Hello everyone, I just wanted to do the obligatory introduction thread real quick and share a little bit about what brought me here.
Back when I was about 13, my grandfather had passed away and I'd inherited some of his things. Among his wood working tools was a Kentucky pistol kit that I assembled but never got around to completing. Actually, I didn't even realize at the time that it was an actual, functioning firearm until I had got it all put together, and about to stain it. Soon as I realized it could actually shoot, I hounded my dad to try it out, but he never allowed it. Apparently he didn't have much confidence in a DIY kit gun not blowing up on me; he was always pretty anti-gun and I never got to shoot a firearm until I was well into my 20s anyway.
So anyway, I'm not really sure what had me thinking about that old gun, but I decided I'd see if I could still find one of those kits and ordered a Tradtions kit. It looks a little bit different from the one I had. For one thing, the one I put together way back then was a .45 caliber, whereas this one I just ordered is a .50. Otherwise it looks about the same, except there was a side-plate that the screws for the lock fastened into, and on this plate is simply replaced by some washers.
I'm excited to get it and start putting it together, but I've got a lot to research to do before hand. I don't really know too much about wood working, staining, lacquering, etc. but I'd like it to be something with a nice, high-gloss finish, and I'm thinking about trying to fashion my own brass-side-plate to use instead of the screws and washers. I've got some machining and metal working experience so I should be able to do that, but I'm curious how I'll carve out a recess in the wood for it--I am thinking about just using some pocket knives. I've heard they're quite forward heavy as well, so thinking about ways I might be able to weight the back. Otherwise, I'll also be seeking some advice on what the practical maximum powder loads I should be using for this gun, as the little sliver of wood that sits between the brass piece doesn't really inspire my confidence in me--I might look into whether it's safe to drill and tap some more holes about mid-way down the barrel to fortify things a little.
Beyond that I'm looking up stuff about actually shooting it, but that will be a ways away since I still haven't even ordered any of the requisite accessories and want to do some research on it. I've only ever shot modern firearms, and only have a passing familiarity with black powder. I've been reading around and have a rough idea of what all I need and been watching YouTube videos of the general loading, firing, and maintenance procedures, but hope I can get some more detailed advice here in terms of what kind of ammunition to use, brand recommendations, etc. Ultimately I'm wondering about how feasible it might be to actually go on a deer hunt with it, but that will be a ways away since I mostly just wanted the project to do.
Well thanks for reading, hope to see y'all around.
Back when I was about 13, my grandfather had passed away and I'd inherited some of his things. Among his wood working tools was a Kentucky pistol kit that I assembled but never got around to completing. Actually, I didn't even realize at the time that it was an actual, functioning firearm until I had got it all put together, and about to stain it. Soon as I realized it could actually shoot, I hounded my dad to try it out, but he never allowed it. Apparently he didn't have much confidence in a DIY kit gun not blowing up on me; he was always pretty anti-gun and I never got to shoot a firearm until I was well into my 20s anyway.
So anyway, I'm not really sure what had me thinking about that old gun, but I decided I'd see if I could still find one of those kits and ordered a Tradtions kit. It looks a little bit different from the one I had. For one thing, the one I put together way back then was a .45 caliber, whereas this one I just ordered is a .50. Otherwise it looks about the same, except there was a side-plate that the screws for the lock fastened into, and on this plate is simply replaced by some washers.
I'm excited to get it and start putting it together, but I've got a lot to research to do before hand. I don't really know too much about wood working, staining, lacquering, etc. but I'd like it to be something with a nice, high-gloss finish, and I'm thinking about trying to fashion my own brass-side-plate to use instead of the screws and washers. I've got some machining and metal working experience so I should be able to do that, but I'm curious how I'll carve out a recess in the wood for it--I am thinking about just using some pocket knives. I've heard they're quite forward heavy as well, so thinking about ways I might be able to weight the back. Otherwise, I'll also be seeking some advice on what the practical maximum powder loads I should be using for this gun, as the little sliver of wood that sits between the brass piece doesn't really inspire my confidence in me--I might look into whether it's safe to drill and tap some more holes about mid-way down the barrel to fortify things a little.
Beyond that I'm looking up stuff about actually shooting it, but that will be a ways away since I still haven't even ordered any of the requisite accessories and want to do some research on it. I've only ever shot modern firearms, and only have a passing familiarity with black powder. I've been reading around and have a rough idea of what all I need and been watching YouTube videos of the general loading, firing, and maintenance procedures, but hope I can get some more detailed advice here in terms of what kind of ammunition to use, brand recommendations, etc. Ultimately I'm wondering about how feasible it might be to actually go on a deer hunt with it, but that will be a ways away since I mostly just wanted the project to do.
Well thanks for reading, hope to see y'all around.
