My son has great interest in getting into muzzleloading and would like to be as traditional as possible, starting with a flintlock rifle....,
Not looking for something on the "cheap and entry-level" side, more like something that would be well-made that he could learn to use with proficiency for the rest of his life.
Alright so you should know that as for factory made flintlocks, the larger locks tend to be more forgiving of a new shooter. They are stronger too, for the most part. What has turned folks off in the past with flinters has been from my observations, a small, cheap lock, which then isn't very reliable, and the new flintlock shooter gets frustrated. So a large lock is a way to lessen that.
The next thing to understand is there is going to be a learning curve. You didn't mention what type of shooting the lad is going to do. The problem I have as an instructor for muzzle loading, especially instruction on flintlocks, is that the caplock in my opinion is so similar to a modern firearm that you're not "learning" anything new except loading procedures. So you'd dump X amount of cash into the caplock, only to need to dump Y amount in the future on a flinter, and you still need to learn the flinter. There is no real follow through with a caplock, as it's so fast.
To begin your son is going to need some range time
from a bench. Develop the rifle's accurate load using a highly supported position on the bench.
Then you work on the rest. "Follow through" isn't that crucial with a flintlock if you are not going to shoot target matches. I harvest deer quite often with a flintlock, and I always use a position where my flintlock and I are tight and supported. If you find that you're in an area a bit sparse of brush to use to help support and steady a shot, then there are drills to practice at home that will enable the flintlock shooter to avoid flinch and hone follow through.
Dixie has the Lyman .50 Trade Rifle which is a well made, simple, factory made gun. Notice that it has a single trigger and a 28" barrel with a 1 in 48" twist. ---->>>
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...ame/FR0703+Lyman+Trade+Rifle+-+.50+Cal.+Flint
Especially for the price, Articap is correct, this is a very good rifle to start out flintlocking. The lock is large enough to fall into the large category, and the rifle has a reputation for accuracy. A round ball would be probably the best bet. Learn the basics with a round ball, and IF for some reason one needed a lot more impact, then a conical could be chosen later.
LD