Flintlock kits - suggestions

[ilcop22]

Good evening,

I've been looking into building a flintlock rifle from a kit. I've come accross a few sites offering kits, but I'd like to get the community's opinions first. Do you have any experience with any of these companies? Also, if you know of any I didn't list, I'd appreciate the tips.

http://www.flintlocks.com/
http://www.possibleshop.com/rifle-kit.html
http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/riflekits.html

Thanks.

[waksupi]

You can't go wrong with Chambers. Best lock on the market, bar none, plus very good barrels and hardware.

[daddywpb]

Take a look at Stonewall Creek Outfitters kits. If you have questions, call and talk to Troy. He can fix you up a kit with whatever parts you would like. He's rebarreling my T/C Renegade flintlock. He's very knowledgable, helpful and a darn good guy.

[gmsharps]

I agree on the Cnambers kits. I built one of his kits in 1993. Jim sells everything needed to complete a work of art if you are up to it. His kits are not the cheapest but have the best locks (Siler) on the market and mighty fine swamped barrels. Just my thoughts.

GM

[StrawHat]

The Kindigs always have a good supply of parts. Iif you can get to their shop, they are very knowledgable and will help you pick what you need.

http://www.logcabinshop.com/index-2.html

[waksupi]

I agree on the Cnambers kits. I built one of his kits in 1993. Jim sells everything needed to complete a work of art if you are up to it. His kits are not the cheapest but have the best locks (Siler) on the market and mighty fine swamped barrels. Just my thoughts.

GM

Jim did improve the Siler locks after he took them over from Bud. He understands lock geometry, and made a good lock much better. I also have two of his English, a Queen Anne and a Jaeger lock. I wouldn't buy any other type.

[northmn]

There are several good sources of kits depending upon the style you want. Another good source for browsing is Track of the Wolf which has excellent photographs of various types of rifles. Chambers kits are excellent also. Just know that putting toghether one of these kits is a lot different than a Cabelas Hawken kit or a Great Plains Rifle kit, but if done properly will give a much more valuable gun. A good source for info on building kits of the Chambers quality is AmericanLongRifles.com.

DP

[ilcop22]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I only have one more question. I'm ordering a Kentucky rifle in .50 cal. Now, when it comes to casting 50 cal round ball, I should pick up a .500 mold, correct?

[Geraldo]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I only have one more question. I'm ordering a Kentucky rifle in .50 cal. Now, when it comes to casting 50 cal round ball, I should pick up a .500 mold, correct?

You need either .490" or .495" depending on your barrel, and probably use .015-.020" patch material.

If I had the patience to build a long rifle, it would be a Chambers kit.

[Marvin S]

TOW parts sets have been the best value for me and they carry most of the top brand barrels and locks. I have always got wood at or better than rated.

[ilcop22]

I ordered a TOW basic kit in .50 cal with a 42", 7/8" barrel. Nothing fancy, but it comes with a Chambers lock and a few basic dress-ups. I like the utilitarian look in military weapons, so it should suit me well.

[StrawHat]

I ordered a TOW basic kit in .50 cal with a 42", 7/8" barrel. Nothing fancy, but it comes with a Chambers lock and a few basic dress-ups. I like the utilitarian look in military weapons, so it should suit me well.

Now, the fun begins. A good book (or three) will help you with your build. I like the one by William Buchelle but there are a lot of newer ones available. Go slow and be patient. Your efforts will be rewarded.

And when you get to the point when you are working up a load, the fun really starts!

[ilcop22]

Now, the fun begins. A good book (or three) will help you with your build. I like the one by William Buchelle but there are a lot of newer ones available. Go slow and be patient. Your efforts will be rewarded.

And when you get to the point when you are working up a load, the fun really starts!

I'm pretty excited. I've built guns before, but never something like this. I'm looking into books while I wait for it to arrive and different loads/paper methods.

[northmn]

I will repeat about the AmericanLongrifles.com website. The books give you a basic guide but the experience in gun building on that site goes far beyond anything found in one book. Also they can assist in the unlikely event you screw up while building the kit or if you need to find a fix for a minor flaw in the kits. There si also guidelines for making the special tools that make life easier. Thanks to them I now have a few scrapers made out of hacksaw blades that help on inletting and a few chisels made out of old chain saw files. There is also a archive showing pictures of originals. The recomendations you recieved on this site for purchase is the same they would give and I enjoy this site for shooting ML's and the interaction also. The ALR site has one special thread on building.

DP

[waksupi]

I believe "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" may be back in print. Good instruction manual.

[iron brigade]

TVM makes a nice kit, and a lot of the work is done on it as well. for around 600 give or take.

[Dean D.]

I ordered a TOW basic kit in .50 cal with a 42", 7/8" barrel. Nothing fancy, but it comes with a Chambers lock and a few basic dress-ups. I like the utilitarian look in military weapons, so it should suit me well.

I am excited for you! I built my first kit just over a year ago and I am still enjoying the finished product!

I too ordered my kit from TOW and I was very satisfied with the final result. TOW sells good parts, the only drawback to their business model is you sometimes end up with parts on back order. Slightly irritating when you order a part marked "In Stock" on their website and then find out it's been back ordered. From now on I will only order over the phone after verifying that the part is in stock.

