Percussion rifle for target shooting?

[mattri]

Looking at picking up a muzzleloader for target shooting off a bench.

Most shots will be at 100 with occasional stretches out to 200, 300, farther??

Would prefer to stick with rifles set up to shoot PRB, probably go with a peep sight of some sort.

Seems 50-54 cal would be best, focusing on those for now.

Have been looking at Lymans, TCs, Pedersolis, don't have my heart set on any particular style.

Thoughts, suggestions?

None of the above is set in stone open to ideas.

Thanks, Matt.

[varsity07840]

Shooting PRBs out to 300 yards is at a minimum a challenge even with peep sights. I don't think any of the manufacturers you noted make a a PRB rifle that would be up to the task. On the other hand, the Pedersoli Gibbs, Volunteer and Whitworths are excellent long range rifles that use conicals.

[marlin39a]

I’ve got a TC Pennsylvania Match Rifle. Factory peep sight, 1 in 66 twist. Only made for 1 year, 1997. It remains unfired, but I bet that would fill your need. I should take it out and work with it. Anyway, get a barrel in 1 in 66.

[koger]

I have a TC Hawken with a GM 32" round ball barrel, and a set of long range vernier peeps on the tang. It also has a L&R replacement lock, which is about 3x faster than the factory lock. It works great out to 250 yds, as far as I have tried it. The rifle described is about the cheapest way to get where you are wanting to go. It would help to glass bed the stock full length also, has helped every one that I have done over the years. Pedersoli makes a decent peep that Dixie sells for around $80. I hope this helps.

[pietro]

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For inspiration...…..


https://www.bolk-antiques.nl/galleries/an-antique-19th-century-very-heavy-american-percussion-target-rifle-by-h-h-schulte-in-pittsburgh-50-caliber-length-122-cm-in-very-good-condition-price-2-350-euro-3285593-en-middle.JPG

[Nobade]

Yep, if you can find one of the Green Mountain drop in roundball barrels to fit a TC or a Lyman, you've got a really good start on an accurate rifle for cheap and not needing a gunsmith to build it like koger did. The factory barrels on those have a compromise twist and shallow rifling that is supposed to work with balls or bullets and doesn't do very well with either.

[Nobade]

.

For inspiration...…..


https://www.bolk-antiques.nl/galleries/an-antique-19th-century-very-heavy-american-percussion-target-rifle-by-h-h-schulte-in-pittsburgh-50-caliber-length-122-cm-in-very-good-condition-price-2-350-euro-3285593-en-middle.JPG

Is that a restocked TC? Looks like their patch box and patent breech. Nice work at any rate.

[fgd135]

I shoot a Parker Hale .451 Volunteer with a Pedersoli vernier rear sight and a Lyman globe front sight. It is fairly accurate at 100 and 200 yards.
This is a recent target:
271919

10 shots (2 sighters), 60 grains Old Enysforde 1.5 Fg, milk carton wad, Lyman 457121 sized to .451" and lubed with SPG.
The flyer on the upper edge of the target was fired from a different ML...

[bedbugbilly]

I was looking for a percussion rifle to set up for target shooting - where we shoot, we ago out to about 230 yards. I have had lots of rifles over the years and disposed of many of them.

Anyway - I ended up finding a new Lyman .50 caliber Trade Rifle. I'm setting up with a glove front sight and a tang mount Lyman peep.

A lot of things to consider - what you want to spend, caliber, single or set triggers, etc. Shooting long distances with a pretty much "standard" percussion/flint rifle can be a challenge as varsity points out - especially with a PRB. I can remember shooting in the gunmakers match down at Friedship when I would take a new build down - anything from a .36 to .54. That match is a one shot, unknown distance match and it was always interesting to watch everyone shoot with different calibers - especially with the flags showing a cross breeze - and the target was probably between 130 to 200 yards out. Even watching the flags and taking the cross breeze in to the factors, it was oftentimes amazing how far off your hit would show beyond the target plate.

I wanted a minimum of .50 caliber for what I want to do - a .50 or .54 will give you the option of a PRB, hollow base minie, REAL and Maxiball for starters. The Lyman Trade Rifle has a 1:48 twist so we'll see how she does with all of the different boolit options. And of course, you always have the option to play with paper patched boolits as well.

