Day 4 of our Kibler Kit Assembly class with Mike Brooks and Wayne Estes has come and gone. Students spent the day rounding the final bend on their rifles, finishing additional carved details, and started tweaking ramrods to fit snuggly in their pipes.

Mike spent much of the day working with students on metal finishes and hand engraving names onto barrels. Wayne on the other hand worked with the colonial kit students on getting their stocks stained from start to finish. Overnight, those stocks soaked up a heavy coat of oil and will take another in the morning before some final buffing. The first day of the class flew by with the quick fitting assembly of the Kibler parts, while days 2 and 3 slowed as students began adding finish.

Day 4 really brought it all together as students could see the light at the end of the tunnel, their rifles are really coming together now. By the end of Day 4 everyone was spent, but happy. Everyone is grinning like a kid on Christmas. Tonight, images of flintlocks trekking through the woods will dance in their dreams as they work towards final assembly tomorrow.