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  1. Paul Regner

    MUZZLE CONING TOOL

    I first made contact with Mr. Wood on October 16th. The gentleman was on vacation at the time and still made the effort to return my call. :thumb: Upon the conclusion of his vacation Mr. Wood was extremely expedient in fulfilling my request for one of his coning tools and shipped it...
  2. Paul Regner

    Kibler Colonial build

    After my butchery (carving attempts) on my Traditions kit, I had listed my carving chisels on Craigs List. After seeing your work, I pulled the listing, and will endeavor to get better at sharpening my chisels and using them (I spend more time sharpening than I do carving). Thank you for the...
  3. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Gunny, if you're building kits, you're in the game and swingin'! I had a lot of trepidation about posting my project on a forum that's obviously populated with people far more experienced at this than I am, and the support expressed in this thread has fortified my resolve to keep building and...
  4. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Overbuilding things has been an aspect of my entire adult life. perhaps it's why I was a good fit as a tank mechanic. If I was building a historically accurate piece, I think I'd have gone with the peened nail, but this is a recreational shooter and hunting rifle, so I opted to make it as strong...
  5. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Well, I was feeling a little bored today, and with mild temperatures here in the desert I went out to the shop and fabricated a rudimentary v-block with some scrap angle iron, and drilled my ramrod ends and inserted some steel roll pins. I thought about going with some cut-off brass brads (I...
  6. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Scour the barrel with some 0000-steel wool while it's in the vinegar (it's a food product, so non-toxic on your skin).
  7. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    I could probably break a steel ball bearing with a rubber mallet in a padded room. I'm certain I bolloxed something in the process. I still have half the bottle left, and I'll try again on my next project.
  8. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Thanks guys! I screwed the trigger guard onto a scrap of 2x4 I had laying around (using disposable screws that didn't come in the kit), and that got secured into a vice. From there it was just a matter of revving-up the HiFi and getting to work with it. It began with removing the casting sprues...
  9. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Thank you! I'm not quite sure I'm there just yet. This kit has established a baseline for me and demonstrated where I need to work on honing some skills. I think I need to work on my steel finishing techniques and my carving skills (or more accurately, ESTABLISH some carving skills). I spent...
  10. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Drilling and pinning the ramrod ends is sound advice. As soon as I build a small jig for my drill press to ensure I drill straight through a cylindrical cross section, I'll drill and roll pin that ramrod. I might even be able to buy such a fixture, but I like the idea of making my own specialty...
  11. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    Thank you! I appreciate the kind words of encouragement.
  12. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    This past Friday I took the rifle out and began the lengthy process of sighting-in and load work-up. I finally settled on 70 grains of Pyrodex RS with a .490 ball and .015 pillow ticking spit patches. This was my best group before running out of Pyrodex. I still need to give the front sight a...
  13. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    I wanted a brown finish on the barrel, and kind of stumbled onto one by accident. I started out using Barrel Brown from Laurel Mountain Forge (an excellent product that I probably managed to use incorrectly). After about six applications I just wasn't too happy with the way the barrel was...
  14. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    I wasn't happy with the polymer sights that came with the kit (probably done so because it's much easier to fit them to the dovetails in the barrel), so I found a set of traditional sights made for a Thompson Center rifle, and just had to shorten the rear sight base, and drill/countersink a new...
  15. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    While I knew better than to expect a piece of curly maple in a traditions kit, I did get an awfully nice piece of Beech. I finished it with boiled linseed oil, and applied a coat/day for a week, then a coat/week for a month (I have two more weekly coats to apply). Then I'll continue with a...
  16. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    My trigger guard as it came in the kit: My trigger guard after a solid day of filing facets around the compound curves (more difficult than I anticipated):
  17. Paul Regner

    My first kit

    I'm a little loath to post my results, but as I mentioned in my introduction thread, I recently completed my first kit (Traditions St Louis Hawken percussion rifle). The kit is by no means historically accurate, so I felt I could take a few liberties in the way I finished it. I'm rather proud of...
  18. Paul Regner

    Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Very true!
  19. Paul Regner

    Hello from the Mojave Desert

    After years of toying with the idea, I finally built a Traditions St. Louis Hawken kit. What a rewarding experience! Working evenings and weekends on the project as time allowed, it took me about two months, and I ended-up with a rifle that may one day be an heirloom for my grandchildren to...
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