forgot to tell you something. the book "building double rifles on shotgun actions" by w. ellis brown shows how he builds a forearm metal from scratch. the book shows how he does a lot of double stuff that may not be kosher or "right" when guys are working on fine doubles, but for what you are doing it is a great reference piece.
you telling us that you are 24 totally changes things for me. hell, go ahead and do it! it will be fun and you will learn a lot. i seriously doubt you will ever finish it, but that is ok. i bet every gunmaker on the board has projects they started over 20 years ago that sit in dusty corners of the shop. i keep track of things by presidential terms. i have knives i started when george h.w. bush was president, and guns started during clinton's second term.
if you do finish it, the gun will be "seriously rigged together" in most double nuts minds, but the lack of other's idea of its quality is ok, because again, you learn and have fun. at 24 there is no way you know how to drive all of the manual machinery and tooling required, and then there is the fact of having it all there and available to you, when you need it. but remember -if you have the right mind about it and a good dose of the fire in your belly, it will be fun and a great way to learn.
HOWEVER...you have an ace in your pocket. if you TRULY want to learn and are not just playing grabass for one gun project in your life, then you can reach out to gunmakers who will help you. you can email me directly and you can ask questions on this and other boards.
go for it! love to see young guys who want to work on guns in general, and doubles in particular.
btw - where do you live?
Last edited by Marc Stokeld; 05/29/15 11:10 AM.
