Royal Ontario Museum - a typical English or North European fishtail butt matchlock musket, and a German paddlebutt wheellock carbine. Made a repro. of the matchlock, it eventually got purchased by the Feds. for an historic site. Made a tapered round/octagon 24ga. barrel and bandsawed out a walnut stock blank for the wheellock. These two pieces went into storage in '74, when we moved to the NWT. Last summer, I saw the The Rifle Shoppe had castings for an approriate roundfaced external wheel lock. Ordered the set of castings last July, installed a breechplug in the carbine barrel. Now TRS offers many items not available elsewhere, but if it isn't in stock, it will take time to get your order, because the parts will be cast to order. Well, the package arrived today. The dies for the waxes were made from an original lock. There are a lot of pieces. Quality of the castings is excellent, although this is absolutely NOT a "screw A through hole B in part C to secure it to part D" kit. It is a set of absolutely unfinished castings, no screws or instructions.
So, the stock blank and barrel date from 1973, or so. Lock castings arrive in 2008. If I can finish the carbine before the new year, that will made it a 35 year project.
So, the stock blank and barrel date from 1973, or so. Lock castings arrive in 2008. If I can finish the carbine before the new year, that will made it a 35 year project.
