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Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Messages
107
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227
Location
North Carolina
After a couple of years of waffling I finally ordered a Jim Kibler kit today. I think my wife got tired of me fawning over the pictures on Jim's website and said "Just do it, already."

I'm going with the SMR in .36 caliber in cherry. I've got a box of cherry scraps coming that I bought off Etsy to test stains and finishes on. I want to try the oven cleaner/lye thing and also just the sunlight/UV method.

I'm excited.
 
Congratulations! I am enjoying working on my SMR and I expect you will enjoy your project! Mine is sitting right now while I find time to make a toe plate- like you, I am experimenting on some cherry scraps trying to find the colors I want. Let us know once you get started!
 
After a couple of years of waffling I finally ordered a Jim Kibler kit today. I think my wife got tired of me fawning over the pictures on Jim's website and said "Just do it, already."

I'm going with the SMR in .36 caliber in cherry. I've got a box of cherry scraps coming that I bought off Etsy to test stains and finishes on. I want to try the oven cleaner/lye thing and also just the sunlight/UV method.

I'm excited.
Stains on cherry can be challenging. If you are not careful, the finish can come out blotchy. Some claim oven cleaner is the way to go. I say try it on your test strips first. Try a couple of test strips by exposing them to sunlight. Sunlight is a natural method, I know that much. I really like .36 as I can use Hornady 000 buck shot, is .350 in dia., and a 5 lb. bag has around 538 balls. The weights don't seem to vary as much as Speer .350 swaged that is sold in boxes of 100, and a lot more expensive.
 
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Like you, I selected a Kibler colonial in Cherry, and like you I lacked the wood working confidence to do the kit. I paid Pathfinder NC to assemble and compete the rifle with some hand carving. First off all, he did an impressive job with a rapid turn around. I love the weapon and find it to be beautiful. I love the red color of the wood and, as with all my firearms, gave it a name:
D7940C38-6BF6-4F0D-B6E0-96C74F70C632.jpeg
“Red Carolina” to acknowledge the wood and compliment the builder.
 
After a couple of years of waffling I finally ordered a Jim Kibler kit today. I think my wife got tired of me fawning over the pictures on Jim's website and said "Just do it, already."

I'm going with the SMR in .36 caliber in cherry. I've got a box of cherry scraps coming that I bought off Etsy to test stains and finishes on. I want to try the oven cleaner/lye thing and also just the sunlight/UV method.

I'm excited.

First....congratulations on your new adventure !
Second....can your wife call my wife and "chat" ?
 
For a long time I've lusted after a Kibler SMR in .40 or .45. But that's all I can do at present. Actually the biggest obstacle, for me, is the lop. I'm small and 13" is about max for me; in fact 12.5" is my favorite. Then again I don't need another rifle I just want one.
 
First....congratulations on your new adventure !
Second....can your wife call my wife and "chat" ?

My wife is amazing but worries about me. My work takes over my life sometimes and she wants me to get out of my own head. I seem to be happiest when I have a project going on so she's been pushing me to do this for a while. I got a nice quarterly bonus April 1 so the time seemed right.

I was nervous about my ability to tackle this but I've watched all the videos and read plenty of threads here and on the ALR forums and I think this is well within my skillset. What I've taken away is GO SLOW, think everything out, and then think everything out again.
 
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W1857,
FWIW, I've been sitting on the fence reading everyone's experiences, struggles, questions, forum members answers, etc, about Kibler kits and gun building a-z. I'm retired and when I finally do order a Kibler rifle, there will likely be just one, so....
I've been leaning towards a SMR, however, the "almost here" Woodsrunner has my interest also.
I'm looking forward to following your build, along with the other many projects here.
Regards, Vic
 
I have two percussion rifles, (.45 and .50) and a Colt Pocket Police in .36 (.375), so I wasn't set up for a .36 flintlock longrifle. I now have proper flints and 5 pounds of #000 buckshot. I've ordered 5 pounds of Swiss 3g from the Maine Powder House. This is due late May or early June.

Today I have 25 pounds of very nice cherry scraps from Woodchuck's Woods. This will be very suitable for stain testing, I think. One piece is going to live on the dashboard of my truck to see how it responds to UV light.

My wife wanted me to find a new project. I guess the obsessing has begun.
Cherry 1.jpeg
Cherry 2.jpeg
 
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W1857,
FWIW, I've been sitting on the fence reading everyone's experiences, struggles, questions, forum members answers, etc, about Kibler kits and gun building a-z. I'm retired and when I finally do order a Kibler rifle, there will likely be just one, so....
I've been leaning towards a SMR, however, the "almost here" Woodsrunner has my interest also.
I'm looking forward to following your build, along with the other many projects here.
Regards, Vic

I've seen some Gents on the ALR Forum talking about the Woodsrunner. It seems Jim is taking orders for it so there should be more info soon.
 
