Kibler's next gun?

[Gtrubicon]

I want a Kibler hawken!

 

[Coinneach]

My grandmother would smack my hand if I picked anything up with my left hand. Drove her nuts that my father married a left handed woman.
Back in topic: I can’t imagine tooling up for lefty rifles would be cost effective. Even the big manufacturers don’t build many lefty’s.
-Red, flinches when he sees something picked up in a left hand.

Pecatonica River offer a good selection of LH options, and Jim Chambers has one or two also.
But I dont think many other Kit manufacturers offer LH options.

 

[Coinneach]

Some random left-handed comments.
My mother was left-handed, and she was forced in school to write with her right hand. She had beautiful writing, by the way.
My 5 year old grandson tends to be a lefty also. I hope he becomes a pitcher. I can teach him to shoot a right-hand muzzleloader.
Not too many military muskets that have left-hand flintlocks. Zero production models.
Have a friend who is a South-paw, but shoots right-handed, so you can train yourself

Curly Gostomski (RIP) of North Star Trade Guns produced left handed TG's with Siler locks, I met him personally back in 1988 and he showed me his records that LH Trade Guns were made way back when.
He later produced a LH Officers Fusil (much in the Brown Bess style) which was continued by North Star West (after they bought the business), I had the good fortune to buy one after I retired in 2017 and its a beeyootiful Musket.
Again according to Curly G, LH Officers Fusils did exist and obviously they would have been produced as private purchases by the more "well to do" and at premium prices.

 

[sportster73hp]

Uh, I doubt that. When your product is a status symbol, you’re not struggling. He just doesn’t have to stress out and expand crazily.

As was said before: trade guns are a fad — they were the Kia of their time. Harken rifles… neat, but doubtful.

I know. @James Kibler should build a Long Land Brown Bess. Then a Baker Rifle.

How about not bugging the man?

I would buy a bess or baker from him. Likely better than one from the crown.

 

[Kmcmichael]

Manufacturing concerns and the whims of an artist are to complex for even the aforementioned artist to predict. Jim Kibler might not even be sure of the answer to this question or, it could change before his current plan comes to fruition.
But, I would bet a dram of scotch that the next one will be an English Fowler For the following reasons:
*He has refurbished an original in the past.
*He is fond of the design.
*It would be an easy stretch from the Colonial and Ridge Runner.
Caveat, it will be cheap scotch only available on location in the DFW area, and you will be forced to witness my inevitable pontification on wherever expertise lies on that particular day, as scotch seems to bring this out.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

20 bore is popular for a reason.

It’s a good sweet spot between effectiveness with shot yet not too much lead is used.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

My grandmother would smack my hand if I picked anything up with my left hand. Drove her nuts that my father married a left handed woman.
Back in topic: I can’t imagine tooling up for lefty rifles would be cost effective. Even the big manufacturers don’t build many lefty’s.
-Red, flinches when he sees something picked up in a left hand.

You mean they come in left-handed versions also? Good Grief! Now I have to find one to add to my collection.

Ah, well! At least she'll be in her right mind!

 

[James Kibler]

We're working on a fowler right now. This has been an ongoing project, but is really accelerating. It will be based on original English work from the 1760's or 1770's. It will be a gun intended for export, so from this standpoint it could be called a trade gun, but it won't represent the really low end trade guns we often think of. There was a whole class of English guns built for export that fit this profile. To most, they would look very much like what we think of as an "English Fowler", but there are differences between a high end English gun and these guns made for export.

Barrel breech is usually quite a bit smaller. Ours will be 1.125"
Barrels are often of an earlier 3-stage form. Two round sections and one octagon section.
There typically isn't a tip out or standing breech.
The barrels are typically pinned to the stock rather than using keys
Overall stocking is similar to a higher end English gun, but sometimes a little less refined
Sometimes earlier design forms are used (bulbous formed pipes, sheet metal serpentine sideplates etc.)
Overall level of sophistication and decoration is somewhat lower.

I expect this to be ready in 4-5 months as we are making some pretty rapid progress.

Thanks for all the interest! Any questions, just ask!

Jim

 

[Blitz]

I'm 77, and back when I was learning to read and write, aged four or so, nobody gave a hoot which hand I used. When I started school at age five and a month, I could already read and write like a twelve-year-old, thanks to my grandad, who had been a carpenter/joiner. And in three languages, as well as English. Sure, I had trouble with the pen nibs going the wrong way, but I compensated for that by writing like a rightie, but holding it in my left hand - I still do - no holding the pen downwards over the top like you often see some lefties writing, poor souls.

My dad encouraged me to use both hands equally, and I did, and do. It matters not a jot to me whether I have to shoot left or right, throw, paint, whatever. In fact, using two paintbrushes at the same time can be useful. Since 1979 we've had right and left hand drive cars, usually one of each, and it makes no never-mind to either of us. All this stuff about sinister/sinister and 'child of Satan' is utter garbage - think how many famous people in history were lefties - I'll let YOU look 'em up, but with Leonardo da Vinci heading up the long list of lefties, I'm in good company.

