Booneliane
40 Cal
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2021
- Messages
- 126
- Reaction score
- 60
Picked up a GPR kit in flintlock a few weeks ago that I finally got around to starting on.
First off, I built one of these 15 years ago and found that one to be a very good project for a beginner. Since than I’ve built a few more rifles, one more or less from scratch. While I’m far from an expert, I’m not green as grass.
Anyway, got into this kit the other day and man, disappointment doesn’t start to describe it.
First off, the wood. It came with is a fine piece of balsa wood. I kid, but it’s just a few steps up from firewood. The only good thing is, there’s enough extra that a handy guy could probably get a pistol stock out of it as well.
The inlets are atrocious! I could have turned loose one of my kids and a dremel and had them turn out better. There’s a huge hole dug out where the barrel makes no contact whatsoever in the first 6-8” from the breech end. Bottom, sides, it’s just floating in space. Can darn near park a car along side the barrel. The tang has a very nice twist to it. Butt plate is horrendous and not even cut square. Lock plate can slide forward and backward in its inlet a good bit. A GOOD bit, enough to move the flash hole from the front half to the rear half of the pan. The toe plate in inletted crooked. Draw a centerline from toeplate to nose cap and nothing lines up on it. Toeplate points to the right. Front of trigger guard is off in its own little world, rear of trigger guard inlet is off in the opposite direction, neither of which are close to center. The trigger guard was so bent, warped, and twisted it looked like someone backed over it with a pickup. So much so it wouldn’t come close to fitting in the factory inlets at all at first.
The jaw screw is bent preventing it from threading in more than a couple turns.
The press fit bushing for the front tang bolt to thread into is AWOL.
The rear tang screw hole is drilled off center and the beveled hole edge spills into the beveled edge of the tang itself.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I guess I expected more for $500+!
I have half a mind to call Lyman and try to get my money back. For not a whole lot more a guy can put his own parts list together of much nicer stuff.
I will say, the exterior of the barrel appears to be factory finished quite well. Should require minimal work to finish. But that’s the ONLY positive thing I have to say about this thing!
First off, I built one of these 15 years ago and found that one to be a very good project for a beginner. Since than I’ve built a few more rifles, one more or less from scratch. While I’m far from an expert, I’m not green as grass.
Anyway, got into this kit the other day and man, disappointment doesn’t start to describe it.
First off, the wood. It came with is a fine piece of balsa wood. I kid, but it’s just a few steps up from firewood. The only good thing is, there’s enough extra that a handy guy could probably get a pistol stock out of it as well.
The inlets are atrocious! I could have turned loose one of my kids and a dremel and had them turn out better. There’s a huge hole dug out where the barrel makes no contact whatsoever in the first 6-8” from the breech end. Bottom, sides, it’s just floating in space. Can darn near park a car along side the barrel. The tang has a very nice twist to it. Butt plate is horrendous and not even cut square. Lock plate can slide forward and backward in its inlet a good bit. A GOOD bit, enough to move the flash hole from the front half to the rear half of the pan. The toe plate in inletted crooked. Draw a centerline from toeplate to nose cap and nothing lines up on it. Toeplate points to the right. Front of trigger guard is off in its own little world, rear of trigger guard inlet is off in the opposite direction, neither of which are close to center. The trigger guard was so bent, warped, and twisted it looked like someone backed over it with a pickup. So much so it wouldn’t come close to fitting in the factory inlets at all at first.
The jaw screw is bent preventing it from threading in more than a couple turns.
The press fit bushing for the front tang bolt to thread into is AWOL.
The rear tang screw hole is drilled off center and the beveled hole edge spills into the beveled edge of the tang itself.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I guess I expected more for $500+!
I have half a mind to call Lyman and try to get my money back. For not a whole lot more a guy can put his own parts list together of much nicer stuff.
I will say, the exterior of the barrel appears to be factory finished quite well. Should require minimal work to finish. But that’s the ONLY positive thing I have to say about this thing!