I have owned a Lyman Great Plains Rifle in flint - I think they are a very good production rifle and you have the options of two different barrel twist rates. There are lots of good used TC rifles out there as well. The Lyman GPR and the Tis both have a double set trigger if that is important to you. Pedersoli also makes some very fine target rifles.

I have shot rifled muskets my entire life and there is that route that you could go as well. There ar a variety of makes/models of .58 caliber rifled muskets currently being made. I once participated in a long range shoot (rifled musket) at Camp Graiyling (MI) where we used the 1,000 meter machine gun range that had 2' X 4' mechanical knock down/pop back up targets - we shot in 2 an teams with one acting as the spotter. We found that we could do pretty well out to about 500 yards (on the knock down targets) but beyond that, it was "iffy" and a lot of "kentucky windage". A rifled musket offers a person the opportunity to use a variety of hollow base minie ball weights and styles as well as PRB if desired.

Good luck in whatever you choose and have fun.

[waksupi]

For a 300 yard bench rifle, I would go with .38 caliber. Read Ned Roberts!

[mattri]

Thanks for the good replies.

Sounds like picking up a Lyman or TC and swapping to a GM barrel and a peep sight may be the way to go, will keep looking into this.

[RU shooter]

Shooting RB at longer range will be challenging ,practice up on reading those wind flags

[Nobade]

For a 300 yard bench rifle, I would go with .38 caliber. Read Ned Roberts!

You are not kidding. My 35 caliber bullet firing rifle is as accurate at 300M as any modern rifle I own. Roundball rifles at 300 are a completely different matter though!

[arcticap]

Seems 50-54 cal would be best, focusing on those for now.

Have been looking at Lymans, TCs, Pedersolis, don't have my heart set on any particular style.

Thoughts, suggestions?


The Pedersoli Pennsylvania .45 has an over 41" barrel which provides a long sighting plane for open sights.
The 1 in 48" is still a fairly slow twist for the caliber.
And the gun is available as a level 1 kit for a reasonable price.

Traditions actually has 2 Pennsylvania rifle versions available with different length barrels.
The older .50 model at October Country and Jedediah Starr has a 41" barrel with a 1 in 66" twist.
The new 2020 model has a 33.5" barrel in .50 at the Possible Shoppe and Old South Firearms.

The Pedersoli Tryon is a target rifle available in 45, .50 & .54, has a 32 5/8" barrel and weighs 9.25 lbs.
The .54 has the slowest twist at 1 in 65". --->>> https://www.davide-pedersoli.com/tipologia-prodotti.asp/l_en/idt_2/rifles-tryon.html

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I second the PH Volunteer .451 (3rd from bottom), I've got good accuracy to 300m.

https://i.imgur.com/SY6JH8G.jpg

[Woodnbow]

Looking at picking up a muzzleloader for target shooting off a bench.

Most shots will be at 100 with occasional stretches out to 200, 300, farther??

Would prefer to stick with rifles set up to shoot PRB, probably go with a peep sight of some sort.

Seems 50-54 cal would be best, focusing on those for now.

Have been looking at Lymans, TCs, Pedersolis, don't have my heart set on any particular style.

Thoughts, suggestions?

None of the above is set in stone open to ideas.

Thanks, Matt.

I’d start with a T/C renegade, would be my choice, handles recoil really well. Barrel it with at least a 30” straight octagon barrel, .54 caliber round ball twist from any of a number of good barrel makers. Globe front sight with a tang vernier sight should be a good start. Other’s have mentioned the fact that wind doping is a critical skill with roundball shooting. The reason it’s so challenging...

[T-Bird]

I got one of those GM 32 in barrels in 54 cal this summer for my T/C Hawken from TOTW. I think it was around $250. I lapped it with 4/0 steel wool per instructions else where on this site, and it out shoots me.

[KCSO]

For a bench rifle for over 100 yards I used an under hammer false muzzled paper patched bench rifle. The gun was just over 14 pounds and would shoot into 1 1/2" at 100 yards and under 3 at 200. Mine came from friendship in about 1973 but I soon gave it up as there were no local matches to use it in. First decide where and when and with who you will shoot and then pick your rifle. Here 100 yard buffalo is what we shoot and a 50-54 hawken will usually be a winner. I had very good luck with a 50 caliber Lyman Great Plains rebarreled with a 36" Orion barrel.