Double barrel shotgun kit

[mahkagari]

Firstly, tell me I don't need it until I finish the Crockett .32 I just bought and haven't touched while getting my .58 ready for hunting.

With that out of the way, I see plenty of smooth bore kits out there, but I'm specifically interested in a double barrel. I only see a Pedersoli kit at Dixie for slightly less than Cabela's assembled.

Anyone know of other kits?

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hi,
I have made quite a few guns in my time, modern, and traditional muzzle loading ( which I prefer )
I have found little to no savings in building a kit.
The only advantage to a kit, is that you can honestly put your name on it. ( Who cares?? )
If you want to save big.......find one, that some one wants to sell, at a discount price.
Then you save!
Fred

 

[mahkagari]

The only advantage to a kit, is that you can honestly put your name on it. ( Who cares?? )

Yeah, but that's the way I justify spending the money. It's my CRAFT, you see? I HAVE to buy it for my CRAFT. Can't use that excuse buying it off the shelf.

But the kit from Dixie looks even more snap-together than a lot of Traditions kits. Need a little more work than sanding and staining to justify needing it for my craft.

 

[BrownBear]

I weigh it against all the defarbing and "adjusting" folks often do to factory guns. If you're going to be stripping finish from wood and metal, maybe even doing a little hacking, then refinishing it, why not just eliminate the middle man? One of my GPR's is a refinish and the other is a kit, and who knows the difference? I do. And that's what counts to me.

 

[billraby]

I don't know of any kits out there, but Track of the Wolf has all the parts that you would need to build one.

 

[Kansas Jake]

If I remember correctly, Navy Arms offered their double barrel shotgun as a kit 35-40 years ago. They are long gone, but there might be an unassembled one show up on an auction site etc.

 

[mahkagari]

Hmm...I'm seeing a lot of antique SxS's showing up on Gunbroker for not very much. Should I be afraid of those?

 

[BrownBear]

Hmm...I'm seeing a lot of antique SxS's showing up on Gunbroker for not very much. Should I be afraid of those?

Lotta knowledge and evaluation required, but no reason to fear antiques.... If they are good ones. How you gonna know? There are ways, but I'm not qualified to sortem.

 

[mahkagari]

Hmm...I'm seeing a lot of antique SxS's showing up on Gunbroker for not very much. Should I be afraid of those?

Lotta knowledge and evaluation required, but no reason to fear antiques.... If they are good ones. How you gonna know? There are ways, but I'm not qualified to sortem.

One seller specifically disclaimed that their firearms are "inert". Sounds like CYA to me. But the reserves or buy-it-now prices are in line with kits and assembled new. So, if I can get a functional antique great, if not, I can do a kit just to put my name on it, or I'll have to come up with a reason to buy OTS.

 

[fleener]

I have bought quite a few old ML shotguns over the years. Some of them certainly were not shooters. I did learn quite a bit I think with the purchases. It was part of my education.

I have only 2 ML SxS currently. One is a beautiful W. Greener 12 ga. the other is a "beater" W. Scott 13 ga. but has bores in great shape and shoots well.

It is a manure shoot with guns like this online and not being able to inspect them first.

Ask questions like:

any separation of the top rib?

separation of the bottom rib?

when the barrel is off of the gun, and suspended by a thimble on your finger, tap it with a finger nail, does it ring like a bell, or a dull twangy sound (something is loose like a rib)

any cracks in the wood

cracks in the lock area with the lock off

cracks in the wood under the barrels

trigger and lock function as they should

how much and how deep is the pitting in the barrels

cast on or cast off?

pictures of the barrel markings

any loose spots in the barrels when you run a tight patch down the bore

If the seller does not answer my questions, I dont buy the gun.

Keep in mind that if you buy a original gun for less than $500 buyer beware. Might be a great deal, but most likely it is not a very good shotgun.


fleener