Traditions Crockett Kit

[mtsage]

Santa brought me a Crockett Kit by Traditions. All good. First kit but am good with building and making things, etc. Here are a couple of issues I have so far. Hopefully a member here who has built one of these kits or really just anybody with building should be able to give me some ideas on a couple of things.

Just dropping the barrel into the stock shows that some inletting will need to be done. Started at the tang with really very little wood removed. And that did help some. From the pictures you can see the tang end is really an issue. It sits down almost 1/4" new out of box. Appears to me that with the wrist brass inlay placed from the factory that I will have to remove it just to sand down the wood to get even with the end of the tang. Or has anybody had to bend the tang to match the factory inlet hole. UGH on the bending thought. As another image shows I have removed some wood in the tang seat area to get things closer. But I have stopped to ponder what the next procedure is. Thats where some suggestions here will help I think. I'm not stumped, just don't want to make matters worse.

I did use some black smoke on breech end and down about 8" on the barrel and no black shows up yet on the barrel channel. So looks like more wood removal is needed to get this moving on. Here are the pics. Thanks and Happy New Year for cold MT.

 

[sb 54 cal.]

Never built a cricket, but looks like barrel needs to be lowered but you are already getting close to rear lock bolt interference.

 

[mtsage]

Santa brought me a Crockett Kit by Traditions. All good. First kit but am good with building and making things, etc. Here are a couple of issues I have so far. Hopefully a member here who has built one of these kits or really just anybody with building should be able to give me some ideas on a couple of things.

Just dropping the barrel into the stock shows that some inletting will need to be done. Started at the tang with really very little wood removed. And that did help some. From the pictures you can see the tang end is really an issue. It sits down almost 1/4" new out of box. Appears to me that with the wrist brass inlay placed from the factory that I will have to remove it just to sand down the wood to get even with the end of the tang. Or has anybody had to bend the tang to match the factory inlet hole. UGH on the bending thought. As another image shows I have removed some wood in the tang seat area to get things closer. But I have stopped to ponder what the next procedure is. Thats where some suggestions here will help I think. I'm not stumped, just don't want to make matters worse.

I did use some black smoke on breech end and down about 8" on the barrel and no black shows up yet on the barrel channel. So looks like more wood removal is needed to get this moving on. Here are the pics. Thanks and Happy New Year for cold MT.

View attachment 112382View attachment 112380View attachment 112381

yup for sure

 

[Trot]

The problem is, the back of the tang is bent. It shouldn't be that far down, it may have taken a hit on the back end. I really don't know if the metal will take straightening that much or not.

 

[Centurion]

Agreed. That photo needs to go to the manufacturer with a request for a new barrel.

don

 

[Eric Krewson]

I agree, somehow the end of the tang got bent, bend it back. You can put the bent part in a padded vice and use the barrel for leverage to bend it back, go slow and check often.

 

[Centurion]

I wouldn’t have a problem with heating and straightening the tang, but i’m not confident i could get the proper curve in it.

don

 

[Eric Krewson]

It doesn't have to be perfect, you can file the top of it down to match the wood. They come with too much metal anyways.

I cold bend them.

 

[deermanok]

From your picture, it appears that a little material needs removed near the front of the tang area.
That clean out screw should be below the stock.
I would say to put the trigger assembly in, then the long screw through the tang. Snug it down a little just to see if that pulls the barrel down any.

 

[mtsage]

It doesn't have to be perfect, you can file the top of it down to match the wood. They come with too much metal anyways.

I cold bend them.

View attachment 112438

Eric if go ahead and straighten the tang, which I don't have an issue with, what about the 5mm hole below the now straightened out tang end. Does the hole need to be filled with something permanent ? BTW, you still building longbows? Met you over there. Your work there was remarkable as well. Marlowe

 

[Dave Dworshak]

you have a nice Santa

 

[mtsage]

you have a nice Santa

Dave and surprisingly he looks alot like me.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Bend the tang back. Then glue a small piece of dowel rod in the hole to bring the wood back to the proper height. Might have to redrill the tang bolt hole as well.

I always remove metal from the tangs on my new kits. They are always either too long, too wide, too thick, etc. Don't feel as though you have to live with the tang the way it is.

I just thinned down the tang on my matchlock kit. The tang was probably 3/8ths inch thick. I took a hack saw and took it back to about 3/16ths. Then I clamped the barrel in my vice and bent the tang to match the curve of the stock (as close as I could get), with a big Crescent wrench. I always do this.

The closer you can match the tang to the curve of the stock, the less inletting that needs to be done. Also less filing of any tang material that may wind up proud of the stock.

 

[mtsage]

Bend the tang back. Then glue a small piece of dowel rod in the hole to bring the wood back to the proper height. Might have to redrill the tang bolt hole as well.

I was at that point.

I always remove metal from the tangs on my new kits. They are always either too long, too wide, too thick, etc. Don't feel as though you have to live with the tang the way it is.

I just thinned down the tang on my matchlock kit. The tang was probably 3/8ths inch thick. I took a hack saw and took it back to about 3/16ths. Then I clamped the barrel in my vice and bent the tang to match the curve of the stock (as close as I could get), with a big Crescent wrench. I always do this.

The closer you can match the tang to the curve of the stock, the less inletting that needs to be done. Also less filing of any tang material that may wind up proud of the stock.

Well Sidney I certainly was close to putting in vise and straightening it out. But gave Traditions a call and they wanted it back. At first the Customer support person said put it in a vise and straighten it. But after conversation about other issues with the kit he said send it back. They sent a UPS return label so that part was cheap. Honestly I think the kit was built with leftover parts. Or built on a Friday. I sent it back. Anxious to see what they do.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Good idea.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I'm sure Traditions will make things right. Good to hear at least some companies still have decent customer service. Some forget what customers are the minute they get paid.