flintlock recommendations

[sghart3578]

Hello friends,

I am thinking about adding my first flintlock to my safe. I would like to keep the cost to around $500. Caliber is unimportant but I am partial to .36's. Unfortunately these seem to be the hardest to find.

I am fairly new to blackpowder so any ideas/suggestions for me are appreciated. I have never owned or even fired a flintlock but I do have two percussion .54's, a Great Plains and a Renegade. I really enjoy them.

Thanks in advance for your time,


Steve in N CA

[Pavia]

Hello friends,

I am thinking about adding my first flintlock to my safe. I would like to keep the cost to around $500. Caliber is unimportant but I am partial to .36's. Unfortunately these seem to be the hardest to find.

I am fairly new to blackpowder so any ideas/suggestions for me are appreciated. I have never owned or even fired a flintlock but I do have two percussion .54's, a Great Plains and a Renegade. I really enjoy them.

Thanks in advance for your time,


Steve in N CA

What would your interests be... hunting deer, hunting small game? Maybe just target shooting?

Some of the Pedersoli Kentucky flintlocks might fit the bill.

[Edward]

You stand a better chance finding a 45 thou if you cast your own 50/54 makes sense as you have the molds already . Anything under 45 cal gets pricey quick !

[KCSO]

First off a GOOD flintlock LOCK is going to cost you $125 to 150 dollars. Parts to build a nice 36 will run upwards of $600. If you settle for a cheap lock you will pay in disappointment. There is nothing finer than a quality flinter and the thrill of downing a squirrel with a head shot from you flinter will be remembered forever. I currently have a flint long rifle I use for small game and when I built it I had $250 in the parts and stocked it from a blank. The last time I built a flinter the gun sold for $1200 and that gave me about 5 bucks an hour for labor. I can't think of a current factory flaint lock that I would even own as I have no use for coil springs in a flinter and I want a sure fire lock. If I were you I would haunt the M/L ads on gunbroker and see if anything comes up cheap.

Bottom line is $500 isn't going to get you a whole lot up the anty and be patient and don't settle for cheap over good.

[Beagle333]

My .02 is that if you want to try out flinters without a lot of commitment or money, you can watch the used market for a GPR or T/C flinter in .54 cal. They are not uncommon in that caliber.
That way you can stay under your $500 range and also be using the same molds, brushes and other accessories you have. And the used flinters don't depreciate if you don't let em rust. If you pay a fair price for the one you find, you can always turn it over for about that same money if you decide to stay in the percussion business, but you still have a fairly nice flinter if you end up keeping it.

[sghart3578]

Thank you guys for all of your input.

You are right, I should have stated what I wanted it for. I don't hunt any more, I just punch holes in paper.

To KCSO: You are right about the prices you state. I have found that quality flintlocks are pricey, but I am sure they are worth it.

And once you get under .45 cal prices do go up.

A used TC or Great Plains is a good suggestion as I might not like the flintlocks as much.

Thanks again, as usual you guys have set me straight and forced me to confront reality.

I am in the process of selling two rifles that I just never shoot. Maybe I will use that money and look for a .36 cal flintlock in the $800-$1000 range.


Steve in N CA

[Maven]

sghart, All of the above advice is excellent, but you still need to shoulder the rifle before you decide to purchase it as it may not fit you (too much/little drop in the stock; too little/much length of pull, etc.).

[Tom W.]

I was heartbroken with my first flintlock rifle.. I bought a kit from Cabela's or some such place and very carefully put it together. I am not mechanically inclined at all, but do pay great attention to detail. I left the barrel in the white so it could brown naturally. 36 cal. Squirrel Rifle. I bought some Flints, found and knapped some others ( realize I was young and ambitious ) abd found that my frizzen was not hardened properly and would spark when it wanted to, rather than when it was supposed to.

My buddy bought a beautiful Kentucky rifle ,.32 cal, from Dixie Gun works, and it shot just fine.

[rfd]

as of right now, the only flintlock rifle i'd recommend is the lyman/investarms trade or gpr, both are offered in .50 or .54 calibers. the difference 'tween the two is barrel length (28" vs 32") and trigger styles (single vs double set). these guns are arguably some of the better offshore guns, and i will attest to that, having had 10 of them to date and currently finished yet another .50 gpr (i also have had and more than a few onshore built customs and currently have a pair, both flinters as i don't do cap guns). kit versions will be cheaper, and they're all relatively newbie easy to stick together as these are "screwdriver" kits that once assembled will work. the real labor comes to play with rasping and sanding the proud stock wood, then applying a finish.

finding a "cheap" but reasonable quality flintock can be like finding a needle in a hay stack and you might get super lucky with a used onshore gun (but not for as little as $500 and that's just the beginning of yer outlay to care and feed the flint beast). going under .50 caliber, good luck, they are not cheap and used *good* guns will typically command near double yer budget. know what yer buying or seek qualified help and don't expect a *good* reliable flintrock gun to be "bargain cheap".

this swings back to investarms rifles, sold as lyman, dixie gun works, cabelas, and others. imho, the .50 is a very versatile caliber that can be downloaded to accurate pipsqueak loads for plinking or pumped up with heavier loads if need be. in any case, really think about yer requirements and realistic options. going used can save some good dollars, but make sure you know precisely what yer buying.

good luck.

