Kibler Fowler available.

[Coinneach]

If business is good you won't have any energy left to build the dang gun.

Not if I use the franchise sytem and sub-contractors !

 

[Wncman]

English walnut is the proper wood for these guns. Maple isn’t. I’ve never seen one of this period stocked in maple. We have sucomed to pressure and offer it.

English is generally very expensive and not readily available, so we offer black walnut. Not all black walnut is highly porous. We will be offering a stain kit to more closely mimic English walnut.

If we can find good sources offering English Walnut at reasonable prices, this will be an option. I’m not holding my breath about reasonable prices…

I have only worked with walnut for cabinets/trim and paneling. So I’ve encountered several levels of quality. Either way American walnut can be good material

 

[azmntman]

Get it in the white. Mine was PERFECT. Then you'll be able to do the job as requested with energy left to stain n brown. Be careful at work or you'll stain n brown early. Special requests can do that to us old guys.

 

[Kmcmichael]

I built a walnut kit for a cousin once. I believe that particular stock would have been incapable of coming near a chisel without suffering an unwanted removal of a splinter. That particular piece of wood was likely a reject from some landscape project.

I did know an Englishman once that specialized in doubles from his homeland. He had a particular hatred of our black and Claro versions of walnut.

I would not steer away from walnut on this gun if I wished for authenticity due to the fact that a chisel will likely not be needed and I am sure it will be a better piece of wood than that of my experience.

I was waiting to build one for a friend but when he assembled a Woodsrunner he realized how easy it was and intends to assemble it himself.

 

[Cruzatte]

Maybe a silly question....My wife is used to them...but historically for this firearms purpose, what were the most common barrel sizes, and intended game use? I know certainly "intended game use" was often circumstantial....I have read many accounts of bear/deer etc. getting blasted by whatever rifle was had, despite the often anemic bore size....
What was the most common smooth bore size for hunting in this era/ region? not especially for just this particular recreation....

Within the general classification of the smooth bored gun, barrel lengths ran the gamut from 42" to 60"-72" during the eighteenth century. Bores ran from 28 ga to 10 ga. In the 19th century barrels shortened considerably. Trade guns were usually of smaller bore diameter than military muskets. Hudson valley fowling pieces and buccaneer muskets were huge, with large bore diameters and great long barrels.

 

[Frontstuffer070]

The word is Jim is cutting the Fowler stocks on the same machinery as the Woodsrunner stocks. No chisels will be necessary. I actually love the black walnut on my Woodsrunner stock. I even liked the porous look it had as well so I never filled it. I think its awesome looking. I believe these fowlers will be AWESOME when finished. I can't wait to see one posted.

 

[Kmcmichael]

Within the general classification of the smooth bored gun, barrel lengths ran the gamut from 42" to 60"-72" during the eighteenth century. Bores ran from 28 ga to 10 ga. In the 19th century barrels shortened considerably. Trade guns were usually of smaller bore diameter than military muskets. Hudson valley fowling pieces and buccaneer muskets were huge, with large bore diameters and great long barrels.

For those that have extensively studied these guns, what gauge is thought of as the most popular? I have read that the 16 was favored by many but as always the common fellow might have preferred something smaller.

 

[Cruzatte]

The Hudson's Bay Co. ordered Northwest guns in 24 ga. The French fusil de chasse de Tulle typically ran about .600"-.620", whereas trade guns from St. Etienne, France were all over the map from 28 ga. to 16 ga. Military muskets were quite large; the Brown Bess at about .72" and the French muskets about .69" Most popular depends on to whom you're talking. Military boards of ordnance wanted one thing, fur traders wanted something else, a frontiersman might want yet something different, an occasional upland game hunter might want something all together different than the others.

 

[Machino]

Mr. Kibler. I noticed on another thread you hinted at the idea of jug choking your fowler possibly on another machine. Is this something you know you will do, or going to experiment with? Asking here because others may want to know as well. I'm hesitating ordering one because I would like to have the jug choke and would wait, but if its not a reality you'll have another order sooner than later!

 

[DillyJamba]

English walnut is the proper wood for these guns. Maple isn’t. I’ve never seen one of this period stocked in maple. We have sucomed to pressure and offer it.

English is generally very expensive and not readily available, so we offer black walnut. Not all black walnut is highly porous. We will be offering a stain kit to more closely mimic English walnut.

If we can find good sources offering English Walnut at reasonable prices, this will be an option. I’m not holding my breath about reasonable prices…

Any chance said stain kit will be offered once these start shipping or would that be a few months out?

 

[John Parkman]

So can we sling a round ball out of it, or not? Last I saw from Jim, he didn't recommend it. And what's the reason Walnut is recommended?

I read somewhere recently that he recommends the 20 gauge if you want to shoot patched round balls. Most of these fowlers were originally made in England with English walnut...which he doesn't have at the moment because it is cost prohibitive, but he is looking for a source. He is supposedly going to have stains available to make it look like English walnut.

 

[billraby]

I believe he will cut the stock from your own wood if you send it to him. If you want English walnut, get it yourself and give him a call. Just be aware that a nice English walnut stock blank can be triple the price of the gun kit.

 

[Newaygo77]

Any advice on staining the American walnut supplied on the fowler to more closely look like English walnut?

 

[James Kibler]

We intend to put a stain kit together, but just haven't had the time yet. I would suggest a light wash coat of yellow aniline dye. After this you could add some red dye to the finish as it's built up. Also, it would be a good idea to fill the grain with a dark wood grain filler.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Leatherbark]

3 to 6 months might not end up being that long.

Bob

 

[James Kibler]

We're ramping up production and things are getting easier. I'd expect a lead time of around 8-10 weeks.

 

[Bedford County Doc]

We intend to put a stain kit together, but just haven't had the time yet. I would suggest a light wash coat of yellow aniline dye. After this you could add some red dye to the finish as it's built up. Also, it would be a good idea to fill the grain with a dark wood grain filler.

Thanks,
Jim

@Jim Kibler Would you recommend any of these wood fillers for walnut?
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-wood-filler/

 

[James Kibler]

I would go with this product in the walnut color. https://www.constantines.com/woodperfectgrainfiller.aspx

Sometimes a darker black color is preferred on walnut and in this case, I would probably try to mix a little black transtint dye or some of our boneblack with it.

Walnut color alone will look fine, but having a slight contrast of the filled grain is at times nice.