Crockett Kit

[tryinhard]

I am looking at buying a Crockett kit rifle. I watched a video on youtube of a guy putting one together. He had all kinds of issues with it from the trigger not setting off the hammer to screw holes not lining up. Is this the standard for the kit type guns?

 

[Birddog6]

I think it would all depend on the time sequense of when the kit was made. All machinery gets wear in it, as does patterns & etc. when they are excessively used.

If you get the beginning of a run on stocks, it may be perfect. As the patterns wear, it may not even be close.

Personally, were I to assemble the kit, I would buy it with the understanding that if things are not very close to were they need to be, it is going back for a Full Refund including shipping. If the vender doesn't want to do it, I would not buy it from them.

You might also consider buying a used one & refinishing it, if you just want to work on something. What you are considering is a Assembly Kit, not a actual build, so taking one apart & refinishing one is close (IMHO) to the same thing.

Keith Lisle

 

[galamb]

I take a slightly different approach to that question.

A kit is exactly what it says - if was NEVER an assembled/finished gun that they simply took apart to ship and have you "reassemble" it later.

It is an "almost finished" rifle. The breech area will not fit as shipped, neither will the trigger, the lock, the thimbles.

The reduced price of the kit compared with the finished product reflects that.

A trigger is a tricky thing to fit when you build a rifle and the one part that gives even seasoned builders some headaches.

If you don't get the inlet correct there is much tinkering, including filing the trigger bar to get it operating smoothly.

So if you want to BUILD a rifle but just have someone do about 95% of the work for you, a kit is the answer.

If you are looking for an assemble/shoot version, that's just not available..

 

[BrownBear]

You might also consider buying a used one & refinishing it, if you just want to work on something. What you are considering is a Assembly Kit, not a actual build, so taking one apart & refinishing one is close (IMHO) to the same thing.

That's what I ended up doing to my factory-build Crockett. The original build was pretty "sketchy" with rounded flats on barrel and a bunch of smaller issues like sharp edges right where you hand rides in field carry. Stripping the goddawful finish revealed a nice piece of wood underneath ripe for a good oil finish.

The best thing about it, I was assured that all the parts fit where they were supposed to. The worst thing is that lock, which failed after a couple of year's hard use..... Mine's sitting in a corner right now waiting for me to get over my mad, after trying to deal with Traditions. Since no one else makes a replacement, I have to go back to them for one of theirs. Darned it all anyway. The gun is just too handy and too much fun to let sit this long, but jeeze. Maybe another year and I'll get over my mad.

 

[gunmaker43]

A few builders will sell guns "in the white" that is an assembled piece complete except for the final sanding, staining & metal finish. Tip Curtis in Cross Plains, TN 615-654-4445 comes to mind, there are others...Tom

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Hey Brown Bear if you could, could you tell me the diameter of the barrel across the flats on your crocket rifle. I have looked all over and cannot find this info. I love the size and shape of this rifle. I would like to find a used one and re barrel it to .45 cal if it is a 13/16 barrel. thank you for your help. shoot straight.

 

[Birddog6]

The Lyman & Traditions kits can be assembled & shooting in about 16 hrs, built on your kitchen table by a 8 yr old with a Exacto knife, rasp, sandpaper, screwdriver, etc. basic hand tools anyone would have.
Lets not make it into something it is not. :idunno: I know, I have done them many years ago, & I have seen a 8 yr old Boy & a 12 yr old Girl assemble them.
The longest part of all of it was browning the barrels & that took a couple days because they didn';t want the kids handling the torch & brown the barrels hot, they browned them cold with humidity.
But actually assembling them & shooting them. 16 hrs or so.

That being said........ a Crockett is a Tradition kit. Thus it will most likely be like the other Traditions kits.

That is not to say you cannot take 6 months messing with it......

