Which Co. to buy kit from

[40calFlintlock]

Once again, I turn to your voices of experience for help. :hatsoff:

I am looking at purchasing a particular gun kit to build. These two companies North Star West and The Rifle Shoppe, sell a similar style of rifle.

For all purposes, lets say the cost is the same. What I want to know is - which kit is more difficult to build? From which company are the parts rougher in castings or closer to a finished product? I have average woodworking and metalworking skills. I do however, have a brother who is a woodcraftsman, and taught industrial arts, so I have an excellent resource for help, if (when) I need it.

Thanks

 

[MacRob46]

The Rifle Shoppe offers some unusual and interesting kits and components. However, unless you have some advanced knowledge of metal work and the proper tools you may find them very difficult. RS also has a reputation for being very slow to deliver merchandise. Their metal parts are rough castings and, although I hear they have improved them some, they are not going to be as finished as the Northstar kits. I do not know what others will say but if I were thinking of buying a kit then I would probably come down on the side of Northstar. All that being said, no kit that you buy is going to be as easy as it seems to be at first blush so prepare yourself.

 

[Vaino]

Exactly what style are you shopping for? Perhaps there are some other cos besides the 2 you mentioned.....Fred

 

[LRB]

Look at the Jim Chambers kits. They cost more, but you get more quality.

 

[Rifleman1776]

If this is your first effort, I suggest you consider an "in the white" rifle as opposed to a 'kit'.
With an in the white you still must dissassemble, do some sanding, browning, etc. the reassemble. Not a click-click, snap-snap operation. It will be a very good learning process.
Do contact the vendor and ask exactly how much of the gun is inlet and ready to go. The definition varies widely between vendors.

 

[mudd turtle]

I think Wick is right by suggesting Jim Chambers kit . You get a lot better kit in my opinion. I am going to order a Virginia kit from Jim and hope to find someone who can build it for me to honor my great great Grandfather who fought with the ole wagoneer from Virginia in the Revolution

 

[Bruce Bogart]

How come nobody ever mentions Jim Klien's kits in these threads??? What a nice looking Yorkie.

 

[Rifleman1776]

How come nobody ever mentions Jim Klien's kits in these threads??? What a nice looking Yorkie.

The members here have a few favorites they like to reccomend. Nothing wrong with that except it discourages the beginner/newcomer to search for himself and inquire of other builders and suppliers. e.g. I'll betcha TOW gets 90% of the reccomendations for stuff. But there are many other suppliers out there who provide great products and service. I like Log Cabin, for one.
I rarely see Pecatonica reccomended and they are one of the oldest, most reliable parts and kits providers on the scene.

 

[kaintuck]

dave keck has great 'kits' also~

 

[Col. Batguano]

Pecatonica carves all the stocks for Track too. They're hard to get on the phone though. Their inlet jobs are usually short and shallow.

If you want a 20-30 hour true "kit" get a GPR, Lyman, TC, or Traditions.

If you want a 150 hour parts set then your world opens up a bunch more.

 

[Birddog6]

Did I miss something ? You didn't state Which kit you are considering. :idunno:

Keith Lisle

 

[40calFlintlock]

It is a toss-up between TRS' 1756 Lt Dragoon or NSWs' 1757 Officer Musket.

I am having a custom 34inch, .58cal barrel made with the same profile as the '1756' Lt Dragoon musket barrel. After I receive the barrel, my options are: A) Order a stock without the barrel inletted and all of the hardware to build that musket from TRS, B) the same from NSW, or C) buy a roughed-out stock, have the barrel inletted and purchase the hardward from either company and then build to the plans from TRS. :idunno:

What I wanted to know was from which company are the castings very raw and require a month to finish, or fairly well cast that will take a few hours to finish.

At worse, I can rely on my preferred gun-builder to complete the project. :thumbsup:

 

[Col. Batguano]

Do a search on the forum about TRS, particularly in the pre-flintlock section. No shortage of discussion about them there.

 

[frogwalking]

Chambers Flintlocks has a dandy officer's musket kit.

 

[pargent]

If it's an officer's gun you are after then you do have some options ,here they are in no particular order and there will be lots of others that I will have missed TRS good hcpc ( but very slow to deliver), NSW has one gun and it's a copy of one type hcpc ,TOW has one in stock well made but expensive(worth it if you have the money) , Pedersoli has 2 kits or guns the bess and trade gun the bess can be changed a bit with sliming down and swapping out some furniture , the trade gun will need the steel furniture replacing with martial brass stuff and some shapeing on the stock at least around the muzzle :thumbsup:

 

[woodse guy]

Pecatonica is the kit that I went with. I got the Hawken Fullstock in a percussion. Only had the kit for a couple of weeks so far have not even had a chance to start yet. Once work calms down I plan on starting a thread on the build.