Finished my Traditions KY Rifle kit.

Awesome, what a fine looking rifle. A good shooter too. A good use of your time, for sure.
Well done.

Now let's see a pic with some game that you took with it.!

Nice job!

Many of these contemporary muzzle loading rifles have a "Patent Breech". These require a smaller brush and patch to clean the breech cone.

Outstanding job on the rifle, it looks great!

Good looking gun great job. Just curious, how's the trigger?

Keep the section of rain gutter for a cleaning container. I have one I built from plastic rain gutter for immersing by BP rifles for cleaning which makes it a much easier task.

DeoreDX said:

Wife got me a Traditions Kentucky rifle for Christmas. Gave me something to do the week off I had between Christmas and the new year. Blued the barrel with Laurel Mountain Forge browning solution then a boil in distilled water in a trough I made from rain gutter. Stock was finished with Watco dark walnut Danish oil. It was a very rewarding experience and one I highly recommend if you have the slightest bit of mechanical aptitude. Learned a lot over at the Muzzleloading gun builder's forums. Those guys know their stuff. You can see my thread there for a much more detailed overview of my experience.

First target at 30 yards to see how much I need to adjust the sights. Bottom left was a shot I really didn't aim as the first time I shot it I had oil in the drum and I couldn't get the charge to fire. Tried several caps and it just wouldn't light. At that point I was just trying to get the charge out of the barrel Ended up pulling the nipple off and pouring a little BP into the drum and I got it to fire off. Bottom right was the second shot which was a hang fire where I lifted my head from the shot. Cleaned out the drum really good after and didn't have any more problems. Bottom center was the 3rd shot. Knocked a little brass off the front sight and the two just low and to the left were the 4th and 5th shots. 6th shot was at a 9" steel target at 100 yards and I was able to ring the steel using a little Kentucky windage. Not going to take off any more from the front sight until I work out what charge the rifle likes. Very rewarding and fun kit for a first time gun builder. Highly recommend it even though the parts are not the highest of quality. Inletting the rifle and getting everything lined up and assembled taught me a lot about building a muzzleloading rifle I wouldn't have learned if I had a kit that just bolted together and all I had to do was a little surface sanding and finishing.

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I built this same rifle in 45 caliber flintlock and I just love this fine rifle! so what caliber is yours??

Nice work, and good shooting!

DeoreDX said:

This was a surprise for me. I thought it was going to be gritty and sloppy. But mine has a nice clean break with no creep.

Mine is the 50 cal. Every place on earth was out of stock on these right before Christmas. Found one in an Academy Sports driving on the way home from my Parent's house a couple of days before Christmas.

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excellent job looks great!!

Looks like a nice build and finish. That was my very first muzzle loading rifle way back when.

DeoreDX

You did a fine job first time out! Looks great and shoots great too! Years ago I got a Traditions Hawken rifle kit for Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed putting it together.

DoreDX

Nice work! I bought a rifle much like that at a yard sale some years back that had been just slapped together for a deer season or three. Cold blued barrel, furniture finish of some sort on raw wood and the sights each on backward. It seemed worked for the original owner though.

I took it home and went at it. Dispite adding character to the barrel with a common pipe wrench I felt the need to pull the breech plug on a used yard sale gun.....and it was fine. I honestly do not recall if it had a patent breech, but I removed the drum just in case as these often lock the barrel to the breech plug on the patent breech guns. It has hung on the wall and not been shot since it was first refinished unfortunately. I recall that balls went in the general direction the sights were pointed and that is about it. Maybe I aught to get her down and clean her up to get her dirty again.

The suede was on the rifle when I bought it and the owner claims those are the eye teeth of a couple of deer he took. I put the leather back on to cover the joint and copper plate between the front and rear portion of the stock. That black hairy bit is not a turkey beard nor an enemy scalp lock, but a bit of my horse's tail. I had to put him down, on my birthday, nine years ago next week and I had some tail trimmings left in the barn. Braded some but it sort of fell apart. That stain is home made pecan over a home made tobacco stain and the finish is hand rubbed bees wax and not likely to hold up well anyplace other than the living room wall.....but I think it looks nice.

I keep threatening to put a grease hole in the butt stock a'la southern rifle and maybe some brass tacks or inlay/medalians like Dixie sells but then I get to thinking I like it just fine and don't want to make it to gawdy.

Yes, I did a little light reshaping with rasp (from the cubscout pine wood derby kit) and various grades of sand paper...... felt it needed it. Also rounded off that shoulder hook "spear point" on the butt plate as much as I could without holing it.


DO the Traditions current guns include a trigger return spring of any sort? I must set the trigger when cocking, but that works fine.

I believe mine was Spanish made and WAY BACK one could get a flintlock conversion kit. I have not found such today, but perhaps am not looking hard enough. I once ALMOST bought a Spanish FL pistol as the lock plate looked very close, though the lock parts did not look all that good. My gunshow buddy talked me out of it as he was concerned that it would not work on my rifle....and that I might not have enough money left to by us both lunch. What are friend's for?

-kBob

kBob

Decent looking rifle once you got it cleaned up, squared away, and ready to go! As always I like your story that goes along with the gun.