I just purchased one of these CVA Kentucky rifles with a great bore but a bad inlet job. Real bad. I already glued the two stock halves together using marine epoxy and sanding dust with some artists chalk of the appropriate finished color as a dye in the epoxy, as well as bedded the lock, barrel, nose cap and butt plate with the stuff. A .45 acp shell cut off fit the ramrod hole perfectly, acts like another dowel after being epoxied in and is thin enough to let the ramrod pass through without any issues. I also modified that trigger guard and got rid of the finger catcher thing. I will spray it with a dark finish and it will look acceptable. It should be a nice, accurate do-all rifle when completed that I won't feel the need to baby the thing. As far using traditional methods to do the work, why bother when it is a rifle that never was authentic.