You got it ALL wrong, son…

[CuNosecap]

Nothing wrong with starting off simple. My first three or four builds were CVA kits, late 70s, USA barrel stamps. They are all great shooters.
Then I “graduated” to a Chambers Lancaster. Taught myself to carve and had a blast. Learned a ton, building off what I learned from the CVAs. Five Chambers and two Don Stith Mountain rifles later, I am still learning, but having a blast, building and shooting.
Take your time, enjoy the process, then shoot the heck out of the Traditions rifle.
You might get hooked and get that Kibler someday. Cheers.

 

[CuNosecap]

BTW, browning is not nearly as difficult as we all make it. The first time is scary. The second one is way easier, not scary at all.
Wood finishing is no mystery either. Get it smooth, pick a stain, not by trial and error but by a little color comparison testing in barrel groove or lock mortise. Have fun.

 

[longcruise]

We’re less than an hour from the Georgia border, way out in the north FL woods. No mountains though, lol!

Think I recall that the high point of Florida is aroun 400'. Guess they don't count the Tampa Bay Bridge.

These days I'm living at 5600'

 

[Panama Red]

Think I recall that the high point of Florida is aroun 400'. Guess they don't count the Tampa Bay Bridge.

These days I'm living at 5600'

From the Googles, I just found out our highest mountain in Florida is 345 feet elevation. Whew, makes me winded just thinking about climbing that monster! But it’s right on the Alabama border, so I guess it really counts as LA (Lower Alabama).
We lived at a tad over 6000 ft in Italy for a year or so. I was so gassed when we first got there. Got used to it after a while.
I’ve climbed a few towers down here that put me well above our highest elevation. Guess I was King of the Florida Hills at that point…
Everyone in Florida just prays that the global warming stuff is a bunch of hooey, or we will all be under water, lol!
Side note: Please don’t let this start a climate debate. I’m here for the fun, not the arguing…
Reading up on whether to slot or not slot my barrel lugs right now. More research to do…

 

[Daveboone]

My only suggestion is to stock up on flints now. Usually there is no problem finding them, but occ. they are scarce, and like primers....we need em to go bang. Pretty much whenever I order anything from Track of the Wolfs I will order an extra dozen.

 

[earlwb]

That was a excellent decision. Start with a more simple kit. Build up some experience with it first. Then maybe move in to a better kit. Thst is Good way to do it.

 

[Coinneach]

Drilling holes is a higher skill?

I've been waiting for a lead in, we Aussies are never sure about who we'll offend among our American Allies and Brothers.

A. There's a tidal wave of "How to" books and more easily accessed video links (thank you Jim Kibler) that make build finishing simple.
B. None of us know until we try doing whatever, dont accept a knowledge intimidation because you need to do some very simple research.
C. Buying something less than what youre aiming for just to practise fixing it defeats the purpose, the reality is just get the ML kit you want and go SLOW being super patient and learn every step in the process; its an enjoyable rewarding journey.
D. In this new age of "I want....I get" when it comes to working on bringing a ML kit to fruition we need to remove ourselves from "now" and lapse back into an 18-19th Century mindset.

Do the homework, and take one step at a time, then experience the therapuetic change that takes place as you slow the hours down; and enrich your life with a good measure of progressive Craftmanship.
Then experience a Kit being transformed into a wonderous artifact that takes on your own personal version thereof.

 

[Coinneach]

No, not really.
KNOWING EXACTLY where to drill them?
THAT's the higher skill!

I did read that the higher stills were up in the west Appalachians .....

 

[Coinneach]

I’ve been watching some carving videos. One guy was doing his first attempt at carving, botched it pretty bad. I’ve got a nice set of chisels that a great uncle gave me years ago. He used to carve birds. Pretty sure I will carve my fingertips, lol. Lots of red birds…
I just went out to the barn and dug out the chisels today. Going to practice on a few 2x4’s.
Haven’t even considered engraving. That’s a whole ‘nother set of tools.

Spend some time learning how to sharpen those Chisels before you start using them, or you'll botch up your work.

 

[Coinneach]

Never been accused of being cancel culture before. Man, I’m so inclusive it ain’t funny. If you want to wear a skirt and call yourself Madame Margaret while shooting your longrifle, that’s fine by me. Everyone is entitled to their black powder fantasies I guess…
First time I ever heard the term “youse guys” was way back in basic training. Had a guy from Pennsylvania somewhere. It doesn’t get tossed around down this way too often, lol.
When I was in the 11th grade, we moved from rural north Florida to Washington DC. I didn’t make many friends for a while, until I turned out a good piece of work in art class, then I got to be friends with a couple of the guys. So I ask them, why the heck didn’t anyone talk to me for the past three months. They said, “Well, from the way you talk, we thought you were mentally handicapped.” I guess slower, and “drawlier” equates to mental issues.
Anyways, I married a girl from just south of Detroit. We went to Michigan for her grandmothers funeral, and out to the bar for a few beers, as part of the wake, I guess, or maybe just because we like beer a whole lot, and the woman tending bar kept calling me “Hillbilly”… I guess that makes me from the mountains of Florida. And everyone knows, here in the mountains of Florida, we are very inclusive.

