Honest opinions on Kibler rifles

[kansas_volunteer]

I've been thinking about getting a Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle. I've talked to a few people that have owned a Kibler rifles and some have said they've had issues with their locks over time. I know that not everything is going to be perfect all but I want to hear honest assessments of their guns by those who have them.

If you have to ask you're probably not ready for a Kibler.

 

[Wirehair]

I have both SMR's and a Colonial. I can't tell the difference in lock time between the two.

 

[TrophyGuy]

The Internet is a reverberating echo chamber for gossip and rumors, equally efficient spreading information and disinformation. In the end we all must assimilate data and make up our own minds. That's why I appreciate this forum of knowledgeable contributors. "A lie can travel halfway round the world in the morning before the truth gets its trousers on" (Erroneously attributed to W. Churchill but true to his sentiments).

 

[mikesto44]

Seems to me if anyone asks a question about Kibler anything they get blasted. The O.P. asked about a lock issue. So what ? I don't care who makes a product. Issues happen and that's life.
Now I've put together three Kibler kits for other people. I personally don't like the SMR butt plate or trigger guard. I like hand forged metal parts. But his kits are as good as it gets.

 

[yellowhammer]

...The Southern Mountain Rifles (I built 2 or 3 of them) had the fastest ignition of nearly any flintlock I have shot...
-Bob

@PathfinderNC
@James Kibler

I have 2 SMR's. I concur with the above.

The young man makes a great product. Buy with confidence.

 

[Zapadach]

Seems like I heard of some problem with ONE Kibler lock, Kibler customer service is the best of any of the companies that sell M/L kits or parts so there is nothing to worry about. If a rare issue should crop up, Mr. Jim will take care of it in short order.

I put together an early SMR, compared to my scratch and parts kits builds it WAS like cheating, but in a nice way.

A few years ago I was gifted a Kibler smr kit in .40 caliber, there were some issues with the ramrod being too short, as well as the retainer hole in the stock being too short. I called Jim, and explained that I was not the original purchaser, and then explained the problem. He sent me the proper length ramrod as well as a very long drill bit to fix the stock. I am not now in the market to buy any new guns or kits, but you can be sure, that when I am, it will be a Kibler. Oh by the way, the rifle turned out to be, the most beautiful and elegant firearm I ever owned. And it shoots very well, right on the black..

 

[OlSwede]

I think I built about 14 Kibler longrifles all together, mostly the Colonial model. My last build was the Woodsrunner which I just couldn’t sell because I liked it so much.
The Southern Mountain Rifles (I built 2 or 3 of them) had the fastest ignition of nearly any flintlock I have shot.
The biggest challenge of any of these builds was fitting the butt plate on the SMR. That took hours in for me, (but I can work slow).
The locks are great and consistently highest functioning sparkers.
For any new builder these are the very best to kick-off with. You will get excellent parts, with near perfect fit out of the box, and will have a reliable, accurate high-quality flintlock from the get-go. You will also learn how a flintlock rifle is (should be) made and how the various parts are appropriately mounted.
Top it off with nice stock wood (no disappointments or surprises (save for better-than-expected wood), and a company that stands behind its product, it’s a great kit that’s enabled a lot of shooters with an affordable and high quality flintlock rifle.
(Maybe some day I will be building their Fowler as well.)
-Bob

 

[OlSwede]

I think I built about 14 Kibler longrifles all together, mostly the Colonial model. My last build was the Woodsrunner which I just couldn’t sell because I liked it so much.
The Southern Mountain Rifles (I built 2 or 3 of them) had the fastest ignition of nearly any flintlock I have shot.
The biggest challenge of any of these builds was fitting the butt plate on the SMR. That took hours in for me, (but I can work slow).
The locks are great and consistently highest functioning sparkers.
For any new builder these are the very best to kick-off with. You will get excellent parts, with near perfect fit out of the box, and will have a reliable, accurate high-quality flintlock from the get-go. You will also learn how a flintlock rifle is (should be) made and how the various parts are appropriately mounted.
Top it off with nice stock wood (no disappointments or surprises (save for better-than-expected wood), and a company that stands behind its product, it’s a great kit that’s enabled a lot of shooters with an affordable and high quality flintlock rifle.
(Maybe some day I will be building their Fowler as well.)
-Bob

Hello Pathfinder, I always find your posts helpful and encouraging in regard to the motivation I may need at times to start or finish a project.
Let me help you now, but a Kibler Fowler kit as soon as you can! They are wonderful to work on and a joy to shoot.
As I was told a long time ago, in a Carmel Highlands car wash parking lot, “son, beauty is a joy forever”. That advise was from Ansel Adams, rest his soul.
Put a Kibler beauty in your life too.

 

[yellowhammer]

...As I was told a long time ago, in a Carmel Highlands car wash parking lot, “son, beauty is a joy forever”. That advise was from Ansel Adams, rest his soul...

