Looking for a good kit

[olgreenhead]

Ok ive looked at a lot of kits offered. I have bout 700$ to spend i need a left handed flint. pref a penn style I have a some woodworking skills . Could somoane please teer me to the right kits . P,S im a trapper so if anyone looking for a nice fisher pelt or beaver or anything else get a hold of me, Thanks Art

 

[brushbuster]

check out jim chambers rifles at[url] flintlocks.com[/url] he has some real quality products and his stocks are pre inletted (just final fittingand a little barrel scraping ).you can order it percssion or flint :m2c: eace: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Zonie]

Don't overlook Pecatonica River Rifle Co.

Pecatonica River Link

The pictures of their guns on their website are a little dark and it only shows a few of the guns they offer.
They have 21 different styles of rifle stocks available in 98% inlet condition.

A typical example is their Jacob Dickert (early Lancaster) Rifle with a Siler large Flintlock. Listed price: $395.30 plus wood. Their #3 Curly Maple full length wood costs $140.00. The only thing this does not include that a builder would want to add is a Daisy Patchbox which sells for $25.

I would recommend ordering a catalog from them to get a better look at their products.

Order the catalog thru the mail at
Pecatonica River Long Rifle
P.O. Box 2791
Rockford, Illinois 61132
or call them at
(815) 968-1995

I have built 8 different rifles from them and have never been disappointed in the components or the delivery schedule.

Their prices are usually lower than other companys, and the quality of their stocks is about as good as it gets. In fact, they supply the stocks for some of the other companies who sell kits.

 

[olgreenhead]

Zonie can you mail me apic of your guns at [email protected] to see how they came out thanks :thumbsup:

 

[Darkhorse]

Seeing as how your LeftHanded your choices are a little more limited than those fellas on the other side of the fence.
The only LH sold (at this time) by Jim Chambers is the Isacc Haines and the early american smoothbore.
Wayne Dunlap (Dunlap Woodcrafts) also sells a LH Isacc Haines.
Track of the Wolf sells the Isacc Haines, Tennessee Mountain rifle and both Fullstock and Halfstock Hawkens and also the Golden Age flintlock.
Pecontical sells the same (except for the Golden Age) but adds maybe one more LH to the list.
Tip Curtis at the Frontier Shop also sells the same but adds a couple more to the list.

 

[Zonie]

olgreenhead: Rather than mail the photos to you, I am giving you some links to the Photo section of this site.
I think you will like them, even if the quality of workmanship isn't as good as many of the rifles you will see on this site.
(Sorry, they are all right handed).

Boys Squirrel Rifle. This is a .36 cal with a 37 inch barrel. (Pecatonica cut it off and recrowned it for me for almost nothing.) I used a "Early Lancaster stock, reshaped it and slimmed it down in all directions).
Boys Rifle

First Try at Pictures. A Franklin County style I made out of a "Early Lancaster" stock. (They have lots of wood on them so reworking them to another style isn't that hard to do.)
Franklin

A BEDFORD County Rifle: Except for the carving, the lock, stock and barrel are pretty much as the kit comes. This is a convertable rifle, ie it is either a flintlock or a precussion depending on which lock is installed.
Bedford

Reading County Pa Flintlock: Comments same as the Bedford.
This is also aa convertable rifle.
Reading

Older Lancaster Style: A Dickert. Pritty much same as the comments for the Bedford.
Old Lancaster

Thats No Kentucky!: A Schuetzen style rifle offered by Pecatonica. Shoots expensive paper patched bullets ($.25/shot).
Schuetzen

Late Lancaster: Again, except for the carving the stock is pretty much as it comes.
Lancaster Precussion.

A Transitional Kentucky: Same comments as Late Lancaster.
Transitional



A Southern Style?: I didn't get this from Pecatonica. I bought it from Vernon Davis at the Western Nationals. I know you won't want to hear this, but it was a Left Handed stock which I modified to be right handed. The price was too good to pass up.
Southern?

When I say these are pritty much as recieved, I don't mean I just installed the parts and lightly sanded the wood.
All of these stocks require removing 1/32 to 3/8 of wood to make them look like the slim, flowing, smooth guns that the originals were.
If you decide to get a gun kit from anywhere, be sure and get as many photos of original guns of that School or type as you can so you will know how to finish shape the wood.

 

[HardBall]

Don't overlook Pecatonica River Rifle Co.

Pecatonica River Link

Thanks for the link and tip on Pecatonica, Zonie.

I'm looking at building my first kit and have ordered their catalog and book "The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle".

I'll probably have them inlet for the butt plate as I've heard it can be a bit tricky. They tout "98%" inletting of the stock, but what is the remaining 2%?

 

The first 75% can be done with a hatchet.

the next 20% with power tools and chisels.

the next 3% with scrapers.

that last 2% is done with razer blades, sandpaper, shards of glass, blood sweat and tears.

Make sure your insurance is paid up, the last 2% is where you have the nervous breakdown!

:imo:

 

[Darkhorse]

Another way of looking at is; Starting with a maple 2X4 they have cut off 98% of the excess wood. Which still leaves you with an awful lot of the important stuff to mess up if your not careful.
Measure 3 times and cut once.
Think several steps ahead but do what your are doing at the moment with total concentration.
Before you do whatever it is you are about to do, what will it affect down the road?

 

[LSU TIGER]

C'mon, Darkhorse! You know you need at least a 4 X 8 for a rifle! :blah: :crackup:

 

[Zonie]

the last 2% is where you have the nervous breakdown!

Been tttttthhhhhere, dddddone that.

Actually, the inleting all of the companies I have delt with leave that 2% (or a little more) on all of the inlets they cut for you. The lock won't fit, the trigger won't fit, the butt plate is very close, but still requires some sanding on the wood to improve the fit.
The barrel won't fit, and the barrel tang slot is often left totally uncut. (This is good, because the tang on the barrel is usually straight when you get it and requires bending. The amount of bending will determine where the end of it will be. Until you know where it needs to be, you can't cut the inlet. (See how these things work?)
If you talk to your supplier, they will bend the tang, and inlet for it, but I bet you would do a better job, so don't be afraid to tackle it.

Because the suppliers leave some material on all of these part inlets, it allows you to do the final fitting for a almost perfect fit with each part. This final fitting is one of the things that seperates your Custom gun from the Factory produced guns.
This final fitting often only requires the careful use of a Razor knife (like an E-Xacto #2), some sand paper and a sanding block. Sometimes you will only be removing .005-.010 (about 3 thicknesses of paper), sometimes a little more.

I know you are going to enjoy it, but remember, the slow way is usually the best way. Don't hurry.

 

[brushbuster]

"i know your goin to enjoy it, but,the slow way is the best way"
couldn't have said it better myself.
if you get hung up put it down ,grab a cup of what ever your favorite beverage is and think awhile. if ya still cant figger it out there are lots of psychiatrists in the book . seriosly were all here to help.good luck :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: