Our Rifle Kit Models. Click the name to go to the description and specs:
These rifle parts represent the epitome of 18th century rifle making technology. In addition to being authentic in every aspect, the parts benefit from the latest in 20th century technology in the quality of materials and workmanship.
Tools needed for assembly include standard screwdrivers, small flat chisel, hand drill and bits, fine wood rasp, assorted files and sandpaper.
Buckeye Barrels, LLC is now our exclusive barrel supplier. Buckeye Barrels is located within Jim Chambers Flintlocks' workshop so your entire kit order can be placed at one time and the availability of all your order determined immediately.
Buckeye Barrels, LLC carries all barrels to fit our kits. Only premium swamped barrels from Rice Rifle Barrels are used in Chambers kits. Buckeye Barrels is in the process of building an inventory in an effort to try and reduce the long wait times currently experienced when ordering.
Barrels
All barrels are top quality and traditionally styled. All barrels are swamped (tapered and flared) with round groove. The barrel tenons and the front sight dovetails are already cut. The barrel comes with the breech plug installed and an extra long tang for you to shape or shorten to your preference.
Locks
All locks are designed and produced by Jim Chambers from high quality carbon steel. These locks are designed to have that much sought after English lock feel and action. Each lock is precision assembled and all parts are heat treated for long, reliable service.
Stocks
We use quality northern curly maple with figure throughout the stock. If you prefer an even fancier piece of wood we can provide that at additional cost, or we can use your wood at a discount. Walnut or cherry wood is also available, and most stocks can be ordered with an optional sliding wood patchbox. We maintain an inventory of 50-70 stocks at all times.
Parts
The hardware is designed and manufactured exclusively for these rifles out of soft yellow brass--no hard-to-work bronze as is used in other rifles. The parts package comes with all screws, pins, rivets, springs, etc., required for assembly. We also offer an optional finishing kit that includes stock stain, stock finish and browning solution.
Early Lancaster Pennsylvania Rifle
circa 1765-1775
Model RK-1
click image ☝ to enlarge
Our Lancaster rifle represents the early but fully developed Lancaster style of architecture at its finest, with a high, straight comb, slender wrist and forestock, and wide-flat butt plate. Lancaster rifles were used all along the frontier in Pennsylvania before and during the Revolutionary War and were carried west into Ohio and Kentucky and south into Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas after the Revolution. The Lancaster is a pleasure to look at as well as to shoot.
Choose the 54 caliber for a perfectly balanced, light weight hunting rifle capable of taking all North American game. For a little more weight up front (for good off hand target work) I'd suggest the 50 caliber. Either will give you years of pleasure and service.
Note: Pictured brass box above not available.
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Early York Pennsylvania Rifle
circa 1770-1780
Model RK-2
click image ☝ to enlarge
York County Pennsylvania lies just southwest of Lancaster and was home to many great gunsmiths such as George Schroyer, G. Eister, Martin Fry and others. Overall the York rifle is slightly smaller than the Lancaster which makes it ideal for those of smaller stature. The slender Getz barrel makes this rifle look wonderful with its long slim lines. It handles and balances perfectly. Frontiersmen such as Davy Crocket carried York rifles. If you are looking for a light-weight hunting rifle, the York is an excellent choice in 50 caliber. In 45, and especially in 40 caliber, the York is extremely accurate. This rifle will look great with either a brass or sliding wood patchbox.
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Isaac Haines
circa 1770-1780
Model RK-3 (Right Hand); Model RK-4 (Left hand)
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Isaac Haines was born in 1750 and was listed on the tax records of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania as a gunsmith in 1772. He worked into the 1790's. Haines made some of the very finest rifles produced in Lancaster.
Our Isaac Haines rifle is of the style that was made in Lancaster in the late 1770's or early 1780's. It could have had either a sliding wood or brass patchbox.
If you are looking for a good, basic hunting rifle, the Haines in 50 or 54 caliber is hard to beat. The shorter 38" barrel and light weight makes this a very quick-handling rifle for those running shots in heavy cover. At the target range the rifle can hold its own with the best.
