Which kit next???

[Breakfast Boy]

Well, I finished my Lyman GPR a few weeks ago and somehow caught the builder's bug. I can't wait to make up another rifle! My question is, what is a good "kit" or gun to build for a second timer?

I would really like to build a flintlock that would be PC for 1812 reenactments, eventually.

Will I be looking at getting a kit, or just buying the parts I need from someone like the Log Cabin shop?

 

If'n tha choice were mine, I'd seriously think 'bout a North Star West Trade Gun "kit"!! :m2c: ::

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Leonredbeard]

Breakfast Boy,
How'd you come by the handle? I know it is much more expensive, but a Jim Chambers kit will not disappoint you. They are excellent quality, and, having built one, as well as having built a number of TC's and worse, the parts are in better relationship to each other on the precarved stock than you will find on the factory kits. The gun you build will be a treasure to you and give you the best service you can expect from a flinter. The lock will be very good as it comes to you but you could have it slicked by a professional and have it work like a fine hand built lock from a big name custom builder. It will be period correct for the type you order. Only the fussiest thread counter would fault it for anything. Give them a look.
God bless.
volatpluvia

 

[Breakfast Boy]

LOL! My handle, eh? Well, I once stood up some buddies for breakfast and haven't lived it down for the past 6 years!

Thanks for the input, fellas!!!

 

[Gary]

Jim Chambers. You pay more but you get more.

 

[brushbuster]

Jim Chambers. You pay more but you get more.

i second the motion jim and his wife are great folks and always willing to answer questions .i am still building my york and broke a lock screw and patch box nail ,called jim ,sent him the broken parts and he sent me the new parts no problems and no hassle getz barrels are still listed but i believe rice barrells is building for most of his guns.
l.c.'s swamped barrel is really well machined and finished and theres no doubt in my mind she'll shoot as good as she looks. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :redthumb: :redthumb:

 

[Slowpoke]

Double B,
Couple questions, have you done any machine or wood work in the past? Do you have any book on gunbuilding or have friends that have built rifles?

These are important questions because if you plan on making the jump from a Great Plain kit to a Chamber's, TOW, and etc. It's going to be a big leap. Because these things don't just snap together and to make them look right, you have to do a lot of work. I'm finishing up a Chamber's York kit and plan on doing a post on it later. I will show before and after pictures so you can see the work that has to be done.
Not to discourage you.... I encourage you to learn all you can... before you know it, you'll be ordering parts and stock blanks. The learning curve from a GP kit to a Semi-custom kit is about the same leap you will make from a semi-custom kit to scratch built gun.

SP

 

For 1812 I would think about a Dixie Brown Bess kit. They are fairly simple, and absolutely PC. They are slightly more expensive than other semi-custom kits, but then, Davide Pedersoli did most of the work for you. This will get you more familiar with the basics of building, fitting finishing, etc, and give you a better idea of what to do when you move into the realm of "Mostly Fitted" and "more advanced". :results:

 

[Keith]

Amen to what Slowpoke said. Chambers and similar kits are sometimes called a collection of parts. The last 5-10% of the inletting on a 90-95% inlet stock is the hard part of the inletting. If you are up to it Chambers are very good quality. Caywood looks like they have some nice looking kits if you are up to it. Anyone ever build one of those? You could also get a gun in the white from several places and just do the finishing if that is to your liking. :m2c:

 

BB, go to the links section of the admin block and click on weapons. You will get a list of about 50 suppliers. Run down that list and click on some of the names you do not recognize as mass producers: Naragasset, Pocantica, TVM, the Frontier Shop, Northstar.

Most of these are builders who specialize in standardized selections which they do on a simi-productionline basis. They can stop the assembly anywhere you wish, 75%, 90%, 95%(fully assembled in the white).

The cost varries with the amount of work they do and you can talk to them about the diffiulty level of their products.

Talking to 50 people on the forum will get you 50 different answers. That's reasonable since we do not know you, your skill level, or the quality and difficulty of the assembly you have not yet chosen.

I myself, have ordered two different stocks from the same company and had one of the blocks rapidly and easily turn into the gun I desired. The other block was difficult, stringy, wood tore at random and never took a good finish. (these were "kits" I assembled myself from catalogue sources not on our links)

I have used parts and componants from the suurces in the top paragraph with good results. Talk to them directly and decide what you can handle.

:imo:

 

[Breakfast Boy]

Thanks fellas. That helps alot!

 

[Slowpoke]

Great advice Ghost....