No. Our kits are machined on multi-axis CNC equipment to tolerances that let the parts go together with basic hand tools. No gunsmithing, metalworking, or wood removal is required. Careful instruction-following and patience are enough, and plenty of builders start with no prior experience.

The Appalachian Barn Gun. It has the fewest parts of any kit we offer, and it is available as either flintlock or percussion. It is the one we recommend for a first build.

Most first-time builders finish a kit across several weekends.

The builder fits the metal parts, prepares the wood and metal surfaces for finishing, stains and finishes the wood, finishes the metal components, and assembles and function-tests the complete rifle. The precision inletting, drilling, and machining are already done. The shaping, finish, and character of the rifle become yours.

Kits arrive as pre-machined, precision-fit components. The hard work of complex inletting, drilling, and machining is already done before the kit leaves the shop.

Choose flintlock if you are drawn to the 17th and 18th century, the Revolutionary War era and the colonial American longrifle, or a very rewarding shooting experience. Choose percussion if you are drawn to the Hawken plains rifle tradition, want better reliability in damp weather, or want an easier system to start with.

You can order online, by email, or by calling 330-551-5844 to place your order over the phone.

Kits ship through UPS, or USPS on request. We contact you before shipping to confirm you are ready and to verify your address. If you will be out of town, we hold the shipment until you are ready. You get a tracking number by email when the kit ships.