Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
06-21-2007, 03:44 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location:
Posts: 109
Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
I have been offered one of these that has never been shot. Wanted to see what you all thought of these? Are they accurate? Reliable? Anything i should look for? Thanks,
Craig
Craig
06-21-2007, 04:03 PM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
RE: Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
I have one. Good quality/goodshooter, especially with 385 grain Great Plains conicals (3" 100 yard groups). Unfired? Worth in the $150 to $180 range.
06-21-2007, 05:40 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
Like said, they are a real meat and potatoes rifle. Nothing fancy, but all the rifle a person would need. I have a friend that hunts with one. He shoots 370 grain maxiball and it is the only muzzleloader he has ever needed. They are known to be good shooters with both roundball and conicals.
06-21-2007, 06:59 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 882
RE: Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
I had a 54 new englander with a wood stock gun use to drive RB'S in clover leaf groups ,used 3F goex 95 grains and a wad under the patched RB
here a gun you could carry all day in the field light only reason I sold it was due to I like flinters a little better then percussion locks
here a gun you could carry all day in the field light only reason I sold it was due to I like flinters a little better then percussion locks
06-21-2007, 07:45 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: southwest Ohio
Posts: 1,047
RE: Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
I have the NewEnglander in both .50 cal.and 12 gauge. Started with the .50 rifle and then added the 12 ga. barrel, then a camo synthetic stock, and finally bought an extralock so I would have two complete guns. 
My rifle barrel likes Lee REAL bullets (325 gr.) ahead of 80 to 90 grains of ffg Goex. I have it set up with a fiber optic front sight and a T/C tang mounted peep. I shot it the other evening at 25 yards to check the sights and had one ragged hole for a group. At 50 yards the group opened up to just overa couple of inches, but with the heat & breeze that was blowing I wasn't upset.
I'd have to say the NewEnglander is a pretty dependable "no frills" gun.
Oops...........
Almost forgot to mention that I did buy a scope base for the rifle barrel. I mounted it and put a Leupold 2-7x scope on it to see what the barrel was really capable of accuracy-wise. At 100 yards groups under 2" were easy with the Lee REALs. Somehow the scope just doesn't seem to "fit" the style, though, so I took it off and went back to open sights.
My rifle barrel likes Lee REAL bullets (325 gr.) ahead of 80 to 90 grains of ffg Goex. I have it set up with a fiber optic front sight and a T/C tang mounted peep. I shot it the other evening at 25 yards to check the sights and had one ragged hole for a group. At 50 yards the group opened up to just overa couple of inches, but with the heat & breeze that was blowing I wasn't upset.
I'd have to say the NewEnglander is a pretty dependable "no frills" gun.
Oops...........
Almost forgot to mention that I did buy a scope base for the rifle barrel. I mounted it and put a Leupold 2-7x scope on it to see what the barrel was really capable of accuracy-wise. At 100 yards groups under 2" were easy with the Lee REALs. Somehow the scope just doesn't seem to "fit" the style, though, so I took it off and went back to open sights.
06-22-2007, 12:28 AM
#6
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
All this talk of New Englander's got me interested. So tonight,I just bought a .54 caliber model, in mint condition, with the black rynite stock. I talked myself out of it once, but could not resist. That should be an interesting addition to my collection...
06-22-2007, 10:37 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 426
RE: Opinion on a Thompson New Englander 50 cal
ORIGINAL: cayugad
All this talk of New Englander's got me interested. So tonight,I just bought a .54 caliber model, in mint condition, with the black rynite stock. I talked myself out of it once, but could not resist. That should be an interesting addition to my collection...
All this talk of New Englander's got me interested. So tonight,I just bought a .54 caliber model, in mint condition, with the black rynite stock. I talked myself out of it once, but could not resist. That should be an interesting addition to my collection...
That drive home was either too long or too short!
