ok im hunting deer. I'd like to keep it around 500 bucks... And id loike to hit a paper plate every time at 100 yards...

Is there a flintlock rifle out there for me... oh and i gotta shot patch and ball...

Lyman great Plains rifle (1:60 twist) I can get 1 to 2 inch groups at 100 yards. The rifle can do better than I can shoot with open sights anymore.

My Lyman Great Plains Flintlock is very good. And actually my Lyman Trade Rifle with a 1-48 twist shoots patched ball very good. I have not shot a lot out to 100 yards as I just have a hard time seeing a small target that far. But out to 50 yards.. both are deadly.

The Trade Rifle is normally under $400.00 and if you watch sales they were a little cheaper. The Great Plains Rifles new.. unfortunately like the Thompson Centers are well over $500.00. Unless you're willing to purchase new/used from an auction site.

Also if you are going for just patched ball, consider the .54 caliber. I think they are a more accurate caliber in the patched ball department.

The Lyman Deerstalker Flintlock is another good shooter. $377.90, at Midsouth Shooters Supply. www.midsouthshooterssupply.com

i watched gunbroker last year and got a thompson center 50cal flintlock hawkens for 350.00......I just got a renagade(tc) compleat stock flintlock 50 for 130.00 on ebay and yesterday i got the barrel from the same seller for 175 (it was 180something shipped) i got a wedge pin for 10......I e-mailed green mountian and asked if the had a 54 renagade flint barrel and they said they didn't so i grabed the factory barrel. you should be able to get a compleat flintlock tc hawkens and green mountian has 50 cal flintlock hawkens barrels in round ball twist on there website for under 300 shipped......my buddy got a 54 great plains flint and its deadly he could hit that plate no problem......

theres a plile of thompson center flintlock hawkens(on gunbroker.com) from 199.00 to 450.00 a renadage 54 for 350(i realy like renagades they fit me better than a hawkens)theres a penn hunter for a fair price too............I'm not sure why but the lymans are much harder to find used either tc made a crapload of sidelocks or people love the lymans and keep them....i've shot my buddys great plains and its a nice gun

If you can find a T/C Hawken stock with all the hardware (lock, triggers, etc) or a complete used one cheap with a bad barrel you can always get a GM flintlock barrel with a 1:60 twist for a little over $200.
Other than that, the Lyman would probably be your better shooter for about $500.
I do believe my local shop has a Hawken flinter on the used rack. I might be going there tomorrow so I can check it out for you.

Told a friend of mine my delema and he told me he had a left handed great plains rifle he would give me because he is not left handed and i am... It was his dads... Pretty good friend

That's neat Mr. Longbeard. Great rifle and an even greater friend.

Fantastic - that's exactly the same rifle I have. Superbly accurate. My only hiccup with it is the pan needs to be full of FFFFg for it to go off reliably.