Frequently Asked Questions
361 entries about Kibler's Longrifles rifle kits.
- Am I able to order replacement parts?
- Are barrels from Rice, Green Mountain, and Colerain interchangeable?
- Are flintlocks unreliable?
- Are seconds or discounted Colonial kits ever available?
- Are small pits in cast brass parts a defect I should worry about?
- Are the lock bolts already drilled and tapped?
- Are the ramrod thimbles pre-drilled on the Colonial and mountain rifle kits?
- Are the tang and trigger plate holes already drilled and tapped?
- Are the trigger plate and lock holes already drilled and tapped?
- Are the underlugs drilled at the factory?
- Are these historically accurate?
- Can a complete beginner start with any kit style?
- Can high-solvent finishes smear bone black?
- Can I add a brass patchbox to a Colonial kit that shipped with a wooden one?
- Can I build a kit on my kitchen table?
- Can I choose a carbon steel touch hole liner for my kit barrel?
- Can I choose which barrel maker I get with my kit?
- Can I get replacement parts for an old Jim Chambers lock from Kibler's?
- Can I get the mountain rifle with a shorter barrel?
- Can I order a replacement barrel in a different caliber?
- Can I replace the touch hole liner that came installed in my barrel?
- Can I still buy a carbon steel touch hole liner?
- Can I supply my own wood for the Colonial American Longrifle?
- Can I supply my own wood for the J.K. Hawken Rifle?
- Can I supply my own wood for the Southern Mountain Rifle?
- Can I supply my own wood for the Woodsrunner Rifle?
- Can I trip the lock with the frizzen open?
- Can I use a Davis Trigger on a Colonial kit?
- Can I use a lye solution to redden cherry wood?
- Can I use linseed oil from the hardware store?
- Can I use Permalyn with bone black?
- Can I visit the shop to pick up my kit?
- Can Kibler's make custom modifications to a standard kit?
- Could Kibler's offer a cheaper kit around $750?
- Did anyone else help design Kibler's locks?
- Did Jim have custom rifle building experience before starting the kit business?
- Did order volume increase during the coronavirus period?
- Did the Foxfire Series books influence Jim's interest in gun making?
- Do all kits come with the lock area already inletted?
- Do barrels from different suppliers differ in shape?
- Do carbon steel touchhole liners wear out faster than stainless?
- Do engraving chisels need to be high quality?
- Do I need a flint to safely dry-fire the lock?
- Do I need every tool on Kibler's published tool list?
- Do I need gunsmithing experience or a shop full of tools to build one of your kits?
- Do I need to neutralize iron nitrate after staining?
- Do I need to stone the double-set triggers?
- Do Kibler locks fit Jim Chambers lock mortises?
- Do Kibler's barrels get seasoned or hardened?
- Do Kibler's lock inlets remove more material than original historical rifles?
- Do the CNC-machined inlets require much wood removal to fit the lock?
- Do the new Green Mountain barrels come with touchhole liners installed?
- Do walnut, cherry, and ash all get stained the same way?
- Do you carry Tried & True Varnish Oil?
- Do you collect sales tax in Indiana?
- Do you collect sales tax in Kentucky?
- Do you collect sales tax in Michigan?
- Do you collect sales tax in Missouri?
- Do you collect sales tax in Pennsylvania?
- Do you collect sales tax in Tennessee?
- Do you collect sales tax in Virginia?
- Do you offer kit-building workshops?
- Does anything actually differ between the barrel suppliers?
- Does building a kit require prior experience?
- Does Jim have an engineering background?
- Does Kibler offer a finishing service?
- Does Kibler's attend the CLA show?
- Does Kibler's attend the Dixon's Gunmakers Fair?
- Does Kibler's offer an introductory carving kit?
- Does Kibler's take custom rifle orders?
- Does Kibler's use modern manufacturing to recreate historical designs?
- Does potassium dichromate speed up cherry wood oxidation?
- Does sunlight darken cherry wood over time?
- Does sunlight speed up curing of Tried & True finish?
- Does the frizzen get any CNC machining?
- Does the touch-hole have to be level with the top of the pan, the "sunset" position?
- Does the tumbler shaft have a taper?
- Has Jim built an example Colonial rifle in walnut?
- Has Kibler's improved the ramrod reject rate?
- How are the underlugs machined on the new barrels?
- How can I tell if I have a stainless steel touchhole liner?
- How did his grandparents' old CVA rifle kit influence Jim?
- How did Jim meet Katherine?
- How did Jim's dad's half-stock Ohio rifle influence him?