Here is a link to an album with build along pictures of my kit:

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j36/condercliffjumper/Lancaster%20Kit/

Several of the regulars here were enormously helpful to me during the project.
Good Luck and have fun!

[Smokin_Gun]

One more Harpers Ferry Zoli owner here ... about to try it out tomorrow along with my 1873 Springfield Trapdoor .45/70 and a Hawkens Frontier .50 with a 24" bbl...

StrawHat it's too bad we don't live closer and could have a dang near twin rifle shoot...
Do you use 7/8" Flints? that's one thing I gotta get yet is a couple dozen flints ... I have plenty of .500gr .58 cal Minies and about a 100 rb's so I 'll try 3 of my loads then 3 of yours and see what happens. Lookin' forward to shootin' as it's been awhile and finally able to shoulder one again.
Catch ya later...
SG

[Smokin_Gun]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I only have one more question. I'm ordering a Kentucky rifle in .50 cal. Now, when it comes to casting 50 cal round ball, I should pick up a .500 mold, correct?

I've used a Lee aluminum .490 for T/C Hawkens, a Miroku Tennessee PoorBoy, and a CVA Hawken with strips of Pillow tickin'(about .018") and Mooses Milk for lube...dang near 30 years now I guess...just molded a couple hundred the other day with that same $20 mold ... get a two cavity... half the work twice the fun...

[stubshaft]

I order the metal from Track and wood from Pecatonica Arms. Chambers has some VERY good kits. Built a couple of kits from Golden Age Arms but they closed up.

[StrawHat]

..Built a couple of kits from Golden Age Arms but they closed up...

I had forgotten all about that shop. Tje owner, Jim Johnston, was a good fellow and willing to share what he knew. He wrote a couple of books and had access to quite a few collections to use for photos. Many of the old gun shops are gone. Too bad.

[SamTexas49]

Ask the Supplier of the Barrel what they reccomend, For target shooting in an Old .50cal Hawkin FullStock, custom built (with Douglas Barrel) I used.495 ball to have a snug fit, but then you have time to use load block/ short strter etc. In the field I used a .490 ball for easier loading !

[northmn]

One thing about kits is that they tend to over supply my needs. I make my own front sights, underpinning lugs and breechplugs for instance. Were I to build a rifle using a precarve I would do as stubshaft says and buy the basics like the precarve, barrel and lock. You can make pins out of 1/16 inch brass and so forth. For a beginner the kits are OK and you can learn a lot from them but you can truly "custom build" a rifle best with a blank. Whcih is a lot of work and for me nets about $2.00 per houtr in labor when I look at the value of the finished gun. Still it is a fun hobby. The first one si the hardest as you are just itching to shoot it. I really recommend starting with a Tennessee.
http://i550.photobucket.com/albums/ii425/Davidpeck16/Poor%20Boy/013.jpg
http://i550.photobucket.com/albums/ii425/Davidpeck16/Poor%20Boy/014.jpg
http://i550.photobucket.com/albums/ii425/Davidpeck16/Wifes%20Rifle/001.jpg

You see the rifle laying on a blank like I use, but the simplicity of a Tennessee has its own attraction. The bottom one is one I built for my wife and takes a little more skill and is more elaborate.

DP

[jtwodogs]

You can't go wrong with Chambers. Best lock on the market, bar none, plus very good barrels and hardware.

2nd on the chambers kit, I have a .62 cal. mark silver awesome gun.
go with a mold that throws a .490 ball then go to Wally world and get some pillow ticking, make sure you wash it first to get the starch they put in it out. Then get some wonder lube and mix a 50/50 with some veg. lard, and you be good to go.

[waksupi]

2nd on the chambers kit, I have a .62 cal. mark silver awesome gun.
go with a mold that throws a .490 ball then go to Wally world and get some pillow ticking, make sure you wash it first to get the starch they put in it out. Then get some wonder lube and mix a 50/50 with some veg. lard, and you be good to go.


One thing I must say about the Chambers. If you order, don't be in a rush. It has taken me up to eight months to get the parts from them after ordering. The hold up is their barrel maker, and the stock turner. A friend currently has one on order, that has been around three months now. When he calls, he is always assured he will have the parts in two weeks. I heard the same story when I would call. I think they operate on a different calendar.
Actually, this is common to many custom suppliers. They are trying to keep the customer happy, but they are at the mercy of outside vendors. I personally would prefer people to tell me up front if there is going to be a delay.
When I worked for Serengeti, it was obvious when looking at the orders, there was no way that we could meet the projected delivery times. There were just too many orders, and only three of us building the rifles.
I got the policy changed that we would give an estimated delivery time at least six months longer than we figured was really required, to allow for anything that may come up in receiving parts, or any other hold up. This kept the customers much happier, to have a rifle ready for delivery before the projected time, and it nearly eliminated the over anxious from calling constantly.
It isn't just Chambers, though. any company you order from, where you are using custom parts, can very easily have as long a delivery time.
The best thing to do when you undertake a project like this, is to order your stock first. That will usually take the longest to get, if not in stock. Get the barrel next, as it is generally the next longest item to get. The lock and other small parts are fairly fast to get.
If you spread out ordering parts in this way, you can ease the pain of the investment, not having to do a major outlay all at one time.