I want a Flintlock

[mack1]

I have an itch for a flint lock. I like the TVM Tennessee kit so far but want some advice on calabers. I think I want a 45 as it seems the most practical in MO as the min for deer but would a 40 or 36 give any advantage in range or accuracy on smaller game say coyotes or steel plates. This would not be my only rifle so being legal for deer is not a requirement.

[405]

Everyone has their druthers. My experience with muzzleloaders, given the calibers you listed, is that the 45 caliber is easier to live with than the 36-40 calibers. I wouldn't even ignore the 50 caliber. Unlike most cartridge guns, muzzleloaders can be easily loaded as light as you like.... all you have to do is get the ball out of the muzzle. The reverse is not true.... you can't make a 36-40 do what a 45-50 will do. :)

[docone31]

I would go with a minimum of .50. I have a .45, .50, and .54. The .54 is an hoot to shoot, I can hit anything I aim at, but the .50 is my favourite. I have loaded it to 30gns, and to 140gns. Most of my shooting is around 60gns, and is quite comfortable.
The .45 I am not impressed with. It also hits what I aim at, but is a little harder to handle.
None of my rifles recoil. Even at 140gns. At least not what I would consider recoil. My older .375 H&H could deliver recoil. My .44 mag Model 94 could recoil.
My front stuffers are quite comfortable to fire.

[waksupi]

I'd sure go with a .54 for a hunting rifle. It is certainly the most popular in this area. It will give you some added range for deer, and more than enough killing power.

[mooman76]

That's easy. Get one of each.

[mack1]

That's easy. Get one of each.

I am thinking along these lines but need a place to start. I have a TC hawken in 45 that shoots very nice with tc maxis but I realize rb will be diffrent.
Thanks for the imput.

[405]

mack1,
From your OP and the choice of the Poor Boy, I assumed you were thinking a reliable, multi-purpose accurate shooting gun for primarily whitetails (at the larger end) to plinking/small game (at the other end) with shooting usually at the closer ranges. If you are talking up to 100 yard range with roundballs and for larger deer or even elk then absolutely the 54 is the way to go.

Also, within each long rifle stock style, barrel contour and diameter (up to caliber limits of course) the smaller the caliber the heavier that barrel becomes. That in turn negates the balance and feel of a 45-50 cal long rifle with a barrel of say 7/8" across the flats and a barrel length of 37-40 inches. A smaller caliber with those specs would feel muzzle heavy. There is no exact magic formula for all this balance and feel thing just something to think about when looking at the specs of these guns.

[pietro]

FWIW, There's a couple of VERY nice flintlocks F/S right now - over on the tradtional Muzzleloader Forum:

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/pp-classifieds/showcat.php/cat/9

.

[mack1]

405 you are correct I want a flintlock to shoot and enjoy hunting small game white tails would be the biggest game but not manditory as I have another caplock for them. I want something to plint with. What you say makes me think the 50 with a 36" barrel will ballance the best for me, I am not a large counter ballance.

[405]

mack1,
At least we're on the same page. I haven't looked closely at the barrel length options and across the flats dimensions or calibers TVM offers in the Poor Boy model. You might look at those specs.

Just for comparison, of all the long guns I have or have shot (more than a few) of all types without a doubt the ONE that balances and holds most steady in the offhand position is a Pennsylvania style flintlock. I put it together from NOS parts quite a few years ago. It is a 50 cal. at 7/8" across the flats. The bl is 39" long and the length of pull is 13". I'm fairly tall and not heavy so you may be on the right track with a 36" bl in 50 cal as long as you keep the across the flats dimension (thus weight) down to about 7/8". There's no such thing as one size fits all with how guns feel in the hand, so take a swag and proceed. :)

[mack1]

Thanks again for all the help. Spending $1000 ON A RIFLE I cannot hold first is a new experience for me, I am looking for all insight I can get.

[tacklebury]

Good guns are available for less:
http://store.thirdgenerationshootingsupply.com/browse.cfm/4,11457.html

[gnoahhh]

I'm a big fan of the .45. In a properly sized/swamped barrel it makes for a lively handling rifle. I also haven't had any trouble killing deer with it, with round balls. A pound of lead goes a lot farther when casting .45 balls than it will when making .50 and .54's too. If I lived in an area where bigger deer were the norm, I would conceivably re-think it and go with a bigger bore. Or not.

[Hang Fire]

The last rocklock I built up is this plain Jane hunting rifle. It is a LH Lancaster style, 42 inch Getz swamped barrel in .54 caliber and weighs in at just over 6.5 pounds. With just 30 grains of 3F and RB, I have taken tassel eared tree rats with little meat damage out of the tallest ponderosa pines up in the high country. With 75 grains of 2F and RB, it will anchor a deer where it stood.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/FOUR.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/Two.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/ONE.jpg

[nanuk]

as a lefty, I can really appreciate that rilfe

[excess650]

I HAVE .45, .50, and .58 now, and a .62 in the works. Personally, I think a .45 light for deer, but I know that the've been taken with .40s. After shooting my 58 and some larger bores, I think .50 a pretty flexible caliber. I've considered a smaller bore, but the spindly ramrods on 32s and 36s scare me. With a .40 you can still have a 3/8" rod.