- How did the kit business get started?
- How do I clean the rifle?
- How do I diagnose a trigger that binds after finishing?
- How do I fix loose pin tension on a slotted underlug?
- How do I get a higher gloss finish on the stock?
- How do I make a thin screwdriver for narrow lock screws?
- How do I neutralize iron nitrate with baking soda and water?
- How do I order a kit?
- How do I position the set triggers relative to the sear?
- How do I reduce the ramrod diameter to fit?
- How do I remove the tumbler from the cock?
- How do I request replacement parts?
- How do I sharpen a scraper?
- How do I slot a barrel underlug by hand?
- How do I tell if a touchhole liner is installed?
- How does a flintlock ignition system work?
- How does a percussion ignition system work?
- How does Kibler brass compare to cartridge brass?
- How does Kibler's bore barrels and thread the breech plug?
- How does Kibler's ship kits?
- How important is wood selection in building a kit?
- How is the introductory carving cast made?
- How is the touchhole installed on the new barrels?
- How is traditional metal engraving done?
- How long does it take to develop a new kit?
- How long does it typically take to build a kit?
- How long has Kibler's been offering flintlock rifle kits?
- How long is the wait?
- How many Ketland lock plates does Kibler's produce in a batch?
- How much bending force can the ramrods handle?
- How much does a .32 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle weigh?
- How much does a .36 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle weigh?
- How much does a .40 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle weigh?
- How much does a .45 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle weigh?
- How much does a .45 caliber Woodsrunner weigh?
- How much does a .50 caliber Colonial rifle weigh?
- How much does a .50 caliber Woodsrunner weigh?
- How much does a .54 caliber Colonial rifle weigh?
- How much does a .54 caliber Woodsrunner weigh?
- How much does a .58 caliber Colonial rifle weigh?
- How much does shipping cost to Arizona, Idaho, or Utah?
- How much does shipping cost to Canada?
- How much does shipping cost to Colorado, Texas, or Wyoming?
- How much does shipping cost to Germany?
- How much does shipping cost to Indiana, Maryland, or Pennsylvania?
- How much does shipping cost to Ohio or Michigan?
- How much does shipping cost to the West Coast, Alaska, or Hawaii?
- How much does shipping cost to Zone C states like Virginia or New York?
- How much does shipping cost to Zone D states like Florida or Illinois?
- How much does the Appalachian Barn Gun cost?
- How much does the Appalachian Barn Gun Kit cost?
- How much does the Barn Gun Flintlock (Left Hand) cost?
- How much does the Barn Gun Flintlock (Right Hand) cost?
- How much does the Barn Gun Percussion (Left Hand) cost?
- How much does the Barn Gun Percussion (Right Hand) cost?
- How much does the Colonial American Longrifle cost?
- How much does the Colonial cost?
- How much does the Fowler cost?
- How much does the Hawken cost?
- How much does the J.K. Hawken Rifle cost?
- How much does the Kibler Fowler cost?
- How much does the SMR cost?
- How much does the Southern Mountain Rifle cost?
- How much does the Woodsrunner cost?
- How much does the Woodsrunner Rifle cost?
- How old was Jim when he got interested in building long rifles?
- How should I apply bone black to get the right color?
- How should I apply finish coats like Permalyn or Tried & True?
- How should I apply the finishing oils?
- How to apply iron nitrate?
- How to finish Walnut and Cherry stocks?
- How will my kit ship to me?
- Is a bowed ramrod a defect and can it be fixed?
- Is a patched round ball really enough for deer or larger game?
- Is barrel quality the same across all three suppliers?
- Is cherry wood prone to breaking across the grain?
- Is engraving on long rifles difficult to learn?
- Is it a problem if my older barrel doesn't show a touchhole liner?
- Is Kibler's considering hiring a dedicated gunsmith?
- Is Kibler's next kit going to be a high-end trade gun?
- Is Kibler's planning a Brown Bess musket kit?
- Is Kibler's planning to host an open house or customer appreciation day?
- Is Kibler's planning to make a Hawken kit?
- Is Kibler's planning to release a Fowler kit?
- Is Kibler's planning to release a pistol kit?
- Is Permalyn Sealer easy to use as a finish?
- Is Permalyn Sealer just a thinner version of Permalyn finish?
- Is the American Longrifles forum a good source of information?
- Is the Appalachian Barn Gun available in left-hand?
- Is the Appalachian Barn Gun offered in left hand?
- Is the Barn Gun Flintlock (Left Hand) available in left-hand?
