Watch his vids on them and practice anything you're unsure of on scrap pieces. About the least amount of work needed to finish on any kit out there.
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Ordered Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle
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Jim's website has a number of tools that make things go easier. If you plan on disassembling the lock, have the proper tools. Jim now sells a brass punch made to do that. I had ordered a length of square brass rod and cut it into three pieces, so I should always be able to find one. Just plan ahead and not try to pry at something that should not be pried at.
Hardest part on the SMR for me was fitting the buttplate. I may yet play a bit with the .45. Or leave it be. And I have another SMR in the box in .40 waiting for me to finish my Woodsrunner.
As soon as you can get your barrel in the stock, do so and try to leave it in. That stock is very light and fragile. Have fun with it!
Hardest part on the SMR for me was fitting the buttplate. I may yet play a bit with the .45. Or leave it be. And I have another SMR in the box in .40 waiting for me to finish my Woodsrunner.
As soon as you can get your barrel in the stock, do so and try to leave it in. That stock is very light and fragile. Have fun with it!
BillyC
Shooting my .45 better every time
I zip tied the barrel in my SMR so I wouldn’t have to pull the pins out too often and risk a blowout. I definitely helps to get the barrel in ASAP. That thin forestock is scary thin.
Great advice about keeping the barrel in. To be honest, that's my greatest worry. Breaking the stock. I can just see myself banging the forend against something while working on the butt. The barrel, the zip ties and maybe some cardboard lock forward might do the trick.
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54 Cal.
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In place of zip ties I use cheap electrical tape to temporarily secure the barrel. Harbor freight sell logs of cheap electrical tape rolls for a couple of bucks. Be sure and secure the tang as well as the barrel.
The 45 cal SMR has amazing handling and balance. The 45 cal is also a green mountain barrel, which I consider to be a plus.
The 45 cal SMR is one of my favorite rifles, you will enjoy it very much.
The 45 cal SMR has amazing handling and balance. The 45 cal is also a green mountain barrel, which I consider to be a plus.
The 45 cal SMR is one of my favorite rifles, you will enjoy it very much.
BillyC
Shooting my .45 better every time
Beautiful!! What color dyes did you use?
Since it looks like rain this afternoon, Elijah Craig and I are spending some time watching Jim Kibler's assembly videos. In the video about fitting the butt plate, there's one technique he uses I disagree with but I don't understand why he says his is better. That's where he reduces the radius of the screw heads to fit the butt plate countersinks instead of - the way I'd do it - enlarging the countersinks to fit the screw heads. Should be simple to do that with a Dremel and the proper sized grinding stone. Maybe somwhat more difficult than his very simple method with a drill and a file, but I'd think that reducing the screw heads weakens them, and the heads are always a weak point with screws to begin with.
Opinions and explanations appreciated!!
Opinions and explanations appreciated!!
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TDM
Cannon
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It looks Great!!!
I wouldn't worry so much about reducing your screw heads. Always do the most work on the least expensive part is a good saying to follow. For the butt plate screws you really don't have to reduce them much and once they're screwed in you probably won't ever take them out again. So any minor strength reduction doesn't matter in this scenario.
As far as assembling and finishing goes, watch every video Jim has on the SMR, preferably twice, including the long, start to finish build he does at the museum.
Observe the tools he uses for every process you will need to perform, make a list, and acquire them (most available at the box home stores or any decent hardware store). Little tips Jim gives in his videos such as how to file the heads of the buttplate screws are absolutely invaluable to achieving good final results of your project.
Filing and finishing the buttplate and trigger guard will be your biggest challenges.
Do not fail to slot your barrel tenons after drilling. The long, slender barrel and forearm shrink and stretch a lot more than you might think during the finishing process as the wood absorbs finish and even more when the barrel heats from shooting.
Get a very good light to cross-light your work. The router marks in the wood are very light but need to be removed completely or they will "ghost" in the finish and look terrible, be very critical of this when final sanding. Always use a firm backer for your sandpaper or you will get woop-de-doos on the flat surfaces.
Raise the grain with water several times or until it remains smooth after drying.
If you want to fill the walnut pores, you can either sand-in the first coat of oil or go through any of several filling processes you can look up on the internet.
