Parts Kit Build By A Beginner(Running Thread)

[Mike Brooks]

You should have seen my first guns....not pretty.... :barf:

 

[Birddog6]

But it will look like crap!

Well, I hate to tell you this but most of the guys first rifle did look like crap. Some of them the 5th ones look like crap & some of them the 10th one still looks like crap. But it is Your crap.... It is like anything else, you do the best you can & go on. Some learn to build well, some never learn to build well..

But I can tell you this for sure..... You Quit & all you learned is Failure. You don't Fail till you quit trying...

So what if you make some errors...... Hell I make errors & I have built Dozens of them. And I can guarantee ya that Fred & Mike & Zonie & the rest of them make errors too.... Do the best ya can & go on. When you are finished, look at the errors & on the next one try not to make the same errors. If you cannot live with what you built, just get another stock & do it over.

Good example of one I built ? 2 years ago. Got it In the White & ready to start carving on it. I decided to shoot it first. Was taking it all apart to drill the vent liner & etc. Got in a hurry & pulled too hard on the forestock, snapped it in 3 pieces. This is a $450. stock !
Now I have built dozens of rifles & never had this happen.... but it did. It was my own fault & I knew better, but regardless it happened.

I glued it together & finished it "In-the-White & took it out & shot it anyway. Since I broke it in three, I would not sell it. So I took all the parts off & tested my glue repairs for stress, used the stock for practice carving & etc. Will restock the rifle when I have time to do it.

But I didn't quit because things didn't go my way that day. I have built ? 20 rifles since.

Don't get discouraged...... Do the best ya can & go on. We are not machines, we are human. Humans make errors.

Keith Lisle

 

[fosters]

Hey Vt.
I'm going to chime in like everyone else here and suggest you keep at it. Like you I am working on my 1st component set or "kit." I have all the usual books, DVD's etc and have been studying this project for well over a year and have still made mistakes and I have hardly begun. My lock inlet is too large for my liking and 1 or 2 other things thus far. My girlfriend calls me a prefectionist and I was complaining the other night about my mistakes and disgruntled in general about my build. She reminded me that this was my 1st attempt and she also reminded me that I was building this for fun and to hunt with. Now I try to take care of my equiptment, but I don't own a gun that doesn't have a ding in the stock or a scratch on it because I use them and bad things happen no matter how careful I try to be. Looking at it from that light, a gap in my lock inlet is probably going to be the least of this gun's problems after the first few times or seasons afield. I'm fustrated like you that it is not perfect and I may get a new stock myself, but only after I have learned as much from this one as possible. Keep the faith and don't give up.

My 2 cents.

 

[tecum-tha]

Tracing the ineltting line with an exacto knife is the way to not splinter softer wood. I did two cherry wood rifles and this wood was relatively soft.
My first rifle looks like a 2x4 but it shoots good. My second one looks better, even though it is a style I was not familiar with. Mike Brooks really helped greatly by judging the stock architecture and probably would remove 20% more wood ). Both rifles were built from a blank.
I now have an original stock I really like and will have this one "copy" carved to a certain degree, because I lack the neccessary workshop facility to process my own planks right now.
Even the old masters cheated. Sometimes pretty visible, sometimes less. Century old museum pieces reveal that upon closer inspection...

 

[GANGGREEN]

Vt, I'm sure it's hard for you to hear really experienced guys telling you to keep at it so I'll chime in as an inexperienced builder who's had some of the same problems that you're having. I've completed one rifle and I'm currently building the second and I have learned a lot and presume that I'm getting better. I can tell you this, there have been several times that I was close to tears and ready to give up on both guns (including this build when I found that my teenage son and/or one of his friends caved in the lock mortise area on my stock and the area around the triggerplate). I did get some help fixing problems that I had created but I'm already thinking about my next build now (probably a fowler). I know that I need to learn to sharpen my chisels but other than that, I feel like the next one will involve fewer mistakes and the finished product will be pretty nice. Like the others have said, don't quit just yet.

 

[Vtsmoker]

OK OK :surrender: , I'll keep going. You all have put so much time,effort, and knowledge into helping me, for which I am very grateful, The least I can do is finish this project. I owe it to all of you and I guess myself to do this. Thank you all for the kick in the pants :slap: . I've never met any of you but consider all of you good friends. you'll never leave me stranded and never sugar coat things just to make me feel good. Your all AWSOME! ON WITH THE BUILD. :bow:

 

[jdw276]

I have built some kit guns and I also turn basic pens on a lathe from kits. You are doing much more than I would think of tackling in building your rifle. guess what most folks just look at something like what you are building and say "wow, you built this?" "wow, you made this?". I can't believe you built this." it goes on and on.

I want to learn how to build a rifle but am to afraid to try inletting like you are and really know I don't have the patience right now. No one looks at something anyone built with a critical eye unless you are trying to win a blue ribbon at the county fair.

