If you were starting over, what would you do?
- Thread starter CANNONMAN
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Crawdad1
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A custom built flintlock from one of those guys on the contemporary board is a work of art and you'll never regret buying a custom built long rifle.
And the longrifle is what made us know throughout the world as the nation of riflemen.
"I never in my life saw better rifles then those made in America" British General George Hanger.
And the longrifle is what made us know throughout the world as the nation of riflemen.
"I never in my life saw better rifles then those made in America" British General George Hanger.
Flint lock seems the right choice
Thanks, swopian! good and educational. I think if I'm working my way from cannons to handhelds I should learn from the beginning. I might as well get to know the suffering, er, exciting inroads of the flint lock and work my way up. It looks like it goes flint to percussion to in-line. Is there such a thing as a matched set of pistol and rifle in the flint locks? If so, where do you go for purchase?
Thanks, swopian! good and educational. I think if I'm working my way from cannons to handhelds I should learn from the beginning. I might as well get to know the suffering, er, exciting inroads of the flint lock and work my way up. It looks like it goes flint to percussion to in-line. Is there such a thing as a matched set of pistol and rifle in the flint locks? If so, where do you go for purchase?
I'm not a BP shooter at the present, started out with a TC Renegade and a lot of interest, but didn't know any knowledgable local folks in the pre-internet days, never got it shooting to my satisfaction and ended trading it off. Tried a second time with a TC scout, but again a disappointment. Your post however kinda caught my attention and made me really think about what I'd do if I tried again.
My prime interest in shooting is fun target shooting, competing against only myself, with the access to a 200 yard range as my primary shooting locale. While I have a deep and abiding love of history, I find no need to handicap myself with the limitations that we have since overcome, so no period correct pieces for me. I'd go with a Ruger Old Army 7.5" stainless gun with adjustable sights for a handgun and a TC Encore stainless frame with a tuned trigger and a scoped stainless BP rifle barrel for my rifle. I believe those would keep me interested and entertained for a good long time.
My prime interest in shooting is fun target shooting, competing against only myself, with the access to a 200 yard range as my primary shooting locale. While I have a deep and abiding love of history, I find no need to handicap myself with the limitations that we have since overcome, so no period correct pieces for me. I'd go with a Ruger Old Army 7.5" stainless gun with adjustable sights for a handgun and a TC Encore stainless frame with a tuned trigger and a scoped stainless BP rifle barrel for my rifle. I believe those would keep me interested and entertained for a good long time.
Do you mean a flintlock pistol + flintlock rifle set, or two identical guns like a matched pair of dueling pistols?
I think most people probably match their own sets, i.e. they'll buy a flintlock 'kentucky' style rifle and then a 'kentucky' style pistol separately. I don't know of any retailers that sell matched pistol/rifle as a set. I have a .32 caliber 'Crockett' rifle (caplock) that may also exist in a flintlock version and Crockett-style pistols exist too. My Crockett is far and away my nicest gun and only set me back $300 used. Unfortunately I haven't shot mine yet but other people who own them are very impressed with the accuracy of .32 caliber rifles.
Gunbroker's a good place if you want to browse some guns, lots of inlines though so definitely search with keyword 'flintlock' in the rifle section. WTB ads in forum sales sections might also be fruitful; THR just got its own black powder sales section earlier this week.
I buy and sell black powder guns as part of my small business but I specialize in revolvers, my flintlock knowledge is relatively limited. I do have one and I enjoy shooting it when I can but it's a cheap Spanish gun, not reliable and not at all what I would recommend for a first flintlock unless you're a masochist, as it took some effort to get up and running after spending two decades hanging on someone's wall.
For a good first flintlock, you're probably going to want an American made gun. I think Pedersoli makes flintlocks too so that would also be a safe bet. Something manufactured in Spain or India may work well, it may not. Spanish guns are pretty 'entry level,' nothing wrong with them but my Spanish guns were cheap and it shows. Indian guns vary in quality; I attribute part of this to there being no Indian makers who are well known by name (Italians have Uberti, Pietta, Pedersoli, Spain has Jukar, India has ???) so there's less of a reputation to uphold, and also because Indian muzzleloaders cannot be proofed or tested in India. They are exported without touchholes because if they were functional they would be considered firearms by the Indian government and therefore illegal to export.
Good luck on your search for your first flintlocks!
I think most people probably match their own sets, i.e. they'll buy a flintlock 'kentucky' style rifle and then a 'kentucky' style pistol separately. I don't know of any retailers that sell matched pistol/rifle as a set. I have a .32 caliber 'Crockett' rifle (caplock) that may also exist in a flintlock version and Crockett-style pistols exist too. My Crockett is far and away my nicest gun and only set me back $300 used. Unfortunately I haven't shot mine yet but other people who own them are very impressed with the accuracy of .32 caliber rifles.
Gunbroker's a good place if you want to browse some guns, lots of inlines though so definitely search with keyword 'flintlock' in the rifle section. WTB ads in forum sales sections might also be fruitful; THR just got its own black powder sales section earlier this week.
I buy and sell black powder guns as part of my small business but I specialize in revolvers, my flintlock knowledge is relatively limited. I do have one and I enjoy shooting it when I can but it's a cheap Spanish gun, not reliable and not at all what I would recommend for a first flintlock unless you're a masochist, as it took some effort to get up and running after spending two decades hanging on someone's wall.
For a good first flintlock, you're probably going to want an American made gun. I think Pedersoli makes flintlocks too so that would also be a safe bet. Something manufactured in Spain or India may work well, it may not. Spanish guns are pretty 'entry level,' nothing wrong with them but my Spanish guns were cheap and it shows. Indian guns vary in quality; I attribute part of this to there being no Indian makers who are well known by name (Italians have Uberti, Pietta, Pedersoli, Spain has Jukar, India has ???) so there's less of a reputation to uphold, and also because Indian muzzleloaders cannot be proofed or tested in India. They are exported without touchholes because if they were functional they would be considered firearms by the Indian government and therefore illegal to export.
Good luck on your search for your first flintlocks!
Armored farmer
Member
Go to TVM or Track of the Wolf or Dixie Gun Works or similar and build your own from a kit.
Muzzle Loader Builder Supply is.another.
You can have some of the gunsmithing and woodworking done for you before they ship it to you if you are worried about it.
Muzzle Loader Builder Supply is.another.
You can have some of the gunsmithing and woodworking done for you before they ship it to you if you are worried about it.
Pancho
Member
When someone asks me about getting into muzzleloading my first question for them is "would you be satisfied with a range day where you fired 50 rounds or less?". Most smokeless shooters would consider this as a bad day. You being a "Cannonman" may have answered that question already. The second thing about muzzleloading that is unequaled in the sport of shooting is that muzzleloading is like benchloading at the range with instant gratification. To test your needs I'd start out with a good quality percussion rifle such as a Thompson Center or a Lyman Plains rifle. If the bug bites you then invest in flintlocks and revolvers.
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