Colonial rifle build for authenticity

[appalichian hunter]

No need to go offline I think your true colors did come through though, Encouragement and praise is a decent thing whether we agree with the items being discussed. Colonial rifle or not it was a job a builder was proud of, made a statement of how it helped him with a situation and that's good enough for me. AND thank you for your service.

 

[JamesT]

No need to go offline I think your true colors did come through though, Encouragement and praise is a decent thing whether we agree with the items being discussed. Colonial rifle or not it was a job a builder was proud of, made a statement of how it helped him with a situation and that's good enough for me. AND thank you for your service.

Ok then thats fine with me. Derail the the thread about a Kibler rifle build into your pissing match about your service and your need for the VA. Thats cool. I have never questioned anyones service nor judged it or their needs thereafter. If you read my post I question why three pages into a thread the OP wants to bring in veteran status into a discussion about a rifle? Flag thrown???? Nothing I detest more than a vet using their status for gain. It makes me sick. I know far more patriots that never served than did. You wanna point out my true colors?? Ha.
James

 

[deerstalkert]

uh, guy's?
don't mean nothing.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Nice rifle anyways. No vets I know use status for gain, they earned those benefits. If your sick perhaps you should go to the V.A. No one de-railed a thread just talking about a fine rifle that some want to argue about.

 

[BillRob]

"What did you do today to further the muzzleloading hobby?" Just ran a guy off the forum because he was too proud of his "kit" rifle!

 

[KC Clem]

Wow, this thread went way off track right from the beginning. It didn't seem necessary to beat the guy up over wording. I knew it was a Kibler kit but it was well executed, nothing wrong with that. It was kind of disappointing to see how this unfolded. I guess everyone is an expert. Now it's being hashed out how righteous it may or may not have been for the guy to mention he was a disabled vet and the hobby was helping him. Like I said, it didn't seem necessary to beat the guy up over his well done Kibler kit but then to start kicking him in the nuts because he mentioned that as a disabled vet he found comfort in the hobby was a bridge too far. Not exactly the kind of discourse I would hope to see here.

 

[Bobby MacAlphin]

Go **** yourself

I think your kibler rifle is very good looking , I am ordering one today and can't wait to build it the way I want it !

 

[JamesT]

Wow, this thread went way off track right from the beginning. It didn't seem necessary to beat the guy up over wording. I knew it was a Kibler kit but it was well executed, nothing wrong with that. It was kind of disappointing to see how this unfolded. I guess everyone is an expert. Now it's being hashed out how righteous it may or may not have been for the guy to mention he was a disabled vet and the hobby was helping him. Like I said, it didn't seem necessary to beat the guy up over his well done Kibler kit but then to start kicking him in the nuts because he mentioned that as a disabled vet he found comfort in the hobby was a bridge too far. Not exactly the kind of discourse I would hope to see here.

Your right. I was wrong. I should not have mentioned it. My apologies to all !
James

 

[Cattywompuss]

Wow, this thread went way off track right from the beginning. It didn't seem necessary to beat the guy up over wording. I knew it was a Kibler kit but it was well executed, nothing wrong with that. It was kind of disappointing to see how this unfolded. I guess everyone is an expert. Now it's being hashed out how righteous it may or may not have been for the guy to mention he was a disabled vet and the hobby was helping him. Like I said, it didn't seem necessary to beat the guy up over his well done Kibler kit but then to start kicking him in the nuts because he mentioned that as a disabled vet he found comfort in the hobby was a bridge too far. Not exactly the kind of discourse I would hope to see here.

Something mystic about a keyboard makes the human brain believe that the owner of said brain is God Almighty.

 

[French Colonial]

This lock was hand made around 1985 or so,(I have old man CRS disease (can't remember s**t)) as well as the rest of the gun. It has never had the lock polished from that day till now, rub it down with a rag with a combination of a little RIG and Ballistol mixed together and it stays the same. YMMV

 

[appalichian hunter]

Very nice rifle.

 

[Surfinator58]

Just show the pics and leave out all that information about original finish. The naysayers are always going to be there. I think we have to distinguish also between wealthy landowners with ornate carving and what the common man would have been able to afford the so-called Originals on the internet are still in existence today because of the Lord of The Manor keeping them in a museum condition The Guns of the common people were well-used and often didn't make it into 2022 beautiful Flintlock by the way

 

[Daveboone]

Looking for a reference to dried shark skin as a polishing compound in colonial American gunsmithing. Can you give one please? New to me. Would love to read about it though.
James

It was commonly used in wood working and fine metal working. I even found some in my grandfathers wood shop. It was available into the twentieth century. Just like our modern sand paper is used by both wood workers/carpenters, gun smiths, also. There are probably a jilliion gun smithing/ carpenter hacks that are lost to time.

