Well,.... this project turned out to be something very different from my original thoughts. I wanted a small caliber gun based on my .58's pattern. Really, just a smaller, plainer version to use at the range and chase the squirrel population around here with. After discussing this with Roy, he told me he had a 7/8" straight .36 cal GM barrel that he was sure he could rig something up and put a taper on it for this build. He also had a nice figured red maple blank we could use. We already had another New England style butt plate and trigger guard as we had gotten two sets before starting on my .58 build. We pretty much decided to use the Chambers Late Ketland lock on this one and I figured no patchbox and I hadn't fully made my mind up about a thumb piece.
Having plenty of time before the build would start, I wasn't totally sold on the blank we were going to use and decided I really wanted to try to get a blank of one of the fruit woods that would have also been used here to stock guns then. It took some searching but I was able to find two Apple wood blanks. One was for a 38" barreled gun and the other was much shorter and only usable for a half stock. I was disappointed in the longest blank as it was a figureless, colorless piece. So I continued to search but came up with nothing more. I found myself looking more and more at the half stock blank......
About the same time Roy met Charles Burton from Flintlock Const. Inc, a barrel maker and suggested we put the build off for a couple of months and have a 34" tapered .36 cal custom barrel made from this company. So we did that. We also decided to go with a L&R Manton lock and I decided to have another New England style patchbox installed. I also want tang carving duplicated from a G. Mathewson gun that resides in the Bennington Museum in Vermont. I decided the gun will indeed have a thumb piece and sent Roy a nice piece of Ivory of which I think will make a very nice and unique piece. The build....
