The rifle shoppe kits

mrclean89

mrclean89

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Afternoon all, Since I will be in quebec attending gun school for the next year now im thinking about building one of the kits from the rifle shoppe. Havent decided which one yet, I know ill have to call them to see if they have it so I dont have to wait six months or more.

My question is could someone build one of these kits with basic hand tools, what kind are need as I have heard they are quite a bit more advanced than say a lyman kit. Wondering how many of you have built one and could offer some insight.

Depending I will probably post an add on the EE to see what that can garner.

Cheers, McLean
 
Get a copy of "Recreating the American Long rifle". It is an excellent reference manual and should be very beneficial to your first build. I wish I had one when I started building and repairing muzzle loaders.

Cheers. Steve.
 
The Rifle Shoppe kits aren t really kits at all but rather parts assemblies.That said you can order onewith alot of the work done like a completed lock,sights mounted on barrel ,breech plug mounted etc but each add on costs extra money and adds to the wait to have the work done.The parts are high quality and the best advice I can give you is to call ahead of time before you order to much sure they have everything in stock as the wait time can be very long.To complete the set yiou don t need a lot of tools but a drill press would be handy.As the parts are rough castings alot of file work is needed ,if you go slow and think before you remove metal and wood (as once its removed you can t put it back) you will be alright.
 
From all that I have heard, you would probably be better off buying from Track of the Wolf or Pecatonica. TRS has a very widespread reputation for long delays on back orders and I think I would worry that you might buy a kit and find one or two critical parts were on back order.

In terms of tools, I think a few gooseneck chisels for inletting and L shaped scrapers also for inletting would be your main tools . For drilling for pins (think barrel tenons) I would suggest using a point clamped in the drill press vice, directly under the drill. That way you balance the stock on the point where you want the hole to exit and drill towards it. Probably not hurt to drill 1/2 way then turn the stock over and again drill towards the point

cheers mooncoon

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The TRS kits are basically comparable to TOTW kits. Both are essentially a bag of sand castings and a very rudimentarily roughed-out stock.

This is not a TRS, but rather a TOTW kit, but take a look here for an idea of what's involved.

h t t p://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=24744&page=1
 
If I were you I would forget about the Rifle Shoppe kits and order one of Jim Chambers kits.These are probably the best kits out there for the money and most of the really hard work is done for you.Personally I would have a couple of these kits under my belt before I d tackle one from the Rifle Shoppe.One other note on the Rifle Shoppe is that their inletted stocks are the weakest part of their kits and there isn t much room for error when inletting the parts as there is a minimum amount of wood on them.I had a brown bess set that had the trigger slot somehow cut in the wrong place.A lot of the custom builders will buy the parts from the Rifle S hoppe then build their own stock from a blank to insure a closer part fit and an all around better stock.
 
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I started here 2 weeks ago, its really hard. I wasnt told the exams are in french and so are the lectures. But i have a translator to write the exams which i have been doing very well on :) im still not sure on the kits, i think it may be better to wait till i get home where ill have more tools and a shop at my disposal to work in. Although by the sounds of it those other kits are much easier to work with using minor tools.

Mclean
 
mooncoon said:
A nice looking gun and quality parts. There is nothing more frustrating that an inexpensive flintlock lock

cheers mooncoon
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I'm hearing superlatives regarding these kits and the Chambers name.

What do you guys think about an 11 gauge? I want it primarily for turkeys in Ontario. I intend to make it my goto shotgun.
 
mrclean89 said:
I started here 2 weeks ago, its really hard. I wasnt told the exams are in french and so are the lectures. But i have a translator to write the exams which i have been doing very well on :) im still not sure on the kits, i think it may be better to wait till i get home where ill have more tools and a shop at my disposal to work in. Although by the sounds of it those other kits are much easier to work with using minor tools.

Mclean
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That does sound tough. How is your French coming along?

Well with that sort of a study load and having to learn French at the same time, you'll be wondering when you get to sleep. Let alone building a new piece. That's what I would suspect anyway.

Oh and if you're single, never miss an opportunity to meet French women. they are classy, sweet and fine. And I love their accents.:D
 
the french is coming along slowly but i'm picking it up. I wore my kilt out to the bar last night and everyone I met with the exception of one were really impressed. I guess kilts aren't a common thing in quebec. the french ladies were very taken with it indeed! I'm going to montreal with a buddy from school today for the weekend. Its my first time there i have heard it a great place.

I think I will just play with the guns I have and paint some models, when I get home ill being getting into those kits to start. I would love to do a nock volley gun!


McLean
 
I bought a kit from Pecatonica, couple of years back. They sent the wrong tigger guard and butt plate and were not sympathetic to my plight. They wouldn't ship the correct parts until I mailed back the wrong ones, which turned out to be 6 weeks. I was more
P O 'd about their attitude than their mistake.
Personally I would recommend Jim Chambers for the best quality.
Cheers nessy
 
I'm going to call them today. get their video, maybe a few more. I want to start sorting out the kit. It will be my winter occupation this year.
 
"Kits" can range from a batch of parts requiring all finishing, assembling, heat treating, inletting,etc, to a finished gun needing cosmetic work.
Basically you get what you pay for, and you should buy what you are comfortable handling.
My first modern ml guns were ones I put together from basic parts, stocks being whittled out of planks.
The first original shotgun was a Belgian double I purchased for $4.50 at an auction, missing both locks. Made a pair of locks, cleaned it up, testfired it, used it for hunting cottontails, showshoes and grouse.
The premium kits with sophisticated precarved stocks make it possible to produce a very correctly styled, sophisticated gun.
I'm waiting for a quality kit for a double flint shotgun.
As Mooncoon pointed out, it is very important to get a flint lock that is a reliable sparker. World of frustration otherwise.
 
Double flint is on my 'one day' list, too. I need to gain some experience and know a lot more about what I'm doing before I tackle a double, though.
 
I've taken a pair of Belgian breechloader barrels, installed plugs, and proof fired them. Haven't taken the plunge to buy a pair of locks yet. Got to find someone with a jointer and planer I can access. Have a quantity of walnut planks, but none thick enough for a flint double, so I'm planning on laminating three pieces - center section, two side pieces - to get the width.
I've looked at the photos of the Indian made double flint being offered, but would really need to handle one before considering purchase.
In my cache is a pair of Charles Lancaster 14ga oval bore rifled barrels. Chances of ever matching them up with a gun are slim. They would make an outstanding double flint deer rifle.
If you want to make a utility shotgun, use an existing shotgun barrel, cut most of the chamber off, breech it up, convert the forend lug to a wedge or pin lug, and build a gun around it. Could be cap or flint, sidelock or underhammer.
As far as that goes, I've seen photos of a double barrel set being used to make mule ear and linear striker over/under cap guns.
For a shooter, there isn't really any right or wrong way, as long as the gun is safe. And for a flint, get a quality lock.
 
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