Purchased a basic "Kentucky Pistol" as a kit on Ebay a couple years ago. It came with basic parts, not historically accurate, but at the time I didn't care much. I put some of it together, and as nothing fit together the way it should, the wood being improperly carved at the factory, It got put back in a box. A year later, with no other projects and lots of time at home, I took out the pieces, knowing that while I couldn't assemble it as the instructions said, it wouldn't get put together at all if i left it alone. In order to make up for the bad stock, I cut off 2 inches from the muzzle of the barrel. Then I recarved the forestock and fit the muzzlecap into place. I added a different trigger guard in place of the tiny old one, and added a brass butt-cap. At this point, I finished the piece with the standard Percussion lock, and called it done. But I still wasn't satisfied. I wanted a FLINTLOCK, not a percussion lock. So I purchased a flintlock that would fit the mortise in the stock, and converted the barrel. I had to forge and machine a few custom parts in order to make this conversion, but it was well worth it. Upon completing it, I narrowed the forestock from it's bulky figure the factory gave it, and made it accurate to the time period. Now!... It is truly finished. And, i might add, it fires BEAUTIFULLY.