[mack1]

I think I have settled on a 50 for the versitility maby a 40 in the future. Now to decide between steel or brass

[Hang Fire]

as a lefty, I can really appreciate that rilfe

This fusil de chasse smoothbore is the one I use more than any other, shot or ball is hard to beat for meat.

http://hstrial-rchambers.homestead.com/P1010034.JPG

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

.

What ever you do, get a swamped barrel!

[Dean D.]

What ever you do, get a swamped barrel!

A HUGE +1 on that!

[Hang Fire]

A HUGE +1 on that!


Ditto. A swamped barrel can turn an otherwise muzzle heavy clumsy club into a thing of grace when brought into play.

[405]

I think I have settled on a 50 for the versitility maby a 40 in the future. Now to decide between steel or brass

OK,
To stay more or less HC, I'd opt for the iron furniture for the "Poor Boy" and "Southern Mountain" styles and usually brass for the fancier "Pennsylvania" styles. Those simple/utilitarian types just say, "iron" to me. The pinnacle of OTT artistic expression in muzzleloaders is usually associated with the "Pennsylvania" and similar regional styles where brass and sometimes German silver or coin silver were the metals of choice. Also, there were so many small makers scattered all over at that time, the hard and fast rules/lines do become blurred as to certain "schools" or regional styles. When Comparing the various modern interpretations of the basic historical styles... don't pay too much attention to guns like the T/C "Hawken" you have.

In the end get what suits ya. :)

[HEAD0001]

I have a 36 and I really like the rifle. I would not hesitate hunting deer with it. But I would limit my shots to 50 yards.

There really is no comparison between the 50 and the 36 caliber. They are two totally different rifles.

For fun shooting and small game the 36 is definitely the way to go. You shoot 1/3 the powder. And zero recoil. If you aren't going to make it your main deer rifle then I would strongly consider a Poor Boy by TVM in 36 caliber.

I am getting ready to order a Poor boy from them in 36 caliber. I have a left hand 36 caliber custom rifle now. But it is a percussion. I am going to sell it and buy a flintlock.

When I bought the 36 I wasn't sure about the 36's. But now that I have one. It sees the vast majority of all my shooting. Tom.


http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/HEAD0001/HOOKS/010.jpg

[thunderthud]

Hangfire, now that's a rifle! nice color (stain), nice slender wrist, ample cheek piece in .54 & swamped a joy to carry & shoot! not cheap but....................it works every time. no such thing as a "cheap" flintlock imho. cheap brings misery.

[catboat]

I have a nice Vincent style muzzle loader kit, I'd sell if interested. It was purchased as a kit from Golden Valley Arms (Golden Age Arms?) in Ohio. It was originally a caplock (Siler lock), but I had a well-known (at least in Maine, and he sold many handmade flinters across the country) flintlock rifle builder convert the caplock to a flintlock. He name is Bruce Jones.

I started to put it together years ago, and I got busy doing other things. I fitted the buttplate to it, and draw filed the barrel/tang on it. It is a half-stock Vincent pattern, with upgraded AAA maple, 40 caliber Green Mountain barrel (36" long x 7/8" x flats, round ball twist-which I think is 1-60?, still in the white), Davis double set trigger, brass furniture, and pewter block for the fore end, sights, under rib, and instructions. It is a high quality kit. It was advertised in Muzzleblasts magazine-(that's where I saw the ad for purchasing it). I also have a .395" diameter 2 cavity Green Mountain bullet mold (unused, NIB), I'd sell with the outfit for $50 extra.

I'd sell the kit for $550 shipped to the lower 48 if interested.

It would look like this, except with flintlock action.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/GunKitDetail.aspx?catID=13&subID=80&styleID=317&PartNum=VINCENT-OHIO-PERC-PARTS-LIST&KitId=KIT-JVI-14

[Alan]

Just purchase my first rock-lock: http:
//forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=186744&an=0&page=0#Post186744

8D

[Taylor]

I remember years ago(2/503rd),I had a troop named Kerry Roberts.He introduced me to the muzzle loaders.He had a Tennessee Mountain rifle,I have always wanted one.That is my choice.

[mack1]

I went with a TVM Tenn poor boy in 50 cal. I am compleatly happy with this kit, with very limited experience but some help was able to turn it into a rifle. There are some mistakes but the next one will be better maby a 32 with a 42" swamped barrel.
Thanks again for the advice it helped me make my first flint lock a pleasure.

[SmuvBoGa]

Mack 1,

This may seem silly, BUT you will find one, or two flints that "talk to you" - listen. Much like Females who make our lives BETTER, take the time to look, shop & LISTEN with your heart. Make life FINE, not half-arssed.

JohnMc

[405]

I went with a TVM Tenn poor boy in 50 cal. I am compleatly happy with this kit, with very limited experience but some help was able to turn it into a rifle. There are some mistakes but the next one will be better maby a 32 with a 42" swamped barrel.
Thanks again for the advice it helped me make my first flint lock a pleasure.
Good news when a plan comes together!

[Pigslayer]

I have a .50 caliber Issac Haines with a Getz swamped barrel & a .45 caliber Southern Mountain with a Green Mountain barrel. Both are great shooters. I can generally put three roundballs in a 2" to 3" circle at 50 yards with primitive sights.
Shooting these rifles is a whole lot of fun!![smilie=1: