Traditions kits

[DonB]

Has anyone built the Kentucky rifle (.50 caliber) offered by Traditions? Just wondering how it turned out.

 

[rafterob]

You could search the forum and find 100's of posts on this. Some guys have gone 110% on these rifles and created some real beauties. Some have done 100% and made very nice completed kit rifles. Some have had issues. All depends on your abilities and problem solving skills.

 

[azmntman]

I made one in 1972 at age 10. Don't remember if it was ugly or not but was easy enough for a 10 year old and shot VERY well. Get one.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have built many, many of their kits for the local amish boys for deer hunting before the inlines got big. The kits are just that, a kit, what you end up with depends on what you do with the parts. If you have reasonable ability and are willing to take the time you will have a nice gun for the money.

 

[deermanok]

The biggest problem I've read about is the occasional gap between the two pieces of the stock. That brass plate that goes in between, sometimes has a small gap.

 

[Tumbledown]

I have done two. I have posted about them here in the forums.

 

[dad]

I m just about done with mine. The joint plate holes were drilled wrong and had to be elongated. Taking a little off to fit parts is a lot Go slow. Most important is get the right 32 drill bit. The ones at the hardware store have the wrong degree they are 118 degree. The one you need is 32 with 135 degree. This is for the tendons. I messed mine up and traditions are sending me two new tennons. Track of the wolf has the drill bits .I also found them on Amazon. My next piece of advise is always look ahead .This is a rewarding project.

 

[Loja man]

I am about done with mine. Would second always look ahead. Make it your own. I don’t use the traditions tenons pens. It ticked me off that they supply a non standard tenon size so you have to find the right drill bit. So I found some hard carbon wire that I used.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Some people use hard wood instead of the brass plate.

 

[BadDaditood]

That was my first build, I didn’t know what a longrifle was sposed to look like and the ultra vague instructions didn’t help. I loved it!
I joined a muzzleloader club and they hated it. They hated the shiny brass, the orange stain and the super shiny finish I put on that crappy wood. Myself I always hated that brass washer in the middle of the forend.
The more matches I won the less they hated it.
They have good accurate barrels, but the locks can be troublesome and the triggers are way too soft to last.
After many years of seeing, building and shooting Real Longrifles looking at my first build drove me nuts.
I had some time last year so I ended up restocking it with curly maple, carving that a bit, putting an L and R RPL lock in it, making a new trigger, guard, forend cap and RR tubes… in fact only the barrel and buttplate are original.
Still shoots great and the guy I sold it to for 9 times what I paid for the kit likes it too.

 

[FishDFly]

Tradition's kit building requires 3 things; Time, tools and talent.