Owner's manual

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing your new Traditions
muzzleloading kit. When you are finished you will have a fully functional
and operable muzzleloader that you can take to the range or in the field.
For this reason it must be handled with the same precautions and respect
due any firearm. Before loading or shooting this gun, read and understand
and always be willing to follow the instructions, loads, and precautions as
outlined in the enclosed Warranty and Shooting Instructions Booklet. If
this booklet is not with your kit, contact Traditions for a free
replacement copy.
Please be sure to read the below instructions completely before
assembling your Traditions rifle kit. Please note that once the package has
been opened and altered in anyway (I.E. sanding, staining, bluing, filing,
etc…) you will need to contact Traditions directly and not your dealer to
resolve any issues that may arise.
The following instructions will enable a moderately handy person
to build a safe, serviceable, and shootable muzzleloader. This kit is to be
considered moderately hard (Intermediate Skill Level) and you should
expect to do some filing of both metal and wood to make it fit properly.
Greater skills and patience will be rewarded with a truly fine rifle reminis-
cent of the muzzleloading era.
Skill Levels:
Intermediate:
Stock: 95% inletted. Will require some minor stock shaping & final fitting
of metal to stock, final sanding & finish. Will require holes to be drilled.
Metal: Will require polishing & browning or bluing.
Note: Remember that you have less of a chance of splitting the stock if
you drill pilot holes before inserting screws.
9. Set the hammer in the half-cock position. The barrel bolster
should be positioned concentrically into its cut-out in the lock
plate and the lock plate should be snug against the barrel.
10. Insert the tang screw through the hole in the corresponding
tang and pass it through the stock and into its corresponding
hole in the trigger assembly.
11. At this point the hammer should be positioned so that it will fall
squarely onto the nipple. If it does not, one or more of the fol
lowing steps may be taken.
   • Remove wood from bottom of lock recess, until lock is flush
with the barrel.
   • Remove wood as needed from under and behind the barrel
channel, including tang area.
   • Check that the lock plate and lock plate screws are snugly
fitted into the stock and the lock is properly positioned in its
cut-out.
   • If proper alignment is not obtained with the previous steps, the
hammer may be bent slightly by removing it from the lock,
heating it and bending it carefully to obtain the
correct alignment.
12. Attach the rear sight to the barrel by inserting into the dovetail
at the rear of the barrel and gently tapping in from the right side.
13. Install the front sight into the dovetail cut out on the top front of
the barrel by tapping gently from the right side.
Brass to Wood Assembly:
Keep in mind that when attaching brass to wood you can file either
the wood or the brass. Always be careful to file away sparingly and
check for proper fit often.
14. Trigger Guard
   • Press the rear of the trigger guard into the stock. Then press
the front into inlets. The front of the guard should fit snugly
and some pressure is required to obtain this fit.
   • If necessary remove metal from the ends of the trigger guard
using a belt sander or file to allow the trigger guard to fit into
the inletting. Remember to remove metal sparingly and check
the fit often to assure that you have not taken too much
material off. Install using the trigger guard screws.
15. Nose Cap
   • Withthebarrelattachedtothestock,placethenosecapon
the stock. If the cap does not fit properly remove wood
sparingly and in small quantities until the nose cap fits snugly.
   • Insertandtightentwoscrews.
Rie Kit Instructions
Crockett Rie
187
Traditions Performance Firearms (T.S.G.I.)
1375 Boston Post Road
P.O.Box776•OldSaybrook,CT06475-0776
www.traditionsfirearms.com
e-mail: info@traditionsfirearms.com
Tel:860-388-4656•Fax:860-388-4657
FIT38
Note: As with the barrel tenon final fitting of sights should be done only
after bluing or browning the barrel.
Now that the gun is completely together and dry fit you need to check
for functionality. Be sure to visually inspect the entire gun and compo-
nents. Some common problems that can result are listed below
with solution.
   • Hammerwon’tcockbackcompletely:
Fix: Remove lock from stock. Visually inspect inletting
for “dark”, “oily”, or “rub” marks. They will most likely be
along the bottom of the inletting for the lock opening. If
these are spotted use a small chisel, file or Dremel® tool to
remove excess wood. Make sure to take out small amounts
and check fit and function of the lock. Continue to remove
wood until lock operates properly.
   • LockPlatesitsouttoofar:
Fix: If the lock sticks out too far shave small amounts away
from inletting. Continue until locks sits properly in inletting.
   • LockPlatesitsintoofar:
Fix: If the lock sits in too far use wood or plastic shims to
set proper spacing. Make sure these shims don’t interfere
with any moving parts on the lock plate. Wood putty is not
recommended to use as a shim because it can shift
or compress.
Once everything fits properly and functions as it is supposed to,
disassemble the rifle and place parts back into Rubbermaid
®
bin or
similar container.
Final Fitting:
Now that all of our parts have been dry fitted we need to prepare the
stock and barrel for their final finishes. Remember that this is where
diligence pays off. Proceed slowly and be critical of your work and you
will be rewarded with a fine looking firearm.
Stock
  • Usingprogressivelynerwoodraspandsandpaper,bringwood
and metal surfaces flush with each other. File together to achieve
a smooth transition between the surfaces. Proceed carefully,
deliberately, and slowly.
  • Onceallsurfacesareushuseanorbitalsanderandhand
sanding block to continue to smooth imperfections on the stock.
  • Toachieveagoodnishsandusing150gritsandpaper.
  • Toachieveabetternishcontinuesandingwith180 
grit sandpaper
  • Toachievethebestnishusea220gritsandpaperorhigher.
  • Removeortapeovermetalpartsbeforestainingof
finishing stock.
  • Onceallsandingiscompletestainwithyourchoiceofstainand
color. Follow directions on the can for best results.
  • Oncethatstaindriescompletelyapplyanevencoatof
polyurethane for added protection.
  • Atthistimeyoucanyoucaninstalltheslingswiveltotheunder
side of the buttstock. Select a drill bit slightly smaller than
the screw portion of the sling swivel.
  • Installslingswivels.
Barrel
  • Polishbaresteelpartswithvaryinggritsofemerycloth,eachone
finer than the previous. Finish with a fine steel wool.
  • Brownorbluesteelpartswithchemicalsavailableinmostgun
shops. We recommend the bluing kit available from
Birchwood Casey.
Brass
  • PolishBrassandbaresteelpartswithdifferentgritsofemery
cloth, each one finer that the previous. Finish with a fine grade
steel wool.
Once all bluing and staining is complete reassemble the rifle using the
same steps you did during the dry fitting process. Make sure all parts fit
properly and screws are properly tightened down. Be sure to read your
owners manual before firing your rifle for the first time. This manual is
designed to teach you proper techniques, loads and safety practices.
9
16. Butt Plate
   • Center butt plate on stock. Contours of the plate and stock
should match as closely as possible.
• Carefully attach two wood screws to hold in place.
   • File away excess brass before sanding stock.
CrockettKR23-09