Which type of traditional ML rifle do you like the most, and which shoots best?

[koger]

I was wiping some of my ML's down today, and it really got me to thinking. Why do I keep several that I don't shoot much. I must confess to having a long ongoing love for longrifles, they are just plain good looking, especially with nice wood on them. I remember as a young lad, watching Daniel Boone, and Davy Crockett, an I fell hard for them then. I shot a Southern Mountain Rifle with a 42" GM .45 caliber that a buddy built for me, and I built him a custom centerfire rifle in exchange. I shot that rifle for years, and more than double paid for it in meat I won the first year with it. About 6 years later, I shot one my buddy was having fits with, and it turned out it was too short for him. It had a 32" 1" GM barrel, and was built like a semi schutezen rifle, with no ramrod, and steel hooked buttplate. I traded him out of it, and soon found, I shot it much better than the longrifle I liked so much. I went on to go to shooting it in nearly every match, for the next 8 years, and my scores increased. Now most of the guns I shoot, have between a 30-36" long, 1" across the flats barrel, and most are of half stock design. I still have 4 Longrifles, and don't shoot them very much at all, but I hate to part with them. I could use the funds for my newest hobby which is catfishing and striper fishing here on Lake Cumberland, but just hate to sell them. I just wanted to see which type of rifle you all prefer and which you shoot the best.

[stubshaft]

My favorites are the Virginia or Early pattern flintlock rifles followed by the Southern Mountain small bores. Rocklocks rule!

[fiberoptik]

Dixie Poorboy .32 cal. Full stock in Cherry .


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[sharps4590]

Boy...I'd hate to have to choose. I probably shoot my Gun Works Hawken best but, I use my Southern Mountain flinter in 36 cal. more than all others combined.

[Good Cheer]

A plain TC Hawken flinter with a 32" long .62 caliber rifled barrel.
A TC New Englander fast twist .458 bore.
A .50 Tennessee mountain rifle.
A Kentucky style .46 bore flinter.
This month a petite half stock with rifling made to shoot Ideal #386178 and round ball.

I'll never make up my mind (and if I was to it would change).

[rfd]

type = flintlock rifle or smoothbore.

they all will shoot as best as their components and build quality will allow, with most being far better than their shooter.

as to the gun itself, that will depend a lot on whether onshore or offshore built.

for an offshore built trad muzzy, i prefer any that come from investarms (rebranded as lyman, cabelas, DGW, etc). all will have patent breeches, whether flinter or cap gun. this ante-chamber breech is quite different from a classic muzzy flat faced breech as commonly found on original guns as well as almost all onshore replicas. i vastly prefer a flat faced breech plug.

there are many Many good onshore trad muzzy builders and i built my current gun from a jim kibler kit - highly recommended.

[GARD72977]

I favor my early Virginia single trigger for offhand shooting. It's a 42" swamped 54 cal. I did buy a T/C Renegade 50 and later bought a 58 cal Gm BBL. I like the Flint lock best but I don't want to be without a caplock.

The guns I miss the most are a 45cal Hopkins underhammer and a 53 cal Uberti Hawkens. I thought I needed the money back the. Now I just wish I had those rifles back.

[Woodnbow]

Rigby style English sporting rifle is my first choice.
T/C High Plains Sporter is second.
T/C New Englander third.
Renegade is fourth.

[Woodnbow]

.....


I thought I needed the money back the. Now I just wish I had those rifles back.

Truer words are seldom spoken...

[scattershot]

I have had several BP rifles over the years, including a few customs, both flint and cap. The one I keep coming back to is my T/C Hawken with a 32” Green Mountain .54 replacement barrel.

[waksupi]

I've owned or built pretty much every type over the past 40 years. Preferences change. The last three I have built for myself are all poor boys. Simple in design, no gingerbread, yet elegant in the lines. I do love shooting my smoothbore.
I still have at least another half dozen around here I need to sell. The only cap lock I own is an original pistol that I have never fired.

[ogre]

What I shoot the most and enjoy the most is an original 1861 rifle musket. I have a .62 caliber underhammer rifle that I have never shot. It just gathers dust. When the ship comes in I'll buy a Jim Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle Kit in .40 caliber.

[Reverend Al]

Any of the H&A style under-hammer rifles in any calibre, but I would LOVE to find a .36 calibre "Buggy Rifle". A friend had one when we were just kids (about 50 years ago) and it was a wonderful little rifle to shoot. I've never seen another like it since then ...

[northmn]

For small game I like the little 25 cal flintlock poor boy I built. Takes a #3 buckshot. Then there's the 20 gauge smooth rifle I have which is generally used a shotgun. Don't have a picture but one of the best shooting rifles I have is rifle patterned after an English game rifle with a 30" barrel in 58, which is a bit small for one of them, but it balances very well.

