Penn long rifle help needed

[lonegunman]

I aquired a pretty solid black powder collection a few years ago when my Dad passed away. My step-sons have an interest in muzzleloader hunts this year so we have been experimenting with a couple of them.

I really would like some insight or info if possible on the rifles.

Gun #1 is a Pennsylvania long rifle kind of thing. It is made in Spain, precussion, .50cal round ball gun, maybe 36" of bbl, decent sights, mystery wood dark stained with a brass patchbox and a few brass stars imbedded in the stock. It is complete and in fairly nice shape.

Since all I had was FFFg, we tried loads from 50-80grs and a round ball. Tightly patched it will put three in 7 inch circle at 100yds. Is it at all safe to shoot a maxi-ball in the thing? Other than an explosion, how do you know when you are overloading the thing?


Gun #2 is a Hawken .50 cal flintlock. It will actually spark but the flint has a couple of small chips missing. Can you knap a flint into shape? Will it work worth a crud in 25 degree temps? This gun has a 4xxx s/n and since they have been arouns since the 70's I'm guessing it is an early one. The bbl is marked "round ball 1-66 twist". I'm guessing no maxi-ball or sabot for this thing correct?

I'm not opposed to using it it looks like fun, the problem is I am a lefty. Will it set my face on fire or what? Can you convert it to precussion?

Worst case, does anyone have a left handed T/C Hawken they want to trade for a right? hahaha

Gun #3 is a T/C Seneca in 45 cal. Almost no one in the area stocks 45 stuff and one guy said it is not popular and not used. Out here you can use it on deer only. It is precussion and from about 1980. My Dad wanted to use it in Florida for deer and hogs when I was a kid. He had a kit bag with maxi-balls, round balls and all sorts of stuff for this gun.

Does anyone use them anymore? What happened to .45 caliber?



I also got a couple of revolvers, Italian Colt copies and a scruffy looking Old Model Ruger with a cheesy rubber grip. We can talk about them later.

 

[Chawbaccer]

No 1 likely has a 1 in 66 twist like the Hawken. You can try a maxi ball or a minie but most likely it will be inaccurate. A tight patch on your ramrod will tell you what your twist is. As for overloading, accuracy will be lost before you reach a maximum load. I would guess your gun could handle a 100 grain load but probably most accurate around 60-70 grains.
Knapping flints is a common practice when they get dull, don't take much practice to be able to do it. If your Hawken is a Thompson Center it has an after market barrel on it as they were made with a 1 48 twist. I am lefty too and shoot a right handed flint lock, wear protective glasses and get used to the flash and you will do ok.
Lots of folks would like your Seneca, Cains has molds and balls and maxi balls for it.

 

[Cosmoline]

Re. the flints, a lot of places sell them pre-made for not much money. You just need to know the rough size. Flintlocks are as reliable as caplocks if treated right. I've found mine to be considerably *MORE* reliable actually. Any idea what the make is on No. 2? Any manufacturer name?

Track of the wolf has these and also any roundballs you could want.

 

[lonegunman]

Well after a bit of research I found some pretty good news. The Pennsylvania rifle is a Traditions gun, made in spain with a 1:66 barrel. It is still being made and this one is no doubt early in the model. Apparently you can swap the precussion lock for a flintlock if you desire, that might be handy later.

The number two gun is a Thompson Center made Hawken with a very low s/n. It was made before the interest in conical bullets arose. The frizzen had a coating of light surface rust and I am wondering how to freshen it up so it will be a bit more sparky. I'd like to shoot it at some point.

I'd like to give muzzleloader season a try at some point, the challange has always been more appealing than rifle season. So I'll be doing a little expermenting later in the year. Any pointers are always welcome.

 

[Cosmoline]

Don't underestimate PRB. A .50 will take large deer, no problem. The only drawback is the limitation on longer ranges

Another option are the ball-ets that are a sort of hollow base elongated roundball. They give you some more lead and better BC for a bit more range. They also have a better chance of stabilizing in the slow twist. Though you'll have to experiment with loads to see.

http://www.gunaccessories.com/BuffaloBullets/Ball-ets.asp

 

[robhof]

robhof

Welcome to the B/p arena, sounds like you've got a fine collection. My 1st b/p deer in Ky was taken last year with a Thompson Hawkins only in percussion. Check out the ROA club, and see if the Ruger is one of those, they stopped making them a few years ago and the price started climbing, they still carry parts and will honor their lifetime warranty for repair. Do searches on flintlocks, they're a breed unto themselves, they only work with real b/p, but when properly knapped and primed, will shoot as well as any percussion.

 

[mykeal]

Ruger?

Re: the rust on the frizzen. It really won't hurt the performance of the frizzen after a few dry fire runs. The flint will just scrape it off, down to fresh metal. If you want to freshen it up for cosmetic reasons, just use some fine steel wool. Avoid using rust remover type solvents; you don't want the frizzen face slippery.

The current crop of popular in-lines is virtually void in .45 cals, consequently the box store bozos don't know anything about it. .45 is an excellent long rifle caliber; supplies are readily available from any bp online sutler.

 

[lonegunman]

Well the long rifle out for late season hunting and if the boys have any luck I'll post the pics here. We shot it quite a few times and had good luck getting it dialed in.