Kibler 50 cal colonial

[ord sgt]

I agree with olskool, these firearms are meant to be shot. Not to be wall hangers or safe queens. Used much and maintained well. Let the natural patina form from use. It adds to the beauty of the rifle.

 

[Bob Stager]

Where in Mi are you at?

 

[hanshi]

I have no use for a gun that I can't shoot; and that goes for old ones and pretty ones. That rifle is a beauty and needs to spend time in the woods.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Not shooting a beautiful rifle is like not kissing a beautiful woman! I never saw a rifle too pretty to shoot nor a woman too pretty to kiss.

ADK Bigfoot

You might as well by s picture.

 

[MI MAN]

Nice Job MI Man. I also just finished the same Kibler Colonial rifle and the figuring in the stock looks almost identical to your's. The kit was fun to build and with the CNC machining required very little adjustment for the hardware. It was my first build and Jim and Katherine were super to deal with. We're moving to TN shortly so it'll be fun to shoot it.
It would be nice if they also offered pistol kits. Maybe some day.

 

[MI MAN]

Yes I am glad I bought the kibler 50 cal colonial. I am fairly good with tools and it was just right for me. I did a couple of dumb things but every thing worked out. When it arrived in the mail I felt like a 10 year old at Christmas. Big made in USA sticker on it with flag

 

[MI MAN]

By the way I think the kiblers should only offer several kits to keep quality in check.

 

[stewart.leach]

I'm a great believer in cut at the muzzle patches- the ball is always centered perfectly.

I don't know the measurements of the following, but find that one of these fabrics will be right for a particular rifle:

Thinnest: 100% cotton "Bottomweights" poplin from JoAnn Fabrics.

Medium: cotton pillow ticking from WalMart.

Heavy: number 70 pocket drill from JoAnn. This is almost a light canvas.

All material is washed and dried on hottest settings for the machines.

Lubricants vary, spit or Moose Milk for matches, TOTW mink grease for hunting. People think it's funny that my first step in loading at a match is to stick a section of the patch strip in my mouth...….

 

[Blaze]

MI MAN,
Very nice rifle, beautiful, very nice work!

 

[Eric Krewson]

On the same subject; I was at a gunsmiths friends house yesterday, he was showing me a Kibler Colonial he had just gotten in to build for a customer. I got to look at the new Kibler lock, just like a fine watch, amazing. Then he put said lock in the mortise of his gun and it fit perfectly with NO wood trimming, now that is perfection at its best.

 

[Buckskinn]

On the same subject; I was at a gunsmiths friends house yesterday, he was showing me a Kibler Colonial he had just gotten in to build for a customer. I got to look at the new Kibler lock, just like a fine watch, amazing. Then he put said lock in the mortise of his gun and it fit perfectly with NO wood trimming, now that is perfection at its best.

That takes all the fun out of it! But I guess some don't like that kind of fun. It is pretty amazing that those CNC machines and can replicate to that precision.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Buckskin, some of us aren't real good at having that kind of fun so the Kibler gives us an opportunity to have a really nice rifle that is missing all the too large of inletting, funky too large panels around the lock, gaps on the butt plate, gouges and bruises etc.

 

[MI MAN]

I learned a few lessons on finishing the stock of the kibler colonial rifle:
1. Be very careful how much you sand around lock and side plate inlet area. It is easy to sand off too much material due close tolerances.
2. I bought a bottle of ferric nitrate from a place other than Jim Kibler. The curl in the maple stocked looks good but it turned more of a brown color compared to a red tone that I was hoping for when I watched Jim demo the ferric nitrate he sells on utube. Not sure what the difference is.

 

[Baxter]

That pooch wants to go hunting.

The rifle IS beautiful and you did very well.

 

[Buckskinn]

Buckskin, some of us aren't real good at having that kind of fun so the Kibler gives us an opportunity to have a really nice rifle that is missing all the too large of inletting, funky too large panels around the lock, gaps on the butt plate, gouges and bruises etc.

I'm not knocking Kibler's at all, they are excellent, some say cream of the crop and I might get one some day if and when he increases the choices (say a fowling piece). Although I do enjoy the extra effort that is needed when building from a Chamber's kit, the two that I've gotten have been fantastic pieces of wood with no major issues. I will likely try from a plank before I get a Kibler, but who knows... Part of the reason that I got into this crazy hobby is the challenge.

 

[jerrygowins]

Beautiful rifle! I'm new to all this, but building a kit gun is high on my list.

 

[Jim Evans]

Thats some nice wood you have and a nice job finishing it.