The Strauss Pirate 36 caliber

Bruce Bump

Bruce Bump

Forum Owner-Moderator
I'm overdue for some new WIP's around here so here is one I've had on the books long enough.
Its a 36 caliber black powder muzzleloading single shot pistol on the right and a damascus folding lockback blade on the left. Its going to take some time to make and I hope you guys come back often to see the progress.



As with my guns and knives they always start with a hand drawn sketch.

The steel for the frame is 3/4" thick 1018 mild steel plate. The barrel is a cut off from a 36 caliber muzzleloading rifle.

The breech plug is a grade 5 hardness 1/2 x 20 bolt. I drilled and threaded the barrel and threaded it. I hollowed the breech plug (bolt) to form a smooth rounded bottom for the combustion ditribution and tig welded it in place. Its non-removeable but can be cleaned out through the muskett nipple hole. You'll see more of that later.

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I see a Pulitzer Prize for Publishing in my future. Luckily, you are gonna do all the heavy lifting and brain work.

Looks great so far.

Steve
 
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The barrel rides too high so I grooved the frame so it would bed down. Notice the ram rod hole is drilled and reamed too. The frame was surfaced on each side so the rod hole will be centered. Theres nothing worse than a crooked ram rod hole. Know what I mean?

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Now comes the fun part, figuring out the hammer and trigger and hollowing out the frame so they and the main spring all fit inside.
Stay tuned, thanks for looking so far.
 
Bruce you can't imagine how freaked I am knowing what's coming. I'm so psyched I don't know what to do with myself. This is going to make the summer heat bearable! Thanks for taking this one on for us.
 
Yippee!! I love the BB Channel - I'd rather watch it than Baywatch reruns! Does that mean I'm getting old? Thanks for doing another one, Bruce.
 
You guys are hurtin for entertainment. hehe
Dave, where the heck have you been, on walkabout? You are missed my friend. Thanks for coming back, stick around.

Many of you may have already figured out that this project is for Mark Strauss. I finally met Mark at the PKA show last year in Denver. Mark has pondered this project for a few years and we finally got together there to discuss some details and nail them down. His major request is to be sleek and slim and much like the Tortuga II 45 cal. pistol/folder so in order to meet that request I dropped the barrel bore size one notch to a smaller diameter 36 caliber, stretched it out and lowered it into the frame. The overall size is about 1/2" lower and 1/4" longer than the Tortuga II. The lock mechanism is modernized a bit and will use a lockback blade. The damascus blade is narrower and slightly longer with a thumb stud. I'm thinking the "unlock method" could be another thumb stud at the front tip of the engagement or like the pictures show, a simpler raised tab back at the handle. Thats one of the fun things about going without a strict blueprint is things can evolve as the build goes along.

We have no official name for this gunknife yet so if anybody has input for that lets hear it. The "Strauss Pirate 36 Caliber" is fine for now until we hear just the right one.

Its nice to be back in the saddle. I love doing these Work in Progress threads. This WIP is exclusive to KnifeDogs thanks to the kindness of Boss Dog for this much freedom and space here. Thanks Boss!
 
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Bruce I keep a close eye on my heros here, and a Bump WIP is an event to make my life special. I'll be watching all of your work with intense enthusiasm, believe me. I love this stuff.
 
Watching history unfold once again. Bruce thanks for keeping these WIP going. Your Power Naps are going to be a lot shorter for the next little while.:biggrin:

Thanks
 
It's probably just as well that not everyone has the equipment and know-how to do stuff like this. I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone how cool it is, so I'll just watch it unfold.
 
I do have a few more pictures to put up but nothing too exciting yet. I drilled a couple holes in the frame and took it to our local saw and knife shop. They have a bandsaw welder so I had them put a new Diemaster II metal bandsaw blade through the hole and weld the ends together. Now I can cut the center out of the frame. Pics coming soon, I promise.
 
You're work is amazing my friend. I try to make good WIP's but yours blow everyone's away :)
 
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Bruce Thanks for posting another WIP, it is always fun and educational to watch the progress of you work:)

Jim
 
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