Jim Kibler kits

[GANGGREEN]

Gee Ganggreen, Now the pressure is on YOU.  That is a gorgeous piece of tiger stripe, and looks like Jim did you right.  Now you have to get that Aqua Fortis right.  ;-)  No worries, right?  Heh, heh.

Yeah, I know.  Probably shouldn't have posted photos until after I'm done, huh?   

[draton2681]

Got some photos from katherine of the stock that's on its way. How do you post pics?

[GANGGREEN]

Got some photos from katherine of the stock that's on its way. How do you post pics?

You have to load them to Photobucket, SmugMug or some other photo hosting website, then they'll have a direct link.   You copy and paste it back here by clicking the photo tag above.

[GANGGREEN]

I got my kit today and couldn't be more pleased with it.  The metal parts are all fairly well finished and the CNC work is outstanding.  So far the only tiny issue that I've found is that I'm going to have to shave a bit of wood off the barrel inlet at the breech because the tang doesn't extend completely back into the tang inlet (and if that's the only issue, I'm not complaining at all). 

I should also mention that this rifle balances VERY nicely.  I laid the barrel and tang into the stock as well as I was able (given that the tang doesn't drop right in perfectly yet) and held it offhand, "aiming" at blades of grass and what not.  Whoooeeee, very, very well balanced.  Sweet......

The Chambers lock is also sweet.  I can't wait to get this little devil together and do some plinking.

[smart dog]

Man that is one heck of a great product that Jim and Katherine put together!

dave

[Jim Kibler]

I would suggest not moving the breech position.  As the tang drops in place as it is fit, it should snug up with the wood at the back.  Also, Resist the temptation to remove much wood from the front of the boss inlet.  Once again, the tang will tend to "move towards the butt plate" as it is dropped in the inlet.

Glad you are happy with the kit.  That sure was a nice piece of wood.

Jim

[GANGGREEN]

I would suggest not moving the breech position.  As the tang drops in place as it is fit, it should snug up with the wood at the back.  Also, Resist the temptation to remove much wood from the front of the boss inlet.  Once again, the tang will tend to "move towards the butt plate" as it is dropped in the inlet.

Glad you are happy with the kit.  That sure was a nice piece of wood.

Jim

I haven't taken it to the shop yet and haven't really monkeyed with it much Jim, but I'm not entirely convinced that the tang is going to slip in without me making a slight adjustment to the breech position.  I'm not about to do anything yet, but when I just slipped the barrel in, the breech appeared to be as tight as it would go into the stock and the tang was still a hair shy of the round screw hole and the back of the tang inlet.  If it doesn't fit perfectly when I actually get it into the shop, I'll give you a call and discuss.

Thanks again.

OK, I guess I probably should have known better.  I played around with it a bit more here in the house and Jim's right (of course).  It looks like the tang inlet is correct and it's fit snugly, but perfectly.  I haven't worked it back and actually dropped it completely down into the inlet, but I think the inletting is just right.

[thimble rig]

That's an excellent piece of wood.Did you get the extra fancy stock.Just take a file and dress up the sides of the tang a little bit so it wont be so tight she will go in ok.Read Jims instructions you shouldn't have any problems.How are you going to finish youre stock?I seen Jim offers a cherry stock now.He didn't have that when I ordered mine.

[GANGGREEN]

That's an excellent piece of wood.Did you get the extra fancy stock.Just take a file and dress up the sides of the tang a little bit so it wont be so tight she will go in ok.Read Jims instructions you shouldn't have any problems.How are you going to finish youre stock?I seen Jim offers a cherry stock now.He didn't have that when I ordered mine.

I sent my own wood, so no, it wasn't Jim's upgraded stock.  I honestly don't know how mine would compare to his upgrade.  Regarding my stock, I haven't completely decided how I'll finish it.  I think I'm going with an antique grey on the metal parts and probably a standard medium stain on the stock, but we'll see.

[Marcruger]

Gangreen,

That is one fine piece o' tiger stripe.  I know some highly value very narrow tight stripes, but I love the big fat stripes.  It'll be a beauty when done. 

Best wishes,   Marc

[Angus]

Mike,
You better give these guys some time to savor the event. They all might be trying to decide what stain to apply.
And if they all put them together too fast, there won't be enough time to save some pennies to buy another one before this rifle is done.

These rifles do look like a ball of fun. Enjoy!

