"Track of the Wolf" Rifle Kit

[evanschd]

I am considering a Tennessee Longrifle Flint kit. Has anyone tried one of these kits? I have never build a rifle, but have some basic carpentry skills. Your opinion is appreciated. :hmm:

 

[rafterob]

Those kits are quite different from the Lyman kits. TOW,Pecatonica,Chambers and others are more of a parts package that will need significantly more work than the Production kits.If you feel comfortable and competent with hand tools, you will not have any problem. Expect to spend some time on it and go slow.

 

[Zonie]

The "kits" sold by TOTW, Pecatonica River, and a number of other suppliers is not what most folks call a "kit".

To most folks a kit is something that has been machined and pretty much finished and only requires a small bit of work on their part to put together and finish.

The "kits" from TOTW etc. are actually a box of semi finished parts and none of them will just fit together.

For instance, the barrel usually does not have the breech plug installed or the sight dovetails milled. The underlugs that hold the stock to the barrel don't exist and of course the touchhole isn't there.

The butt plate, trigger guard and often, the sideplate are rough castings requiring filing, sanding and browning or blueing.

The stock is rough shaped but needs a lot of wood removed.
Even if it has the mortice for the lock, the lock won't fit without doing some final trimming.
The barrel mortice is usually a very tight fit that needs enlarging and the rear of the mortice where the breech plug and the rear of the barrel fit usually needs squaring up with a chisel.
The groove for the barrel tang won't be there and needs to be cut after the barrel is fitted.

All in all, you can figure on spending at least 120 hours and usually more like 160 hours to finish the gun.

If your ready for this much work, read the posts on our Gunbuilders Bench and buy a good book that describes what and how to put one of these guns together. There are several of them on the market.

I don't mean to scare off folks who want to build one of these guns. It's a fantastic hobby all by itself and you will end up with a unique gun that is far above anything you can buy from a factory but, I hate to see someone spend $500-$800 for a box of parts and then be intimidated by it and give up before they even start.

Oh, about the Tennessee offered by TOTW and Pecatonica River (who is usually less expensive).

These guns come with a Siler lock so the lock mortice is cut for it.
A Siler lock is an exceptionally good lock but if you care, it is the wrong style for a Tennessee.
If you don't care about the lock you can build a very nice rifle like this one:

 

[Finnwolf]

Re-read what Zonie said Ghetto because you just got some very good advice. If you are the patient type and have the tools and skills, these kits - TOTW, Dunlap, Chambers, Pecatonica and others usually contain a Siler, L&R or Davis lock, Colerain, Rice or Getz barrel and offer varying pieces of wood from plain to fancy. They have high quality components. I picked a Dunlap and got more than I paid for but I've heard the same said about the others.
Figure on about 200 hours work and many times that thinking about what you are about to do so that you don't mess it up.
You'll need a good book like the Dixon book or the Alexander book to read, refer to and follow.
You don't need a DVD like the Elert one but boy it's nice to see it done by a pro.

All that said, I have carpentry experience and a lot of the hand tools needed but I did not have the time nor the inclination needed to get it finished, so I sent it to a pro for completion and I'm glad I did or it would still be a kit. I worked on it some, but something more important always came up.
Now I can just hunt with it!

 

[evanschd]

I really appreciate all of the great advice, sounds like I better start with a Lyman Great Plains "kit" and try the Tennessee once I have one under my belt.
Thanks :hatsoff:

 

[longcruise]

I really appreciate all of the great advice, sounds like I better start with a Lyman Great Plains "kit" and try the Tennessee once I have one under my belt.

That's an excellent plan. But, still get a builders book, read it through and then think about the process while building the GPR. It will help you understand how the parts and their positions relate.

My mind might be going, but of the three GPR kits, one Traditions kit and one Deer Creek rifle works kit I've built, don't recall any of them having instructions. :shocked2:

 

[Vaino]

A person could assemble a 100 GPRs and still not be able to build a MLer using a parts set from the above mentioned suppliers. Buy a couple of the "how to" books, study them and then order a quality parts set. Mike Brooks' photo tutorial available on this forum is for a blank stock build but most of the operations also apply to a precarved stock build. In the end, if you just want a shooter then buy a GPR, but if you'd like to learn how to build a MLer, then one of the parts sets is the way to go. Good luck....Fred

 

[MSW]

i agree with flehto & zonie... you should absolutely get at least the Alexander and the Shumway... also get the Mike Brooks tutorial and go through it many times... Pioneer Video has a bunch of good DVDs which you can rent... it's money that you more than recover in the value of parts you don't ruin, not to mention the time you don't waste and the bloodstains on the stock (which are a B^&* oto get out :redface: ).

best of luck... but by way of warning: once you've built one of these, you'll be at the next one, and so on, so get a bigger gun case now and save yourself the trouble later

make good smoke!

 

[rigmarol]

I built a rifle "kit" way back when I was a teen and had a great experience doing it. It was a truely a "Kit". It had instructions, step by step and in order and after some minor finishing I had me a rifle. I must say I impressed myself but in the end, I was just a guy who followed instructions.

A few decades later, (today) I get the itch to REALLY make a rifle. I did weeks possibly a couple of months reading everything I could find on building and discovered there were "kits" and there were "parts". Hmmm.... interesting.

I went with a company that actually picks up the phone when you call and talked to the actual owner who has build many guns and is an active shooter as well. He tried to talk me out of it (as you've seen done above already) and after we talked a while he helped me pick out each and every "part" for my Lancaster rifle.

I've been hanging out here and reading everything I can find that relates to my project and have had all my questions answered very patiently by the guys here.

Just the other day, I learned a very important bit about how my trigger works! Simple but it was something I didn't know and I was stumped.

I've bought many books (and actually read them!). And keep going back to them often.

I must admit I felt a bit intimidated the moment I opened my "Parts" boxes only to find nothing but parts, pieces, screws, more pieces and the invoice. NO INSTRUCTIONS at all! But boy was I excited over the challenge.

I've sunk my teeth into it with a will and I'm having a great time with it. I'm going extremely slow and I know I already have over 40 hours into it.

Best of luck with your project, I think you are making a good choice doing an actual kit first.

 

[ohio ramrod]

So true. Back when Ohio first started primative weapons season I made several "kit " guns evry year for sale to the local amish boys. But building my first non kit rifle was much more difficult, but more rewarding. I know I am the only person who has a Douglas barrel and a patriot pistol lock on a full stock rifle with a seventeen inch pull..But I like the proportions of the smaller lock. Now days there are several smaller locks that were not available in the early seventies .It will be a chalange but it gives you complete flexibility.

 

[Headhunter]

Here is a Hawken that I built last year. STEP BY STEP. For when you are ready. Although its not a Tennessee, it will give you an idea or two.
http://www.woodscustomrifles.com/id41.html

Headhunter