I just found this forum, and have so many topics I'd like to post about that y'all would get REAL tired of me REAL quick... I'm going to pace myself and start with just ONE question for now...   
 
I've been thinking seriously of tackling building a rifle from one of the Frontier Armory/Rodney Storie casting sets.   
I'm a couple general ed classes short of a degree in Machine Tool Technology (but that was 10 years ago), have a lathe and mill/drill and pretty good hand-filing skills. Made a living as a general purpose Gunsmith for a while, until it came down to a choice of changing careers or moving to where people would pay a bit more for gunsmithing. 
 
I'd love to hear opinions on which action (Either the D.S. Cole or the Winchester 1885 High Wall) would be be most straightforward to fit up and complete as a starter project. 
 
From de Haas' "Potpourri of Single Shot Rifles and Actions", the Cole looks very attractively simple and with few parts. 
On the other hand, I'm sure there is a larger "skill base" working with the Winchester actions. 
 
I'd love to hear from anyone who has actually finished out either of these actions. 
 
How are they? Being castings, I know they need finish machining on critical surfaces.. but how rough are the non critical surfaces?  Are they "lightly file and begin polishing" rough? Or "heavily machine off the rough as-cast surface, then file, then polish"? 
 
My long term goal is to fit and finish two rifles for my two nieces (they're 8 and 5, so I have a couple years before my sister will allow them to start shooting). In the mean time, I want to start with something for ME! 
 
Appreciate any input! 
Paul F.

Asking the guy who makes the casstings just makes WAY too much sense... it's almost like cheating!   

I will try to get a hold of him and ask.

When I first looked up the Cole action in DeHaas book after seeing it in Frontier Armory's list, I thought the drawing had left out half the parts!
"it can't BE that simple... can it?"

Never having been overburdened by an abundance of common sense, I'm still thinking of tackling a Cole action... I'll see how that goes, then decide if I want to tackle an 1885.

I'll try to get a hold of Mr Storie and ask after the Cole action.
Paul F.

Many thanks for the info!
Just the kind of first-hand report I was hoping for.

I will definitely ask after drawings... I had assumed that at least a rudimentary print would be available for the Cole, but I wouldn't have thought to actually ask.

I'll try and ask Mr Storie if the undersize problem with the Cole casting may have been fixed.

Thanks!
Paul F.