I am looking for a flintlock Kentucky Rifle (preferably to build from a kit such as the one made by Traditions, for example). I'd like .50 caliber just for the fun of shooting a larger caliber than .45, but I also want an accurate recreation of something that may have been used by a militia member during the American Revolutionary War. It will be displayed as a little "corner of history" in my family room with a copy of the Declaration of Independence and other such historical items, but I will also shoot it for fun. It seems from my own "layman's research" that the kits I have found make too short a rifle (overall length 50" or so), and I have found rifling of 1 in 48" or 1 in 66". I understand that the longrifles carried by Daniel Morgan's men, for example, were five or six feet long overall. Have you seen anything like that currently available? Also, which would be a more historically accurate rate of twist? Is the difference in accuracy between those two something significant? Lastly, bear in mind that I have never dealth with any black powder firearms before and I have never built any firearm. I have my share of experience with the "modern stuff" but the historical firearms are a new interest. Thanks for any input or direction!! I guess I'm trying to find a balance between historical accuracy and something fun to shoot. I am most gratified by precision shooting, not speed.
Chris
Chris