Looking for a good builder for a pistol kit!

[Luis hernandez]

Hello,I am looking for a good builder for a flintlock pistol kit that I have,Was wondering if anybody knew one? Thank you,Been real busy lately and finally i can have some time for my hobby! Best Regards-- Luis.

 

[Zonie]

Hi Luis:
Even though most of the pistol kits are fairly easy to assemble and finish I doubt that you could find a "good builder" who would take on the job for less than $150. Add postage to that and your talking about some serious money.

Most of the "good builders" currently have some major projects they are working on and quite frankly they don't have time (nor can they afford) to work on the simple factory kits.

As you indicate that you have some time for your hobby I suggest that you put your kit together yourself.

We have an area on this forum called "The Gun Builders Bench" which was set up for folks like you. LINK TO THE GUNBUILDERS BENCH

Although we have some serious craftsman that use this forum to show their work, all of them will be more than happy to help answer any question that you have and otherwise help you in any way that they can.

Factory kits are usually almost finished requireing sanding, bluing or browning and applying oils to the wood to finish them. All of these things can be done by anyone who can work with simple hand tools.

Give some thought to it. If you decide to build it yourself you will end up with a gun that is better than a factory made gun and you will have the pride of knowing you did it yourself.

 

[blacksmithman64]

I agree with Zonie, you'll get a lot more satisfaction if you build it yourself IF its a factory kit like a Traditions or Lyman. All the technical hard stuff is already done.
Now a parts kit from say TOTW to build a "custom" pistol is a whole different monster! Don't ask me how I know! :haha: Plus you won't have a big investment in it if you decide you don't like pistols. And if you DO decide you like 'em, then you can think about having one custom built.

 

[rafterob]

I concur with the others. Build it yourself, you will find it fairly easy without the need for any major tools. Just remember to take your time. The ones I have seen that people have screwed up are a result of a rush job. One guy told me he couldn't believe it took him three days to finish it (and it looked like it), I guess he thought you would just have to screw it together and shoot it. It is not unrealistic however, to assemble and finish one in a week of leisurely evenings at the table working a couple hours at a time. You will get much greater satisfaction shooting it and knowing it is the fruit of your own labor.

 

[Bob Riegl]

:hmm: You might bounce this off Roy Stroh, see if he would be interested. Roy Stroh

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Luis what got me into BP shooting was building a caplock .50 cal CVA pistol kit back in '80. if you can find time DIY.

 

[Luis hernandez]

Thank you Zonie! I think your right, I will start with the gun builders bench and take it from there. Might get a cd from the track of the wolf catalog.Thanks again,Best regards-Luis-

 

[Zonie]

Luis:
Go ahead and buy the CD if you wish to but, at the moment, unless you are planning on building one of the advanced "box of parts" type kits sold by Chambers, Track of the Wolf, Pecatonica River etc. I think it will be a waste of your money.

These CD's are aimed at building advanced projects, not building fairly simple factory kits.

If, after you have finished your pistol you still want to buy the CD then go for it.
I suspect that like many of us here have found after building a simple pistol kit, this first kit may be the "hook" that drags you into the world of muzzleloading gunsmithing. :rotf: