First Build opinion

[paradork]

Shopping for a muzzle loader kit. I built a traditions deer hunter in .32 a number of years ago. Wasn't much to it. Anyhow, I've decided I want to try and build a flint lock long rifle for squirrel hunting. I've contacted TVM and talked with them some. I've got it narrowed down to either a plain southern poor boy or a late Lancaster with a premium maple stock in either brass or german silver. I'm looking at almost $1050 for the late Lancaster or $750 for the southern poor boy.
Kinda at a point of not knowing what to do. The Lancaster kinda scares me with the extra parts and price tag. The southern seems like it would be easier to build but be very plain. Odds say I'd probably be able to complete the southern, the Lancaster I don't know. I fear a thousand dollar rifle that won't get completed or fired. I know its been said a thousand times, you can't build just one but I'd rather build one at the current prices. Any advise for a first time builder or experiences with TVM, either rifle.

 

[EC121]

If you want a swamped barrel squirrel rifle, look up Jim Kibler southern mountain rifle kits. He has a website. WWW.jimkibler.net. It is the best kit of that style on the market. $950 and all the inlets are CNC milled. It should just about put itself together. .40cal. is the max caliber right now.

 

[Vaino]

Yes....Kibler's kit is nearly an "in the white" rifle. If you want more of a challenge, then buy one of Chambers kits....he has quite a variety and they're all top notch. Dunlap also has some nice kits which are probably a little more involved than the Chambers, but are still doable by a beginner......Fred

 

[Crewdawg445]

Chambers, enough said.

 

[wattlebuster]

Kibler :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Go with Jim Kibler's kit.

 

[silly goose]

Kibler, especially since the smallest caliber Chambers offers is a .40.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I bought one of TOW's "Golden Age" kits, and followed George Schroyer's type of pattern, ordered a Green Mountain swamped barrel in .32, it's my super accurate grouse and rabbit gun. You could do about the same thing, I suggest .32.

 

[Ames]

I went with the late Lancaster from Pecatonica River in a high grade curly maple. Ran about $925.
Absolutely no regrets. Not a kit, but a ton of fun doing it yourself.

 

[galamb]

Do make sure you know what you are getting into - these "kits" are not like that Traditions kit where you basically just had to "bolt it together" - there is a ton of fitting/finishing/inletting/shaping to be done on these "builders kits".

What would you be happier with?

In the greater scheme of things if you can build a poorboy you can build a Lancaster - more work doesn't necessarily mean "harder/more difficult" - just mean "more work". If you can't build a Lancaster then you probably can't build a poorboy either.

You are going to spend a lot of time an effort on whichever you choose - so get what you "really want" - simply making do "could" leave you disappointed in the end - better to spend 900 bucks on a rifle you will "love and want to keep forever" then be out 600 or 700 bucks on one you "wish" was something else but now you are invested with the truth being you would be unlikely to recover even half your costs if you tried to sell it and move up.

If you do chose the Lancaster, if you are at all concerned with "correctness", forget the German Silver. It was not used during the flint era - it would be at home on a later percussion gun, not so much a Lancaster flint.

 

[Chowmif16]

Galamb is right.

I think the fundamental question is how much work do you want or are you capable of doing?

Any of the TVM, TOTW, Chamber's kits will require a lot of woodwork and metal work. They will require draw filing the barrel, extensive filing and polishing of metal parts, drilling and tapping holes, lots of inletting work into the wood, lots of wood shaping etc etc etc. For a first time builder with only "assembly kit" experience you will need a good book such as Gunsmith of Grenville County to guide you through it.

The Kibler kit will require much less work and yield an absolutely beautiful gun. You will still have to file the barrel and the lock, and do a small amount of inletting, but a massive amount of work is done for you. Well worth the $950.

Take it from one who has made the leap from assembly kits to "precarves" or "parts sets", it is a big jump.

Decide first how much work you are willing and able to do, then look at your options.

Cheers,
Norm

 

[Vaino]

Awhile back became acquainted w/ a "parts set builder" and he paid a visit to my house and luckily I had one completed LR and 2 in progress. He sounded knowledgeable on building MLers....his remarks were "right on" .

We decided to meet again but at his house. Upon arriving he started talking about a new parts set he had just ordered from TOW. He then proceeded to show me 5 parts sets that weren't even started. Then it dawned on me....he would get enthused about a parts set, order it and as w/ all the rest of the parts sets, was hesitant to start any of them. Actually felt sorry for the guy and asked if he would like me to work w/ him on building one of the parts sets.....he declined. I then thought I would do him a favor by offering to buy a couple of his sets. He also declined my offer.

Never saw or heard from him again, but do think of him every so often. Evidently he was too proud to accept either of my offers.

Below is approx. what he saw in my shop.....Fred

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Fred,

That must be the trick to prevent the tendency to "rush". Get more than one kit. That way when you work up to a point, but you still have time you can set it aside and start on something else.

I am just venturing forth on a TVM set. I know my own tendencies and my weakness is to not put something down when I have more time/energy to work.

For example: On of the hardest things is if glue needs to dry before going back to it. OK it's Sunday night I've got a few more hours, after that my next chance will be. . . let's see. . .not next weekend, or the one after that. . . crud!

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I just got a TVM kit. There gun sets may fill a notch somewhere between the factory gun sets and the Track of the Wolf or Chamber's sets.

The TVM sets have the barrel already breached, touch hole liner installed, lock mortise inletted most of the way, triggers inletted most of the way, barrel inletted all the way.

 

[paradork]

I understand its going to be a lot more work to build one of these kits than the traditions I build. I just am having a hard time making up my mind. I know what I want and its the Lancaster, so that's what I'm going with. Looking forward to building this squirrel gun, hope it turns out looking good and shoots better.

 

[Pete G]

Whatever you chose you will probably be happier with a kit that carries a swamped barrel. After you have handled both a swamped and a straight you will be surprised at the difference it makes.

 

[paradork]

ya, I'm thinking about getting a swamped barrel.

 

[Donny]

One of my favorite quotes.
"The greatest conquest,
is that of self."

I am a more of a.... rush it thru and get it to the range. Some guys never finish anything, procrastinate, keep a gun on the bench 1/2 finished for years. It takes self control to work at a proper pace.

 

[hoochiepapa]

And health!! I'm finally back at a gun that was promised three years ago. I worked on it as much as I could, and finally gave in and had surgery on my right shoulder, the one that was bothering me so much that I couldn,t do much. That surgery didn't take, and I had to have it done again. So after two years of nursing it along, I am back at my bench. By the way, it's my fault the first surgery failed.

 

[MSW]

if you don't already have a copy, I would purchase The Gunsmith of Grenville County, by Peter Alexander. you should also pick up Recreating the American Longrifle, by Shumway, et al. ... both are available from Track of the Wolf - a bit spendy, but they'll more than save you the purchase price in parts you don't spoil because you didn't know not to do "x" before "y" was taken care.

read through these books and if you get the sense that "sure, that looks like something I can handle," you're in a position to do either rifle.

good luck with your build!