Best beginner build

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I would do trade gun in .62 caliber, also known as a 20 gauge. Trade gun kits are fairly simple and can be dressed up or down, whatever you want to make it yours.
 
I second a Kibler. They're expensive but about easier than any other out there. The real magic with a Kibler is in finishing. They can look like an original and they shoot really well.
 
Kibler has the new woodsrunner coming out soon, another great looking gun from jim I don't have the money for lol. The colonial you can get in smooth bore to. Really hope he does a Fowler next or a full stock hawken.
 
44 Dave said:
Am not a fan of a 2 piece stock. If I couldn't afford a single piece I would go with go with a "Hawken" style gun.
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I don't like them either but there are workarounds to get rid of the brass spacer. Even with the brass spacer IMO it's better than the TC, CVA, Investarms guns.
 
hawg said:
I don't like them either but there are workarounds to get rid of the brass spacer. Even with the brass spacer IMO it's better than the TC, CVA, Investarms guns.
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I'm not knocking your suggestion I'm just wondering what is superior on a traditions gun to a CVA. my CVA hawken has a better lock and is more accurate than my traditions deer hunter. Although that is probably an un fair comparison since I've never tried any other traditions or CVA models. Btw I probably will end up going with the traditions Kentucky for my first build just because I don't want to spend $1200 on my first attempt. I think my dream build would be one from pecatonica river long rifle supply just because they sell one called a "north Carolina rifle" so of course that appeals to me
 
Appalachiannative said:
I'm not knocking your suggestion I'm just wondering what is superior on a traditions gun to a CVA. my CVA hawken has a better lock and is more accurate than my traditions deer hunter. Although that is probably an un fair comparison since I've never tried any other traditions or CVA models. Btw I probably will end up going with the traditions Kentucky for my first build just because I don't want to spend $1200 on my first attempt. I think my dream build would be one from pecatonica river long rifle supply just because they sell one called a "north Carolina rifle" so of course that appeals to me
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Maybe not better per se but more historically accurate. Not that the Traditions Kentucky is historically accurate but it's closer than a modern rendition of a Hawken.
 
hawg said:
Maybe not better per se but more historically accurate. Not that the Traditions Kentucky is historically accurate but it's closer than a modern rendition of a Hawken.
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Ahhh, I can see that. And a crafty person could build it without the brass wrap and make it look purty too. My experience with Spanish barrels is limited but they’ve been really good.
 
I built one of those phony CVA Kentucky's years ago with that 2 piece stock from a kit that had sat in a closet for over 20 years. I too could not stand that goofy brass spacer so it got tossed, the two stock pieces were drilled for dowels and glued together. The joint was then hidden with some light relief and incised carvings. All in all it didn't turn out half bad. Whatever the wood was in that kit I don't know but it was some of the hardest wood I've encountered, gave even Mesquite a run for its money.
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
I built one of those phony CVA Kentucky's years ago with that 2 piece stock from a kit that had sat in a closet for over 20 years. I too could not stand that goofy brass spacer so it got tossed, the two stock pieces were drilled for dowels and glued together. The joint was then hidden with some light relief and incised carvings. All in all it didn't turn out half bad. Whatever the wood was in that kit I don't know but it was some of the hardest wood I've encountered, gave even Mesquite a run for its money.
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Many seem to have some species of beech. A European beech. It’s pretty good stock wood but bland?! Yeah.
 
My first MLer was a CVA Kentucky two piece stock and the barrel was a piece of sh!!. It was so ruff inside you could hardly run a ball down it, and you sure couldn't clean it afterwards. Next was a TC Hawken. Then a fellow took me under his wing and I started building my own. CVA has come a long way from the 70s.
And don't get me started on Traditions. Because I didn't feel like starting another gun from scratch I bought my granddaughter a 32 rifle from them. After 4 or 5 shots the barrel started sweating between the breech plug and the barrel. The plug wasn't tight against the rifling so upon firing the pressure would leak along it and come out where the plug and barrel meet on the outside. So I send the barrel back in and upon it's arrival back to me we progress to try sighting it in again. Same problem so I call Traditions again and get to talk to their " head gunsmith ". I ask him what he did. He says he tested it with a 100#s of air pressure and it checked ok. I said " no sh!!. How much pressure do you think the powder charge makes when it goes off ? A couple of thousand, not a 100." For a quick fix I installed a shim between the plug and barrel where the rifling starts. I don't know if Traditions got any better but I'll never buy another gun from them.
 
Traditions never impressed me much either, had 2 of them cross my bench with locks so poorly made they wouldn't spark, flinters obviously. I also didn't like the sand cast brass patchbox on them that was 1/4 inch thick. This was not a cap box but a supposed patch box.
 
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