[Maven]

I was hoping you'd chime in, Rob.

[mooman76]

I don't shoot flint(yet) even though I have a couple, but have been paying attention for the day I do get into it. All sound advice here. For your price range you will more than likely have to go with a good used one. Like stated, a flint "lock" is where you don't want to go cheap or you will like end up regretting it later and be filled with disappointment. Cap locks you can get by with a cheaper one but not flint. You are correct that 36's are difficult to find these days and even more so in flint. You might be able to scrounge up a 32 easier. I don't have a Lyman GPR but I hear nothing but good about them. It took me a couple years to pick up cheap 36 after a couple deals fell through but I finally got one in caplock. I did get a Dixie Mountain rifle in 32 flint at a pawn shop a few years back for cheap. I jumped on it. Always wanted one and this one felt so well balanced. I converted it to cap but still have the lock so I can switch back some day. Good luck on your endeavor!

[pietro]

.

Having used both types of ignition/locks, I can state that, while targets can be shot at with one, flinchlocks don't make as good a target (results) rifle as a caplock.

If you glom onto a .45, you can shoot .357 lead boolits from the .45 with sabots - and, YES, flintlocks can be shot with Holy Black and sabotted boolits - not P.C., but easily doable.

I've had two different Austin & Halleck (A&H) .50cal Mountain Rifle's (1 with a 1:60" roundball twist, the other a 1:28" conical twist) that shot well & reliably, for under $500 each, There are currently several available online (google).






.

[rfd]

there are more than a few other things to consider as well. for starters, "all" the production offshore trad ml's have patent breeches, which is rare with almost all onshore customs that will employ flat faced breech plugs. what's the big deal? well, it's really all about knowing what ya have and how to care for it. patent breeches have ante-chambers that are smaller in diameter than than the barrel's bore, so yer caliber specific cleaning jag won't fit into the ante-chamber. you'll need a .22 or .32 brush for that, draped with a cleaning patch. since the patched ball sits on top of the ante-chamber, you must make sure that a light load with completely fill that air space - in the gpr, that's a safe 30 or better 35 grains for a .50 or .54 caliber ... i know this because i pull these plugs off for cleaning and a/s greasing, and i take note of their features and measurements. whilst i'm not overly fond of the patent breech, contrare to the notion that these breeches will require fouling control between shots, that just ain't true, at least with using swiss 3f down the tube. i've lost count of the number of consecutive no-fouling control shots i've fired in gpr and dgw flinters, both .50 and .54 guns. then again, i ascribe to the loose ball load and not the ball starter or hammer-me-to-death load.

lots to consider, bone up before you squander good dollars, buy what good stuff that will both work reliably and will meet your shooting requirements.



FLINT ... and ... CAP

[Standing Bear]

Jim Kibler makes some nice rifles in the white in that price range. Tip Curtis will sell nicely done guns in the white.
TC

[rfd]

tip no longer sells in-the-white guns, they are all at least stained.

[Wayne Smith]

This spring I had the same concern, but a little more money. After calling around to local makers (Williamsburg, VA) and they all were 18+ months out, I was referred to Tennessee Valley Muzzleloaders. They should be starting mine next month. I'm 6'3" and wear a 36" shirtsleeve, normal stocks don't fit me.

[taco650]

Hello friends,

I am thinking about adding my first flintlock to my safe. I would like to keep the cost to around $500. Caliber is unimportant but I am partial to .36's. Unfortunately these seem to be the hardest to find.

I am fairly new to blackpowder so any ideas/suggestions for me are appreciated. I have never owned or even fired a flintlock but I do have two percussion .54's, a Great Plains and a Renegade. I really enjoy them.

Thanks in advance for your time,


Steve in N CA

I too decided I wanted a rock lock during the past winter but wanted to build it. I started web surfing, looked at Dixie, Track Of Wolf, Jim Chambers as well as Tennessee Valley Muzzleloaders. Then looked at all of them again many, many times. I PM'ed Waksupi numerous times as he's a builder and VERY KNOWLEDGABLE and finally decided my budget was way smaller than my dreams. Eventually I went the cheapest way I could which meant getting a Traditions Kentucky Rifle. I'm still building it and using it as a learning tool for stock carving, shaping, draw filing barrels, etc. in an effort to make it my own. I wanted a PRB rifle and it satisfies that and lets me experiment with building without breaking my budget.

Like the others have said, quality will cost you but it will also work better and hold its value. Good luck and enjoy the ride but beware, muzzleloaders are addictive!!!

[KCSO]

This weekend I came up with a 36 flinter that was made/remade frm a Cabela's gun. The owner thought the stock was clunky and the lock was slow so we restocked it in a exceptional curly maple stock with just a little carving. The lock was completely rebuilt and fitted. The sights were changed and the triggers honed and rehardened. The barrel was lapped and recrowned and the rifle fitted with new iron furniture. It will be in the shop and for sale soon. A stunning rifle.