DEP

[koger]

I appreciate all the varied responses and replies. Waksupi, a flinter smoothbore is on my to do list shortly. Everyone of my buddies who have one, has a ball out of theirs. I guess I have always been to hung up on accuracy, to shoot smoothbores. Now I have seen some very good shooting smoothbores, such as those made by Tip Curtiss, that shoot almost as good as a rifled barrel out to 50 yds, due to the shooter knowing how to load/shoot these guns. Fiberotptik, I also have a Dixie Tenn Squirrel rifle in .32, it is a tack driver. I have a short underhammer, .50, looks to be made out of a solid machined piece of steel, 24" barrel with weaver scope bases on it. Single adjustable trigger, that breaks under 2#, crisp. I put a 2x7 Nikon scope on it, and it was dead on the first shot at 25 and 50 yds with a target load, shot 3 shots into a ragged hole at 50 yds. I have a peep sight I am soon putting on it. It has a screw thru the breechplug tang, that sits back in the recess of the action, and makes putting on a new barrel, simple, or make many different barrels to switch out with it.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Tough question; I like them all. Guess if I have to choose it would be the Kentucky 50cals.

[indian joe]

I built a nice little 45 flinter for a mate of mine (no fancy stuff just used cheap parts) we were about the same build and I built it to suit me - 40inch 13/16th barrel - when he passed I inherited it - it shoots nice and I do ok with it. I like em with a bit of length but not excessive weight. Dont like roman nosed stocks - more than that I strongly dislike em (would not own one for any longer than it took to get it sold)
Dont like shortys - dont do well with them - I believe the "fast handling" thing is mostly a myth. I have no love of patent breeches, a nipple drum setup properly works just fine and is easily converted to flint (and back to caps if you feel inclined)
Have the parts on hand to build a nice half stock one day - 36 inch barrel, 54 cal, 15/16th barrel, original plan said caplock but theres a good chance it will end up a flinter.

[waksupi]

I appreciate all the varied responses and replies. Waksupi, a flinter smoothbore is on my to do list shortly. Everyone of my buddies who have one, has a ball out of theirs. I guess I have always been to hung up on accuracy, to shoot smoothbores. Now I have seen some very good shooting smoothbores, such as those made by Tip Curtiss, that shoot almost as good as a rifled barrel out to 50 yds, due to the shooter knowing how to load/shoot these guns. Fiberotptik, I also have a Dixie Tenn Squirrel rifle in .32, it is a tack driver. I have a short underhammer, .50, looks to be made out of a solid machined piece of steel, 24" barrel with weaver scope bases on it. Single adjustable trigger, that breaks under 2#, crisp. I put a 2x7 Nikon scope on it, and it was dead on the first shot at 25 and 50 yds with a target load, shot 3 shots into a ragged hole at 50 yds. I have a peep sight I am soon putting on it. It has a screw thru the breechplug tang, that sits back in the recess of the action, and makes putting on a new barrel, simple, or make many different barrels to switch out with it.

The more you shoot a smooth bore, the more accurate they get! Or rather, YOU do!

If I could only have one, it would have to be the smooth bore.

[Earlwb]

I think that my old Dixie Gun Works flintlock rifle is my best one, for shooting and accuracy. It is a .45 caliber rifle. I bought it something like 40 some odd years ago.

[ACC]

I was wiping some of my ML's down today, and it really got me to thinking. Why do I keep several that I don't shoot much. I must confess to having a long ongoing love for longrifles, they are just plain good looking, especially with nice wood on them. I remember as a young lad, watching Daniel Boone, and Davy Crockett, an I fell hard for them then. I shot a Southern Mountain Rifle with a 42" GM .45 caliber that a buddy built for me, and I built him a custom centerfire rifle in exchange. I shot that rifle for years, and more than double paid for it in meat I won the first year with it. About 6 years later, I shot one my buddy was having fits with, and it turned out it was too short for him. It had a 32" 1" GM barrel, and was built like a semi schutezen rifle, with no ramrod, and steel hooked buttplate. I traded him out of it, and soon found, I shot it much better than the longrifle I liked so much. I went on to go to shooting it in nearly every match, for the next 8 years, and my scores increased. Now most of the guns I shoot, have between a 30-36" long, 1" across the flats barrel, and most are of half stock design. I still have 4 Longrifles, and don't shoot them very much at all, but I hate to part with them. I could use the funds for my newest hobby which is catfishing and striper fishing here on Lake Cumberland, but just hate to sell them. I just wanted to see which type of rifle you all prefer and which you shoot the best.

I have three all Thompson Center a .32 caliber Seneca, .36 caliber Seneca, and a 50 caliber Hawkin. Love them all but can't shoot them like I used to.

ACC