kit vs. non-kit

[gunhawk]

 Greetings,
  Wondering what you think of building a kit muzzloader vs. just getting the finished rifle ?   
Seems like a good project to put together the kit, but realizing it takes some skill.  Perhaps a lot of skill.   Want the finished kit to look as good or better than the "factory" rifle.
And, chime in if you have ever put together a muzzleloading kit rifle (or pistol).

[hotfxr]

That is not a question with an easy or simple answer. There are different levels of quality in both kits and finished firearms. I would encourage you to peruse older posts in this forum as there are many discussions about this topic.
I would encourage you to first decide which firearm you want, then look at what is available out there.

[bmtshooter]

I have indeed put together a couple of rifle kits over the years.

If you truly want it to "look as good or better than the factory rifle", you should probably just get the factory rifle.  Then you can decide if you want to risk "improving" the rifle by modifying it.  If you decide not to do any modifications, you have a factory rifle, nonetheless.

Many a kit has languished unfinished in people's closets because the builder ran out of energy and/or confidence.

But you know you better than anyone ........... so it depends on your levels of perfectionism and perseverance.

[gunhawk]

Not actually asking this for myself, as i don't think i could put together a kit to a factory finish that I would be satisfied with.  I have however, seen some very nice kit guns built by others.
  Just curious how others here feel about building a kit gun.  Thanks for all responses.

[hotfxr]

Now that I have more time, I would like to expand on my earlier reply. This would actually be a more relevant question if it was 20 years ago. Unfortunately there are a lot less kits and/or finished firearms out there these days. Over the years I have restored and modified a goodly number of muzzleloaders, kits and finished.
Note that the quality of the kit guns vary greatly.
If you wanted to build or buy say, a Philadelphia Derringer, there is a $30 difference between the kit and the finished pistol. For the cost, I would absolutely buy the finished product. The kits are not the best quality and it is difficult to machine out the holes needed with the shape of the blank.
Kits also vary in the machining.
Pedersoli kits come actually assembled and only need a minimum amount of sanding to finish them off. It makes the "kit" savings worth it. Of course you are on your own if you want checkering, something I am woefully unable to do.
Plus, I believe, all kits will need to finish the barrels and furniture.
I have "built" several kits for myself and for others. When I first started my black powder journey I wound up purchasing a few kit rifles that others had built. Hence the modifying and repair mentioned before.
With the help and advice from many members here I wound up building a few from scratch. Tedious, time consuming, and not for the faint of heart, but also not as difficult as I originally thought.
For anyone who is thinking about embracing the muzzleloader life, I would recommend going ahead and building a kit, such as a Traditions Kentucky pistol. It's not that hard and what it will do is give you knowledge of how the parts interact with each other. Something that will help you out if you have a problem at a shoot.

This is just my personal take of this topic and des not necessarily reflect the view of this forum.

[flintboomer]

I agree with Hotfxr that building a kit helps you understand how they work.
BUT:
I have seen some terrible kits and a few kit guns that were simply screwed together and painted. Some of the early kit guns were actually just a way to sell reject parts or made with little expectation that they would ever be put together and shot. My brother in law had one that looked like the barrel was made from a section of 1/2 inch pipe and the quality of the rest of it was equally bad..
A good kit and some help or working knowledge makes a huge difference in the finished product.

[Hanshi]

Just guessing on this but I would imagine about the easiest "kits" to build would be the kits from importers such as Traditions and other similar offerings.  They are probably a good way to get basic experience putting kits together.  Even if one goes no further they offer the option of a bit of customizing for relatively little money.  Most of us have owned one or more than one during our career; I know I have.

I wouldn't mind having such a kit and can think of worse ways to acquire a quality "beater".  But that's just one of my ideas for better or for worse.