Southern Mountain Rifle Kit

I recently completed a Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle kit, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Going into the project, I had very little woodworking or gunsmithing experience, so I was a bit intimidated. In the end, it really wasn't as difficult as I expected. The biggest piece of advice I can give is: **take your time.**

For fitting the barrel and buttstock, I used powdered charcoal mixed with a small amount of vegetable oil as an inletting black. It worked very well for identifying the high spots and made the fitting process much easier. Take your time with the buttstock in particular—it pays off in the final fit.

One mistake I made was with the front ramrod pipe. Before driving the pin through the stock, make absolutely sure the pin will pass cleanly through the pipe. I didn't verify the alignment first, and I ended up splitting the wood down the ramrod channel.

Another tip is to fit and install the ramrod before permanently installing the ramrod pipes. This ensures the rod slides in and out smoothly and makes it much easier to align everything correctly.I may need a replacement ramrod pipe.

If you're worried about drilling the pin holes, don't be. Just go slowly and carefully. I also recommend using a small jeweler's saw to cut the barrel tenons and a small file set from the big box stores. Taking your time here makes the process much less stressful.

One thing to note is that some of the older Southern Mountain Rifle build videos show you drilling and tapping the lock. **This is no longer necessary.** Kibler now has the lock pre-drilled and tapped, which saves time and eliminates one of the more intimidating steps for first-time builders.

Overall, the Southern Mountain Rifle turned out beautifully, and I'm genuinely proud of the finished product. For someone with no previous woodworking or gunsmithing skills, I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

I also want to mention that Kibler has the best customer service I've ever dealt with. They were helpful throughout the process, and that gave me the confidence to keep moving forward whenever I had questions.

I'm already looking forward to ordering a Colonial Rifle kit for my next build!

What a fun build! I ordered my kit expecting it to arrive two months later, like my Woodsrunner kit did. Ten days after the order I got an email that it was ready to ship. Two days later it was on my doorstep! It is such a beautiful rifle. As expected, everything was exceptionally well sorted and I was able to concentrate on adding a patchbox, heel plate, and a couple of inlays. Already thinking about my next project!

Kit initially arrived damaged (UPS most have thrown it around) but Kibler replaced the stock at no charge and the customer service was amazing! Kit was alot more work than I expected (Southern AZ on the border) and required quite a bit of inletting and filling due to the huge change in humidity from Ohio to Arizona. The stock must of shrunk ever so slightly due to humidity which meant every inlet required a hour or two of slow chiseling and removing of material. Metal components were great and high quality and the wood was also great quality. After staining and applying finishing oil the humidity tanked and it reached 100 degrees here so I had to inlet some more post finishing. If you live in the desert id recommend giving your rifle a week or two to adjust to the environment. Finished it in two weekends with maybe 20 hours of work into it excluding time for browning and applying layers of finishing oil. The including drill bit kit and chuck was my only major issue. The included bit guide is the same length as the drill bit so I had to cut the guide in half and the chuck wouldn't hold the bit but luckily my power drill could hold the bit on its own.

Awesome gun!!! I will be collecting all models in the future. By far the nicest kit on the market.

This is a wonderful project, it is above and beyond my expectations. I am very pleased with everything about it. My finished rifle is a true work of art. I highly recommend this Southern Mountain Rifle. Get it with the extra fancy maple stock, you will not be disappointed.