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Work order — Traditions Kentucky Rifle

Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification. Generated from the Pew-Takedown entry last updated 2026-10-29. Confidence: medium.

Shop difficulty: Tier 2 of 3

Hardest muzzleloader here: 78 pieces, a barrel held by small pins drifted through a two-piece wooden stock that can split or loosen, and (flint) a lock with mainspring, frizzen spring and sear spring that need a spring vise or clamp. Each spring is handled on its own and the long-gun count is well under the Tier 3 line, so Tier 2 (upper end). 64 parts (Traditions Kentucky Rifle parts sheet for finished R-2010/R-2020/R-2025 and kits, flint and percussion (64 line items); main list plus flintlock, percussion lock and trigger sub-lists, so one rifle ha). Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's.

Bench time: strip ~35 min, rebuild ~55 min (estimate). Actual: strip ______ rebuild ______

Special tools:

• Mainspring vise (leaf spring type) — Flintlock mainspring
• Small C-clamp or frizzen spring vise — Frizzen spring
• 1/16" pin punch no larger than the barrel pins — Barrel tenon and stock joining pins without enlarging the wood holes
• Fitted gunsmith screwdrivers — Lock plate, tang, trigger guard and furniture screws in wood

Watch for:

• The barrel is held by tenon pins driven through the forend; the stock is easily damaged and can split if the barrel is levered out. (both; American Longrifles forum)
• Traditions warns to tap the pins out carefully without damaging the stock. (disassembly; Traditions Performance Firearms)
• Every pin removal loosens the pin holes in the wood a little more. (reassembly; 24hourcampfire)
• The flintlock’s mainspring and frizzen spring must be compressed with a spring vise or clamp to come out and go back. (both; American Longrifles forum)
• A ramrod retaining spring is held by a lock plate screw and drops into the stock if that screw is taken fully out. (disassembly; Traditions Performance Firearms)

Tools

• Marked ramrod — Verifying whether the bore is loaded.
• Vent pick — Clearing the touch hole on a flintlock.
• Knapping hammer or spare flints — Flints dull and must be knapped or replaced — a flintlock consumable.
• Ball puller or CO2 discharger — Removing an unfired charge.

1. Clear and make safe

Manufacturer's video: Traditions Firearms Video Series - Removing a Load From Your Traditions Sidelock (Traditions Performance Firearms)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ES1SnGX51g
Traditions Firearms Video Series - Clearing Obstructions (Traditions Performance Firearms)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7bxGwTlRtU

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
2. Open the frizzen and brush any priming powder out of the pan.
   Warning: An open pan with powder in it is an exposed ignition source. Clear it first.
3. Insert your marked ramrod down the bore and compare the mark against the muzzle.
   Warning: If the rod stops short of the empty mark, the rifle is loaded. NEVER look down the muzzle.
4. If the rifle is loaded and you do not intend to fire it, remove the charge with a ball puller or a CO2 discharger.
   Warning: If you cannot remove the charge, the rifle remains loaded.
5. Clear the touch hole with the vent pick and confirm it is open.
6. Remove all powder, flints, and projectiles from the work area.

2. Disassemble

Manufacturer's video: Traditions Firearms Video Series - How to Disassemble Your Traditions Flintlock Muzzleloader (Traditions Performance Firearms)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOH2BU2VL7M

Field Strip

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure, confirming the pan is empty and the bore is clear.
2. Remove the flint from the jaws of the cock, noting its wrap.
3. Remove the lock retaining screws from the side of the stock opposite the lock.
4. Lift the lock assembly out of its mortise as a unit.
   Warning: Do not disassemble the lock — the mainspring and frizzen spring are strongly compressed and require a mainspring vice.
5. Remove the tang screw and barrel wedges or keys and lift the barrel out of the stock.
6. Clean the bore with hot soapy water, flushing through the touch hole, then dry completely and oil.
   Warning: Same-day cleaning. Black powder fouling rusts a bore overnight.
7. Clean the pan, frizzen face, and touch hole. Dry them completely — a wet pan will not fire.

