Muzzleloader hammers and triggers cut out on a water jet machine by Stephen Marlow

Finally got a batch of muzzleloader hammers and triggers cut out on a water jet machine.

This process I’ve been talking about for a year now and finally got all the research done on design of the parts for several styles of muzzleloaders. The designs were scaled to produce smaller youth sized target guns, which were sometimes called buggy or squirrel guns.

The models for this demonstration project were percussion cap ‘underhammer’ muzzleloaders of American origins from the early to mid 1800s.

Yep, I’ll publish something, as well as giving the Scouts and 4-H kids the opportunity to shoot an appropriately sized muzzleloader.  What fun!

As you can see this work was done by a computer guided machine with drawings of each part that I designed in a computer drafting program.

The cutting of the 3/8^th mild steel plate for hammers and triggers took 3 hours using garnet sand and water at 40,000 psi producing a .03 inch kerf cut.

The locks will be cut from 5/8^th plate at a later date.  Thicker will be slower, but the cut half as much to cut, so at least another 3 hours I’m guessing.

If your browser will allow you to enlarge the last picture you can see the cut patterns in red and the cut order is the yellow line on the computer screen.

Now that they are cut out there is still a tremendous amount of mill work, hand shaping, fitting, and color case hardening to do.

Also will need springs, barrels, and stocks.

Should be able to complete 15 youth size rifles and pistols.

Another year’s work? – maybe more?

Stephen,

LEARN – PRACTICE – COMPETE