Kibler Longrifle kits?

[Hem]

I'm seriously close to getting myself a kit project. The Kibler longrifles are beautiful and I have come to the conclusion I deserve one.
Has anybody recently bought one of their kits? If so, would you mind sharing your experience?
And @BrentD I promise to only use high end bp.

 

[BrentD]

I'm seriously close to getting myself a kit project. The Kibler longrifles are beautiful and I have come to the conclusion I deserve one.
Has anybody recently bought one of their kits? If so, would you mind sharing your experience?
And @BrentD I promise to only use high end bp.

I've never built one of their kits, but i've seen some pretty handsome rifles running around that they made.

Swiss 1.5fg or 2fg will do whatever that rifle needs.

Flint or percussion? Style? Caliber?

Are you going to do anything to trick it out in some personal way?

You are going to have a blast. And eventually, quite literally.

 

[Jim/Wa]

I have a Woodsrunner 54cal sitting in my garage that I’m going to start work on next month. It arrived in bombproof packaging and a quick dry fit indicates it will be a much easier project than others I’ve done. Maybe I’ll post a few pics when I get started.

 

[BrentD]

A friend sent me this video produced by Kibler people. It's an excellent video, even if you're making a gun other than one of theirs.

 

[Hem]

I have a Woodsrunner 54cal sitting in my garage that I’m going to start work on next month. It arrived in bombproof packaging and a quick dry fit indicates it will be a much easier project than others I’ve done. Maybe I’ll post a few pics when I get started.

Please post, if you would.

 

[Hem]

Ive been picking away at this project.
Putting final finish coats on stock. Barrel is filed and polished and ready for getting " browned".
Thanks to " the man" for some advice along the way.

 

[WildWill]

Ive been picking away at this project.
Putting final finish coats on stock. Barrel is filed and polished and ready for getting " browned".
Thanks to " the man" for some advice along the way.View attachment 406859

Looks great! What caliber you go with?

 

[BrentD]

Ive been picking away at this project.
Putting final finish coats on stock. Barrel is filed and polished and ready for getting " browned".
Thanks to " the man" for some advice along the way.View attachment 406859

I like it!

You will really like standing over something big that you just shot with that rifle knowing that you made it the way you like it, and there isn't another one quite like it.

When you start the browning process, i'm sure you know to clean meticulously before and between coats of solution.

Before the first coat goes on, I wash it in hot water and dish soap and then wipe it down with acetone. From there on out, I just use denatured alcohol between coats, but I make absolutely sure that I never touch it unless i'm wearing rubber gloves.

What will you card with between coats? Cronell's sells a really useful carding wheel. Specifically for this process, that's hard to beat. I mount mine on a bolt that I use as an arbor in a hand drill.

 

[Hem]

I like it!

You will really like standing over something big that you just shot with that rifle knowing that you made it the way you like it, and there isn't another one quite like it.

When you start the browning process, i'm sure you know to clean meticulously before and between coats of solution.

Before the first coat goes on, I wash it in hot water and dish soap and then wipe it down with acetone. From there on out, I just use denatured alcohol between coats, but I make absolutely sure that I never touch it unless i'm wearing rubber gloves.

What will you card with between coats? Cronell's sells a really useful carding wheel. Specifically for this process, that's hard to beat. I mount mine on a bolt that I use as an arbor in a hand drill.

I think im going to have my gunsmith handle the browning. I running in to a busy frame of time with work, and want to keep this project moving forward. Im anxious to get shooting.
Little confused about the extent of the browning. Obviously the barrel, but should the ram rod rail and the rod tubes also be browned? Looking at my .50 cal the rail is browned, but the tube guides are brass. I think the rail should be browned, but not certain the tube guides should also be browned? Hopefully im using correct terminology. What do you think @BrentD

 

[Hem]

Looks great! What caliber you go with?

.54 cal

 

[BrentD]

I think im going to have my gunsmith handle the browning. I running in to a busy frame of time with work, and want to keep this project moving forward. Im anxious to get shooting.
Little confused about the extent of the browning. Obviously the barrel, but should the ram rod rail and the rod tubes also be browned? Looking at my .50 cal the rail is browned, but the tube guides are brass. I think the rail should be browned, but not certain the tube guides should also be browned? Hopefully im using correct terminology. What do you think @BrentD

If it is steel, brown it. As for how much browning to do, if you're doing it yourself, you will notice a fair amount of rust is brushed off with the carding wheel at each coat. But as you proceed onwards, you'll find that eventually, the amount of rust brushed off seems to be less. And that's simply because now the entire surface has the rust brown conversion. At that point you stop. Ideally, you would stop when the last little piece of dust is no longer present. But pragmatically, you quit when you see that drop off in dust produced. Your barrel should have been looking pretty brown for several coats at that time, but there's still some microscopic areas that need to be treated.

The one thing I rail against and which many people choose to ignore is to do the applications relatively quick succession. Do not leave the barrel coated for a long period of time. In my opinion, long period equals about twelve hours in ambient room temperature and humidity. If you wait a lot longer than that, then you may have pitting which some people actually, like because it looks so authentically old. Or in my opinion poorly cared for.

Some guys will hang their barrels in the bathroom when they're taking a hot shower and leave them to sit in the steam and hundred percent humidity. I do not recommend it. It is another way to get pitting. If you do it expect to be carding the barrel fairly soon thereafter. The key to a good browning or blueing is to control the rust process carefully and keep it very, very even.

My standard process is to do it in my shop on the bench in the evening for the first coat, and let it sit overnight. But Ipromise myself that I will card it in the morning, before running off to work or even having breakfast. I will make another application of solution and go off on my day. Then, card it again right before or after dinner, revoat and repeat. That way, you get two applications per day. Nice and even. The first coats will not do very much more than likely. And some barrels are just a bugger to get started.

 

[Hem]

If it is steel, brown it.

Thanks.