Fowler kit gun Jim Chambers?

[Horner30]

Hello, I am a new member here. I know a good bit about shooting and hunting with a muzzle loader. However, I don't know anything about putting one together.
With that being said, I was wondering how hard it would be to put a Jim Chambers Fowler kit together? I really want to get it but like I said, I know nothing about wood working. So can it be done?
Thanks,
Bryan Horner

 

[RC]

look here, this may give ya a better idea... :thumbsup:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/tutorials/brooks/Brooks1.html

 

[ehoff]

Welcome! I hate to rain on someones parade, but building a Chambers kit as a first project is a big under taking. Not that it can't be done, but if you don't have any gunbuilding skills (wood and metal working) its going to be hard.

The first thing to do is purchase "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" by Peter Alexander. The book goes will take you through all the steps of construction.

I'd also suggest to try a something like a simple pistol kit or a gun "in the white" where all you have to do is finial sanding and finishing before you move on. This will help you build you skills and you have time to aquire the tools and supplies you need to tackle a bigger project.

 

[Otter]

ehoff and RC are steering you down the straight and narrow. Read, re-read, look some more, re-read again and then start slowly . . . and don't pick up the pace . . .

 

[Stophel]

The Alexander book gets too complicated. He measures stuff WAY too much.

The old Chuck Dixon book (I believe the title is "The Art of building the Pennsylvania/Kentucky Rifle") is as good as any, and better than most. A bit haphazard in the order that it lists individual tasks, but good otherwise.

A Chambers kit will work MUCH better than most any other. Simply because it is a better parts set, with a better stock than just about anything else. Won't be any more difficult than any other kit, and in fact, I can imagine it would be easier, since you wouldn't have to do so much work reworking stuff that wasn't right to begin with.

Tip Curtis has some pretty nice looking kits too. I've not assembled either a Chambers or Curtis kit, but these are the only two that I have seen that I would actually recommend. The kits I put together years ago, and most all that I have seen since were really sucky. In every way.

 

[LRB]

Chambers offers videos of Ron Ehlert building a Chambers kit. It would be worth your while to buy the videos if you buy the kit, or borrow them somehow.

 

[Horner30]

Thanks for the advice, I think I am going to take a step back and look for one that is already built. That link that RC put up just scared the heck out of me. I would not feel good at all about building a project like that. I was thinking some sanding and maybe some file work. As for the rest I think I would have to put up one of these. :surrender:
Thanks,
Bryan Horner

 

[Birddog6]

You could buy a In-The-White rifle or possibly fowler from Tim Curtis (615-654-4445. He carries about 75-100 rifles in stock most of the time. That would get yur feet wet and give you one to just finish & shoot & worthwhile when ya get done with it. :thumbsup:

 

[Mike Brooks]

He measures stuff WAY too much.

AMEN! :bow: All that measuring is a waste of time....as is the entire book. You sure can tell the author is more of a writer than a gun builder. :wink:

 

[nchawkeye]

Well...I'm going to disagree with most...

I built a flintlock back in 1988 with no prior gunbuilding experience...I was pretty handy and did do some research and asking around...

Back then, my "kit" came with the ramrod drilled, the barrel inlet, the butt and forend was roughed out...

It took me 2 years and 200 hours and was worth every minute...With the resources avaliable today a fellow that is mechanically inclined should have an easier time...

I still use that rifle every hunting season, it will pass to my middle daughter who used to watch as I built her...She's now a History teacher, kinda got interested as I built and told her stories...

 

[DTCoffin]

I would have to agree with Stophel, peters book is nice ,but quite complicated for the first time builder,dixons book or Recreating the American Longrifle are better books to start with.I'm finding that Peters book is best for those who know a fair amount about building and have some exp.
I have built a couple scratch guns and those first books sufficed quite well.I did go with a chambers kit this time around and I did get the DVD series with Ron Ehlert ,well worth the money especially if you've never built a gun.It's my opinion, that if this was gonna be your only project, get the DVD series, build the gun then ebay the DVD's.

 

[JOHN F]

i am building my first gun a poor boy rifled fowler.. it was a kit and was very basic with no instructions.. i was lucky enough to have befriended a gentleman at my gun range who builds guns for northwest star..he is a great mentor,without his assissstance i would have had a really tough time.. but the good news i have no woodworking experience but i am doing ok and best of all ia really enjoy doing it...hope this helps ...good luck with your choice :hmm:

 

[Birddog6]

I would have to agree with Stophel, peters book is nice ,but quite complicated for the first time builder,dixons book or Recreating the American Longrifle are better books to start with.I'm finding that Peters book is best for those who know a fair amount about building and have some exp.

