I built this .45 caliber percussion muzzle-loading pistol, to be auctioned at the 2015 NRA-ILA Dinner and Auction. The organization "Knife Rights" asked me to make the pistol as part of their "Freedom's Steel" fundraising efforts to support the NRA's Institute of Legislative Action. All funds raised from the pistol's sale, go to the ILA.
The .45 caliber barrel used on this pistol, is of Bernard pattern damascus steel. A hooked, patent breech-plug was used with the barrel. I did some engraving on the tang of the standing breech. The breech-plug, standing breech, trigger, trigger plate and hammer are in French gray.
There were 81 steel rods, stacked into the billet used to make all of the damascus used on this pistol. There were 41 rods of 1084 steel and 40 rods of 1018 steel. The rods were stacked in a 9 x 9 checkerboard arrangement in the billet. All of the steel rods were inch square and 6 inches long.
This stack of steel rods was forge welded into a solid block. The block was drawn out by forging and then cut into two pieces. These two pieces were additionally drawn out into rods that were 1/2" square. These two rods were then twisted along their entire length, at a rate of 3 1/2 revolutions per inch. The two rods were then forge welded to each other and used to make all of the damascus steel for the pistol.
I designed and built the lock used on this pistol. I made hardened steel jigs, to shape the tumbler and sear. By using these jigs, I can shape the tumbler and sear to fit with perfectly each other. The parts are placed in the jigs, and then cut down to the jig with saws and files. The jigs make it possible to build more of these precisely and identically shaped parts. This pistol's lock-plate, is made from the same damascus steel as was used to make the gun barrel.
The trigger guard also incorporates the same damascus used elsewhere on the gun. The guard was forged to shape and then hand finished.
The sterling silver front sight blade, is soldered into a windage adjustable steel base.
The wood used to make the pistol stock, is cherry wood that came from the site of George Washington's childhood home. I shaped the pistol stock from a block of wood obtained from "Historical Woods of America Inc.", located in Woodford, VA.
Below is a link to a short video, that covers a small portion of the work that was done on the main parts of the pistol. This short video was assembled for advertising purposes of the pistol. I have a bunch of video clips that were shot during the pistol build. I will later make a much longer video, with more thorough coverage of the work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3VLJCW65rM&list=PLlKXU98jzgYMIgQEgYUxKEsaO2oi6tJu9&index=2
