Inexpensive imports or kit build

[oldracer]

After you get some time with a percussion or flint lock front loader and it is time to make your own, you might want to contact the folks at Muzzle Loaders Supply Co. I bought the parts last winter and after 3 months or so have a pretty accurate shooting Lehigh model. The stock and barrel are generally the most expensive parts and mine is tiger striped maple with a 42 inch Colerain barrel. The owners will take lots of time explaining all the differences in locks, triggers, etc. Be ready for LOTS of carving, scraping, sanding and such.

[oldracer]

Opps, forgot the link, sorry. http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/

[FergusonTO35]

That's a nice rifle. My old CVA began life as a kit ordered from an ad in American Hunter in 1986. My Dad and I put it together over a period of a few months. It's taken a few deer over the years and resides next to my desk.

[RU shooter]

Thats a beautiful rifle there oldracer! I wish I had the skills in woodworking and the patience to go with it to do a job like that. The metal work I can handle . Is there anywhere that sells kits similar to that PA long gun that the wood is say 75 percent or more done on the inletting ?Even better I saw a rifle in my web browsing that really caught my eye it was a half stock Lehamn style or something like that trade rifle .

[fouronesix]

Most of the outfits who sell traditional ML "kits" offer them with pre-inlet stocks where a major portion of the inletting is done- I'd say well over 75%. Here's an example of one of the simpler rifles in kit form.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Catego...TI-13-40-FLINT

[waksupi]

No matter what you get for a kit, take your time. I have seen more $300 rifles made from $700 worth of parts, than $700 worth of parts made into a $3000 rifle. Both can be done from the same parts. The difference is what is between your ears.

[oldracer]

The wood work on mine was probably 75% finished. The trigger opening was roughed and the opening for the lock had been done. The barrel channel was about 75% done. This was mainly because another person had ordered the stock and backed out so I got it as it sat and also a good price for the wood with grain like that. There is a company in L.A. named Gunline that makes checkering and inletting tools and the inletter I bought has 3 scrapper blades and made short work of the barrel fitting. The hardest was making the jigs for the pins for the rod thimbles and drilling the hole for the end of the ram rod. There are some sites that show all that stuff in great detail. I also had the dovetails cut for the sights and the underlugs and even got the stock marked where the underlugs went! Just have to go slooooow!

[seasidehunter]

Hey I will keep a eye out here in Okla for you.T/C are in most pawn shops pretty cheap.If I come across a deal
I will pm you.I will be glad to pick one up for you.

Fly

Thanks FLY

ans good idea I'll check on some C list ads etc -- let me know if you see something

I would love to find a .58 somewhere ....

[wolfe28]

Keep looking for a TC.
I've had a couple of "other brand" cheapo's
they were a pain to disassemble for cleaning purposes.
the quality of the steel is krap too.

Spend $300 on a TC, you'll get $300 or more when you deside to sell it in a few years, they hold their value real well as you are seeing now.
Jon

I must concur with this. I picked up a fairly nasty looking TC Newenglander for $25.00 of the used rack at the LGS a few years ago. Soaked the lock in WD-40 to loosen up the rust and then re-installed it. Scrubbed the bore with comet to clean out the rust and smooth off some of the pitting, and then put a new nipple on it. Took it to the range two weeks later and shot a cloverleaf group at 50 yards with 70g of FFFg and a .490 prb. I took the target back to the shop and showed it to the guy that sold it to me; definitely impressed him.

Another thing to look for is someone selling the stock and hardware for a TC on FBay. You can often pick those up cheap, and then order a GM barrel (as someone else mentioned) and still have a great shooter for less than a more "inexpensive" rifle.

D

[oldracer]

A couple of the ML competitors in the San Diego area have showed me their "extra" barrels for their T/C rifles. Most all are long and 1 in 18 .451 Gibbs type setups and they use them in that real long range stuff. A couple of them have several different ones of various calibers and all started from a "rat" of a gun and was refinished and worked on over time to get a real shooter!