Retiring the flintlock...

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WNC Seabee

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I've been hauling this beautiful, hand crafted rifle around the woods for about 25 years now. Took my first deer with it at 14 yo. Well, I found a small crack in the for end the other day that I'll need to get fixed up. so, I've decided to retire it from hunting duties to try and preserve it some.

I bought, but do not haven hand, a Traitions Buckhunter Stanless BP rifle tonight. It is not a "Pro" model.

Questions:

- do most in-lines do best with patched round ball, conicals or sabots? Hunting whitetail at 150 yd max range.

- Pyrodex or BP in these? I've never shot Pyrodex.

- how the heck can they call it a "primitive weapon"?! I feel dirty going with an in-line...any suggestions?

Off to retirement...

PIC_0165-1.gif
 
That is one beautiful flinter there !!! Very nice. I don't think it should cost to terribly much to have it repaired, probably less than you spent on your new rifle, unless, it's a hand forged twisted barrel, in which case it could be a bit pricey to repair.

I am not an expert in in-lines by any means, but I have read through and participated in several threads with respect to in-lines as of late and I have picked up a few things... A) Conicals and Minnie's are definately the preferred bullet, patched round balls are frowned upon, even ridiculed by some. B) Powder doesn't seem to matter at all in the in-lines, fire what you wish, loose powder or compressed pellets, Real BP or substitutes, there just doesn't seem to be a clear and distinct preferance or advantage in the powders used. C) Most, (If not all) in-lines use the 209 shot shell primer, which is much more powerful than traditional BP caps... The 209's will ignite even the "hard to start" Pyrodex Brands of powders easily and quickly.

I seem to gather, from the various posts on In-Lines, that in-lines in general are built to handle more powerful loads than traditional BP rifles/muskets are, and as a result of that, generally have higher breech pressures and higher projectile velocities.

I hope this helped out some...

Sincerely,

ElvinWarrior... aka... David, "EW"
 
- do most in-lines do best with patched round ball, conicals or sabots? Hunting whitetail at 150 yd max range.
Click to expand...
In-lines were designed for use with sabots.

- Pyrodex or BP in these? I've never shot Pyrodex.
Click to expand...
Either.

- how the heck can they call it a "primitive weapon"?! I feel dirty going with an in-line...any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Sell it an buy another flintlock. Seriously.
 
^^^ This. I agree completely.

WRT the Buckhunter, what's the twist rate? I think you can use patched round balls in anything 1:48 or slower. My Encore 209x50 is 1:28, and it prefers sabots. BTW, the Encore is NOT for the primitive season! My experience is limited, but from all I've read, sounds like BP gives the most consistent velocities, even in the inlines. I use Goex FFg in both my flintlock and Encore.

Edited to add: That's a beautiful flintlock, by the way. I'd see about getting it fixed rather than retiring it, unless you plan to display it. Hate the thought of that gorgeous wood sitting in the back of a safe!
 
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Fine looking flintlock! Fix the crack in the fore end and keep shooting! Inlines are decent, use a saboted bullet, but nothing beats the flintlock for pure fun.
 
Oh, I will most definitely fix the fore end. This rifle is going no where! I'll still use it for rendezvous shoots, log shoots, etc., I'll just retire it from bouncing around on the 4 wheeler in the rain and mud.
 
WNC Seabee said:
how the heck can they call it a "primitive weapon"?! I feel dirty going with an in-line...any suggestions?
Click to expand...

It's all based on technology that existed during the Civil War. And there were probably Civil War rifles that can shoot 10 times better than the BuckHunter or any other of today's inlines.
So no need to feel dirty. Instead try the new clean Black Horn 209 powder with a hot magnum type, Federal or Remington STS 209 primer, with no swabbing necessary between shots. Then use regular gun solvent to clean up with afterward.

http://www.blackhorn209.com/


There's some precision jacketed mini style conicals with a hollow base to try out named the Hornady FPB bullets that weigh 300 and 350 grains. Some Walmarts sell them. They perform so well that they can even be used for hunting elk and the largest hogs.

http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal/

There's also PowerBelt bullets that have a plastic skirt like a minie design, but stick with the heavier ones of 295 grains or more. The lighter weight ones tend to fragment on impact if pushed too fast.

MMP and Harvester make a variety of plastic sabots that can be bought in bulk to combine with plain lead bullets or the hollow point bullets of your choice. Harvester makes a crush rib design sabot that's a little bit easier to load. A lot of folks like to buy 250 - 300 grain, .451-.452 diameter Speer Gold Dot handgun bullets in bulk to shoot with sabots because they offer great controlled expansion and accuracy. Hornady XTP's & XTP Mag's have also been some of the most popular muzzle loading bullets for many years now.

http://www.mmpsabots.com/

http://www.harvestermuzzleloading.com/
 
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If you feel this one has earned a rest, I suggest you replace it with.. another flintlock! In lines aren't the same at all. It's like making love through an interpreter, to quote Gandhi
 
inlines are cheating! i would never hunt deer with one of those contraptions! that's just cheating. your basically using a modern rifle. i am thinking about getting one for plinking, just to see what the heck the fuss is about. or maybe... i could ream out the rifling, remove the rear sight, solder on a front bead, make my own wooden stock that fits like a shotgun, and wingo!! I've got an inline shotgun! if i want to hunt deer i am taking my Traditions Frontier flintlock i built with some patched round balls i molded or some Minnie balls i molded. and that's final. i suggest you do the same.
 
Busyhands94,
Pecatonia River Supply sells an inline action that's similar to a Knight action that can be used to build a custom inline using the barrel of your choice. The receiver housing is made in different sizes to be compatible with a wide variety of barrel diameters. It's even possible to make an inline that can swap barrels.

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/actions.shtml
 
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Intervention in order-replacing a flinter with an inline?
Possible demonic possession at work-not good!
Seek help immediately!
 
Demons must be why folks are so "possessed" by their cap & ball revolvers too. All the chambers have nipples that are "inline", which the design dates back to at least the Colt Paterson revolver that was patented in 1836.
My inline long guns also use #11 caps, one being a 12 gauge shotgun from Traditions. They're all fun guns to shoot just like the C&B revolvers are! And I'll bet that there aren't any folks still alive in Salem who want to burn witches! :D
 
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WNCSeabee said:
I'll just retire it from bouncing around on the 4 wheeler in the rain and mud.
Click to expand...

You're obviously joking about this bit. Unless you did do this but the flintlock was safely packed in some nicely armoured case which took all the mud and bouncing.

It's OK to reduce the gun's workload. After all, it's getting on in years and should not be expected to have to deal with all that day to day stuff. But heaven help you if you ever stop taking it out where such a fine looking firearm can be seen by all and enjoyed by a few.
 
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