3. Refinish

The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks "factory fit" should not be swapped or reworked.

The manufacturer's full parts list (64 parts) is on the reference page.

4. Reassemble

Manufacturer's video: Traditions Firearms Video Series How to Reassemble Your Traditions Flintlock Muzzleloader (Traditions Performance Firearms)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp1YxTjwgeo

Reassembly

1. Set the barrel into the stock and install the wedges or keys and the tang screw.
2. Set the lock into its mortise and install the lock screws snugly.
   Warning: Do not overtighten into wood.
3. Fit a sharp flint in the jaws of the cock with its wrap, bevel oriented as your lock prefers.
   Tip: Flint orientation — bevel up or bevel down — varies by lock. Try both and keep the one that sparks best.
4. Confirm the touch hole is clear with the vent pick.
5. Perform the function check.

5. Torque

No manufacturer torque values are recorded for this firearm.

Notes: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Check the nipple on a percussion gun or the flint, jaws and frizzen of flintlock gun, to be sure they are secure. Tighten, if necessary. Take care not to overtighten." (Safety & Instruction Manual for Sidelock Muzzleloaders (FIT 7), PDF p. 23) "Note: Take care not to over-tighten the screws or damage to the rear sight may occur." (Safety & Instruction Manual for Sidelock Muzzleloaders (FIT 7), PDF p. 42)

Fit or check on rebuild

• Barrel tenon pins snug in the wood; barrel seated in its inletting with room for the wood to move — Loose pin holes and a barrel bedded too tight are the known failure modes (wood can split as it swells).
• Sear engagement / half-cock holds; sear adjusting screw set — The lock has a sear adjusting screw and spring; a wrongly set screw stops the sear engaging the tumbler notches.
• Flint sparks into the pan; frizzen spring snaps the frizzen open and closed — Entry tip: flint orientation varies by lock; test for sparks after the lock has been apart.
• Sight re-zero (dovetail rear sight drifted back to its mark) — Traditions adjusts fixed-sight windage by drifting the rear sight.

6. Function check

• Verify the bore is empty with a marked ramrod and the pan is empty before each check.
• Confirm the cock holds at half-cock and full cock.
• With the cock at full cock, engage the safety if fitted and press the trigger. The cock must not fall.
• Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The cock should fall and the flint should scrape the frizzen and throw sparks into the pan.
• Confirm the frizzen snaps fully open when struck and that sparks land in the pan.
• Confirm the touch hole is clear by looking through it with the barrel out, or with a vent pick.
• If the lock does not throw good sparks, knap or replace the flint before loading.

If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire. Stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

Sources

1. Traditions Muzzleloading Rifle Owner’s Manual — Traditions Performance Firearms primary
2. Safety & Instruction Manual for Sidelock Muzzleloaders (FIT 7) — Traditions Performance Firearms primary
   https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/data/CURRENT%20-%20FIT%207%20Revised%20Final%20FINAL_1477335832.pdf
3. Traditions™ Kentucky Rifle (Models R-2010, R-2020, R-2025, KR-5210, R-5220, KR-5225) parts sheet — Traditions Performance Firearms primary
   https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/data/Kentucky%20Rifle_1365523584.pdf
4. Traditions Kentucky .50 cal Flintlock Select Hardwood/Blued R2010 — Traditions Performance Firearms primary
   https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/product/Kentucky-.50-cal-Flintlock-Select-Hardwood-Blued-R2010
5. Removing a pinned barrel — American Longrifles forum anecdotal
   https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=54552.0
6. How do you clean a flintlock? — 24hourcampfire anecdotal
   https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3327793/how-do-you-clean-a-flintlock
7. flintlock main spring — American Longrifles forum anecdotal
   https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=76251.0
8. Cant get double set triggers to work on CVA Hawken Kit gun. — American Longrifles forum anecdotal
   https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=35378.0

Educational guide only. Some information comes from non-authoritative sources. Always consult your manufacturer's manual and a licensed gunsmith. Verify your firearm is unloaded before every procedure. Full disclaimer: https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown

Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.