[Jeff Higgins]

Yes, there is no shortage of rifle kits on the market today. Quality varies tremendously from manufacturer to manufacturer. Level of completion varies just as much, but these are two different things. Some of the cheapest, lowest quality kits arrive the most finished, requiring the least amount of work. Some of the best kits arrive the least finished, requiring a good deal of skilled work to complete. And vis versa - some of the cheapest quality kits are so bad they take a real "craftsman" to build even a halfway acceptable rifle, where some of the best quality kits require no more than finishing the stock and assembling to parts.

The "big box" manufacturers tend to supply the lower quality kits. The two notable exceptions, in my opinion, are Thompson Center and Lyman. Their stuff is not, however, in any way meant to be any kind of historically correct representation, with the exception of the Lyman Great Plains Rifle. If that is important to you, you will have to look elsewhere.

One of my favorites for quality, historically correct rifles is Track of the Wolf. Top quality stuff all the way. Many of their kits offer a selection of both barrels and locks from at least a couple of manufacturers, so you can tailor the kit to your desires. These are, however, for the most part "craftsman" kits, and will require a good deal of inletting on the stock, a drill press to drill up many of the screw holes (although they do offer them drilled and tapped as an extra cost option), and will require you to brown or blue the metal work. For those who enjoy getting that deep into it, though, they are a pleasure to work with.

Dixie Gun Works and October Country are another couple of suppliers you might want to check out. Both offer an extensive line-up of quality kits. Not as "hard core" as Track of the Wolf, but good stuff anyways.