SPEAKING OF FLINTLOCKS.........

C

cjb

New member
I have been in the market for a good smoke stick for a few months now. I will be using it for deer hunting here in Pa. I am now allowed to use mini and maxi balls. ( Starting this year). I have been checking out many different makes...... and still have NO IDEA what to get. I do not want any fiber optic sights, and no synthetic stocks!!!! I really don't like the looks of a Hawken rifle, but that is what all of my friends are shooting. I was thinking of getting a Thompson Center Pa. Hunter Carbine. Because.... they are made in the U.S.A, have a decent walnut stock, and are coil spring operated. What would you "primitive men" recommend for me? Am I on the right track? Also, a friend told me I can shoot roundballs, and BUFFALO BULLETS out of that 1-66 twist barrel. What the heck is a Buffalo Bullet?????? and..... what ever happened to all the GOOD flintlocks???? I'm waiting to see one with a built in laser! Thanks guys!

CJB
 
I've been thinking of a laser built into the Roman nose myself. Plus some adapter for the knife for a bayonet as well as a magazine ala Johnathan Browning.

Buffalo Bullets is a bullet company. They sell various caliber pre-lubed minie balls (think of a semi-wad cutter). For optimal results, the minie ball should have a faster twist like 1:32". The 1:66" twist has been found ideal for roundball, but is slow for minies.

I've never hunted with blackpowder but would consider the type of game and load to help select the rifle. If I was after bear, it would be a .58 caliber Rifled Musket (Springfield 1855, Colt 1861, or my personal favorite, Enfield by Parker Hale). For deer, I would feel comfortable with a Lyman Great Plains in 50 cal and yes, I'd use a patched round ball. Lymans are made in Italy but also have coil springs and their locks look pretty close to T/C locks.

One advantage of the Hawkens & Lyman BP guns is the hooked breach. This makes it easy to dismount the barrel from the stock for cleaning. I have two rifles which are pinned and one (a Markwell kit gun) is a pain to disassemble to clean. The other is a Pennsylvannia long rifle which requires the tang screw be removed to dismount the barrel. That's not too good for the wood.

Don't dwell too much on style. It's better to buy a gun, and learn how it shoots at varying distances now so when season starts, you're ready. After all, that is the fun and challenge of black powder (finding the powder, ball, patch size combination which delivers the best combination of accuracy and hitting power, and then determining its trajectory at varying distances). Later, you can find one which fits you taste better.
 
I have a Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .54cal.. I really like the rifle. It came with some beautiful wood. I'm planning on browning the whole rifle and replacing the sights with something more traditional. It's a good shooter though, and if I do my part I can usually hold my own against guys with some really high dollar rifles.
As a matter of fact, I'm off to the Northern Lancaster Rendevous (eastern PA) tomarrow. 1st of the season. Woodswalk, here I come!
If you're in eastern PA check out Dixon's Muzzelloaders Shop. They have EVERYTHING!
 
I second Jaeger's suggestion for the Lyman Great Plains rifle. I also have one in .54 caliber and it shoots real nice. My standard load is a .530 ball, .015 patch and 75 grains of FFG. The rifle uses the standard No. 11 caps.

Like 4V50 Gary says, the hooked breach guns are a snap to clean. With the Lyman (or Thompson Center), you push out the stock pins and lift out the barrel - 10 seconds.

Once out, you pluck the breach into a bucket of very hot water and Simple Green (yes!) and run patches through the barrel. Honestly, with the hot water and soap you will be finished in 5 minutes. Soak the percussion nipple in the same pot.

The hot water helps the barrel to dry, along with dry patching. Once dry, coat the inside and out with a natural lube (no hydrocarbons) and reassemble.

There are much fancier rifles with traditionally pinned barrels and ornate wood, but cleaning them is such a chore and can really ruin them quickly, especially if you get water or other gunk between the barrel and stock.

Keep it simple and you will enjoy blackpowder shooting that much more.

Noban
 
Gee, since we're talking about the Lyman Great Plains, I should confess that I have a left hand flintlock in 50 cal. I'm considering getting a percussion cap and mounting a 20" brass telescope on it. Right now I'm torn between getting the Hunter (1:32" twist) and the roundball version. Decisions, decisions.
 
I also recommend the Lyman Great Plains. I have 2, a 50 flint and a 54 cap. They both came with adj. rear sights and a buckhorn rear sight. I use the buckhorn but had to file the front sight to zero the rifle once I had found a load. They both shoot well. They were not very expensive either.
 
The Lyman Great Plains rifles are excellent. We've got two of them. One's a 50 caliber percussion the others a 54 caliber flintlock. I've won several local matches with the 50 caliber, loaded with a .495 roundball and 80 grains of 2fg it's deadly accurate at 100 yards. Be careful when buying flintlocks, you can skimp a little bit in lock quality with a percussion, but don't do it with a flintlock or the missfires will drive you up a wall. As has been mentioned the Great Plains rifles are good bets, but if you don't like the style of the halfstock you might want to look at Dixie's Tennessee Mountain Rifle. This can be had in 50 caliber and is excellent also, though a bit heavy. You might also look at the Mortimer Flintlocks, also sold through Dixie, they are expensive, but have a good reputation. I've never shot the TC flintlocks, though I've shot the percussion and it's an excellent, if not ugly, rifle.
Your other option is going semi, or full custom. If you go this route you can get the absolute finest, most authentic rifle money can buy, but be prepared to pay for it.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Here is what I was told from a few friends that have been shooting black powder rifles for a few years..... Stay away from Traditions and CVA. Both are made in Spain and are of poor quality. Lyman makes a good rifle.... but has no warranty at all....NONE! Thompson Center is the only American made flintlock that has a lifetime warranty. So..... I was really leaning toward TC. I looked at a few rifles on the CABELAS site.... and I really like the looks of that Blue Ridge Rifle they sell. I want something traditional, and of the best quality, but rugged and won't break the bank. This rifle will only be used for plinking, and deer hunting if I don't harvest one with my bow. ( I just gotta HUNT!) Thanks again..... but I think I might just get that Thompson Center. That warranty sounds good compared to those imported rifles!
CJB
 
Hey cjb - I had one of those Cabella's Blue Ridge rifles. It's made by Pedersoli, who makes very nice replica rifles. The Blue Ridge shoots real nice and the flint lock is very quick and sparky. The fit and finish of the rifle is so nice you would think it custom made. It has adjustable double set, double phase triggers that can be adjusted to ounces of pull. My only complaint is that the walnut stock is a little soft and will show bruises quickly. If you want the same gun with a nicer stock, try Cherry's Guns (on the web) who sell it with a curly maple stock and also offer a patch box option. It will also cost you about double the Cabella's asking price.

BTW, I sold mine to a friend to get him interested in the sport and replaced it with the Lyman.
 
That does it! I couldn't take it! Just couldn't take it! 1 Lyman Great Plains Rifle on the way!! Now....... the wait.......
I think I'll go outside and see if it came yet...... THANKS GUYS! I'll let you know how it shoots! For $275 I couldn't pass it up!
CJB
 
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