Do I need a 45?

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Muzzle loader manufacturers are all about the small bore now for longer range accuracy. I see 45's and even 40's being sold now.

Is my 50 cal in-line too old fashioned? Should I give in and buy a smaller caliber? I have no intention of using fancy Blackhorn powder or fancy plastic tipped plastic skirted wonder boolits.

What do you think?

[Winger Ed.]

"Need" is an ugly word, I try not to use it.
If you 'want' one, just get it.

[Nobade]

Of course you do. It's another gun, right? I have an inline 35 cal I built a number of years ago, and as fun as it is I found out my new state requires 38 caliber for deer so I guess I'm in the same boat and need to build a 38 or 40. See how this works?

[Tracy]

I'm a fan of .45 muzzleloaders, so I would say yes.

[pilot]

Try a side lock this time, Steve. Better yet, one with a rock.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Try a side lock this time, Steve. Better yet, one with a rock.

I picked up a Lyman Deerstalker. It was a rock smasher! I learned the hard way not to buy a cheap flintlock. I had to buy a new expensive lock and try to make it fit. It works OK now. I should have bought a quality Pedersoli.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I put my 45 flinters together from parts sets from Track of the wolf and a few other places , have the 40 barrel but have not got around to it yet , need is a funny thing in this hobby , mostly want fits better .

[beagle74]

Everybody needs a .45, flint is even better!

[LAGS]

I needed one so bad , I bought Two.
Too bad they are both percussion.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I couldn't buy caps if I tried. I've got a brick of French 209 primers which should take me a lifetime to burn through.

[LAGS]

That is why I started making my own caps again.
But I did stock up on factory primers and 209's a couple years back , because I saw this condition coming Again

[oldracer]

If it were me and it was 6 or 8 years ago then build one up and I used the following:
- 45 caliber barrel, Green Mtn and 1 in 18 twist, 34 inch or so length, "patent breech".
- Use either #11 caps OR get a 209 shotgun primer adapter. We had several folks in our shooting group complain about the 209s but they were used in the 1800s according to Ned Roberts fine book. I forget who was first to do it in the 1880s.
- Use either primitive sights or a good tang sight with hooded front sight.
- Use either some somewhat fancy walnut or maple for the stock. You can cut it to fit you exactly.
- Use either L&R or Davis double set trigger and hammer assemblies OR make it an under hammer.

You will need some tools such as barrel channel scrapers, checkering tools and drill with sharp drill bits. Might want to consider an electric grinder with a grinding wheel on one end and a polishing wheel on the other side as many parts such as butt plate and trigger guard are sand cast and can be filed then polished. A set of files, especially several large, very fine flat files and a wire brush to clean them. A set of gunsmith screw drivers such as Wheelers is a must for the way the screws are cut.

You can blue the barrel, hammer and trigger parts with Oxpho-Blue which holds up very well and some actual "gun" degreaser.

Finally, a mold or two to get some 540 grain grease groove bullets which can be pan lubed or on the fly. My 45 caliber rifles (4 total) all shoot out to 300 yards easily. That is how far our range goes.

Good luck
John

[zymguy]

I like big lead conicals out of an in line 45

[megasupermagnum]

@oldracer, I don't care one bit what kind of ignition a person uses. I used plenty of 209s myself. That said, there's no way they were used in the 1800s. I don't think the complete primer unit as known today didn't come out until the 1920s or 30s. Before that, shotgun primers were often berdan, or other rifle/pistol style. Even after, there were all kinds of shotgun primers like 57, 97, 157, 109 etc. I don't know when 209s came on the scene, but they were not the de facto shotgun primer until at least the mid 1980s.

[indian joe]

of course you need a 45 ....but you do not need another inline ....get a sidelock - and something with a bit of barrel (30 inches or more )

[freakonaleash]

Here's what you need. It's easy on caps too.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Just for shooting or deer, in some states .50 is minimum for elk or moose. A .36 or .40, even a .32 for fun. Probably should have one of each in percussion or in-line, and flint, just in case primers and caps disappear.

[Baltimoreed]

Thats a real beauty there freak. Did you build her? My first ml build was a .45 Kentucky longrifle, second was a .58 Hawken which was rebuilt into an underhammer. Killed a bunch of whitetails with it. The last is an unfinished combination of the two, a .54 caliber full stocked underhammer. Maybe I’ll get back too it. Too many projects and interests. As to the op’s question, why not, a good winter project and I’m pretty sure non of the parts that you will need to build one are made in China.

[freakonaleash]

Thats a real beauty there freak. Did you build her? My first ml build was a .45 Kentucky longrifle, second was a .58 Hawken which was rebuilt into an underhammer. Killed a bunch of whitetails with it. The last is an unfinished combination of the two, a .54 caliber full stocked underhammer. Maybe I’ll get back too it. Too many projects and interests. As to the op’s question, why not, a good winter project and I’m pretty sure non of the parts that you will need to build one are made in China.

Yep, one of mine. I have built almost 400 now. Practice makes perfect!

[dondiego]

What? You don't own a .45!!!!??????? I still have my first one from 1964.