if Chambers offered Southern Mountain, I'd probably have a dozen of them ... you may want to give them a call and chat them up ... describe what you're wanting to do and see what they recommend.
As regards books, you have good advice, and if you haven't already done so, you should get the 'big three.' this seems a bit spendy, but this will save you much more than the cost of parts you don't ruin, as well as delays waiting for replacement parts to arrive, as well as all that extra time in purgatory for the bad language you won't have used...
avoid buying 'sets' of tools (chisels come to mind). You'll end up only using only a few of the tools in the set. Instead, get the best tools you can on a one-at-a-time basis. Also, learn to get a shave- ready edge: scary sharp- no, neurosurgery sharp. This will also save you a bunch of headache, and you will cut yourself less often. It is virtually impossible to get bloodstains out of a maple stock.
(Please don't ask how I know ... :redface
never hesitate to take break: this is supposed to be fun, after all.
although it seems daunting, there is nothing like the feeling of touching off a rifle which you made with your own hands.
good luck with your first build!
(psst, should we warn him about the addictive nature of this activity? naw - he'll figure it out!)
Make good smoke!