Tips on flintlock hunting

[tackelberry88]

Need some tips for my first year using flintlock. Will a flintlock rifle be accurate enough using from a tree stand? What kind of injurey will deer sustain from a round ball projectile? Thanks -Jason-

[Zigo1965]

the best shot with a muzzleloader is double lung or heart like a bow.

If your hunting in Pennsylvania you can use the sabot bullets
what gun do you have? and whats the twist in the barrel ?
(66 to 1 48 to 1 32 to1 etc.....) it will be on the barrel
depending on the gun you have and ammo you can shoot 200 yds
but a flintlock is not as easy as a rifle because of the smoke and delay.
I have a traditions pa pellet that i worked the trigger and
in a gun rest i shoot 1 1/2 group at 100yds with 2 50 grain pryrodex pellets
and 240 grain hornady sabot.
DO NOT USE PRYRODEX PELLETS IF YOUR GUN IS NOT MADE TO SHOOT THEM!
there is alot you can to do to make the gun shoot better.
there is a company in Pennsylvania that sells all types of up grades
for all different guns and tons of gadgets etc..
http://rmcsports.com/catalog.htm
they know everything about flintlocks,and are nice company to deal with.
if you need any more info that i can help just reply on the post

[RWK]

Keep your powder dry

[D Rock]

I hunted with my flintlock for quite a few years a while back and it is a little challenging. The first thing is to always do whatever you can to keep the pan dry. In snow I would put a piece of leather over the lock end of the gun and then remove it when I was ready to shoot. As far as accuracy goesI found my .58 cal to be just as accurate as my shotgun.With a flitlock your have to do the things it takes to shoot a modern gun even better. You have to follow through on your shots and eliminate flinching as much as possible. When using a flintlock in a treestand you have to be very careful. It isn't like a modern firearm that you can just take the shell out of when you hoist your gun up. Most of the time I just hunted on the ground to avoid this problem. A round ball can do a lot of damage actually. My father and I have taken a lot of deer with his .45 cal and my .58 cal very effectively. Just like other methods of hunting you have to make good shots for good kills. I hope you have fun hunting with your flintlock. It makes for a good hunt.

[nchawkeye]

I hope this is not the first year you are hunting with a flinter...It takes awhile with any muzzleloader to work up a good accurate load...I have hunted with flintlocks since the mid 70s...First was a .45, then built a .54 in the late 80s...When I was younger and shot competition, I could keep all my shots in a 1 1/2 inch circle at 50 yards...Using 75grs FFF with the .45 and 80 grains FF in the .54, I have killed somewhere around 50 deer with, using a patched round ball....Hit in the heart/lung area most drop within 35-60 yards....It doesn't matter if you are in a tree, or on the ground...Hold where you want the ball to exit and you will have no problems...

btw...To pull up into your treestand...Buy, or make a cover for the frizzen, put a leather tie on to wrap around trigger guard...Empty pan, brush out with pan brush, put hammer all the way down, cover frizzen, tie rope around sling and you are good to go....I do prefer to tie where the gun come up parallel with the ground...

Also....A flintlock will discharge with NO powder in the pan...If you have to knap your flint, don't check for sparks with the gun charged....They will go off....