My Kentucky Long Rifle Build

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druryj

In Remembrance / Dec 27 2021
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I bought a Traditions .50 caliber Kentucky Long Rifle kit from MidwayUSA and decided to document and report as I get after it and start building this smokepole. I got it on sale for like $298, shipped. What the heck; it was cheap enough, and I've been wanting to do one of these so here goes.

Unboxed it and checked to make sure I got all the parts. So far, all seems to be present and accounted for. Found a funny little leaf spring thingee that isn't on the parts list, in the center of the 1st pic, and figured out it's the ram rod retaining spring. Now to figure out how to put it in and exactly where, as it's also not shown on the schematic and the installation instructions only say to use the lock pin towards the muzzle end to hold it in place. Gotta be somewhere near the tail end of the ram rod so it can't be too hard to figure out.

The inletting in the wood is pretty good, but I can see there is some work to be done. Going to be some fitting needed using an exacto knife, maybe some small chisels, maybe a Dremel, and a lot of sandpaper. This thing isn't going to be a matter of just slapping parts in place.

The brass accoutrements are all pretty rough; going to be a lot of polishing to be done there. One "useful" thing I learned from my USMC days was how to polish brass though, so I'm not worried. I am determined to take my time and do it right. So here goes:
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druryj

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The lock plate is case hardened. I dig the look. There is a small screw to adjust the sear/tumbler inside. Despite really just wanting to screw with it, I'll leave it alone until I have the thing done (at least a good dry fit anyway) then if I don't like the trigger; it's easy enough to remove a few things to get at it (I think) and adjust it later. Had to work the wood in the inlet on the stock for an hour or two to get a really nice fit. I don't want any slop here, it's too visible and besides...just cuz.
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Moving on the trigger guard inlet and the brass trigger guard now.
 

Jcann

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Better break out the Brasso Duraglit. I wonder if it’s still made with the impregnated cotton that you can tear apart. Hopefully the brass is anodized.
 

druryj

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Yep, they still make that "Magic Wadding" stuff. (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=duraglit&ref=nb_sb_noss). Between that and some liquid Brasso, I've got all the brass pretty well cleaned up. I had to remove a bit of brass from both ends of the trigger guard with a small, fine file and some sandpaper to get a good fit in the trigger guard inlet, but it polished up nicely and the fit is darn good now. I still have to final-fit the wooden stock to the other brass pieces though, so I'll save final polishing of the brass until I'm done with that step and the stock is ready for finish sanding and stain. There's some pretty funky gaps in places where the wood and brass aren't flush and even, and I want as fine of a fit and as smooth of a transition as I can get.

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I haven't decided what type/color stain to put on it. I've thought about a light, medium, and a darker shade. Gel or oil based; or maybe a water based stain? Just go with Tru-Oil or maybe Boiled Linseed Oil? Matte or satin protective finish on top of that? Maybe I'll just let some old nails and such rust in a small jar of vinegar for awhile then strain it down and use that to color the wood, like some of those fellers did in the old days? The stock is "select hardwood" (Birch; I'm pretty sure). From what little I know, Birch can be a trick to stain sometimes; and I want to avoid the blotchy look. I might oughta take the stock and go up to that Wood Workers Store on N. May in OKC and talk to those guys. I bet they have better stuff than I can get at Lowes or Home Depot. Not a lot of contrast to the grain in the wood so I have to be careful not to overdo it. You can sort of see what I mean in this last pic.
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xseler

These are not the firearms you're looking for.
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I've got some orange oil and pure tung oil that you could use. It did a great job on my Luger grips --- suggested by coolhandluke. Even though I work at HD, I got this stuff from WoodCraft on N. May. Let me know if ya wanna use it.


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druryj

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I've got some orange oil and pure tung oil that you could use. It did a great job on my Luger grips --- suggested by coolhandluke. Even though I work at HD, I got this stuff from WoodCraft on N. May. Let me know if ya wanna use it.



.
Thanks Mark! Can you post a pic of those Luger Grips please? I might just take you up on that.

A lot of old wood was stained with old coffee grounds...….
Yep, my wife suggested that I could use coffee, or tea, for the tannins in it. I might darken it with some blood...
 

dlbleak

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Very nice Joel. Those things are fun to build. The look of REAL hand rubbed tung oil is my favorite. Not that fake ting oil you can get at Lowe’s.
 

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