I just built one myself, It took 6 weeks, but you can do it in an evening.
Do you have instructions?, they are available at the Traditions web site. :yakyak:
May I suggest, leave blueing and stain and oil to the last.
Make sure all the parts fit good and be SLOW doing it.
Fit the barrel to the stock, there is a toung that is covered by a brass nose peice with 2 screw holes in it on the front of the stock. You will have to put the brass piece on with barrel in place and with sharp carving tools adjust the thickness of the toung. The brass piece should sit level and staight, you want it to come real close to the barrel with out touching. It is possible you may need to shorten the screws, use a file.
Then, you will need a skinny pencil and some sandpaper and make the ramrod thimbles fit nice, you may need to shorten the screws, file.
You may need to use a round file on that brass nose peace if your ram rod don't fit.
Speaking of ramrod, take a hammer and very carefully smash it all to death, and make a good one. I mean buy one for a rifle and shorten it, get a push rod out of tractor or something, but get rid of the factory thing.
The lock, its like trying to put a Chevy waterpump on a Ford, you will need to make adjustments here. Use sharp tools and keep trying the lock until it fits. Be VERY patient.
Fit the sights to the barrel, eye ball them the best you can, the front sight looks like *&%&^*)* and is about four feet high :bull: , waite don't file it down yet.
Get a file, and take it with you the second time you go to the range.
The trigger gaurd, bend it file it rub on it, its like trying to put a Dodge wheel on a Toyota.
Blue it, the metal, sand the wood a whole bunch, sand about 2 hours with med grit and 6 hours with the fine, avoid course. May I suggest a very dark dark dark stain, allmost black. This will take 3 days. Repeat stain for darker finsih :yakyak:
Then 3 coats of hand rubbed linseed oil, this will take 3 days.
The first time out you gotta find yur load, after you get it printing a fair group, then file the front site down until it hits where you want, it comes shooting real low.(About 4 feet) :bull:
You can clean up the sight and make it look nice before you blue.
Take your time.
Hope you can find something usefull in all this :bull:.
The Bible Totin Gun Slinger,,, Andrew