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Christians Spring - Edward Marshall
circa 1760-1770
Model RK-5
click image ☝ to enlarge
Our Christians Spring rifle is probably the earliest gun we offer. Andreas Albrecht, who opened a gun shop in the Moravian settlement of Christians Spring in 1762, arrived in the Colonies in 1750. This rifle could have been made soon after he arrived or later by him or another gunmaker in the shop at Christians Spring. It definitely has early features related to rifles produced in Germany during the mid-18th century.
The rifle was supposedly owned by Edward Marshall in his later years. Marshall and two other men were involved in the "Walking Purchase" in which land in eastern Pennsylvania along the Delaware River was bought from the Indians in 1737.
Many copies of this famous rifle have been made over the years. Ours is probably the most accurate, having been made from very precise measurements taken from the original 58 caliber rifle. The rifle is very pleasant to shoot and very handy as a hunting gun. I personally hunt with the rifle pictured here.
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Pennsylvania Fowler
circa 1760-1770
Model RK-6 (Right Hand)
Model RK-11 (Left Hand)
click image ☝ to enlarge
In the 18th century, if you could afford only one gun, it was wise and prudent to choose a smoothbore. It could be loaded with shot for birding or with a round ball for deer-size game. As a defensive weapon, the fowler could be easily and quickly loaded. As for accuracy, a man carrying a smoothbore loaded with a tightly patched round ball was virtually equal to a man with a rifle at distances of up to 50 yards. At that distance we have been able to consistently shoot 3 inch groups with one our smoothbore fowlers.
Our fowler was copied from an original pre-Revolutionary period gun and has typical English smoothbore mounts. The 46" long octagon-to-round barrel and slender stock make the fowler very light and graceful, an excellent choice for an all around gun.
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Smooth Rifle
circa 1760-1770
Model RK-7
click image ☝ to enlarge
George Shumway, in his excellent book Rifles of Colonial America, says of the original rifle that inspired this gun:
"Here is a splendid example of English gun styling applied to the building of an American longrifle. It's overall appearance is that of an English smoothbore gun of the third quarer of the 18th century, but it is a rifle complete with almost all the features that a rifle usually contains. The slender stock is shaped very much like an English smoothbore, the only modification being the inclusion of a small cheek-piece and a patchbox with a sliding wood cover. The brass funiture is fashioned in the English style."
The latest research indicates the original rifle was made by John Newcomer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
This is an excellent choice for the smoothbore matches with a 20, 24, or 28 gauge barrel. With a 50 or 54 caliber rifle barrel, the gun is still well balanced. Some gunmakers prefer to substitute the Lancaster trigger guard for a more rifle-like appearance. Overall, it is a long slender and very gracefull piece.
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Mark Silver - Virginia Rifle
circa 1750-1780
Model RK-8
click image ☝ to enlarge
Historically this rifle is closely derived from an original rifle of the James River Basin area of Virginia. The original rifle may date from as early as the 1740's and quite probably was used by a member of Morgan's Riflemen during the Revolutionary war. This type of rifle would have been used along the frontier during conflicts such as the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars and as a tool of daily life by settlers and "longhunters" of the mid-to-late 18th century and early 19th century.
Stylistically the rifle shows a subtle blending of British and German influences, typical of Southern rifles. The long tang buttplate derives from English fowlers while the decorative finials of the rifle style guard show German and French influences. This blending of styles is evident in the stock architecture as well, the classic English wrist balustration flowing into the prominent and effective Germanic cheek piece.
The round faced British export lock is typical of many Southern rifles of the period, its large size and excellent geometry assure fast reliable ignition, as important today as during the 18th century.
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New England Colonial Fowler/Militia Musket
by Mark Silver
circa 1740-1780
Model RK-9
click image ☝ to enlarge
While typical of New England, this type of arm was also made and used extensively in all the colonies. Loaded with shot or ball, they were used for hunting all types of game from squirrel to turkey, waterfowl, deer, bear, and moose. These arms also played a significant role in the incessant sporadic border conflict with New France that culminated in the French and Indian War. During the American Revolution, these pieces again saw service with both Patriot and Loyalist partisans, militias, and line regiments in the early years of the war.