I love saying I built it and I don't care what it looks like. 99.9% of the people have no where near the talents you have to make something. If you bump into one of those .001% who can do what you are doing let em teach you in person. You are building a beautiful rifle and it is yours. You may know the flaws and frustrations but no one else will. That is what it is when I turn a pen, I know many of the flaws but few other do. Enjoy your build and the pride that comes with saying "I built this." It will bring you years of joy and admirations from many folks at the range.

 

[brownie1934]

Please carry on. When done you will feel good. Even if it isn't perfect it is still something you did yourself. You will learn soooo much and as everyone says you can still obtain anew piece of wood down the road and redo the stock using the knowledge that you gleaned in theis first build. Remember / super skarp tools/ measure 4 times/ cutbonce and above all HAVE SOME FUN. You wont regret it my friend. Cheers & luck Bob

 

[Vtsmoker]

I will carry on. Tantrums over :v: :haha: . I really want this thread to be a learning experience not only for myself but especially for other beginners to use as a guide to starting their own build. Guess frustration is an aspect of building other beginners can expect to go through and realize not to give up. A lesson learned that's not hands on :shocked2:.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Hang in there,

This is my very first, It is my daily shooter and I have adapted well to its needs.

It is butt ugly and way out of line as far as architecture is concerend but I shoot it well, it has the toothpick patch as well.

As a matter of fact I shot a near perfect trail yesterday, ( without the peep sight ( did'nt centerpunch the tie-breaker card )) The only point I didn't get was the costume point.

 

[A.Merrill]

Where is the gap at that made you want to give up? around the breechplug tang? If so that is easy to fix. 1; hammer out the tang wide enough to fill the gap. 2; buy a breechplug with a flared tang and inlet it(but you will have to fit it to the barrel, it's not hard to do) 3; get a pease of maple, cut it to fit your tang inlet and glue it in, then reinlet the tang. If the gaps are a 1/6 or less just glue in a small pease that you have there. That is how we learned to give guns that aged look, stain the mistake dark so they don't show up :grin: . Being a gunsmith is not just knowing how to build guns, but also knowing how to fix mistakes :thumbsup: . Isn't that right guys.
GOOD LUCK AL

 

[hoochiepapa]

I, too, was having tantrums when I discovered the errors made in pre-inletting my current build. But for the kindness and hints from the builder's here, I would have quit.
Hint: Use a plane to remove wood from the forend when you're ready, and save the wood curls. Get some Elmer's stainable wood glue, and repair mistakes. Keith has posted that you wet the curls and put them under something heavy and flat until they are dry. Try to match the grain as well as you can, and I was told the mistakes will not be seen. YOU will know where they are, but the casual observer won't.
Keep it up!!

 

[geb324]

Mark,
Just SLOW DOWN
you will get it grab a coffee or a beer
and just ponder over the gun do nothing
until you are sure then come back and do it
later.
G

 

[Vtsmoker]

I do try to visualize the process in my mind before putting chisel to wood. Problem is both the mind and vision ain't what they used to be. :rotf:

 

[MSW]

oh, he!!, fellows, don't worry about VtSmoker... he will finish the build, he will take the build to the range, he will load the build for the first time and then,

boom

he will be forever hooked. as we all were the first time we smelled the smoke.

he claims that this is his first and only ... [insert mad scientist laugh here]

bwahahahaha!

matter of time... just a matter of time... he's hooked- just doesn't know it yet.

 

[Vtsmoker]

Been hooked on the smoke for a few years now. This is my first FLINTER and first BUILD. I would like to build a small cal. rifle but need to get through this first. :thumbsup:

 

[Ken Morrison]

With 20600+ members perhaps a more experienced builder lives close enough that you can get some hands on help. I'd drive a couple hours to have someone look over my work and buy him a case of his favorite brew to say thanks.
Good luck with your rifle I'm sure it will come out fine. The next one will be better.

 

[Paul R]

First of all, hold off on the beer til you've put the tools down for the day. I like beer as much as any one, but it's surprising how little it takes to spoil your concentration.
You're too young to complain about your eyes going, but it's a fact that it takes twice as much light,at age 40, to see as well as you did at age twenty. If you don't have enough room lighting, get a task light. My favorite uses a 40watt CFL Daylight bulb. Another favorite, for really fussy work is one of those big magnifying lenses with the flourescent tube around it. They come with an articulated arm you can mount on your bench and position it right where you need it.
My first build left a lot to be desired, but I learned a lot for my succesive builds to be much better.
Paul

 

[Vtsmoker]

Got back in the workshop tonight and got back at it. Got the but plate set and inlet. This was the part that tipped me over. Had to sand/file the but to move the but plate a tad forward to fix the inlet for the but plate comb that I messed up. Everything came out fine this time. Got the centerlines drawn on the stock and the pins for the barrel marked out. Found out the kit didn't come with a tang bolt or any pins!!! Also marked the tang bolt location but haven't drilled anything yet. Want to post some pics to make sure everything looks right to my advisers. Still got to drill the lock plate bolt but need to review the process for that. Thanks for all the encouragement to keep going. I may just be able to shoot this thing one day.

 

[Mike Brooks]

You build faster than I do, and I do it for a living.