Kibler SMR 40 caliber put through the paces!

[Snydly]

Just ordered the Kibler .40..... Looking at Feb! Going to be a difficult wait..... but should be well worth it. Will try your best load first to see how it shoots. Probably end up with twice the powder as you as I am going to be hunting with it... Antelope next year.

 

[Trapper Scott]

I usually color my bullseyes with a broad tip red sharpie. How long is your barrel? My .36 SMR has the 46" barrel, and it stands eyeball level to me. I cut my patches at the muzzle, so I had to learn to put the powder in the the rifle standing straight up, then tilt it down for the patch and ball. I use 25 gr. Swiss 3Fg, 000 buckshot, and .022" ticking lubed with Mink Oil (actually a paste).

My barrel is 44" long and the overall length of the rifle is 60".

 

[Trapper Scott]

Just ordered the Kibler .40..... Looking at Feb! Going to be a difficult wait..... but should be well worth it. Will try your best load first to see how it shoots. Probably end up with twice the powder as you as I am going to be hunting with it... Antelope next year.

Congratulations on ordering your Kibler SMR. My load is just for paper punching but it should do well with small game also. If I was going to hunt bigger game I would definitely work on a bigger powder charge.

 

[Shadowalker164]

Trapper, nice tight group, and good shooting too

 

[Trapper Scott]

Trapper, nice tight group, and good shooting too

Thanks, Shadowalker164. It could have been better with a better shooter, but it's close enough for any shooting I'll do. Maybe a squirrel or an occasional rabbit.

 

[Lippy984]

Just ordered the Kibler .40..... Looking at Feb! Going to be a difficult wait..... but should be well worth it. Will try your best load first to see how it shoots. Probably end up with twice the powder as you as I am going to be hunting with it... Antelope next year.

Just curious…is that February the time frame they gave you? I called earlier this week and she told me roughly 2 weeks. But if it’s February, I want to jump on that. What grade wood did you order?

 

[Oberst]

Try practicing staining on some scrap pieces of wood first and that should give you a good idea of what you can expect. As far as browning the metal you should be able to do the same thing and may be surprised of much it will build your confidence. And thanks for the compliments on my mom. She is a hoot and enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner.

Beautiful gun and family! As far as browning the barrel, if you follow the steps carefully, you’ll do fine. I did my first barrel this year on my Kibler Colonial and was a big chicken too. The first couple applications are nerve wracking as they seem very uneven but the instructions warn you of that. Keep going till you get the finish you are happy with.

My lock plate is still white due to me still being a chicken about disassembling and reassembling the lock but am working my way up to it!

 

[JamesT]

Nice looking rifle. Great that you were able to share it with your family.
Is it stocked in walnut? My next venture is going to be a Kibler smr walnut stocked in .40 caliber.
My humble opinion but .40 really seams to be a flat shooting squirrel killer. Had a .40 cal rifle that I killed lots on squirrels with and sold it when I got my little .32 Sheetz rifle.
Anyways, nice shootin. Enjoy

 

[Trapper Scott]

Nice looking rifle. Great that you were able to share it with your family.
Is it stocked in walnut? My next venture is going to be a Kibler smr walnut stocked in .40 caliber.
My humble opinion but .40 really seams to be a flat shooting squirrel killer. Had a .40 cal rifle that I killed lots on squirrels with and sold it when I got my little .32 Sheetz rifle.
Anyways, nice shootin. Enjoy

Thanks, and it's a cherry stock. I like walnut myself, but my next one is going to be top-grade fancy maple, then maybe a walnut if I'm still around.

 

[JamesT]

Nice looking rifle. Great that you were able to share it with your family.
Is it stocked in walnut? My next venture is going to be a Kibler smr walnut stocked in .40 caliber.
My humble opinion but .40 really seams to be a flat shooting squirrel killer. Had a .40 cal rifle that I killed lots on squirrels with and sold it when I got my little .32 Sheetz rifle.
Anyways, nice shootin. Enjoy

Thanks, and it's a cherry stock. I like walnut myself, but my next one is going to be top-grade fancy maple, then maybe a walnut if I'm still around.

Nice! How did you brown the furniture? It looks almost black. I like the patch box as well. Fits the rifle just right. Do you plan on hunting with her?

 

[JamesT]

Looks like you have a decent load worked up for her. Looking at target A I see it says .390 ball with .010 patch. That's just .400 total. A little heavier patch like .015 or more might really tighten up the group. I have always strived for the easiest loading combo even at the cost of a slightly larger group. Mostly because I load in the woods using the wiping stick.

 

[Trapper Scott]

Nice looking rifle. Great that you were able to share it with your family.
Is it stocked in walnut? My next venture is going to be a Kibler smr walnut stocked in .40 caliber.
My humble opinion but .40 really seams to be a flat shooting squirrel killer. Had a .40 cal rifle that I killed lots on squirrels with and sold it when I got my little .32 Sheetz rifle.
Anyways, nice shootin. Enjoy

Nice! How did you brown the furniture? It looks almost black. I like the patch box as well. Fits the rifle just right. Do you plan on hunting with her?

I used a homemade lye wash on the stock. The picture probably doesn't do it justice, but it is more red than brown. I'm able to hunt anymore unless an unfortunate critter happens to cross paths with me in the yard.

 

[Trapper Scott]

Looks like you have a decent load worked up for her. Looking at target A I see it says .390 ball with .010 patch. That's just .400 total. A little heavier patch like .015 or more might really tighten up the group. I have always strived for the easiest loading combo even at the cost of a slightly larger group. Mostly because I load in the woods using the wiping stick.

I had tried the .390 with a 0.015 patch the previous day with decent results.

 

[Ballshooter]

I anm such a friggin chicken! My .40 SMR in the white is still in the white cuz I just know I will **** it up staining and browning it. Gotta get a project gun for practice cuz its killing me seeing all these rifles at the range.

Nah..you got this! I was scared to death to start on my Kibler but it turned out awesome IMO.

 

[hanshi]

The Kibler is beautiful and darn accurate too. Your shooting is fine so don't downplay your shooting skills.

 

[Trapper Scott]

The Kibler is beautiful and darn accurate too. Your shooting is fine so don't downplay your shooting skills.

They do make nice flintlocks.