It is Not... a rifle build, it is a basic assembly. Sure, you may have to hit it with a file here or there or trim 1/32 edge off a inlet or whatever, but it is a Assembly.... Had you ever built a rifle buy hand from a box of unfinished parts with no holes in anything & a blank of wood, you would Know the difference.

Keith Lisle

 

[alex efremenko]

Nicely said.

 

[BrownBear]

Hey Brown Bear if you could, could you tell me the diameter of the barrel across the flats on your crocket rifle.

Boy, I wish I could say for sure, but I'm traveling at the moment and the Crockett is K's of miles away. I really want to say it's 11/16" but that's too tentative. I can say this- There are folks who have taken them up to 36 caliber, but I don't recall any 45's in there. Might have been a 40 cal, but that's on the foggy side of my brain. There are some past threads here on the site on the topic of reboring the Crockett. That may be the best way to tiptoe around my foggy memory.

 

[Birddog6]

I had two Crocketts a few years ago that I bought at the guns show, one new for $ 200 and a nice used one for $ 175. I used them with the kids to teach them about ML'ing, as it was small, easy for them to handle themselves, & etc. Good lil percussion rifle for the money. Both shot under 1" groups at 30 yards all day long & great lil squirrel rifle for a kid. Tho I never actually put a mic on the barrels, I keep thinking they are 3/4" across the flats.
If it is a 3/4" barrel you might try Tip Curtis (615) 654-4445 as he did have some 3/4" barrels one day when I was there. Also Ed Rayl makes a 3/4" barrel. Also Rice may make them & a few other barrel makers were doing them. Maybe Charley Burton & also maybe DeHass. Some guys were getting them to make .25 cal bore rifles & the guys making miniature rifles get them made as well in small cal. I have seen several 3/4" barrels in .40 cal., but have not seen one in .45. Usually in .45, the smallest across the flat you will see is 13/16", altho I do have a few Getz straight barrels that are 13/16" and they are .50 cal. bores.

Keith Lisle

 

[galamb]

Keith,

with respect, I do build my own rifles from scratch. Start with a chunk of wood, don't use precarves or even stock blanks.

I have assisted a couple of others who bought kit's with the impression that it was simply a bolt together operation and quite astonished that the lock didn't fit, the trigger wouldn't go "in the hole that was cut out".

Without knowing the skill level of the individual asking the question - for some if you asked them to hand you a phillips screwdriver you would get a blank stare, I try to impart that you may have to do some to quite a bit of "fitting/finishing" to get the thing together.

One only needs to look at the written reviews on sites such as Bass Pro or Cabela's to see that some buyers of these kits expected a product that could be assembled in minutes and they needed to nothing more than "paint her up" and go shooting.

While some may be better inlet/closer to finished than others, I have seen a couple that required quite a bit of work due to poor inletting and lack of shaping..

That was the only point I was trying to make...

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Thanks Brown Bear and Bird Dog it was just a thought.

 

[MSW]

The Lyman & Traditions kits can be assembled & shooting in about 16 hrs, built on your kitchen table by a 8 yr old with a Exacto knife, rasp, sandpaper, screwdriver, etc. basic hand tools anyone would have.
Lets not make it into something it is not. :idunno: I know, I have done them many years ago, & I have seen a 8 yr old Boy & a 12 yr old Girl assemble them.
The longest part of all of it was browning the barrels & that took a couple days because they didn';t want the kids handling the torch & brown the barrels hot, they browned them cold with humidity.
But actually assembling them & shooting them. 16 hrs or so.

That being said........ a Crockett is a Tradition kit. Thus it will most likely be like the other Traditions kits.

That is not to say you cannot take 6 months messing with it......

It is Not... a rifle build, it is a basic assembly. Sure, you may have to hit it with a file here or there or trim 1/32 edge off a inlet or whatever, but it is a Assembly.... Had you ever built a rifle buy hand from a box of unfinished parts with no holes in anything & a blank of wood, you would Know the difference.

Keith Lisle

I agree ... ('cept he said it better)