Made the Kibler Leap

[Rock Home Isle]

I’ve had a couple setbacks…

1. Cannot get the ramrod into the channel. So note to self, when pinning the entry thimble. Have the ramrod inplace, then drill the pin locations. So darn…

2. The sights Do Not Fit into the dovetails cut into the barrel, I need to recut them.

3. The lock screw, is misaligned. It took me 2 hours of carefully trimming small amounts of wood, before I could barely get them aligned and the lock installed.

4. I still need to finish the lock in the same antique grey finish as the rest of the hardware. Problem is…I know I can get the lock taken apart; not so sure I can reverse that process.

Finish came out nice though a bit shiny…it will dull with time and use.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

So…who’s next on taking the Kibler Leap and posting about their gun, and their build?????

 

[TDM]

So…who’s next on taking the Kibler Leap and posting about their gun, and their build?????

I'm going to wait for their Hawken to make a show.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I'm going to wait for their Hawken to make a show.

I cannot wait to see their Hawken…

 

[garypl]

So…who’s next on taking the Kibler Leap and posting about their gun, and their build?????

I have a Colonial sitting on my bench with the extra fancy maple wood and two barrels - might not have time to get to it for a couple of weeks - have to finish some other projects first. I will post pics when I start!

 

[James Kibler]

View attachment 155486
I’ve had a couple setbacks…

1. Cannot get the ramrod into the channel. So note to self, when pinning the entry thimble. Have the ramrod inplace, then drill the pin locations. So darn…

2. The sights Do Not Fit into the dovetails cut into the barrel, I need to recut them.

3. The lock screw, is misaligned. It took me 2 hours of carefully trimming small amounts of wood, before I could barely get them aligned and the lock installed.

4. I still need to finish the lock in the same antique grey finish as the rest of the hardware. Problem is…I know I can get the lock taken apart; not so sure I can reverse that process.

View attachment 155490
Finish came out nice though…

Your rifle looks beautiful. A few notes…

1. Taper and reduce the ramrod size where it enters the stock to make it fit. This is standard procedure. Pin the entry pipe without the ramrod in place. Make sure pipes are fully seated prior to pinning.

2. The sights typically do not fit the dovetails. Castings vary somewhat so dovetails are very slightly (less than .01”). File to fit. A couple minute job.

3. Sometimes there is slight misalignment withe the hole(s) in the stock and lock. Follow these steps for an easy fix. Thread the included tap through the stock/ breech plug bolster and into the lock while everything is in place. This typically fixes any small mismatch of the holes. If there are still issues, drill the hole through the breech plug bolster slightly oversized. With a little experience this is no more than a 5 minute job. We’re also working to improve this alignment.

4. Don’t lose the fly when taking the lock apart. Also use a square punch and a good sized hammer to knock the tumbler out of the cock. I think we have a video showing this.

Great work!

 

[david w]

View attachment 155486
I’ve had a couple setbacks…

1. Cannot get the ramrod into the channel. So note to self, when pinning the entry thimble. Have the ramrod inplace, then drill the pin locations. So darn…

2. The sights Do Not Fit into the dovetails cut into the barrel, I need to recut them.

3. The lock screw, is misaligned. It took me 2 hours of carefully trimming small amounts of wood, before I could barely get them aligned and the lock installed.

4. I still need to finish the lock in the same antique grey finish as the rest of the hardware. Problem is…I know I can get the lock taken apart; not so sure I can reverse that process.

View attachment 155490
Finish came out nice though…

The wood sure is purdy! I can relate to the mistakes made. Even the best builders make goofs they'd rather not talk about.. What did you use for the finish?

 

[longcruise]

"And many,years from now. As yea lay tgere dyin in yer bed. Will you ask yourself. Should i have ordered the extra fancy?"

Red, you are a strange dude.

So many decisions preceding this that I may not get around to this one. besides, at 76 years I hope it will be a while but probably not "many years".

Whatever, keep on truckin.

 

[longcruise]

The stock on this gun is unlike anything I have ever owned. I’ve never held a gun with this much curl in the stock.

View attachment 155482
For finishing the barrel, I called Kibler directly. I told them I wanted an antique grey finish on the barrel of my gun. They recommended Jax Black.

