Here are some photos of the kit, alongside a finished example from the Lyman kit. It looks far better in the photos than it does in detail, "up close and personal". Where the Lyman kit was advertised as "95% inletted", it was actually 100% - everything fit into its mortise with no additional inletting whatsoever. This one makes a similar claim, "95% inletted", but absolutely nothing fits into its mortice. Not even close. I wish I could capture just how poorly things fit, but the camera just doesn't seem to do that very well.
You'll notice that some of the inletting isn't even started, like for the two barrel keys that hold it in place. Less obvious are things like the under rib on the barrel is too long, on both ends, and will need to be cut back. They make one design - these are all the same - and it has to be cut, so why not go that extra mile (more like half inch) and cut them all where they need to be cut? I don't get it.
The tang piece, into which the hook on the breach end of the barrel fits, is supposed to be octagon in shape, matching the barrel. The rough casting wasn't even close. I had to file it to shape. And that was after working the hook on the barrel and the square mortise in the tang so that they would actually mate together - the hook wouldn't even fit through the hole.
Lots of silly little details like that just aren't finished, where on kits costing half the price (or less) they are, and fit wonderfully right out of the box. All CNC machined, though, which I guess really isn't "correct" for these rifles. And, yes, I guess all of those will always turn out the same, where this one will definitely take on its own personality, instilled through my filing, chiseling, gouging, and sanding. There will not ever be one exactly like it, which was true for the originals. And, in the long run, I think that will ultimately be much more satisfying. Just a lot more work than I anticipated.
Here is an attempt to show one area of the inletting, where the entry thimble and nose piece are supposed to fit on the forend. There should be (and eventually will be) a very distinct ledge, or shoulder, up against which the nose piece will butt (you can see where it is flush on the finished rifle). There is supposed to be a round mortise that accepts the entry thimble, with a shallow flat behind it for the tang on the entry thimble. You can see where that shallow flat is "inletted", but it's only half as wide as it needs to be, not long enough, and too shallow to let it sit flush.
So, this is where I'm starting. I began with the crescent butt plate. I've got a few hours into that already, which is not really apparent in the photos. It was that bad before I started...