[draton2681]

I received my kit today, YAHOOOOOOO!!! Plain maple stock. What a peice of craftsmanship. I never dreamed it would be so slim. I can hide the barrel and mid stock behind my index finger. Everything looks great, but like Gangreen I can't get the tang to drop in. The lollypop is just shy of dropping in. looks like it would fit great if i could get it over the shoulder. As I said earlier, my inletting skills suck so I don't want to goof this up. The rest of it looks like even I can do it without a lot of trouble. Thanks Jim and Katherine for making such a fine flintlock available to those of us that can't afford the labor cost of a custom build.

[GANGGREEN]

I received my kit today, YAHOOOOOOO!!! Plain maple stock. What a peice of craftsmanship. I never dreamed it would be so slim. I can hide the barrel and mid stock behind my index finger. Everything looks great, but like Gangreen I can't get the tang to drop in. The lollypop is just shy of dropping in. looks like it would fit great if i could get it over the shoulder. As I said earlier, my inletting skills suck so I don't want to goof this up. The rest of it looks like even I can do it without a lot of trouble. Thanks Jim and Katherine for making such a fine flintlock available to those of us that can't afford the labor cost of a custom build.

I think the trick is going to be to work that bolster back into the breech just so and it will fit SNUG.  I haven't gotten serious about it yet, but I trust that it will fit when I do.  I'm just a bit concerned about taking the barrel in and out of the stock, because that forend is so slim, I could actually see snapping it off if I was as careless as I usually am.   

This is going to be fun.

[thimble rig]

It will go in.I just Tapped mine in with a soft face hammer after I put a liitle more draft on the sides of the tangThen be careful taking it out The tang is the last togo in and the first to come out.Jim tells you how in the instructions he sent with the kit.

[Jim Kibler]

Hey guys.  The tang is a tricky aspect of the kit.  The long skinny nature of it makes it a bit difficult.  I'll try to do a video of installing the tang.  Maybe today if I have time.

In the meantime, a few suggestions...  As has been mentioned, clean up the tang by filing it a slight bit.  Just basically smoothing the sides up a touch.  I like to file a little more draft at the front of the boss (area where the rear bolt goes through).  This already has extra draft cast in, but a little more helps.

When fitting the tang, the end would be the last to go in the wood.  So work the tang in place, from the breech towards the tip.  When you reach the boss area, the tendency is to remove too much material at the front of this inlet.  The wood may need to be trimmed slightly, but not very much.  Remember that as the tang drops into place it will tend to mover towards the buttplate.

Use inletting transfer color during the fitting.  Work slow and you should be okay.

Removing the tang can be tricky.  I like to insert a small metal rod from the bottom of the stock through the hole in the wood.  If the rod has a square end it will catch on the tang.  Tap this with a hammer lightly and it will pop the tang out of the inlet.  

Remember, the end of the tang should be the last area to go into the wood and the first to come out when removing the barrel.

Good luck!
Jim

[draton2681]

Drafting the front of the boss looks like that would do it, It's soooo close to going in. I don't want to remove wood and end up with a gap in front of the boss when it seats. that's one of my mistakes on my first attempt at building a "KIT". Once again, there's nothing else out there that's even in the same league with this kit. Thanks for your advise Jim.

[TDW]

I received my kit some time ago, but have had little/no time to work on it... . I used felt maker for the inletting process, as I can't find my can of Prussian Blue. I "try fitted" the barrel/tang and could see that the tang/breech plug bolster was making hard contact in the bottom corners of the inlet. I squared the bottom corners (literally just used a Fischer scraper) and the barrel/tang was nearly seated. I removed the barrel for the third time and scraped the very bottom of the standing breech/shoulder inlet (to bring the barrel breech into full contact, put more draft on the front of the rear screw boss and the very tip of the tang, scraped a few tight spots on the tang, and everything seated. Total time 20 minutes



The dark lines on the right side of the tang in the photo are not gaps, but are shadow from the low angle lighting of slightly high metal (again, a few thousandths).

I then was able to fit the triggers (just using scrapers), and drill and tap. Total time for that operation, about another 20 minutes.



This was about a week ago.....Mike is right....I am going to be the slowest builder ever......

I plan on using a different side plate, making and inletting a "Bean-ish" patch box, and inletting a silver or sheet metal Masonic, Square and Compass on the cheekrest side.