I took a length of soft wire and hung the barrel from the ceiling of the garage, and put cardboard down. I then took a soft rag soaked in alcohol and wiped down the barrel thoroughly, twice. I even cleaned the wire that I used to hang the barrel.

You will want to use rubber gloves when applying the bluing solution. I put a small amount of Jax Black into a small glass bowl and dobbed it onto the barrel making sure that I had an even finish on all sides. The metal instantly turns a dark grey/black. Then I took a green scotchbrite pad and very evenly started burnishing off the finish, still wet with bluing solution, until I had the amount of grey color that I wanted; as I did this I took a paper towel and wiped the barrel clean as I finished sections. Otherwise, the barrel kept bluing and getting dark again.

View attachment 155484
Final step was to wipe down the barrel 3 times with BreakFree CLP, to end the reaction; and then do it again the next day.

Thanks for the explanation. My Woodsrunner might get the same treatment. I have a GPR that is on its third iteration and is in the white. I'll experiment on it first.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

The wood sure is purdy! I can relate to the mistakes made. Even the best builders make goofs they'd rather not talk about.. What did you use for the finish?

I used these products.

And followed these instructions

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Your rifle looks beautiful. A few notes…

1. Taper and reduce the ramrod size where it enters the stock to make it fit. This is standard procedure. Pin the entry pipe without the ramrod in place. Make sure pipes are fully seated prior to pinning.

2. The sights typically do not fit the dovetails. Castings vary somewhat so dovetails are very slightly (less than .01”). File to fit. A couple minute job.

3. Sometimes there is slight misalignment withe the hole(s) in the stock and lock. Follow these steps for an easy fix. Thread the included tap through the stock/ breech plug bolster and into the lock while everything is in place. This typically fixes any small mismatch of the holes. If there are still issues, drill the hole through the breech plug bolster slightly oversized. With a little experience this is no more than a 5 minute job. We’re also working to improve this alignment.

4. Don’t lose the fly when taking the lock apart. Also use a square punch and a good sized hammer to knock the tumbler out of the cock. I think we have a video showing this.

Great work!

@James Kibler thank you for your helpful advice. It is greatly appreciated, I lay no claim to being a rifle builder. I love this gun. This is truly an amazing kit, I’ve never seen anything like this product before…ever.

And….Patiently waiting on the WoodsRunner.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

The wood sure is purdy! I can relate to the mistakes made. Even the best builders make goofs they'd rather not talk about.. What did you use for the finish?

Thank you very much for your kind words. I’m no gun builder, that is for sure. I’m a high school science educator…I learned how to gain from my mistakes long ago.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Looking good. Take your time reassembling especially when installing the pins. Oil/Finish can fill the holes and dry and cause the pin to bind and go off course. Whatever you do, don't force a pin if it feels tight as you're tapping it in. Learn from my mistakes. Use a finger drill to clear the pin holes, and a small piece of wire to check things have lined up. You can also shine a light from the other side to see if everything is lined up. Looking forward to seeing both guns on this thread finished.

Your advice was spot on…thank you.

 

[Redlemur60]

Red, you are a strange dude.

So many decisions preceding this that I may not get around to this one. besides, at 76 years I hope it will be a while but probably not "many years".

Whatever, keep on truckin.

I take that as a compliment!
Im not tryin to be no one else!
Be BLESSED!

 

[longcruise]

I knew you would.

 

[DuncNZ]

If you want to take your lock apart ( or any other thing ) photograph each step with your phone or whatever , put each piece in an empty egg carton, or some such and label the parts . Then Just reverse the process .

 

[rkg1]

didn't see it any where but what are you using for stain. I have gotten away from pigment stains and now use dyes nicer job and more forgiving. also use it in my cabinet shop

 

[Rob Davis]

One more beautiful rifle and I am sure you will get the small issues solved soon. One of these days I will have to take the Kibler leap!

 

[winter1857]

Sunday I was working a bit on my rifle and I made a blunder. Lock bite is real. The flint got me right in the web of my palm.

It's healing up fine but the shame still stings mightily. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Sunday I was working a bit on my rifle and I made a blunder. Lock bite is real. The flint got me right in the web of my palm.

It's healing up fine but the shame still stings mightily. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Ouch!