Good on you my family was enligentened as was yours about left handedness all that predjuices stuff is and was a lot of crap and any reasonably informed person knows that. Not lefty myself but brother and other relatives father quite ambidextrous and befitting a mechanic, very usefull.
Pat your head and rub your tummy at same time.
was always natural for me from first BB gun to shoot left handed, many years later I found out why. I was reading an article in an outdoors puiblication and read an article on left or right eye dominance. Take left or right hand and make a circle with thumb and fore finger look at an object with both eyes open then alternatrly close left and right eye , if you have not done this befor you will be amazed and enlightened. I leave it to you to try. The results are immediately revealed.


good hunting Blitz

 

[appalichian hunter]

My mom smacked us left handed… I’m ALWAYS looking for the left!
-Red, beat a lot as a kid…

You're lucky, my MOM was ambidextrous. Now back to the regular program

 

[rmefbowhunter]

We're working on a fowler right now. This has been an ongoing project, but is really accelerating. It will be based on original English work from the 1760's or 1770's. It will be a gun intended for export, so from this standpoint it could be called a trade gun, but it won't represent the really low end trade guns we often think of. There was a whole class of English guns built for export that fit this profile. To most, they would look very much like what we think of as an "English Fowler", but there are differences between a high end English gun and these guns made for export.

Barrel breech is usually quite a bit smaller. Ours will be 1.125"
Barrels are often of an earlier 3-stage form. Two round sections and one octagon section.
There typically isn't a tip out or standing breech.
The barrels are typically pinned to the stock rather than using keys
Overall stocking is similar to a higher end English gun, but sometimes a little less refined
Sometimes earlier design forms are used (bulbous formed pipes, sheet metal serpentine sideplates etc.)
Overall level of sophistication and decoration is somewhat lower.

I expect this to be ready in 4-5 months as we are making some pretty rapid progress.

Thanks for all the interest! Any questions, just ask!

Jim

Any idea yet on when you will start accepting orders? (Hint)

 

[64Springer]

When he's ready I'm sure he'll let everyone know.

 

[James Kibler]

Any idea yet on when you will start accepting orders? (Hint)

Not until they are pretty much ready to go. I think this approach is best.

 

[James Kibler]

Someone made the comment that we "must be struggling as a business". It's exactly the opposite. Things have never been better. We're shipping more each week than I would have ever imagined. We've gotten enough help to maintain a high production level and also work on future projects at a faster pace. So things are very good. I just counted yesterday and I think we are at about 21 employees counting Katherine and myself.

As to pricing of fowler kits, they will be in line with our current offerings.

Some future kits will likely be a pistol of some sort, a dreaded Hawken styled rifle and maybe something like a lehigh rifle.

 

[akroguy]

We're working on a fowler right now. This has been an ongoing project, but is really accelerating. It will be based on original English work from the 1760's or 1770's. It will be a gun intended for export, so from this standpoint it could be called a trade gun, but it won't represent the really low end trade guns we often think of. There was a whole class of English guns built for export that fit this profile. To most, they would look very much like what we think of as an "English Fowler", but there are differences between a high end English gun and these guns made for export.

Barrel breech is usually quite a bit smaller. Ours will be 1.125"
Barrels are often of an earlier 3-stage form. Two round sections and one octagon section.
There typically isn't a tip out or standing breech.
The barrels are typically pinned to the stock rather than using keys
Overall stocking is similar to a higher end English gun, but sometimes a little less refined
Sometimes earlier design forms are used (bulbous formed pipes, sheet metal serpentine sideplates etc.)
Overall level of sophistication and decoration is somewhat lower.

I expect this to be ready in 4-5 months as we are making some pretty rapid progress.

Thanks for all the interest! Any questions, just ask!

Jim

Oh bloody hell. This is gonna cost me.

And I'm FINE with that.

Carry on, sir!

 

[brushyspoons]

and maybe something like a lehigh rifle

If I got any more excited after reading this I would've fallen out of my chair.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Hopefully a real FOWLING GUN in at least 16 bore. Up to 10 bore would be nice. A real by golly birding gun would be great.

 

[BillyC]

I don’t even want a Fowler and I’m thinking about ordering one just cause they are so much fun to build.

 

[Newaygo77]

A jug choke option on the Kibler fowler would be the icing on the cake.

 

[James Kibler]

Hopefully a real FOWLING GUN in at least 16 bore. Up to 10 bore would be nice. A real by golly birding gun would be great.

We'll be offering this in 16 and 20 bore. The 16 bore will be nicer in that the barrel wall thickness will be a minimum (probably around 1/16" at the thinnest point). The 20 bore will be thicker since the O.D. will remain the same.