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After assembling and finishing a T/C Hawken kit for a co-worker, he gave me a CVA KLR kit. I finally finished it. It will extend my deer hunting opportunities. I chose to stay close to historically correct choosing to brown the metal and use old reagent and heat methods to stain the wood. I really like the way it turned out. I decided on a low gloss finish as I wanted a working gun. I have the original sights but a friend had a Lyman aperture sight with multiple inserts. I stripped, browned it and I can see through it very well with my old eyes. Alas being a KLR it has a 1:66 twist thus, it shoots best with round balls only not mini balls or sabots. If I decide to trade this for a Hawken, which I prefer. I'll keep the rear sight. I need to buy some powders now and sight it in. I've never fired a FL so this will be interesting.
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JunkCollector wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2025 2:06 am
Looks cool..
.i am wondering why the rear sight is so far down the barrel though
That;s just the way they made them. The kit rear sight isn't notched, you have to file it yourself. E really like where the aperture site is, I can see clearly through it and pick up the target.
Zee wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2025 2:02 am
Always wanted one like that.
I prefer the Hawken style because it is shorter, better balanced, has a double set trigger and a 1:48 twist. The faster twist is better for Mimi balls and sabots, and more accurate.
That is a cool rifle! I suppose that sight setup would work that is a 17a Lyman front globe, but you probably already know that. A Marbles “Bullseye” barrel sight would be a great addition! You can adjust the bullseye sight the 17a is what you have.
I would think your current sight setup is going to hit too high. Your rear sight should be a front sight. It’s too tall in relation to the front and is not adjustable for elevation. If it were mine, I’d move your current rear sight to the front and put that Marbles sight on the back. Extended sight radius and adjustability. A crosshair insert in the front would probably be kinda nice with that Marbles rear sight.
If you want more variety and better inserts for that sight, check out Lee Shaver’s kit. I have one for my Sharps. Much better selection than the Lyman variety.
OMG The thing can shoot! I took it to the range today for the first time. The barrel doesn't have a caliber stamp but the kit box said 50 caliber, it's a 45 Cal. No problem, go to the LGS and buy 45 Cal balls. Did you know there's a difference between 45 rifle and 45 Pistol? I didn't, second trip to the LGS, No .440 PRBs. I'm lucky the clerk knew where some were in the second hand bin. Back to the range.
I loaded with 75 gr of FFF, patched the ball, drove it home and primed the pan. I was apprehensive as I've never fired a ML. Ignition was fast and very little recoil. First shot, just left of the X second just right at 50 yards. The Lyman peep works better than I could have hoped for. I chose an amber insert with a hole in the center. The sight picture looks like the insert has crosshairs. I brought the front blade up to the horizontal line and touched it off. The trigger is about 2.5 lbs. All I can say is WOW! I'm hooked. Traditional ML season starts after Christmas I'll make it to the range this week for more practice.
Thanks for all the advise, information and the education. This has been a very rewarding project.
I've been ordered by my doctor to keep my foot elevated and iced for three weeks. I've been in my recliner for a week and a half and another week and a half to go. I have a 15 book set of Foxfire, a series on Appalachian Folklore. These books inspired me to make the two banjos and scalper knife I posted a few years ago. Well, I'm in volume 5 and there's a long portion on gunsmithing and building ML rifles and what do I see?