- Is the Barn Gun Flintlock (Right Hand) available in left-hand?
- Is the Barn Gun Percussion (Left Hand) available in left-hand?
- Is the Barn Gun Percussion (Right Hand) available in left-hand?
- Is the carving cast more useful than a carving book?
- Is the Colonial available in left-hand?
- Is the Fowler available in left-hand?
- Is the Hawken available in left-hand?
- Is the small hole between the lock inlet and barrel channel normal?
- Is the SMR available in left-hand?
- Is the Woodsrunner available in left-hand?
- Is there a full build video playlist I can watch?
- Is there a safety rule I should know before I work on the lock?
- Is there a text line I can use to reach Kibler's?
- Is there a video demonstrating the patina solution?
- Rifled or smooth, what is the difference?
- Should I avoid hardware store linseed oil?
- Should I choose a flintlock or a percussion rifle?
- Should I drill out the stock if the ramrod is too tight?
- Should I practice engraving before working on my rifle?
- Staining with aniline dyes
- The touch hole liner and underlugs are not in the kit bag.
- What are iron nitrate and tannic acid, and why do people use them?
- What are Kibler's design goals for its locks?
- What are the differences between Tried & True Varnish Oil and Kibler Sealer/Finish?
- What are the Ketland lock mortise dimensions on a Southern Mountain Rifle Kit?
- What are the options on the Appalachian Barn Gun?
- What are the options on the Colonial American Longrifle?
- What are the options on the J.K. Hawken Rifle?
- What are the options on the Kibler Fowler?
- What are the options on the Woodsrunner Rifle?
- What are the sight dovetail sizes on a Southern Mountain Rifle Kit?
- What are the specs of the Appalachian Barn Gun?
- What are the specs of the Colonial American Longrifle?
- What are the specs of the J.K. Hawken Rifle?
- What are the specs of the Kibler Fowler?
- What are the specs of the Southern Mountain Rifle?
- What are the specs of the Woodsrunner Rifle?
- What are the two basic steps in finishing a gunstock?
- What ball diameter and patch should I use for a .32 caliber rifle?
- What ball diameter and patch should I use for a .36 caliber rifle?
- What ball diameter and patch should I use for a .50 caliber rifle?
- What ball diameter and powder load should I use for a .54 caliber rifle?
- What ball diameter and powder load should I use for a .58 caliber rifle?
- What ball diameter, patch, and powder load should I use for a .40 caliber rifle?
- What ball diameter, patch, and powder load should I use for a .45 caliber rifle?
- What caliber was the example barrel Jim showed during the shop tour?
- What chisels should I start with for engraving?
- What comes in the Appalachian Barn Gun Kit kit?
- What comes in the Colonial kit?
- What comes in the Fowler kit?
- What comes in the Kibler Fowler kit?
- What comes in the SMR kit?
- What comes in the Southern Mountain Rifle kit?
- What comes in the Woodsrunner kit?
- What condition does a Kibler kit arrive in?
- What do I do if iron nitrate gets into the barrel channel?
- What do I do if the lock bolt won't fit through?
- What do you use to finish metal parts?
- What does "zero wood removal" actually mean?
- What does the builder actually do when assembling a Kibler kit?
- What drew Jim to flintlocks?
- What files do I need for the build?
- What finish do Kibler locks come in?
- What finishes does Kibler's recommend, Permalyn Sealer or Tried & True?
- What is a card scraper and where does it come from?
- What is a muzzleloader?
- What is a Quick ship kit?
- What is Green Mountain's reputation for barrel quality?
- What is involved in finishing the stock?
- What is Kibler's contact email and phone number?
- What is Kibler's mailing address?
- What is Permalyn Sealer?
- What is the Barn Gun, and does part of the sale go to charity?
- What is the barrel width on the Colonial Kit?
- What is the Colonial American Longrifle Kit like?
- What is the Fowler Kit used for?
- What is the historical basis of the Appalachian Barn Gun?
- What is the historical basis of the J.K. Hawken Rifle?
- What is the historical basis of the Southern Mountain Rifle?
- What is the historical basis of the Woodsrunner Rifle?
- What is the J.K. Hawken Rifle Kit for?
- What is the largest caliber available for the mountain rifle kit?
- What is the most significant thing I can do to make a Colonial rifle stand out?
- What is the range rod diameter and thread size?
- What is the rifling depth on a .40 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle?
- What is the Southern Mountain Rifle Kit like?
- What is the tap for?
