Maybe this is old news, but I was reading on Kibler Facebook page that Jim has procured a 5 axis machining center!
I am a machinist by Trade and I can say that "most" machine shops in West Michigan do not have a 5 axis, but a couple do and farm out the service to those shops that need it.
Jim's process's are proprietary, but I suspect the 5 axis machining will allow fewer setups and also possibly higher spindle speeds. most metal process CNC mills have a top spindle speed of approx 5,000 to 8,000 RPM....where as wood routers commonly run approx 20,000 RPM.
This is just speculating on my part, but I believe the 5 axis will allow more stocks to be made per day and also likely improve quality to even higher standard than we now enjoy from Kibler...impressive as Kibler stocks are all ready the best available IMHO.
Speculation on my part, but things Jim may be able to do with 5 axis is say....drill tang bolt holes on an angle without a part setup change, this saves time And improves accuracy, he may also be able to "pick out" the fine corners or difficult area's in the inlets.... Not that it's needful as they are all ready Great. Spindle speed and feed rates could improve surface fiinish, but I have no idea what the specs are on the machine he purchased.
Other info gleaned from Facebook is there is a new rifle coming out with the Fowler and looks like the Rifle may actually be released Before the Fowler. I personally want the Fowler, but More kit options from Kibler can only be a GOOD thing! I hope Jim does a Fine English Fowler eventually, if the first Fowler is a premium executed trade gun, It will suit my shooting needs(for now)
Anyone know anything about what the new rifle might be? My SMR kit is on order, so all I can do is speculate until it ships! 
Hunterdude,
You've nailed it pretty well. Yes, we have a new stock machining center on the floor right now. This will be significantly more capable than our current machine producing stocks on a number of levels.
Generally, increasing the number of axis of a machine allows for fewer set-ups during machining. This alone increases productivity and quality. In addition, as mentioned, a more complete stock will be able to be produced. Corners can be "picked" out etc. My goal is to basically eliminate the need for a chisel or knife for any inletting. With the size (25,000 lbs) and rigidity of this new machine I suspect surface finish to improve as well. Yes, it has a high speed spindle (greater than 20k rpm).
One of the big capabilities this will add is the ability to easily cut for inlays, patchboxes etc. Finally one of the most exciting capabilities this machine will offer is the ability to perform fantastic incised carving. We'll be adding some rifles where incised carving is very appropriate to our line-up to take advantage of this capability. In order to carve a stock well, very high-quality stock wood will be required. With this being the case and to secure availability of curly maple, we are in the process of setting up to mill our own logs. This has been a pretty big project but fun. It's involved buying a straight truck to haul logs, a sawmill, drying kiln etc.
Yes, we are working on another rifle offering. This is based to some degree on the original commonly referred to as the "Woodsrunner" rifle. It should make for a fantastic handling rifle. This project is about 75% complete. The fowling piece will follow. It is about 25% complete. Devoting time for developing new designs has been a challenge for us, so this past year we have been fortunate to have the help of Eric Von Aschwege. He has been working to learn wax injection mold making etc. and doing a fine job.
I can say with certainty that our presence has expanded the world of traditional flintlock rifles. Many of our customers are entirely new and now may become part of this culture we all enjoy. I was talking with a supplier the other day, whom many of you would know. His comment was that all of us are competing for a couple thousand rifle sales a year. I won't be specific about our sales, but I can say this isn't true. In the recent past, this was much more of an exclusive club. There were significant obstacles to become involved. I believe we've changed this. Some might like the idea of this being their little club, but times are changing. Many of the people involved in the muzzleloading world are traditional, older, conservative and don't like change. This goes for organizations as well. When we look at this, it kind of makes us shake our heads.
As far as whether we are good for custom gunbuilding, I don't really know. I do know, that the idea of significant numbers of people devoting a large part of their lives to becoming custom gunbuilders isn't reasonable to expect. Especially with the mindset and world we live in today. Times change.
I may have missed some points, but I've posted a lot already. Maybe we'll do a few videos about some of the topics we've talked about here. Thank you for all the kind words of support. We had a fantastic year in 2021 and expect this year to be even better.
All the best,
Jim