The stock styling is a graceful blend of English and French architecture, with a long slim balustrate wrist accentuated by the concave curve of the lower butt stock. The forend shows moderate swelling at the rear ramrod pipe common to the earliest Brown Bess service muskets as well as many European arms. Whether stocked to the muzzle or cut back a few inches for the use of a socket bayonet, these pieces were unique, graceful, and superbly effective.
The brass mounts reflect the styling of the very early 18th century, and could have been reused from earlier British arms or made by colonial smiths to these familiar forms. The plain folded sheet brass ramrod pipes are 100% authentic as is, or can easily be filed to many different authentic shapes. The lock of round face British export type (Jim Chambers' Colonial Virginia) is authentic, fast, and superbly reliable as befits a serious firearm.
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English Fowler/Officers Fusil
circa 1750-1770
(Available only in walnut or cherry)
Model RK-10
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Our English fowler was copied from an original gun made in 1762 by William Bennett, a very fine gunmaker who worked in London. This gun probably came to the Colonies with an English officer during the French and Indian War or the Revolution.
This 20 gauge fowler has a 41" long, fully-round barrel that measures 1 1/4" at the breech wedding band. It tapers quickly to 3/4" four inches from the muzzle and then flares to 27/32", giving the fowler superb balance. The long-slender wrist extends far back into the butt-stock for classic English smoothbore architecture.
With the addition of relief carving, engraving, and/or silver wire inlay, this fowler can be made into an expensive work of art suitable for English nobility.
Because this is an English gun, curly maple is not a suitable wood choice. Available only in English walnut or cherry.
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English Gentleman's Sporting Rifle
circa 1740-1750
(Available only in English Walnut)
Model RK-12
click image ☝ to enlarge
Our newest addition to the Chambers kit line is the English Gentleman's Sporting Rifle. Based on an original created by the famous London gunmaker William Turvey around 1740-1750. This piece is an early example of English full stock sporting rifles. English gunmakers sometimes incorporated Germanic features as exhibited by the plain sliding wooden patchbox and square toe. However, the hardware (including the wrist escutcheon, the decorative flowing side plate, and the first pattern acorn finial guard) exhibits the typical relief-chiseled details that occurred on fine English pieces. English sporting rifles in the 1700's were made for well-to-do English gentlemen but could have found their way to the colonies.
From a practical viewpoint today, this rifle makes a terrific, quick handling hunting rifle that is ideal for thick cover. Its short length and light weight make it easy to carry on those long all-day, or all week, hunts. This kit's hardware comes in both steel and brass, of which both were historically used on sporting rifles. The Round Faced English lock not only boasts excellent geometry and speed, but also utilizes a water-resistant pan. Because this is an English gun, the stock will be available only in English walnut wood. Please call for availability and pricing of the wood.
Note: Metal patchbox in photo not available
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New Kit! - The Little Feller's Rifle
circa 1770-1790
Model RK-13
click image ☝ to enlarge
Our new addition to the Chambers kit line in 2008 is the Little Feller's Rifle. Originally created by Master Gunsmith David Dodds of Selingsgrove, PA, this smaller rifle is perfect for smaller folks.
Fashioned after a Pennsylvania style Berks County rifle, it also incorporates just a little bit of a York Country flare. The cheek piece is rounded and slightly longer than those of our other rifle kits.
It is the first in the Chambers line of rifle kits to utilize a Deluxe Siler Flintlock giving it the highly sought after speed and precision that shooters prefer. It can also accommodate a Large Siler Percussion for those who find a cap lock more to their liking.
The Little Feller's rifle has a 34" long custom made premium swamped barrel produced exclusively by Rice Rifle Barrel Co. in 40, 45, and 50 calibers, helping to make it a light weight and quick handling rifle.
Originally purchased as a rifle that would fit the up-and-coming youth population from about 7 years of age on up, it has turned out to be a far more versatile piece. Ladies and gentlemen of heights 5'7" or shorter have found this gun to be a perfect fit. Plus, with its light-weight barrel many of our well-experienced gentlemen who no longer want to haul around a heavy rifle but still want to take a muzzleloader out in the woods for a day, find it to be just what they want. With its shorter trigger pull, it also makes a great winter hunting rifle for anyone and will accommodate a warm thick coat on those cold days.
From squirrels to deer and everything in between, this little gun is just the right size.
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