ok...my dad now wants to get into BP like me....i took into the sport all alone...just looking for another season to hunt....now hes jealous we both have tags left and he cant hunt anymore and i can....and am going to....so now hes thinking of buying a percussion and a flintlock....percussion for the early doe season and flinter for the late season....he dont want to have a misfire in oct or hed buy just the flinter..and i told him it would be easier to learn the ropes with a percussion and see if he likes it and everything...he found a used tc 50cal hawken caplock for under 200.....i cant remember what i paid for my used flinter...same gun but a flintlock...235 or 265 or something like that....but my gun is CLEAN and someone loved it...and i think its an older model gun....shoots great and is still clean...but i dont know what to look for in a good caplock.....waht should i look for? just basic signs of neglect like rust ect? where are they likely to rust? bore and breech area like a flinter?? anyone have any advice? he really doesnt want to pay a whole lot being he wants to buy 2 guns so he wants to buy used...we are good friends with the owner of the gunshop and he wouldnt care if i took it apart or anything...heck he would probally let us take it and shoot it but dad never wants to do that.....one year my dad was looking for a deer rifle and he told him just to find one and take it sight it in hunt with it and bring it back when he was done....we hunt with these guys too....and know we take good care of our guns...heck we clean them just for fun when we are bored..but anyone have advice on checking out a caplock?? where are the important areas to check?? ill save dad alot of money that he can use for the flinter....i know once he gets to shooting these guns he will love it....he loves to shoot....i offered to let him fire my flinter and told him id clean it and load it for him but he said hed wait....he was watchng me with intrest and asking questions about everything i was doing...feels good to actually beable to teach my dad for a change....i cant wait...we will have alot of fun shooting and hunting together with the flinters....hes anti inline...hes like what fun are they? its like a rifle....and seen the magazines showing they soaked them and fired them...he doesnt want one of those.....he said he wants to keep it semi traditional....so any advice on checking caplocks out??? thanx alot......

Right off the bat.......I'd say it sounds like a pretty good deal. Since you're in tight with the shop guys, I doubt they'd try to shaft you.

You're right on track with what you considered for inspection areas. Look down the bore, inspect for rust, make sure the lock action is smooth and strong. Also, I'd unscrew the nipple to make sure there is no corrosion on it or the receiver threads. If possible, see it you can fire a couple of caps off with it too, that way you can verify that the lock is striking well and that the flame path is open for good ignition.
Beyond that, checking it out is no different than any other used firearm.

Good Luck & merry Christmas

If you look around the nipple area, and the end of the barrel, you can get a good idea if they have been cleaned regularly. No rust or pitting. Good bluing.
Beat up stock.

thanx guys.....ill go down one day and check it out for dad...i just didnt know if there were any small key details that sometimes rust in them or anything like that....i guess they are pretty dang simple guns.....not much to them....thanx alot.....