Yet Another Kibler Longrifles Kit Build...

[Art Caputo]

Thanks, ya I'd still use a cover, are there any negatives with a water proof pan?

None that I can tell.

 

[Pete G]

Thanks, ya I'd still use a cover, are there any negatives with a water proof pan?

Yes; they are not waterproof

 

[MTGUNNER]

You and me both! Mine was supposed to be here last month, but Katherine said the barrel might be "a few weeks" yet.

Just an update for Doc and anyone else waiting on the SMR kits; I just got notified by Katherine that the wait for the GM barrels (at least in my .45 cal case) is now sometime in November. :>((

 

[RB POWELL]

Hey Bob. The way I understand it, GM is supplying the blanks, with .45 and up with the rifling. Jim is profiling them with the smooth transition all the way down the barrel instead of the stepped way it was before.
>> Jan <<

I pulled my GM barrel out of the box to check. It looks perfect to me. I'm not even sure I want to mess with it. Of course, my eyes aren't what they used to be.

 

[Mulebrain]

It appears that the vise mod is working well

Following along, and working on my first build right now

 

[troy2000]

My Colonial kit came with the new Green Mountain barrel. The finish is so good I’m trying to decide whether to draw file or not.

My guess is that if you start draw filing it, you'll find marks you didn't realize were there.

 

[troy2000]

It appears that the vise mod is working well

Following along, and working on my first build right now

Yes, I'm very pleased with the vise. My only beef so far is that the soft jaws are higher than I like, which makes working on the gun a little awkward. But if it really bothered me, I'd shift the vise to a lower bench instead of getting used to it.

What are you working on, for your first build? I think there's room in this thread for some pic's and posts...

 

[troy2000]

Right now I'm working on a double bourbon and water over ice, and getting ready to make some Olive Garden-style Zuppa Toscana - basically potato soup with Italian sausage and kale. It won't hurt the gun to set for a day.

 

[Troyfairweather]

What stock finishes are guys using on these kits, I like the stuff jim used it the one video nitric acid or something.

 

[troy2000]

What stock finishes are guys using on these kits, I like the stuff jim used it the one video nitric acid or something.

I think the most common stain is from applying and then heating iron nitrate, otherwise known as aqua fortis. It's traditional, and brings out the striping on curly maple. People who want to emphasize the striping even more apply tannic acid, which darkens the iron nitrate, then sand the wood back to get more contrast. Given how pronounced the unfinished striping is on my stock, I think that might be overkill; I don't want my gun to look like a zebra leg when I'm done with it.

For a final finish folks are using the sealer Jim sells, linseed oil, tung oil, or anything that seals and gives a little shine. A plastic-looking, high gloss varnish or anything similar would be inappropriate, I think.

On old milsurp's I've refinished or cleaned up, I usually end by rubbing in a few coats of Gunny's paste: equal measures of turpentine, beeswax and boiled linseed oil. There are plenty of recipes and instructions for it online.

 

[MTGUNNER]

Right now I'm working on a double bourbon and water over ice, and getting ready to make some Olive Garden-style Zuppa Toscana - basically potato soup with Italian sausage and kale. It won't hurt the gun to set for a day.

LOVE that Zuppa Toscana :>))

 

[troy2000]

LOVE that Zuppa Toscana :>))

Yep. Zuppa Toscana, Mississippi pot roast and pernil asado are three of my favorite finds on the internet.

 

[toot]

The difference is in the frizzes pan cover design. A flat surface covering the pan has a small step that allows a portion, the same dimension as the pan opening, which is supposed to resist water entry. See picture below. I have locks with both designs. In wet weather, I would still use a cows knee, or grease with either design.
View attachment 43808

does grease covering the pan work well in the rain /wet/ damp weather? I have never tried it. and can you get a second shot off ?

 

[Siringo]

Thanks, ya I'd still use a cover, are there any negatives with a water proof pan?

I have both styles and have hunted in wet snowy weather. Water proof pans are not! While the pan may be zero clearance flush, the side of the frizzen to the barrel is not. Water travels down the barrel/stock edges and enters the pan. FOR ME I use the cows knee and / or carry the rifle upside down with the lock under my armpit. Muzzle pointing towards the ground rather than the sky.

 

[Art Caputo]

does grease covering the pan work well in the rain /wet/ damp weather? I have never tried it. and can you get a second shot off ?

I tried it a couple of times years ago with limited success. Since then, my approach in wet weather is to use a Cows Knee, and rifle handling much like that described by Siringo in a previous post.

 

[toot]

thanks' for the replies.

 

[Mulebrain]

Yes, I'm very pleased with the vise. My only beef so far is that the soft jaws are higher than I like, which makes working on the gun a little awkward. But if it really bothered me, I'd shift the vise to a lower bench instead of getting used to it.

What are you working on, for your first build? I think there's room in this thread for some pic's and posts...

Thanks for asking

I may start my own thread on my first build.

 

[troy2000]

OK, back to the build. Not that I mind sidetracks... I tend to meander around a bit myself, and sometimes sidetracks are the best part of a thread.

I started filing around the butt plate, and realized in a hurry I'd have to file wood and metal together, if I wanted them to blend. The wood was a little proud on one side, the metal was a touch proud on the other, and the top strap was a little low and not shaped exactly like the wood.

Don't get me wrong; it was all minor stuff. But I filed and sanded until the wood and metal flowed seamlessly together, when I ran my fingers over them. I followed one of Jim's suggestions when I started sanding, and wrapped the paper around a file.

Then I started working my way forward. When I got to that lovely lollipop tang, I had a similar problem: the tang was a little proud on one side, and a tad low on the other. I'm guessing it's a tiny bit twisted, but I wasn't about to go there. Instead, I filed and sanded until the tang flowed as smoothly into the wood as the butt plate did.

About that time the clock struck bourbon thirty, and my dog started jumping up and down beside me with a tennis ball in her mouth. So I called it a day, made myself a drink, and went out to see whether the dog or my throwing arm was going to wear out first. I think it was pretty much a draw...

 

[Covurt]

Just an update for Doc and anyone else waiting on the SMR kits; I just got notified by Katherine that the wait for the GM barrels (at least in my .45 cal case) is now sometime in November. :>((

Oh no. Was hoping to get mine in time for deer season. Not looking good. When did you order yours? I ordered mine mid August.

 

[troy2000]

Finally got to the fun part... I used a folded paper towel to slather aqua fortis onto the stock. Went over it a couple of times looking for dry spots, let it set and dry for half an hour, dug out my shiny new heat gun, and went to work. I did manage to crisp a couple of edges, but knocking the light char back with a folded piece of 1500 sandpaper got rid of enough of it to make it look like just part of the finish.

Then I mixed a bit of linseed oil with somewhere between a third and half paint thinner, and started wetting down the wood with a folded square of cloth. I rubbed it in for five or ten minutes, then wiped it down with a piece of microfiber cleaning cloth. I'll probably hit it once more tonight, and a couple more times tomorrow, and see how it looks.

The three pics below are bare wood, aqua fortis after hitting it with the heat gun, and the first coat of linseed oil. Would've sworn I took a pic of the untreated aqua fortis, but it isn't there. Before heating, it was light brown with a greenish tint.