A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

Been doing my homework. Looking at web pictures and reading the specs on the following guns. Alsodid alimitedprice search ofa few vendors for the lowest price. I only looked athalf-stockguns with wood stocks.

Traditions:
- PA Pellet ($532) 50 caliber only.
-Hawken Woodsman ($282) 50 caliber only.
-Buckskinner ($252)50 caliber only.
-Deerhunter ($210) 50 caliber only.

Lyman:
- Deerstalker ($289) 50/54 caliber.
- Trade Rifle ($282) 50/54 caliber.
- Great Plains ($389) 50/54 caliber.
- Great Plains Hunter ($410) 50/54 caliber.

Pedersoli:
- Country Hunter ($295) 50 caliber only.

Deer Creek:
- Northwest ($325)50/54 caliber. (could not find a picture)

Thompson Center:
- Hawken ($596) 50 caliber only.

Cabelas:
- Traditional Hawken ($379) 50/54 caliber.

At this point, I'm leaning toward the Lyman Great Plains, mostly because I just plain like their looks. However, I'm notnotlocked in yet.Problem is, if I do go with the GP where do Igo from here - 50 or 54 caliber? 1 in 60" twist, or 1 in 32" ?

In favor of the 50 is the availability of projectiles andI have lots of 50 caliber support gear (jags, brushes, etc.) On the other hand, a 54 round baller 1 in 60is kind of appealing.

Then, dammit, I couldgive up the double triggers and refinementsof the Great Plains,and for $130 less go with the Trade Rifle in 1:48 twist in either caliber.

What you you experienced rock lockers think? (HECK! Thoughts from non-rockers welcome also.)

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

www.azmountainman.com for a pic. Or just look for one of my topics about my .45 I found out today from deer creek that it is a northwest rifle:D

if you get a .54, go slow twist and patched roundball. They are a lot of fun.

I didnt make that rendezvous sunday, it was pouring out and rained most of the day. That spoiled the rendezvous' last day.[:@]

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

Thanks Gander,now that you reminded me - I did see that picture. What they didn't have was the rate of twist. Good looking rifle. How is the lock? One thing that scares me off a little on the Deer Creek is I don't know how long they've been around, or how long they will be around.

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

Deer creek bought all of cva's traditional stuff. Lock is a cva lock and so far i havnt had any major problems other than my tumbler on the .45 chipping. Im going through the lock on my flintlock mtn. rifle and installed a stiffer main spring to aid in a lot more sparks. The stock did fine but i was out of good flints and i needed more snap to get the crappy flints to spark. I talked to someone at deer creek and he helped me a lot with info. Very nice place. I'd give them a call and ask about the quality and the warranty service they offer. But so far, both of my rifles are excellent shooters. On azmountainman.com they have a full stock traditions flintlock or percussion in 50cal for $325. Sheddoah i think its called.Something like that.

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

I started hunting FL in Penna with my brother 2 seasons ago. I bought my TC Hawken in Jan 2006 and got a nice big doe with it in Jan 2007. I bought a 50cal with 1:48 twist. You need to get the double set triggers, because that gives you the accuracy of a "hair trigger" with the FL. I bought a TC because I did the research as you have done and found that the frizzen and lock is the most important thing in a flinter, and TC were very reliable. I did consider the Pa Pellet rifle, but it was too expensive. I bought a use TC Hawken on Gun Broker for $300, shipped to my house. It was in excellent shape, like new and I like it a lot. I shoot Gold Dot's in it 300g with 70g of Goex BP 3F. The FLs are a lot of fun, I don't go CF hunting in PA any more, since I save my tag for FL season, which is always after Christmas in PA, nobody is in the woods, and it is cold and beautiful and fun. Best Wishes on choosing a FL. Oh I bought TC because they have a no questions asked repair and return policy on FL, most others do not and I was not too confident in my knowledge of FLing. Buy a good FL book. I bought Sam Fadula (?) on FL muzzler shooting and a couple of others. Great fun. The 1:48 shoots round balls and conicals and sabots good to 50 yards.
Chap Gleason

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true

I had on of these in .50, it was a great shooter. Its made by Investarms which is the same company that makes Lyman's guns.

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

If I were you I would get a 54cal. It is a great caliber for Traditional rifles.

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

Disclaimer...I am a muzzle loading snob...I bought my first custom made flintlock in 1977, I was 22...It is a gun built by Bob Watts, now deceased, he was written up in Foxfire 5, along with Hershel House and Jim Chambers...

If you can afford about $800 and are fairly handy with working wood and metal go to www.flintlocks.com
they make the finest repos in the business...I built my first in 1988, took me 2 years to finish, but I have an heirloom and still hunt with it...

A good flintlock mechanism can cost as much as a cheap rifle, but it has to function properly and be installed properly in relationship to the touch hole for the gun to go off quickly and reliably...Because of this, some folks experience frustration when buying a factory flintlock rifle, its simply too hard to get them to function properly..
This being said on another forum devoted specifically to muzzle loaders, the Lyman and T/C have a following.

For deer and a patched ball, .54 all the way, any twist from 1-48 to 1-72 works...As important as rate of twist is depth of rifling, this is what helps grip the patch...My custom flinter in .54 has a 1-72 twist and a .012 deep cut rifling, most factory guns have button (not cut) rifling and they run about .006 deep...

Don't worry about not having supplies for a muzzle loader, as you should be casting your own balls anyway...I cast about 85 for my .54 and 50 for my .40 on Sunday afternoon, it only took about 2 hours and I get my lead free...
For patching, go to WalMart and buy their cotton pillow ticking, wash it in hot water and throw in the dryer, then you can cut strips, lube and cut the patch at the muzzle when you load...While at WalMart pick up a yard of cotton flannel for cleaning patches...the flannel and ticking run about $3.00 a yard...My set up is as cheap as you can get, 2-Rapine bag molds, one .530 and one .390..A old Coleman stove, a soup can to melt the lead in, a ladle, gloves and I use SnoSeal for flux and patch lube...

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

Every fellow that I flint lock hunt with on drives in Pa has either a Lyman Great Plains or a TC Hawken or TC renegade. Their comment to me was buy a "flinter" get a Lyman or a TC, don't get any other brand, they work up here, the others don't go off in the snow, sleet and windy conditions.

Chap Gleason

RE: A Step or Two Closer To A Flintlock
 

:D Thats the biggest bunch of BS ive ever read. As long as the flint is sparking good and u do your job, its going off in snow, sleet or wind.