I wanna meet "the Peach"

 

[Panama Red]

BTW, browning is not nearly as difficult as we all make it. The first time is scary. The second one is way easier, not scary at all.
Wood finishing is no mystery either. Get it smooth, pick a stain, not by trial and error but by a little color comparison testing in barrel groove or lock mortise. Have fun.

Watching a ton of videos on stock finishing. Never knew what “hand rubbed” meant, well, not for a wood finish anyways, LOL!
One guy has me pretty well convinced to finish in boiled linseed oil. I’ve seen it for old trucks with patina, but didn’t know it was a wood finish.

 

[Panama Red]

I wanna meet "the Peach"

Meeting the Peach is one thing, dressing up and being the Peach, entirely different story. To each his own, I guess…

 

[Tenring]

Browning and staining wood and metal is pretty straight forward If your slightly mechanically inclined with a level head you’ll do fine, and there really is no messing up you can always say I wanted the Antique look. Ha Ha.. you did ok..

 

[poker]

Hey PR, when they were calling you Hillbilly back in Michigan, were they calling your wife Hillbetty?

 

[Panama Red]

Browning and staining wood and metal is pretty straight forward If your slightly mechanically inclined with a level head you’ll do fine, and there really is no messing up you can always say I wanted the Antique look. Ha Ha.. you did ok..

Lol! “Yeah, ummm, that’s how I wanted it to look….”
I’ll do it!

 

[Panama Red]

Hey PR, when they were calling you Hillbilly back in Michigan, were they calling your wife Hillbetty?

Nah. She’s a local. She puts her Michigan accent back on real easy.

 

[Kmcmichael]

I did that. I put together a Lyman kit for a relative first, then got a Kibler. It was a different Universe.

 

[Rebel bull]

So, after a week of scouting the forum, reading every post I could about which flintlock kit to purchase, and what caliber I wanted, I settled on the Kibler SMR, in .36 caliber, and then, after much more reading, on barrel browning, and stock finishing, I promptly went on line and ordered a Traditions Kentucky flintlock… yeah, yeah, I know. The lock sucks, the wood sucks, the frizzen is soft. It ain’t even the caliber I wanted! They only have it in .45 and .50. But the more I read, the more I realized I didn’t want to learn how to brown a barrel, or finish a stock, on a 1500 dollar rifle. So, I tucked that money back in the envelope, ordered the Traditions for a butt ton less money, which will be nice as I experiment with stock color, and fake aging, etc. and then went to Powder Valley and ordered three pounds of FFF, and one pound of FFFF. Not sure how the ratio works on those two, but now I have some black coming. I had only used Pyrodex in my modern inline rifle.
I’ll keep you posted on how the build and finish goes. I’ll get 10% back from Muzzle-Loaders for posting on here about it… LOL! Like they have to pay me to talk about what I’m doing.

after all said and done I think you will find that it shoots as well as that $1500 kit

 

[Eric Krewson]

We were all newbies at one point, I don't show off my first rifle but the second one was pretty good, the first one is butt ugly but really stacks them in at 50 yards. If you have ever done anything mechanical you are good to go, I knew a guy that didn't even own a screwdriver, he could probably screw up a bought finished rifle trying to load and shoot it.

Us people who have done crafty things all our life sometimes take it for granted that that others won't have a problem with a simple build like a CVA but we are mistaken. I have seen a couple of CVAs so botched up that it would be unsafe to even try to shoot them.

 

[stikshooter]

Smart idea. First time filing, fitting, sanding, staining, and finishing is a learning experience. You not only learn about how to do them but also what tools you will need. Rasps, files, punches, chisels, wood and metal sand paper, steel wool, stains, finishes, and such. If you don't like how something turns out you can redo it. If you screw the stock up on a much less expensive rifle it is far cheaper, easier, and faster to replace. A lot of good you tube instructional videos out there to help you each step.

A friend of mine recently bought four higher end kit guns that a guy had bought and tried to put together. He would totally screw up one and buy another and screw that one up. On number four he gave up and sold them to my friend who is a rifle builder for a fraction of what he paid for them. The guy should have started on a Traditions or bought an easier to assemble kit that didn't require higher skills like drilling holes for tang, lock, and tennon pins.

No he should have started with the Kibler as anyone who has , knows Jim will not let
anyone screw up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /Ed