This kit is amazingly well done and the CNC work is outstanding !! I believe a complete beginner could finish this rifle in a week of evenings, and have a finished rifle to be very proud of. Jim, all of your and Katherine's hard work has come to fruition and I hope you sell thousands of these...

At the rate I am getting to work on the kit....I should have it ready for squirrel season in 2030.....

Tom

P.S. I'm having to post this from work.....My Undersheriff just walked by (I'm supposed to be finishing an incident report) and just looked at the screen and sighed.....We have all put in so much O.T.this month, I believe he doesn't have the heart to say anything....

[draton2681]

5 minutes with a file, drafted the boss just a little and it snugged right in. Thanks for saving me Jim. Trigger fits in perfect. That's as far as I can go at the moment. More later tonight.

[GANGGREEN]

Thanks for the explanations and photos guys. I didn't lose any sleep over it and I'm sure I'll get it in just right, but it's nice to hear how everyone accomplished it on their own.  The trigger is the next issue.  I THINK I'm going to have to inlet ever so slightly deeper into the stock, but I don't know for sure yet.  I held the lock in the lock mortise, came to full cock and tried to fire it with the triggers, but the trigger bar doesn't seem to be engaging the sear and the trigger plate is noticeably proud.  Easy operation and I'm not at all concerned about it, but have you guys found perfect trigger bar/sear engagement or did you need to inlet slightly deeper?

I know I'm getting ahead of myself.  I've built a few guns previously and I have read Jim's instructions, I'll get there, it's just that I've been thinking about this rifle since I got the box in the mail. 

[Dennis Glazener]

I THINK I'm going to have to inlet ever so slightly deeper into the stock, but I don't know for sure yet.  I held the lock in the lock mortise, came to full cock and tried to fire it with the triggers, but the trigger bar doesn't seem to be engaging the sear and the trigger plate is noticeably proud.

See my earlier post regarding this. Even after inletting the trigger plate deeper I still had the problem you describe. I took the rest off the lock sear bar.
Dennis

[Jim Kibler]

Yep, just inlet the plate until flush with the stock.  Sounds like the trigger plate inlet is a little shallow on your kit.  I erred on the side of them being shallow since the thickness of the plates vary somewhat.  The trigger plate surface is ground on a belt grinder and I found the resultant plate thickness to vary a fair amount.  So, just inlet until flush, install your lock completely, bolt everything in place and try your triggers.

Jim

[GANGGREEN]

Yep, just inlet the plate until flush with the stock.  Sounds like the trigger plate inlet is a little shallow on your kit.  I erred on the side of them being shallow since the thickness of the plates vary somewhat.  The trigger plate surface is ground on a belt grinder and I found the resultant plate thickness to vary a fair amount.  So, just inlet until flush, install your lock completely, bolt everything in place and try your triggers.

Jim

That was the plan, but I'm glad you concur with it.   

[draton2681]

I would recommend fitting the buttplate first thing. The bottom of the buttstock is very thin and fragile. I knocked some of it off while working with the barrel and tang. Not much and I can take the bottom off a little to dress it up but if I had fitted it first it would have prevented it. The trigger guard was a snap, the lock took very little. I opted to dress the side of the lockplate to fit the mortise. Just a few strokes with a file and it popped right in. The depth was a little shallow but simply used sandpaper to remove the few spots. about 30 minutes to fit so far. I will have to file the bolster to the rear a few thousanths to get a perfect mate to the barrel. One end of the trigger plate was quite hard and was the first I drilled and tapped. The bit didn't want to bite and I was worried about breaking the tap. The other was a breeze as was the lock bolt. Triggers and lock work great. Everything so far is a perfect fit and I've got about 3 hours in it so far. I'm down to barrel lugs, sights and thimbles to have an assembled rifle. Then finishing should be a breeze as there is very little prep work to do. If anyone has doubt about being able to build this kit, Trust me, It's as easy as it gets. Far easier than even the Thompson Center, CVA, etc. kits. If I can do it this easy, You can too. When I get it done I'll figure out how to load pics. Thanks again Jim and Katherine.

[GANGGREEN]

Good call on the buttplate.  I haven't had an accident yet, but in just picking it up and putting it down, I keep noticing how thin the wood is on the toe and worry about it splitting or cracking, so I'm going to take your advice and do that first, maybe as early as this afternoon (I'm still not in a full-on hurry to get in the shop and do this rifle, but I'll get there).

[Nate McKenzie]

It could really use a toe plate.