I am not a fan of LMF browning solution. Birchwood Casey plum brown or Mark Lee Express Brown are my preferences. Experiment on the bottom flat of the barrel until you're confident with the process and happy with the results of whatever product you use. Don't brown the face of the frizzen or screw threads.
Taper the end of your pins so they don't blow out the wood. In and out from the left side is standard. Collet-type gunsmithing pin punches are your friend for pins that have been finished to length, leave them long and use pliers to remove them right up until the final assembly as Jim shows in his videos.
You will likely need to polish a radius on the muzzle crown to prevent tearing patches when short-starting them. Coning is even better, but that's a whole other subject.
If you get the least bit stumped on any process, please stop and ask for help or review the videos again. There are a lot of subtleties to finishing one of these that may not be obvious to a beginner.
Good luck and congratulations on buying one of the very finest muzzleloader kits on the planet!
Observe the tools he uses for every process you will need to perform, make a list, and acquire them (most available at the box home stores or any decent hardware store). Little tips Jim gives in his videos such as how to file the heads of the buttplate screws are absolutely invaluable to achieving good final results of your project.
Filing and finishing the buttplate and trigger guard will be your biggest challenges.
Do not fail to slot your barrel tenons after drilling. The long, slender barrel and forearm shrink and stretch a lot more than you might think during the finishing process as the wood absorbs finish and even more when the barrel heats from shooting.
Get a very good light to cross-light your work. The router marks in the wood are very light but need to be removed completely or they will "ghost" in the finish and look terrible, be very critical of this when final sanding. Always use a firm backer for your sandpaper or you will get woop-de-doos on the flat surfaces.
Raise the grain with water several times or until it remains smooth after drying.
If you want to fill the walnut pores, you can either sand-in the first coat of oil or go through any of several filling processes you can look up on the internet.
I am not a fan of LMF browning solution. Birchwood Casey plum brown or Mark Lee Express Brown are my preferences. Experiment on the bottom flat of the barrel until you're confident with the process and happy with the results of whatever product you use. Don't brown the face of the frizzen or screw threads.
Taper the end of your pins so they don't blow out the wood. In and out from the left side is standard. Collet-type gunsmithing pin punches are your friend for pins that have been finished to length, leave them long and use pliers to remove them right up until the final assembly as Jim shows in his videos.
You will likely need to polish a radius on the muzzle crown to prevent tearing patches when short-starting them. Coning is even better, but that's a whole other subject.
If you get the least bit stumped on any process, please stop and ask for help or review the videos again. There are a lot of subtleties to finishing one of these that may not be obvious to a beginner.
Good luck and congratulations on buying one of the very finest muzzleloader kits on the planet!
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yes, i'm on my third SMR, and they all came with a flint.
but you should have a few spares just in case ... i get mine from Track of the Wolf ... (insert tirade about the price of flints here)
best of luck
I'm waiting for their Black Friday sale before I order mine 
Congrats on the order.
If I was wanting to hold a barrel in a stock and not risk leaving marks nor adhesive, I'd use blue painters tape. Handy stuff to have around when working on guns.
Congrats on the order.
If I was wanting to hold a barrel in a stock and not risk leaving marks nor adhesive, I'd use blue painters tape. Handy stuff to have around when working on guns.
Thank you!There are a lot nicer ones around but it turned out ok. I used scarlet and a walnut brown, played around til I got what I liked, used a lot more of the scarlet than I thought I'd need!
What I really liked was when I got to shoot it, the ignition time was fantastic, so fast I couldn't get over it! You'll really like your gun when it's done, good luck to you!
Yet another question about Jim's method (maybe I ought to start a thread in the Gun Builder's subforum - hah): he's using a saw to elongate the pin holes in the barrel lugs. Why not just use your drill bit (followed up with a needle file if needed)? I do this all the time to give drilled holes a little more "slop" where they need it.
I hate to buy a new tool when I can "make do" with something I already have. Sometimes I even make a new tool out of another tool if needed for just one job:
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No kidding!! This has bit me more than once on a wood finishing project (not just guns).
TDM
Cannon
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Best to get a decent jewelers saw and a blade assortment. Then finish with jewelers files. Wouldn’t try and second guess this.
TDM
Cannon
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Got to pay to play.You guys ought to be insurance salesmen. You'd get rich real fast!!
