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Author Topic: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit  (Read 6799 times)

Online rollingb

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #30 on: December 24, 2018, 09:03:54 AM »
Rob,.... do Jim's kits come with the barrel already drilled and tapped for a vent liner?

yes, for a chambers white lightning that's supplied.

Wow,.... Jim has those kits down to a fine art, and the inletting looks impeccable. :hairy
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Online RobD

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #31 on: December 24, 2018, 09:30:58 AM »
Rob,.... do Jim's kits come with the barrel already drilled and tapped for a vent liner?

yes, for a chambers white lightning that's supplied.

Wow,.... Jim has those kits down to a fine art, and the inletting looks impeccable. :hairy

there will always be some amount of inletting required. 

the Most Important thing for a flintlock will always be how the barrel fits into the stock, from the barrel channel to the tang and bolster/breech. 

the absolute MOST important relationship in a KIT gun that's predrilled is how well the all the holes line up.  that's almost impossible due to fluctuations in wood and CNC work, where if yer off a tad then things just don't line up.

when the barrel is homed to the stock and secured with the tang screw to the trigger plate, will the rear lock plate bolt fit/align with all FOUR holes - offside lock plate, left side stock, breech, right side stock?  the actual lock plate has no holes and requires 8-32 drilling and this is a very good thing.

NOW, will the lock's pan allow the already secured barrel meet the touch hole properly?  to me, that's the prime goal of securing the barrel and lock.

the first problem i'm up against is that with the barrel properly inletted, the tang bolt and trigger plate secured perfectly, the breech tang's rear lock plate bolt hole won't align with the stock holes.  i wish that i was allowed to drill this hole, rather than having it predrilled.

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with the lock plate temporarily pushed in (there is inletting work required), the touch hole appears to be in the right spot ...

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Online Hank in WV

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #32 on: December 24, 2018, 04:58:05 PM »
I'd just progressively larger holes in the breech plug until you have the clearance for the lock bolt. That's still one fine looking kit.
Hank in WV
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Online RobD

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #33 on: December 24, 2018, 05:08:40 PM »
I'd just progressively larger holes in the breech plug until you have the clearance for the lock bolt. That's still one fine looking kit.

i queried jim about this, just to get his input since he's the kit creator, and he said the same thing - just ream it out for lock plate bolt clearance.  and that i'll do.

Online RobD

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #34 on: December 31, 2018, 05:09:39 PM »
it all seems to have worked out ok.  took off the barrel, chucked a small rat tail file in a drill and opened up the top of the breech plug's lock plate bolt, put the barrel back and inserted the file into the stock/breech plug to pin it, then screwed the tang bolt into the trigger plate, added the trigger plate stock screw.  filed and fitted the butt plate, filed the proud brass of the butt plate to meet the stock wood's patch box opening.  fitted the patch box cover to the stock - that was not an easy task. the butt plate proud stock wood and its brass gates all need sanding and filing, and the patch box cover's back end proud wood needs sanding down to meet the brass butt plate.  lots more to do, LOTS.

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Offline Ohio Joe

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #35 on: December 31, 2018, 06:22:02 PM »
That looks like a very fun project Rob that is coming along nicely! Next year I'm going to get my wood burner set up in my workshop (before winter) so I'm not a seasonal workshop anymore... I've got several projects lined out once it gets nice enough to get into my workshop.  I've set on a new wood burning stove tucked away in my shop for 22/23 years and simply have never hooked it up.  :Doh!

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Online Hank in WV

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #36 on: December 31, 2018, 09:41:29 PM »
No sense rushing into things Joe. :Doh!
Hank in WV
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"Much of the social history of the western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good. . ." Thomas Sowell

Online rollingb

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #37 on: January 01, 2019, 12:33:30 AM »
I've got a wood stove in my small shop, and it sure feels good with the weather we've been having.  :hairy :toast
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Online RobD

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #38 on: January 01, 2019, 05:21:01 PM »
chambers colonial round plate (english type) lock disassembled, lock plate edges drafted and prussian blued, beginning the lock plate fit to its mortise.  as you can see, the pan isn't yet touching the barrel, but it will eventually as inlet wood is removed.

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Online RobD

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #39 on: February 08, 2019, 07:40:51 AM »
it's been an interesting "kit" build so far.  after taking the lock completely apart, i used the lock plate to work on setting it into the stock mortise.  this had some issues that took quite some time to rectify.  when the plate set in well, i reassembled all the lock parts except the frizzen and frizzen spring, as they might get in the way of drilling and tapping the lock plate mounting holes.  i fitted the brass lock side plate into its mortise, fitted the lock and held the lock plate and side plate tight to the stock with a jorgesen clamp.  i used a #17 bit to clear out the brass and stock, and to dimple the lock plate for its two mounting holes.  i used a #29 drill bit to drill out the two mounting holes then an 8-32 tap to create the screw threads in the plate.  so far, so good.

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Offline Ohio Joe

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #40 on: February 08, 2019, 09:10:52 AM »
You do very nice work, Rob!  :hairy I love that curly maple!  that's gonna be a great rifle for sure! :hairy
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Online RobD

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #41 on: February 08, 2019, 09:23:52 AM »
thanx, joe - it wasn't as easy as expected for this build and i'm not outta the woods yet.  i did a pre-check on the brass nose cap fit it's WAY off where the cap is grossly too small.  but that's about the last step before putting on the sights and right now i need to install the trigger and trigger guard.  i still plan on an aqua-fortis stain under tru-oil.  baby steps ....  :*:

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #42 on: February 08, 2019, 06:42:09 PM »
trigger installed, trigger guard next.

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Offline Maven

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #43 on: February 08, 2019, 07:09:42 PM »
Excellent workmanship, Rob! :hairy  Very nice maple stock too.

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Re: Jim Kibler Colonial Rifle Kit
« Reply #44 on: February 11, 2019, 07:42:46 PM »
the brass nose cap wouldn't fit, too small.  rang up jim and he knew of that issue and said to pull off the barrel, turn it upside down, set the cap in the middle of the swamped barrel where it'll fit and then slide it to the muzzle in order to bend the sides open.  worked perfectly.  the cap is now epoxied in, will pin it tomorrow, then next up is the barrel under lugs and then the sights.  i'm just gonna draw file the barrel and have it left in-the-white.  will pull the breech plug in order to fit the chambers touch hole liner, and put them both back with nikal anti-seize grease.  after that, stock finishing with at least two or maybe three heatings of aqua-fortis to stain (i want it Dark), then the mortises and barrel channel will get CYA sealed, then on to multiple coats of tru-oil.  as the stock finishing work progresses with it's cure and dry times, i'll get into the brass filing and polishing.  i figure it'll be ready sometime in march, maybe, and hopefully a range date in april if the weather is decent.

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