Hank Elwood and I collaborate on replicas of antique air guns. The following are photos from our 4 year complete build of a Lukens Air Rifle.
Inletting barrel – muzzle
Inletting barrel – breech end
Vise and workbench for inletting
Drilling ramrod hole in forestock
Ramrod hole being drilled
3 stages of inletting bronze barrels
A small assortment of Hank’s files
Forestock bottom – finished
Forging a trigger guard
Coal forge
Prototype with folded steel flask
Hank’s 18th century rifling machine replica
Prototype – lock side
Rifling machine – pull end
Hank Elwood – first shot from prototype
Hank Elwood – exercising on rifling machine
Bottom
Left
Top – gotta love that bronze!
Hank proudly displaying first finished Lukens DNH
Right
Needed 15 grooves – ‘modern’ indexing head in foreground
3 barrels being inlet for forestocks – note plaster models of original
Hank’s tooling – 18th century style
striker lever made from flat stock
Striker lever workup
Receiver and lock – double neck hammer from French pistol
Davis lock affixed to custom lockplate
Sideplate removed to show stiker lever and linkage
Full cock – striker behind lever
Striker just about to pass over lever during cocking
Half cock – striker abreast lever
receivers with wax patterns, models of original gun and furniture
Bottom view of receiver
Top view of receiver – striker ahead of lever – uncocked
Hickory rifing head with cutter, lube and shims
15 grooves as per original
Hank’s 18th century rifling machine replica
barrel clamped in 18th century rifling machine
Bronze prototype casting with photo of original gun
Sideplate view of pattern
Pattern sans plates and barrel
Pattern carved and shaped
Pattern taking shape around lockplate
lockplates and mock barrel inlet into wax
Receiver rear – striker pin with linkage to striker lever visible
Interior of receiver showing transfer port
7 thoughts on “Lukens Air Gun Replica Gallery”
It is absolut INCRIDIBLE!
You are real a master …
This represents an incredible amount of passion and craftsmanship!
I want one of those
hi stunned by your craftsmanship and skills, looked at every thing and found it absorbing! i could not see any info on the butt flask making, perhaps this was earlier than the archives. Have you ever thought about publishing a book of drawings or sketches… i would like to make a scale model of one… unable to own full size due to draconian gun laws now in uk…
best regards
vic
Great work sir. Is it possible in any case to e-mail me the plans or general work? gabrielsn4@gmail.com
Sir,
After reading about Lewis & Clark and the 1780 Girardoni air rifle I thought it to be a very interesting rifle and would like to have a replica for I’m sure I cannot afford an original. A replica would still be a great conversation piece and a way to teach youth about history and firearms at the same time. I have looked for a long time for a replica with zero results. I would appreciate if you could lead me in the right direction to where I could purchase on of these rifles. Thank you in advance.
Hope you had a blessed Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year!
It is absolut INCRIDIBLE!
You are real a master …
This represents an incredible amount of passion and craftsmanship!
I want one of those
hi stunned by your craftsmanship and skills, looked at every thing and found it absorbing! i could not see any info on the butt flask making, perhaps this was earlier than the archives. Have you ever thought about publishing a book of drawings or sketches… i would like to make a scale model of one… unable to own full size due to draconian gun laws now in uk…
best regards
vic
Great work sir. Is it possible in any case to e-mail me the plans or general work?
gabrielsn4@gmail.com
Start with http://bakk-knives.tripod.com/id7.html – “The Austrian Army Repeating Air Rifle.”
MArtin
Sir,
After reading about Lewis & Clark and the 1780 Girardoni air rifle I thought it to be a very interesting rifle and would like to have a replica for I’m sure I cannot afford an original. A replica would still be a great conversation piece and a way to teach youth about history and firearms at the same time. I have looked for a long time for a replica with zero results. I would appreciate if you could lead me in the right direction to where I could purchase on of these rifles. Thank you in advance.
Hope you had a blessed Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year!