- What is the twist rate of a .32 Rice barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .36 Rice barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .40 Colerain barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .40 Rice barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .45 Colerain barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .45 GM barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .45 Rice barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .50 Colerain barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .50 GM barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .50 Rice barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .54 Colerain barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .54 GM barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .54 Rice barrel?
- What is the twist rate of a .58 GM barrel?
- What is the wait time for the J.K. Hawken Rifle?
- What is the Woodsrunner Kit like?
- What is Tried & True oil varnish made of?
- What is Tried & True Varnish Oil and how do I apply it?
- What is used to stain the wood, like iron nitrate or aniline dyes?
- What jeweler saw blade do you recommend?
- What kind of punch should I use to remove the tumbler?
- What lock and specs would a planned English Fowler kit have?
- What lock will the planned trade gun kit use?
- What makes Kibler locks different from other commercial locks?
- What really caused Jim's black eye in that video?
- What shape do the new swamped barrels have compared to traditional ones?
- What should I study to learn appropriate carving styles?
- What size is the #52 drill bit in the bushing kit?
- What sparked Jim's early interest in long rifles?
- What steel are Green Mountain barrels made from?
- What steel are Rice barrels made from?
- What thread size is the top jaw screw?
- What tools do I probably already have for building a kit?
- What tools might I need to buy for the build?
- What will the barrel shape look like on the planned trade gun?
- What wood options are available?
- What wood options will the planned trade gun kit have?
- When should I add most of the stock's color during finishing?
- When should I seal the inlets during finishing?
- When will the trade gun kit be released?
- Where are your kits made?
- Where can I buy a brass patchbox?
- Where can I buy a mainspring vise and how much does it cost?
- Where can I buy black powder from Black Creek Gun Shop?
- Where can I buy black powder from Dickinson Arms?
- Where can I buy black powder from Jay's Sporting Goods?
- Where can I buy black powder from John Venskoske?
- Where can I buy black powder from Log Cabin Sport Shop?
- Where can I buy polishing stones?
- Where can I find the book Rifles of Colonial America?
- Where can I find the book Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in Its Golden Age?
- Where can I get a mainspring vise from Dixiegunworks?
- Where can I get a single set trigger for a Colonial kit?
- Where can I get bluing or browning supplies overseas?
- Where can I get wood filler?
- Which builders did Jim study in the Foxfire books?
- Which caliber should I choose for the Appalachian Barn Gun?
- Which caliber should I choose for the Colonial American Longrifle?
- Which calibers does Kibler's rifle in-house versus Green Mountain?
- Which Kibler kit is easiest for a beginner to build?
- Which Kibler kit is the most popular and best reviewed?
- Which lock components are not CNC machined?
- Who designs Kibler's kits?
- Who does jug choke work?
- Who is Lorie and what does she do at Kibler's?
- Who is Marshall and what does he do at Kibler's?
- Who is Mason and what does he do at Kibler's?
- Who is the Appalachian Barn Gun for?
- Who is the Colonial American Longrifle for?
- Who is the J.K. Hawken Rifle for?
- Who is the Kibler Fowler for?
- Who is the Southern Mountain Rifle for?
- Who is the Woodsrunner Rifle for?
- Why are Kibler lock parts interchangeable?
- Why did Kibler's bring barrel work in-house?
- Why did Kibler's stop using Rice barrels?
- Why did Kibler's switch to Green Mountain for barrel blanks?
- Why do I need to sand the brass?
- Why do thinner Permalyn coats look nicer?
- Why does Kibler's make its own locks in-house?
- Why does the smaller caliber weigh more than the larger one?
- Why does the Southern Mountain Rifle kit include two tang bolts?
- Why doesn't Kibler's iron nitrate need to be neutralized?
- Why doesn't my ramrod fit the entry pipe or stock hole?
- Why hasn't Kibler's released a left-handed kit yet?
- Why is the nosecap left on the kit?
- Why is the ramrod area in the stock tapered?
- Why is the ramrod tapered near the stock entry?
- Why Won't the lock bolt fit through?
- Why won't the lock stay in the half cock position?
- Will future kits be closer copies of original historical rifles?
- Will Kibler's ever offer a left-handed kit?
- Will Kibler's release a condensed basic tool list?
- Will Kibler's replace a brass part with a casting defect?
- Will the planned trade gun feature a serpent side plate?
- Will the planned trade gun use thin, light barrels?
- Would English walnut be offered as an upgrade for the Fowler kit?
- Would Kibler's consider a Bucks County or Lehigh Valley style kit?
- Would Kibler's offer a laid English lock with a double-throated cock?