 

[Daveboone]

I think it is in the reprint of my Springfield musket manual a reference to using charcoal also as a polish, but with specific instructions not to burnish too heavily or warpage of the barrel may occur...or some similar verbage! That would be some serious burnishgin!~

 

[JCKelly]

Rifling was invented about 1440 , The first American made rifles were made in approximately 1740 by German gunsmiths in Lancaster county , when the Revolution came along gunsmiths moved from making rifles to smooth bore firearms because they were quicker TO LOAD IN BATTLE and cheaper to make than rifles .

TO

 

[JCKelly]

I am not raining on your parade at all, so please just take what I'm saying for what it is: your 1863 Springfield is made of pre-Atomic Age steel with high nickel content compared to modern gun steel. That is the reason most guns from the blackpowder era seem to do well in the white or even with high polish blueing. I'm not saying the steel was better. As a matter of fact it is worse for any application except black powder, but with regard to rust resistance, it is different. We are luckily entering into an era when the transformational fall-out of nuclear testing is being less impactful on modern steel. Nevertheless, we don't use the same metal as they did during the civil war, and have better means of rust prevention. Heck, it would take extreme neglect to get through modern melanite finishes. I have seen a rusty Glock though.

Nuclear testing impact on modern steel? I don't think so, so very unlikely. Would be a disaster if the nuclear guys got involved.
Nickel? Maybe first used late 1800's, NO NICKEL IN 1863 BARRELS!!!! I PROMISE!!!
Springfield barrels were of a good grade of wrought iron. It is the long, fine, stringers of slag in wrought iron that give it somewhat superior corrosion resistance.
James Kelly, retired metallurgist, experience with steels, stainless and the nickel base alloys used in jet engines. And I did make one forge weld in real wrought iron.

 

[jfahlingsr]

Keep in mind that the barrels of that day were iron and it is documented that it aged much differt than modern steel which
rusts quickly.

 

[Art Caputo]

Nice job on the Colonial!
Your historical information/research is quite informative and interesting!
Being primarily a ML deer hunter for more the four decades, I found out at an early age that the mirror polished brass/shiny finish on my first ML, a TC Hawken was not very conducive to my short range whitetail encounters. Ever since, while I do like the bling, I have preferred tarnished brass/un-polished surfaces. Same goes for my traditional archery equipment. I suppose I could restore the shine in fairly short order, if I had the need or desire.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Nuclear testing impact on modern steel? I don't think so, so very unlikely. Would be a disaster if the nuclear guys got involved.
Nickel? Maybe first used late 1800's, NO NICKEL IN 1863 BARRELS!!!! I PROMISE!!!
Springfield barrels were of a good grade of wrought iron. It is the long, fine, stringers of slag in wrought iron that give it somewhat superior corrosion resistance.
James Kelly, retired metallurgist, experience with steels, stainless and the nickel base alloys used in jet engines. And I did make one forge weld in real wrought iron.

I'll take your word on the nickel-steel but not the low-background steel. It's a real phenomenon, that is thankfully fading in metallurgy.
https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/low-background-steel/3009874.article

 

[OhioHawkeye]

After years and years of research, and documentation on the American Colonial Rifle, ......... #1 barrel and lock left in the white. Browning these parts didn’t come about till the beginning of the 19th century, although there is very rare instances where gunsmiths experimented in this new procedure but It didn’t become mainstream till beginning of 1800. Bluing was available but not as common as just in the white.
#2 Brass was bright and shiny. Brass was very expensive back then, and it was very well taken care of #1 by the gunsmith who wanted to show off their work, #2 the owners who wanted to protect their investment. Again this is not for the builder wanting 100s of years of patina on their rifle, but more for a builder wanting their rifle to look like it did when bought new in that time period.

Better research more. Smoothbores and miltary rifles and muskets of all sorts yes, you are correct. But domestic use and RIFLES mad in the American Colonies were almost always blued....it isn't the bluing used in the 19th c... it was different entirely. It is difficult to get the same results using modern chemicals.

Brass.... straight on. I drive myself nuts that my guns are poorly maintained in that my brass is mostly all tarnished... but it is what it is. I enjoy them.

You have done a wonderful job with this rifle. Congratulations.