When I was a teenager, I took some of my Milwaukee Journal paper route money and bought a CVA Kentucky Pistol kit at
a gun show. Within a short time, I screwed something up, removing too much wood for the forend cap to attach to
and the half cock notch on the tumbler broke. The kit sat in my parents basement until my dad decided to downsize,
he brought from Milwaukee to Kansas City tubs of stuff, including the kit and his Seneca Falls lathe. I dug out the kit
in November, thinking my 10 year old son and I could finally finish it, it touched me that my dad had put a small hand vise
with the kit to compress the mainspring, which is necessary to replace the tumbler. Some parts were lost over the years, and I found a
replacement tumbler on ebay.

Did any of you start this way? Truthfully, I felt like a failure for not being able to finish it. Now I think, the kit maker was a
bit shoddy, and this was before CNC equipment was widespread (so I forgive them) , and optimistic about the buyer needing for example, only a hand drill instead of a drill press. I've learned a lot and have better tools and have now forgiven my 14 year old self for not completing it. Attached are a picture of my son working on it and the kit in pieces, with the parts ready for finishing. We are now browning the barrel, applying coats of Howe #1 to the stock and have heat blued the small parts.

So once again, did any of you start this way and have similar memories?

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]