Yet Another Kibler Longrifles Kit Build...

[Buckskinn]

That is not a bourbon...

 

[troy2000]

The unveiling: what the crate looked like when the lid came off.

Also my soft vise jaws, modified and ready for work. I cut them back to increase the maximum opening, and lined them with some vegetable dyed, 10-12 oz. leather. I looked high and low for my spray adhesive and couldn't find it, so I used plain old Elmer's-type wood glue. And of course as I was putting the glue away, I found the spray adhesive on the back of my radial arm saw table.

 

[troy2000]

The first step was to drop the barrel and tang into the stock. I smeared a (very) light coat of Prussian blue on the tang and breech plug, and used a 1/4" chisel to shave out a tiny amount of marked wood - mostly at the breech plug, where I cleaned up the corners. For the set trigger assembly, I relieved the back edges a little (or filed a lead, as Jim puts it), and it went straight in with no problem. I clamped everything together (the tang is springy, and had to be held down), and screwed the tang and trigger assembly together. The screws were binding a little, so I took things apart and shaved a hair more room for the breech plug, after which everything screwed together smoothly.

The head of the forward screw is thick enough to stand more proud of the tang than I like. Later, I'll probably take it out and file the head down a little from the back.

 

[troy2000]

Yesterday I tried the lock for fit, using Prussian blue. It was a hair tight on some of the edges, so I used my 1/4" chisel as a scraper to open things up a little. I also had one small spot of blue in the middle, so I took off a thin shaving there. The lock went in just fine after that: tight enough to hold itself in, but not so tight it was a booger to take back out. And it fits tightly against the barrel, which is important. Don't want a gap for the BP to collect in...

Then I tried the washer for the lock bolt, and it didn't even think about going in. I tried filing a lead, but it was simply too big to fit. I wasn't about to endanger that beautiful round hole in the wood by taking a chisel to it, so I laid a file flat on my workbench and started filing the washer down, spinning it a little with each stroke. It took about ten minutes, but it fits snugly now with no gap.

I'm ready to drill and tap the lock for the lock bolt, but the only 8-32 tap in my toolbox has seen better days. So I ordered a new spiral point tap on Amazon this afternoon. I have Prime, so it'll be delivered free tomorrow. That's pretty good service, given that I'm in the middle of the desert on the border between California and Arizona.

add: I didn't notice it until copying the pic from my camera to my laptop, but there was a very light scratch on the face of the washer - I don't know how it got there, but I would imagine I'm the one who did it. At any rate, it buffed out in a heartbeat with Scotch Brite.

 

[troy2000]

That 'lollipop' tang isn't just ornamental. It reinforces the rather slim wrist, by sandwiching it between itself and the trigger assembly. But it definitely looks good, too.

 

[Buckskinn]

Those Kibler's are something. I was about 20 hours into my Chamber's kits to be where you are right now...

 

[troy2000]

Those Kibler's are something. I was about 20 hours into my Chamber's kits to be where you are right now...

I have no personal experience with other kits, but this one's definitely impressive. I'd say I'm going to spend a lot more time prepping and finishing than I do actually putting it together...

 

[MSW]

That's one gorgeous stock!

 

[Mulebrain]

That is not a bourbon...

I mean whiskey


Cant wait to see the rifle finished

 

[Bob McBride]

Looks great Troy. Are you going to draw file that barrel or leave it as is? One thing I do like about the Kibler is that little washer leaves the panel free for you to add any southern style side plate you like... Here's what I did on mine.

 

[Doc Ivory]

You guys are making it hard to wait for mine!

 

[troy2000]

Looks great Troy. Are you going to draw file that barrel or leave it as is? One thing I do like about the Kibler is that little washer leaves the panel free for you to add any southern style side plate you like... Here's what I did on mine.

I'm planning to draw file it, then use the patina solution Jim sells.

Farther down the line, I may order a second stock to try getting fancy with: carving, side plate, toe plate, etc.

Nice job on your side plate...

 

[Flintandsteel]

These guns weren’t carved. They were simple, utilitarian, but still beautiful.
You could however, add a patchbox, or some inlays if you want to add some bling.

 

[troy2000]

These guns weren’t carved. They were simple, utilitarian, but still beautiful.
You could however, add a patchbox, or some inlays if you want to add some bling.

I'm not making a museum-quality replica, Dave, so I'm not too worried about being 100% historically correct. But if I were a betting man, I'd wager there were more gun owners with the time to sit and do a little simple carving on their guns on cold winter evenings, than there were with the money or skills to add inlays...

I agree that the beauty of these rifles is in their graceful and flowing lines, not whatever gaudy ornamentation might get added to them. And anything I might do to one would be pretty simple - partly not to detract from those beautiful lines, and partly because I don't have the skill set to do something fancy.

If I do decide to buy another stock so I can play around with it, it'll be in simple walnut. I doubt there were many SMR's back in the day with anything like the gorgeous curly maple Jim and Katherine sent me, so I guess I'm already outside the historical box on this one.

add: Out of idle curiosity I did a google search, and came up with an example of a .38 caliber rifle from 1795-1800 with double set triggers, iron furniture, an iron patchbox, and some relief carving. I'm not claiming this was the norm, though. In fact, the museum site specifically says it's "one of only a few known iron-mounted and carved American rifles."

https://mesda.org/item/collections/long-rifle/1156/

 

[troy2000]

I girded up my loins this afternoon, and set forth to do the first scary part: drilling and tapping the lock plate for the lock bolt. I faithfully watched Jim's video on how to to do it. 1. clamp the lock firmly in the inlet. 2. Using a drill bit the same size as the hole in the wood, dimple the back side of the lock plate to center the tap drill. 3. Making sure the tap drill is starting in the dimple, drill the lock plate. 4. tap the hole, again from the back side; having the washer in place makes it easy to start the tap straight.

