How'd you get your start in gun building?

[Thomas Dermako]

Thought I'd throw this out there out of curiousity: For those of you who build guns, did you get started by repairing, scratch building, a kit? What was the learning curve like for you?

 

[Lonegun1894]

I cant claim to have anywhere near the skill level of many here, but I started out with a CVA kit St. Louis Hawken rifle just because i thought it would be neat to build a companion for my factory Traditions Kentucky pistol. Things have been steadily going downhill for me since--and i'm loving every minute i get to spend building something. Just cant figure out what to build next--once i get the funds. As to learning curve, that was ugly. At first, i just wanted to shoot that CVA, so i slapped it together and went shooting. Then i stained the stock. Stripped it, and restained it a few months later. Then replaced the adjustable sights with fixed. Then the synthetic ramrod had to go. Then the metal needed refinishing, along with the stock being sanded down to something that felt good and trim instead of the 4x6 it started out as. Then i wanted the wood kinda light instead of the dark it had been, and the brass needed the casting marks filed smooth. This gun has been refinished a couple times now and i like it more and more. At first, I honestly hated the thing because of some of the issues it had. But I wasnt smart enough to give up (thank God) and kept doing research and asking questions til i finally got it working right. It will always be a CVA, but i love that little gun and it has proven to be a better shooter than most of the centerfires I have pitted it against. It has been used for everything from hunting, to informal matches, to teaching boyscouts and 4-H, and everyone who has shot it has loved it.

 

[Ephraim]

We had a man named Burt Berry in my town of yorktown Ind. He was building guns and rifleing own barrles. A friend of mine and I hung out in his shop waching him build guns all the time. We met Max Vickory there he was pres of the N.M.L.R.A at the time. I was 14 yrs. old and wanted a muzzloader more than anything but did not have enough money to buy one and Max one after noon said why don't you build one Burt said he would help so I built my first gun at the age of 14. It was ugly but it would put meat on the table. I have been building every sence. My guns look a lot better now but don't shoot any better than the first one. It was a lot of work back then you had to make almost every thing. While cutting the barrel I almost gave up It was a lot of hard work with that old push-pull mach. that Burt had made. well I am going on and on old times good times. I am 62 yrs. now and still rember the day I shot my gun for the first time.
Ephraim
ps sorry about the spelling

 

[Roy]

My Grandfather and Father built/build guns. I took a year off to learn how, haven't stopped. :v

 

[Vaino]

In 1978 I received a SXS shotgun from Navy Arms {it was promptly returned} and that gun, along w/ what was available on the market, were of such poor quality that I bought "Recreating the American Longrifle" by Buchele and ordered parts for a "scratch build". Having been a tool & diemaker for a number of years and beaming w/ overconfidence, the difficulty of a "scratch build" was grossly underestimated and shortly the "wood" was used for kindling in my fireplace. I regrouped after that big dose of disappointment and humility and bought another blank. This "first" LR was completed in 1980 and is presently my squirrel rifle. Seeing I don't have the opportunity to view many "originals", RCA vols.1&2 and Kindig's book were bought and they've been an invaluable guide for correct LR architecture. The next LR was a Lehigh followed by some Lancasters, Hawkens,Virginias and quite a few Bucks County LRs. Building MLers has been a form of "therapy" seeing that there aren't any distractions during the few hours spent daily in the shop and at 76, I need all the "therapy" I can get.....Fred

 

[MikeChapin]

My wife got me a CVA Mountain Rifle kit for my birthday. I had been shooting a Navy Arms Hawken Hunter for a year or so but wanted something lighter. I put the kit together. Made a few mistakes but it came out well. For Christmas that year my wife got me a Navy Arms SxS kit. After a move I got a Dixie convertable kit. I wasn't really pleased with it so decided to get the parts for longrifle. Got the barrel from Sharon, the stock from Pecatonica and the rest of the parts from other places. Put that one together and was really pleased with it. I still have to this day and it still shoots great.