I think the opposite. Dixon's book & the RAL book are both good, but left allot of unanswered questions in my mind & not nearly the details I wanted. I find the Gunsmiths of Grenville County a much better builders book. I just skip past the stuff that doesn't concern the build on the particular rifle I am building. :wink: Like allot of things, just depends on yer druthers....

 

[Vaino]

Started my first scratch build in 1978 and had Buchele's "Recreating...." and McCrory's little book as references. Later bought the 2nd edition of "Recreating...." and also Dixon's book. The problem w/ the Dixon book is that the procedure or steps on building aren't enumerated as in either edition of "Recreating.....", but it does have a lot of details. There also is some misinformation on LR stock contours. "The Gunsmith of...." is used by many but I haven't read it....Fred

 

[Horner30]

I think I am going to go down to the library and see what they have. I really want to thank everyone that has posted. I am one of those guys that wants to do do do, but I have a hard time bringing myself to just grab the bull by the horns unless I am forced too. I thought about buying the kit also and let some one who knows about this stuff get the stock and all the fit ups done and then let me finish it out. :hmm: I will keep you all informed of what I am going to do.
Thanks again,
Bryan Horner

 

[Roy]

Yes it can be done, but if you have no experience than you could run into problems. You do need to read up on it.. but I would take it a step closer and see if you could find a builder willing to help you. :v

The no wood working experience is the only thing that really bothers me. That is a good part of it, but knowing where to remove the wood is another. How many MLs have you been around and what quality? If you have a good example there you can get your hands on it will help your process along.

I am all for people building :thumbsup: but I also do not want it to sound like everyone can do it. Chambers puts the best kit out there, little work needed, but like I said no experience you could find yourself buying another pre-shaped stock. :v

 

[J.D.]

Well folks, I built my first gun in 1968, from $70 worth of parts from Dixie, using McCrory's book for instruction.

That first rifle did, kinda, sorta look like a rifle, but it shot real well; well enough to decimate the squirrel population, in this area, so it isn't all that hard to build a ML gun. The hard part is making it look like it's worth what you have in it.

Smartflix rents several DVDs on gunbuilding, including "Building the Jim Chambers Kit Rifles", blacksmithing, and other primitive skills.
http://smartflix.com/store/video/214/Building-the-Jim-Chambers-Kit-Rifles

I suggest renting the DVD to see if it's something you want to do. It really isn't all that hard for someone with good basic woodworking and metalworking skills.

Chambers kits are the best. Most of the hard work has been done, so don't become intimidated by Mike Brooks tutorial. Mike started from a stock blank. Chambers kits use precarve and preinlet stocks. There may be some refinement of the inlets, but it really isn't all that hard, for someone with good wood and metal working skills.

Check out the DVD and see if it's your cup of tea. If not, Brooks, or one of the other makers on the forum can build it for you.

God bless

 

[joehenz]

Horner,

I'm currently putting together my first kit ever, and it is a Chambers Fowler. Let me put it this way: if I had watched the DVD before buying the kit instead of after buying the kit, I probably wouldn't have bought the kit!

Unless your profession/avocation has caused you to be REALLY handy with chisels and hand files, I think you'll find everything new and difficult and time-consuming. Even though I bought and read all the books mentioned above and watched a couple James Turpin videos - and read about every post on this excellent forum - I've still made about half the mistakes a rookie can make. You really can't work a chisel or a file like a pro from reading a book!

Instead of starting out on a $1000 Chambers kit, I'd suggest either Tip Curtis' in-the-white guns that you simply finish or a Great Plains kit for half the price.

 

[Vaino]

Horner30...If all a person wants is a Mler w/ a minimum of effort and a feeling that at least "I did some of the work" by all means start w/ an "in the white" MLer or a factory kit. If on the other hand one wants to learn how to accomplish the various tasks in building a MLer, then one of the cheaper parts sets would be suitable. A person could "complete" many "in the white" MLers and factory kits and still not know how to build a MLer. The stock of my first LR was a scratch build and when 70 percent complete, ended up as firewood but I certainly learned a lot and the 2nd scratch built LR is owned by a customer. So....what to do? It all depends on what your intentions are....Good luck w/ whatever you decide....Fred

 

[DTCoffin]

Whichever way you decide to go, 1 probably won't be enough.You'll want to do another to try to improve your skills or do something you learned the hard way but want to do it the right way. :haha: