# Handmade early French flintlock muzzleloader, circa 1727



## DaleH

My latest build, an early French _Fusil de Chasse_, commonly called a ‘hunting gun’. Lightweight, accurate and the native Indian tribes preferred them greatly over English (_le dreaded Anglais_ – pffhewie!) made arms. I’m almost done … this one taking a few years, as others projects … like new transom skins and core insert on a ‘tin boat’ … haha, grabbed my interest.

Right now she is just a few ounces above 7-pounds (even w/ a straight breech portion barrel) but I want her as trim as can be. She wears a smoothbore ~44.3" barrel, flintlock breeched, of 62-caliber (comparable to a 20-gauge shotgun) where the breech area is octagonal up to a ‘wedding band’ transition at the juncture of the lower to upper forend, when the barrel is now round and tapers to the muzzle.

The entire build was done using early French pied & pouce measurements, using the 1727 contract requirements to the Tulle factory; albeit this is a custom left-handed version. Believe it or not, the earliest LH arms uncovered in archaeological digs go back to about this timeframe. In Kevin Gladysz's book The French Trade Gun in North America 1662-1759 there's shown a left-handed French 'Fusil Fin' (or fine musket, i.e., fancier metal work, piercings, and carving or ornamentation than a hunting gun) circa 1740. Think of these as a much more decorated and fancier Fusil de Chasse or fancy hunting gun. Such F-Fins were typically given out to the various Indian Chiefs as a gift or made for someone of means. Another LH'd fusil was also dug up in Georgia at the Angola dig site. So they existed, but were clearly the exception. These are the only 2 left-handed original flintlocks that I know that have been documented to this century.

I started with rough metal parts a wood blank (less rough barrel/ramrod inlets/cuts) almost 4" wide at the butt and even had to take a 6” long round-faced lock and hand file it flat, as the early French arms used flat-faced locks. Then I recut the hammer (cock) seat on the tumbler, plus faceted the pan ala the French style. I also handmade the barleycorn front sight, not a flat feature on it anywhere, not that you can see it clearly in this photo.

At this time I’d judge I’m 99% done before metal and wood finishing. She has seen no sandpaper, as I used furniture scrapers, which is really just a flat piece of metal with a ‘burr’ edge raised on one side; as this is how the originals were made. The wood is walnut and she will be antiqued by first spray painting the stock with flat black spray paint, where 99.9% of it will be scraped off, leaving some black to fill the grain pores in the wood, and around inlets, raised carvings and other places where the _ravages of time_ would normally accumulate dirt/grime on an old, well-used arm. The metal will be antiqued with bleach and then turned gray by covering it with copious amounts of vinegar for a few days.

If time is with me … it will join me on my upcoming Winter deer hunt in PA, for the special flintlock-only deer season. So that’s what I’ve been up to …


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## Johnny

*wow - awesome work Dale !!
ole Dan'el Boone would be proud !!!*


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## Crazyboat

Wow, pretty amazing stuff right there!

If it were to be put on the market, what would one sell for?


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## DaleH

Crazyboat said:


> If it were to be put on the market, what would one sell for?


I'd say $1,400 ... parts are probably ~$800 (but not what I had paid, I only paid $400, a few years ago). By a noted build the price can skyrocket! At a shoot a guy let me shoot his hand made (ultra custom) flintlock rifle by a famed builder ... now that's a $14,000 :shock: rifle there, that is/was!

But a good hand built fowler (smoothbore) where used, but mechanically in good to excellent shape, can usually be had for $600 to $1,000 ... if ever interested. 

I have a few right-handed flintlock Hawken or Mountain Rifle (production arms, T/C and Austin/Halleck) that I'd let go for $300 to $350 ... if also interested.


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## richg99

I am impressed. But, I often am.... of your many talents. 

Well done.


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## overboard

Impressive build, and good luck with the PA FL season!


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## Johnny

Dale - as a fellow craftsman in the WoodWorkers Brotherhood, I would be interested
in following the finishing process. ..... sealer, primer, varnish, etc.
what color you gonna paint it ? you gonna use camo vinyl to cover it ?















:LMFAO: just kidding on the paint and camo


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## Jim

:beer:

Wow!


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## Crazyboat

I know there are different laws around flintlocks but NJ is so bad with guns I won't be in the market today, was just curious about such a nice looking gun!.


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## DaleH

... never added the final/finished photos, but since I’m in the airport for hours waiting on people, here you go ... for some hopefully _eye candy_:

.


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## richg99

Neat. Interesting hobby, I am sure.


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## overboard

Great build! I'm not that talented to build one from scratch, but my first FL was a TC Hawken kit, turned out pretty nice and shot well.


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