@OlSwede , nice fowler.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever;" is the first line of the poem Endymion, by John Keats, first published in 1818.

And that concludes your lesson in English Romantic Poets for today, kids.

yellowhammer out.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Hello Pathfinder, I always find your posts helpful and encouraging in regard to the motivation I may need at times to start or finish a project.
Let me help you now, but a Kibler Fowler kit as soon as you can! They are wonderful to work on and a joy to shoot.
As I was told a long time ago, in a Carmel Highlands car wash parking lot, “son, beauty is a joy forever”. That advise was from Ansel Adams, rest his soul.
Put a Kibler beauty in your life too.

Thank you friend! I don’t disagree with you at all. The thing is that I am actually preparing to downsize. I’m 66 and have my “select few” favorite long guns (the smoothbore is my Fusil de Chasse). If I do get a Kibler Fowler it would be just to enjoy the build and then sell, but I’m way busy with so many other things!
I appreciate your kind thoughts and suggestion though!

 

[Valkyrie]

I've been thinking about getting a Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle. I've talked to a few people that have owned a Kibler rifles and some have said they've had issues with their locks over time. I know that not everything is going to be perfect all but I want to hear honest assessments of their guns by those who have them.

I have a Colonial in .50 that I put together two years ago. It’s gorgeous. The lock is fast. Unbelievably fast and I killed my first flintlock deer with it last winter. The rifle is accurate, very high quality on everything. Kiblers customer service is impeccable. The rifle came with a frizzen hat had a small part of the lower inside corner that was blue from heat and the temper was gone. Jim sent me a new one immediately.

I just received my Woodsrunner kit in .54 cal this morning. Cant wait to hunt the PA flintlock season in a couple weeks!

 

[2 shots]

pathfinder... you need a 16 gauge fowler, you just dont know it yet. you kids are all alike.

 

[PathfinderNC]

pathfinder... you need a 16 gauge fowler, you just dont know it yet. you kids are all alike.

Well, I have a 16 Gauge New England Fowler that I built a few months ago that turned-out pretty good.

 

[yellowhammer]

Well, I have a 16 Gauge New England Fowler that I built a few months ago that turned-out pretty good.

WOW. More pics, close-ups, please!

 

[PathfinderNC]

WOW. More pics, close-ups, please!

Not to hijack this great thread. Here's a link.

 

[Toad1]

I am new to the flintlock world so I don’t have an opinion on how much better they are than other options. I can verify that when I took my woodsrunner to a couple of rendezvous shoots this summer many folks who have had years of experience shooting flintlocks were extremely impressed with the speed and function of it.

 

[LongWalker]

I selected a Kibler, sight unseen, for my "teaching rifle" because of the reports on the quality of the lock. My impression of the lock once I had the kit in hand was that quality-wise it was the equal of a Roller or Hollenbaugh-made Ditchburn lock. Nothing has changed my mind on that. To date, just over 200 students have fired over 2,300 shots; I've personally fired around 5,000 shots. Misfire rate has been miniscule (IIRC, around 19 total klatches and flashes in the pan).

I've done "repairs" on 2 Kibler locks: one, as Waksupi pointed out, badly needed to be cleaned and oiled; the other was a late-night fix for an absolute idiot who managed to bend the top jaw screw dry-firing without a flint.

 

[mrfritz44]

So I'm the one who had a Kibler frizzen break after 6 shots at the initial range session, with around 4 frizzen strikes prior to that in preparation of the range session.

The photo on the left is obviously the broken frizzen and notice the high flint strike marks left by a cut English flint installed bevel down.

The frizzen on the right is the replacement and has about 50 shots on it using a knapped flint installed bevel up. The net effect is a lower flint striking point. I had zero misfires after 50 shots using the same flint throughout the session with a moderate to heavily fouled pan using FFF primer, a phenomenon I never experienced with the TC and Lyman locks I've shot to date. The difference was like night and day.

I suspect that perhaps the broken frizzen was at least partially due to the high striking point, although that's up for debate.

Regardless, Kibler had a new frizzen to me within a week and now having assembled and shot a Woodsrunner, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Kibler again and very well may after the January flintlock season.

 

[Wirehair]

While there are many reasons to buy a Kibler, I've been most impressed with the locks. They are fast, reliable and easy on flints. Add a quality barrel and accuracy follows.

 

[duca]

I've been thinking about getting a Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle. I've talked to a few people that have owned a Kibler rifles and some have said they've had issues with their locks over time. I know that not everything is going to be perfect all but I want to hear honest assessments of their guns by those who have them.

Don’t wait any longer, life is too short. I’m turning 62 in February and wish Jim started doing this 20 years ago. Not only is it fun to build. It’s fun to shoot. Any problems and Kibler long rifles will take care of it. I’ve built six of his guns and love them all.