I laid out my drill bits and my shiny new 8-32 spiral point tap, made sure I had a fresh battery in my Dewalt, pulled the cock back to full cock position so the drill bit wouldn't hit it... and waddya know: there was already a threaded hole hiding behind the cock. I guess that's because Jim is producing his own locks now, instead of using Chambers. I don't think a pre-drilled and tapped hole would have been practical, with a cast lock plate instead of a machined one.

Not surprisingly, it was impossible to start the lock screw with the lock clamped in place. So I unclamped the lock, tapped the screw to drive the lock part way back out of the wood so I could wiggle it a little, and the screw started with a minimum of coaxing. I alternated tightening the screw and tapping the lock, and it went home very nicely.

 

[troy2000]

While I was waiting for my unneeded tap to show up, I installed the barrel underlugs. Got all psyched up for that too, and again it turned out to be somewhat anticlimactic. I used my 10" disc sander to smooth one side of a triangular file, so I could open up the dovetails as necessary without deepening them - which also made a sharp edge, so the dovetail would get cut right into the corner. Then I started at the breech end.

The first two lugs tapped right in, after I filed a little lead on the corners and hit the edges a lick to make sure there were no burrs. On the third one I had to widen the dovetail a scosh, and the fourth one near the muzzle wanted to argue with me. I widened the dovetail some, and that didn't do it. So I laid a file flat on the table, and scrubbed down the backside of the lug until it tapped in.

Before filing the lugs flush, I crimped the dovetails onto the lugs with an old flat screwdriver and a hammer, to make sure they stayed put.

When it came time to clean out the lug slots in the stock, I didn't have any decent files that would fit. So I headed to the disc grinder again, and thinned an old 6" flat file by sanding down one side. That worked very nicely.

I stuck the barrel back in the wood, and checked the lugs. The lug near the muzzle needed a noticeable amount filed off, and the two middle ones stuck into the ramrod slot just a hair; I could probably have left them with no problem. The fourth lug is buried out of sight in the ramrod hole, so I stuck a piece of ramrod stock in to make sure it would clear; no problem. Took the barrel off, filed the lugs, reinstalled the barrel, and it's ready for me to drill and slot the lugs tomorrow morning.

 

[Troyfairweather]

Man I really wish I had the money for one, I'd like a 45 smr. Troy is guess you're still has the rice barrel, I thought the gm barrels Jim is contouring has the underlugs built in.

 

[troy2000]

Man I really wish I had the money for one, I'd like a 45 smr. Troy is guess you're still has the rice barrel, I thought the gm barrels Jim is contouring has the underlugs built in.

I was hoping for one of Jim's barrels. But apparently the Covid thing delayed the steel for the barrel blanks at Green Mountain, and then having people out sick slowed production. So the blanks that were expected in August probably won't be showing up until November. No way I wanted to wait that long; three months was bad enough.

Mine is a .45; I came close to ordering something smaller. But I decided the .45 would be better if I decide to go deer hunting next year, or go gunning for coyotes.

I used my stimulus check for my kit. One of the few times it paid to be married, because if I'd been single my income would've been too high. One of the bachelors at work made some (jokingly) snide remarks, and I told him, "trust me. It's cheaper to be single and pay for your own gun, than it is to pay for a wife and have the government pay for the gun."

 

[Troyfairweather]

I was hoping for one of Jim's barrels. But apparently the Covid thing delayed the steel for the barrel blanks at Green Mountain, and then having people out sick slowed production. So the blanks that were expected in August probably won't be showing up until November. No way I wanted to wait that long; three months was bad enough.

Mine is a .45; I came close to ordering something smaller. But I decided the .45 would be better if I decide to go deer hunting next year, or go gunning for coyotes.

I used my stimulus check for my kit. One of the few times it paid to be married, because if I'd been single my income would've been too high. One of the bachelors at work made some (jokingly) snide remarks, and I told him, "trust me. It's cheaper to stay single and pay for a gun, than it is to pay for a wife and have the government pay for the gun."

wish I got a check,but I'm to poor to get one. I was bummed when I found out I wasn't getting the check I planned to do the same with it. I really hope Jim does that Fowler that would be perfect for me, tho I still want the smr.

 

[troy2000]

wish I got a check,but I'm to poor to get one. I was bummed when I found out I wasn't getting the check I planned to do the same with it. I really hope Jim does that Fowler that would be perfect for me, tho I still want the smr.

How are you too poor? You don't have to show any income. My older son doesn't work a lick, and he got one. He had to fill out some paperwork online, because he hasn't filed for a few years and the IRS didn't have him on record, but he got it...

Look into it. According to a news article I read a couple of days ago the deadline is October 15th, so you should still have time.

And yeah, if I do buy another kit it'll probably be the fowler. I already have a couple of pistols, so that would round out the safe very nicely. Of course I'll need to rope off a section for the muzzleloaders, so they don't have to mingle with my grubby old milsurps.