Rate kits on difficulty: TVM, Chambers, Kibler, Pecatonica...

[TFoley]

I'd like to see Mr Kibler's take on a Jaeger-style rifle of the Revolutionary period. It might make me sit up and pay more attention to maybe thinking how I could get it here to UK as a non-firing kit, adding around 40% to the price for taxes, then, applying to get it on my Firearms Certificate as a live-firing .54cal muzzleloading rifle, then getting it proofed and then........

Maybe not.

 

[ChrisB]

TF, I totally agree, I also live in the UK and I am investigating how to bring a kit over from the US. I have imported three Shiloh Sharps finished rifles over the last few years but had to use agents both sides of the water, it took time and a lot of money but worth it in the end.
This is when I wished I lived over there, what a choice of kits and finished rifles, just pays your money and walk away with one - heaven. Thats life I guess.

 

[M. De Land]

I found Jim Kiblers 6 part So Mtn. Rifle build and watched the whole shebang on line yesterday. Picked up a couple of tips I will use in the future so am always excited to learn something new and useful. My is their kit much simpler to build than is the TOTW offering I just finished . All holes are pre-drilled in wood and steel with the exception of the barrel lugs, pipe pins and lock bolt.
Two things I noticed that I prefer about the Track kit is, Kibler's kit, (that he put together) did not have a toe plate or nose cap. He did not mention a wedge mounted barrel as an option either. I also watched one of his relief carving videos and need to get going on that learning curve.
He mentioned another thing I did not know and said is seldom found on original guns, is if you have a stock of curly or Tiger maple then the barrel lug pin holes need to be elongated to account for the maple cross grain, length expansion, to moisture changes. He said that with out this clearance for the pins through the lugs to move with the wood expansion , it will change the guns point of impact.
I was glad mine has the wedges and staples as all I need do is file a bit of "waist" in the width of each wedge,mid staple, to get the same effect.
He said there was no need of this clearance if your stock is of walnut or cherry.

 

[MTCossack]

I found Jim Kiblers 6 part So Mtn. Rifle build and watched the whole shebang on line yesterday. Picked up a couple of tips I will use in the future so am always excited to learn something new and useful. My is their kit much simpler to build than is the TOTW offering I just finished . All holes are pre-drilled in wood and steel with the exception of the barrel lugs, pipe pins and lock bolt.
Two things I noticed that I prefer about the Track kit is, Kibler's kit, (that he put together) did not have a toe plate or nose cap. He did not mention a wedge mounted barrel as an option either. I also watched one of his relief carving videos and need to get going on that learning curve.

The nose cap doesn't seem to be an option in the kit for the SMR, although one is included on his Colonial. Neither will have wedges as an option.

I have seen Kibler SMRs that have nose caps. If you're ready to try some inletting (you probably already have done some on your TOTW Hawken) you should be able to add a nose cap or a toe plate as you desire.

I think how Jim gets to offering such closely finished kits at such a reasonable price - especially when I'm sure it's a pretty small operation - is by offering very limited options: Two kits with only wood type/grade and bore size as options means he doesn't have to tool up anything special for specific buyer options.

 

[Eric Krewson]

If you choose to add upgrades to the SMR kit as you build it you have the option. The last long rifle show I attended had a variety SMRs with well done upgrades, the most common were nose caps, toe plates and Bean style banana patchboxes.

 

[sawyer04]

The Kibler SMR in .45 would be my "dream rifle". But whatever you decide on be sure and get the swamped barrel. These barrels balance like a dream and make a heavy gun feel much lighter than it actually is.

The first rifle I built, year 1971 I should have had a sky hoist, it was so barrel heavy. The swamped barrel is well balanced if built right and a pleasure to handle, for sure.