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After a couple of years of waffling I finally ordered a Jim Kibler kit today. I think my wife got tired of me fawning over the pictures on Jim's website and said "Just do it, already."

I'm going with the SMR in .36 caliber in cherry. I've got a box of cherry scraps coming that I bought off Etsy to test stains and finishes on. I want to try the oven cleaner/lye thing and also just the sunlight/UV method.

I'm excited.
If you use the lye don't use water unless you want it black. Just put it on wait 6 to 10 minutes wipe off. But you can experiment.
 
Why some pay for cherry and then want to cover it up with stain baffles me.

The beauty of cherry is that it ages to a gorgeous natural deep brownish red all by itself in not much time with exposure to sunlight.

I hate to see a fire engine red or cough syrup colored stained piece of cherry. Such a waste of good wood.
 
I agree with you, but often you get a piece of wood that doesn’t have much visible grain structure and judicious use of stains/dyes can turn an ordinary piece of wood into a real beauty. In the case of the Kibler kits, cherry is one of the standard basic wood choices, so you don’t pay any extra for it.
 
Congratulations and here are some tips that I hope will help you.

Some tips:
Go slow especially when it comes to any step where you are removing material, drilling, pinning etc.
Get the butt plate on before you get too far into it to protect the wood. Do not stand the stock up on the toe without the butt plate on. You will chip that sharp point before you know it.
Consider buying or making and installing a toe plate.
Plan out each next step,.write it down,.write down the tools and materials needed for the step, make sketches to help you visualize it.
Make a pin block and lable it to hold your pins.
When removing the barrel hold your hand under the tang, one around the barrel and forestock, tap the comb on a soft pad until it drops into your hand allowing you to remove the barrel without damaging the wood.
Like your vise with leather
Make a stand with a padded block to hold the stock opposite of the vise. I made mine from an old microphone stand.
Use an optical magnifier so you can see fine details. I like the kind that attaches to reading glasses.
Make sure you have good lighting.
Clear your pin holes with a finger drill after stain and oil has dried. They get clogged and can cause the pin to go off course and damage your stock. Never force a pin through. I check it with a flashlight and a Lange hat pin or straight piece of wire before installing the pin.

Again go slow, if you get mad walk away, if you damage something don't panic most mistakes can be fixed.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

My Kibler posts:

Finished post
My Jim Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle is done/

Build along
Kibler Southern Mountain rifle kit and supplies arrived. It's going to be a fun build./
 
Congratulations and here are some tips that I hope will help you.

Some tips:
Go slow especially when it comes to any step where you are removing material, drilling, pinning etc.
Get the butt plate on before you get too far into it to protect the wood. Do not stand the stock up on the toe without the butt plate on. You will chip that sharp point before you know it.
Consider buying or making and installing a toe plate.
Plan out each next step,.write it down,.write down the tools and materials needed for the step, make sketches to help you visualize it.
Make a pin block and lable it to hold your pins.
When removing the barrel hold your hand under the tang, one around the barrel and forestock, tap the comb on a soft pad until it drops into your hand allowing you to remove the barrel without damaging the wood.
Like your vise with leather
Make a stand with a padded block to hold the stock opposite of the vise. I made mine from an old microphone stand.
Use an optical magnifier so you can see fine details. I like the kind that attaches to reading glasses.
Make sure you have good lighting.
Clear your pin holes with a finger drill after stain and oil has dried. They get clogged and can cause the pin to go off course and damage your stock. Never force a pin through. I check it with a flashlight and a Lange hat pin or straight piece of wire before installing the pin.

Again go slow, if you get mad walk away, if you damage something don't panic most mistakes can be fixed.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

My Kibler posts:

Finished post
My Jim Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle is done/

Build along
Kibler Southern Mountain rifle kit and supplies arrived. It's going to be a fun build./
All good points to remember, especially about walking away when your head is not into the task at hand!
 
Listen to these craftsmen. As I build my SMR 32 they have helped by offering experience, wisdom and constructive criticism. By the way construction criticism is good. The SMR will humble the first time builder. Be patient with yourself, be self discipline, think seriously about each part of the build and ask how will affect other steps. These are things I have learned from my experience and I am not finished. You will do fine.
 
Congrats, it's going to be a beauty. It's staggering the amount positive things that have been said about Jim Kibler's kits and customer service. In fact I don't know if I've ever heard anything negative. Not a common thing in this day and age. It's nice to know that a gun of that quality is available to us and at a pretty reasonable price and if you do your part you end up with a 1st rate beautiful, quality rifle with your personal touch added. Nothing else like it really. Good luck!
 
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