I decided to take on the Mountain Rifle again. The stock was too short and straight for me. Hunting loads would slap me in the cheek. I restocked it with a Leman stock. I still shoot that rifle today.

About that time word got around that I built these pieces so ended up doing a lot of CVA kits that people had gotten for birthdays or Christmas. I did a gillion Kentucky rifles and pistols. Now I just build for myself.

 

[Longsmoke]

My first was a store bought CVA flint rifle, then a SxS Navy Arms 12 that someone had built from a kit. Remember when you could get a shotgun kit for a $100? The quality of the shotgun was so much better than the rifle. Fit, finish, fell, just the way it looked overall.

Then an old guy (about my age now) explained why the shotgun was so much better. He said if you start with good parts in the right hands you can it gets even better that that.

The first gun I built was a Tulle kit from Mold & Gun. I am lucky to know Jim Turpin and he answered questions about putting it together. I still have it, still shoot it and I still ask Uncle Turp questions.

After 12 kit guns I made the switch to building from blanks and now I am trying to teach myself to how forge furniture.

Bruce Everhart

 

[Len Graves]

I built my first kit gun way back last century (1967) A Numrich arms Minute man flinter. I shot that gun so much that I wore out a lock and got a replacement from Dixie. I look at that gun now (yes I still have it) and see how much I have learned about building guns, but gee did I have fun learning with that gun. Back then in this area front stuffers were a rarity everyone thought I was real odd using that gun. Thinking more on this, they still think I'm odd. Len

 

[BadHorse]

well i'm new to this gun building. a friend gave me a traditions kentucky rifle back in april,kind of a birthday present for my daughter and i. any way i never liked its apperance so apart it came and i re-built it. i just spent the last 2 weeks building a GPR, finished it 3 days ago. i think it looks real good for a first build. well last night i started my "Isaac Haines" from tip curtis. i guess you could say i'm adicted. oh manure! i wonder if theres a 12 step program for this.

karwelis

 

[BrownBear]

Went to work for a gunsmith in 1966 while I was in high school. I helped or solo built conventional rifles, but it didn't stick because the lathes, mills, and other neat tools didn't follow me when I got a real job after college. Built a few more then when I could get machine time, but pretty scattered.

Though I shot ML shotguns for quite a few years, I just never got around to trying a ML build till I started shooting ML rifles around 40 years later.

That looks like it's going to stick, because it's a hand-tool job for me, both from the historic standpoint and the fact that I still don't have a metal shop. Takes lots longer, but lots more satisfying while building and in the end product.

 

[Black Hand]

I was too poor to buy a finished gun so I bought a NSW early English kit and built it. Great learning experience, but it does show some of the hallmarks of a first build. However, even with those faults, it will remain "as is" as a reminder of where I started and for sentimental value.....

 

[bamamarine]

I'm kind of like Black Hand, I like nice guns but I can't afford them. I had a bit of time on my hands a few years ago so I thought I'd occupy myself and build something I liked. That was one ungly rifle, but I learned a lot from it. Now I'm having trouble not building. I get half way through with one ane the idea for another locks in my head.

 

[Osprey]

I was interested in shooting a flintlock, so attended a local club shoot a bit over a year ago to get information for an article I was writing. The shoot was fun, but while there I found out several of the guys met every week and built these awesome looking guns they were carrying. Went once to check it out, and in the year since I've been back every Wednesday night, been to Dixon's and a rendezvous, built one gun (and killed 3 deer with it) and almost finished another, done a few powder horns and bags too. Found I like the crafting/building part of it more than the actual shoots, although it's still probably 2nd place to hunting. :wink:

Helped that I used to carve decoys, I wasn't afraid to tackle wood work and had some of the tools I needed.

 

[MSW]

wanted to build one for my wife for Christmas, so i bought the parts from Track. i thought, "this won't be too hard... some screwdriver work, a bit of staining, and bingo- we'll make smoke on the snow..."


wrong


now, of course, i've been turned to the dark side, but the learning curve continues.

