Is building the English Sporter kit from Track really difficult?

[Matabele]

Hi all,

A very general sort of question I know. But I have a hankering for a .62cal English Sporter. I enquired with a custom maker and the gun is simply out of my means at the moment.

So too is buying a cheaper kit to practice my skills on. So my question is if I got the kit from Track (http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/gunKit.aspx?catId=13&subId=80&styleId=1119&partNum=KIT-ENGLISH-SPORTING-JAEGER-SWAMP), took it real slow, asked loads of questions from folks on this forum etc is it doable to put that kit together or would I just be wasting my money?

Thanks for your time and input!

 

[Nappers]

FWIW....

I never thought I had the skills to build a gun. But after looking through the gun builders bench of the forum. I am sure I could with help with everyone.

I want to start with maybe a Traditions rifle, half stock or hawken style and go from there.

Going slow is key getting everything to fit and take into account the sealer/finish thickness, not much but could make a difference on a part fitting or not.

No dremel. Remove minute amount of wood to fit parts and ask away if needed with pictures, good clear pictures, put on macro and sized accordingly for forum purposes.

I say go for it. It's a nice looking rifle depending on your finish, the one pictured is nice.

I love this sport. And this site is awesome to us pilgirms

 

[Birddog6]

The Traditions kit is a Assembly Kit.... You need a file, Exacto knife, sandpaper, screwdriver, finish & browning. Can Easily be done on the kitchen table in 16 hrs. by anyone 12 or older that have any hand skills, most do it in much less time.

The Track of the Wolf rifle is not... a kit, it is a box of parts... Like comparing a grape to a watermellon in preparing them to eat..... Bot are food, but just not the same thing..

The TOW rifle is considerably harder as it is a Build.. from parts, not a assembly....

A few on here in the past 5 years have done the first ones quite well. Most it will take them 4-5 to get it looking real good..... some take longer, some will never build one right. I am not criticizing them or their work, it is just fact. Some guys are mechanics, some electricians, some are musicians, etc. Some do good with their hands, some just will never...

If you have not ever put one together, I suggest a GPR or T/C or Traditions assembly kit first & see how that goes, then consider building one from TOW or Chambers or Dunlap or Tip Curtis. Otherwise you could be turning $800 with of parts into a box of parts worth $ 200. and even worse, could be a hazard to you & others around you if not built correctly.

Keith Lisle

 

[Nappers]

Gotcha, didn't know that much. I'm just a poor pilgrim....

Yeah, if one isn't careful, it could be bad. But if one takes time and if they hit a wall, ask away!

 

[dave_person]

Hi Matabele,
It would not be a very good choice for a 1st gun. There are many subtle nuances to fine English sporting guns but one feature is always clear, the workmanship is virtually perfect. Often they were cased with the lock removed so you could see how each lock part is perfectly inlet. You will need experience, skill, and specific knowledge about English guns to build TOW's part set. I urge you to start simpler, perhaps with just a generic halfstock rifle.

dave

 

[Matabele]

Ok thanks very much for your input everyone, seems I may be biting off more than I can chew. Well it was worth a try :grin:

 

[Robby]

Matabele, Another school of thought is to jump into deep water as far from the dock as you can, and sink or swim, tough it out. That's how I started. Both schools work, depends on you.
Robby

 

[MSW]

i would look at the Southern Mountain or poorboy designs before the English Sporter.

Check out American Pioneer for their excellent DVDs, and you should get a copy of The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Long Rifle and Recreating the American Longrifle. The purchase of these books is a pretty substantial investment, but you'll more than save their price in parts you didn't ruin and tools you didn't break (not to mention blood on the floor).

Additionally, get to know how to make a chisel razor sharp. If you can't shave hair off your forearm with it, it isn't sharp enough and it probably isn't safe.

The 'kit' really is a collection of parts, and will require a good bit of work on your part, but once done, you'll be addicted to one of the coolest hobbies anywhere.

best of luck with your project!

 

[Bill Hall]

I plan on building an English percussion sporter for my next build, or maybe the one after that. :surrender: The only reson I feel confident enough to attempt it is because I have built a few rifles already, but mostly because I have an original hanging on my dad's den wall that I can copy. It will be right next to my bench for the entire build. Bill

 

[Matabele]

Thanks for the replies everyone. What I may end up doing is buying the kit and just having a look to see what is actualyl required, and reading the reccomended books that have been suggested. If need be I can send the kit to a smithy for help with the areas that would be too tricky for me to do.

Thanks again!

 

[Dane]

The English Sporter, while it makes a great little gun, is considered and "expert" kit.

First of all it's a half stock, second a hooked breech, and third, a bar lock.

All of these items make it anything but a beginners assembly.

If you're brave, and have lots of tools, go for it. If not, build something a little less challenging first.

 

[longcruise]

If need be I can send the kit to a smithy for help with the areas that would be too tricky for me to do.

seems like a simple solution, but not all gunsmiths are capable of this type of work. Guy might be able to rebarrel a howitzer but that does not mean he can do ML work! There are plenty of guys on this forum qualified to do that for you, but then you may as well just commission of them to do the whole thing.

 

[dc7x64]

Ive been thinking of TOTW's Leman Trade Rifle. They say it is one of their easier "box of parts to build"! I want to go with the GM barrel cut down to 32", 54 cal. I am going to have their gunsmith install the underlugs, cut the barrel,install the sights, and fit the breechplug.I think I can do the rest. Their gunsmithing prices seem reasonable :idunno: I am still gonna invest in one of their gunbuilding books as well. Any advice on my plan would be appreciated as I too dont want to wind up with an 800$ box of parts

 

[Birddog6]

My suggestion if you are determined to build from parts, go with the Isaac Haines Lancaster fullstock, .54 cal 38" swamped barrel, unadorned, Good Wood, Chambers lock, Davis trigger, and build it.
It is a good well balanced rifle, the caliber you want, MUCH better balanced than a Leman & fits most shooters, unless you have gorilla length arms.

Keith Lisle

 

[Swede50]

Like others have said buy a kit with all the parts and a stock that is mostly inleted.
It will save you a lot of grief.