Sitting Fox Custom Muzzleloaders

[dagger dog]

Has anyone here had the chance to do business with this company, and if so how did you find the quality of the parts and their service.

Looking at the K 42 Bean Tennessee kit, does anyone know who produces their Siler pattern lock ?

 

[Patocazador]

I do not have first-hand knowledge of Sitting Fox. From what I've read, they sell quality parts for kits but farm out the labor for complete guns. I have heard stories of complete guns being very good but also the opposite.
If you are going to do the work yourself, the kit should be fine. If they are going to "do" it, it's buying a "pig in a poke."

Call and ask them if it's a Chambers Siler lock or something else.

 

[EljaySL]

That seems to be the consensus from prior threads. The kits are nice, and if you have them complete it you really don't know what you're going to get. In a sense it's nice that they offer the service but they should make it more clear what's happening.

 

[dagger dog]

A good heads up as I was going to have the breech fitted, dovetails for the sights milled and the thimble lugs installed. Think I'll go with TOTW.

Thanks

 

[dagger dog]

An update if anyone is interested.

Bought TOTW Early Tennessee Rifle flint kit, 45 caliber ,15/16", straight , 42" Colerain barrel, L&R Durs Egg lock, all iron furniture, not a poorboy, has the Bean style buttplate and trigger guard with a nose cap.

Would have liked to have a swamped barrel, to reduce weight, and be more historically correct, but they didn't offer a pre inlet stock, and my wood working skills are not up to something like that.

Hope I can do this assembly project justice. And be pre-warned, there will be plenty of questions coming !

The FedEx guy should be knocking on the door any time. Will try to get back with photos of the raw kit.

 

[Crawdad1]

An early Tennessee, now that is a beautiful rifle. But, correct me if I’m wrong, but a swamped barrel on a Tennessee??? Especially an early one???? You don't see to many of those if any.

I think you did good straight barrel and all.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Sounds like you made a good choice. The slight extra weight of the un-swamped barrel in a 45 won't be all that bad. Looking forward to the arrival of the kit and some pictures.

 

[dagger dog]

Sorry about the delay, the package came about 5 min after the previous post. Been so infatuated with it and reading every thing I can cram into the noggin, just now sat down to post the pics.

The lock is a Durs Egg by L&R, a little smaller than the large Siler takes 3/4X7/8" flints , double set triggers by Davis, Bean style buttplate, simple toe and single screw side plate. the forestock end cap is standing vertical upper right 2nd pic.

Lots of filing and polishing needed on all the furniture cast parts, the lock and triggers not so much, all screw and bolt holes have to be tapped, the inletting is 90% lots of wood to trim to get that classic lean long look.

 

[dagger dog]

Here's more. That rug is 8' 6", detail of the dovetails, 90% inletting on the stock , under lug staple attachment, had them cut and the staples done at extra charge, if I do another I'll do them.

Two of the wedge keys have slanted heads to match the forestock profile the other is straight, the stock is plain maple, I bought the tap and counter sink for the screws, the flash vent is a Chambers White Lightning, ram rod Thimbles and entry pipe are Ted Cash. The ramrod tip is on the bottom left
1st photo.

 

[dagger dog]

A look at the lolly pop tang breech plug, ( had that installed a TOTW also), the little hole at the end will be counter sunk for a screw, will have to be removed to be able to locate the vent.

It has the curve of the wrist and the stock is inleted for that also.

Haven't worked on it long enough to reach my first obstacle which will probably be finishing the inletting of the tang and barrel.

So ya'll get ready for a bunch of questions !

More to come later.

 

[davepool]

Nice looking kit, looks like most of the hard part has been done

I like that lock, a roller frizzen, nice.

Have fun building.

 

[dagger dog]

Nice looking kit, looks like most of the hard part has been done

I like that lock, a roller frizzen, nice.

Have fun building.

Yeah its more of an assembly rather than a build, but it will be a challenge for my woodworking skills, metal polishing, draw filing, drilling and tapping of the screws and flash vent is more up my alley.

I'm hoping the L&R lock works out, for a few extra bucks could have went for the Chambers large Siler, L&R seems to have a 50 50 rep', it is a nice piece very well fitted, but you can't tell until it's in the stock .

 

[davepool]

keep us posted on your progress.

My first attempt at a kit was a caplock pistol, working on a flintlock pistol now, after that a flintlock rifle kit like yours

 

[dagger dog]

Update on rifle build,

Drilled tapped barrel for flash vent bushing, inlet lock and lock plate, cut slots and installed keys. Next have to drill the 2 lock bolt holes, the forward bolt does not have a plate, drill and tap the lock plate for the bolts, locate and drill the tang bolts.

The lollipop tang makes the wrist less prone to cracking a known weak spot on flintlocks. The two bolts for the tang will hold the double set triggers in place.

I'm not showing y'all all the mistakes, but some are visible, nothing I can't mask, mismarked 2 of the 3 key ways and will have to inlet some sheet steel decorative plates to mask the extra slots!

More to come.

 

[davepool]

making progress.

For me, part of the fun in these kits, is making mistakes and figuring out how to fix them......unless you put the barrel in backwards, then your screwed

 

[tickTalk]

order wrong..

I was considering buying a few kits from ray, but am reconsidering it.. I picked up one of their 'finished' rifles.. just a cheap production gun from investarms (they make Lymons)
It was advertised as a .50 carbine.. What I got had a tag on it like you see on a sales rack, saying .50 cal.
Except the barrel was stamped in great big numbers *.54 CALIBER*

Don't get me wrong, I like the gun.. little 22" barrel, heavy stock.. nice brush gun, shoots good. It's a tiny bit beat up, typical little dents and scratches, probably from being handled and passed around at shows.. gives it character.
The lock halfcock doesn't clear the top of the nipple, but lymons are like that too.. no problem..

But the fact they screwed up identifying the caliber, probably had that wrong tag on it for a long time, advertised it wrong, and nobody caught it at all.. just screams lack of attention to detail to me.