 

[merdean]

I started with a Markwell Arms .50 kit back in 1976. Then I built a couple of CVA kits. One of them was the .32/.45 combo. So I had a spare barrel. So my dad found a piece of Madrona wood in Oregon that was a pretty color. I started with that and turned out a rifle that will shoot. It is not pretty but it will shoot. Then I got the CVA .36/.50 kit. Had another spare barrel. Found a chunk of walnut. Looked good and shoots well. Then I tried from scratch. Built a back action .54rifle with white brass furniture. Still does not look as nice as some I have seen but shoots 3 shot cloverleafs at 100 yards. I have another barrel or two in the garage. Along with 3 walnut halfstock blanks and 1 full length P++ grade Maple stock blank. I have a single set trigger and a small lock. I just have to get up the nerve to start carving again. So far, all builds have been caplocks.

Merdean

 

[ord sgt]

I bought an antique ML for a wall hanger and wondered what it would be like to shoot it. Being cautious, I found a T/C hawkin kit to build and shoot. After reading the handbook, I taught myself to load and shoot the T/C. Well, as we all know, one M/L isn't enough, so I found a local M/L shop. Many nights of talking with the owner, I started buying parts to build a flint longrifle. This was another big adventure, since I knew nothing about flintlocks. Finally after a few months, I had a new long gun. But that still wasn't enough and more parts were ordered. And the saga continues........

 

[Zonie]

My first build was a CVA "Hawken" quickly followed by a CVA Frontier (as I recall).
This was back in about 1973-'74).
I shot both of these guns a lot but I couldn't afford to buy the more expensive "kits" for a number of years.

In 1995 I became fed up with the stuff that was on TV (the women were always smarter than the men) so I decided to get a hobby. Building the advanced "kits" from Pecatonica River was it.

The first one took about 6 months of working a little at a time but it turned out so nicely I found myself 'hooked'.

I've built about 13 different Pecatonica River and one TVM kits now.
When I say Pecatonica River the first ones were simply the kits as they furnish them.
Then I switched to buying the stock/barrel from them without the lock mortice and the locks/trigger/furniture from other places like TOTW and MBS so I could build the guns that I had photos of. These often required different locks and furniture from those offered by PR.

Currently I've been working on a Burk's rifle which will be very similar to #65 in Shumways ROCA.

 

[Bubba45]

I bought a TC Hawken 50 cal. kit in '75 and put it together and tried shooting it and tired of getting the snot kicked out of my face and shoulder . The short length of pull and high comb was beating on me every time I pulled the trigger.
I met a feller at my first rondy and bought Foxfire 5 & Lock Stock and Barrel from him. Met another feller that had all the makins for a Leman 50cal. halfstock 'cussion gun with enough wood for 15 " length of pull . To top it off the barrel was a genuine Green River ! I jumped in with both feet and with reading Herschal Houses bit in the book and LS&B several times and having the TC to look at I got through it and had a pretty nice rifle afterward that shot good and was a pleasure to shoot !
From there out there was always the next one, although I had a hiatus for a few years ,its something you cant get out of your blood once you start :grin:

 

[brubincam]

---you are correct about TC Hawkins kicking badly---have a 45 percussion that is very accurate---won a lot of shoots 30 years ago but it has been retired since---if I don't shoot it --it won't kick me--- :thumbsup: :surrender: :surrender:

 

[Frank/Pa]

I started off building a Thompson Center Hawken kit in 1975. Built a Numrich Arms Minuteman flintlock kit a few months later and then added a CVA Kentucky pistol kit. I shot those for a few years and then started building rifles with stocks and parts from Pecatonica Rifle Co.
Built a number of those and then started getting the best parts from a number of places, Getz barrels, Fred Miller gunstocks, locks from Homer Dangler etc... Now I am using Rice and Long Hammock barrels and Jim Chambers locks.