What caliber and style for you?

SciAggie · Oct 15, 2024

In Colorado, climbing up and down hunting elk, I’d take my .62 Yeager. It’s short, light, points well, and packs a punch.

I’m also a fan of this .72 caliber English sporting rifle for the same reasons.

stubshaft · Oct 15, 2024

An early Virginia (this was the very first style flintlock that I bought) in .58 OR a Kibler Colonial.

SOLANCO · Oct 16, 2024

Partial to .36 in a long rifle. It is a finicky PITA in some ways but I like to shoot it. Probably shoot my .58 long rifle more often for the comparative ease. These for plinking or range.

Hunting I almost always take my percussion double.

longcruise · Oct 16, 2024

58, med length swamped barrel, no more than 7.5#.

Johnny Too-Tall · Oct 16, 2024

cjgregory said:
Well I’m leaning towards the .54 with a swamped barrel in a J. Dickert early Lancaster pattern with a Chambers Golden Age fast lock. Or maybe his deluxe siler.

Your .45 Late Lancaster sounds like a great rifle. Thanks for your input Hanshi. Much appreciated.

Well if your ordering it get the new machined deluxe siler.

Cruzatte · Oct 16, 2024

Mark me down as in favor of the Lancaster pattern, any of the Golden Age makers; Dickert, Albright, Gumpf, Fordney...they're all good. Fifty caliber is a good, all purpose caliber.

cjgregory · Oct 16, 2024

Cruzatte said:
Mark me down as in favor of the Lancaster pattern, any of the Golden Age makers; Dickert, Albright, Gumpf, Fordney...they're all good. Fifty caliber is a good, all purpose caliber.

Yep. Already getting parts lined up.

ochsner_tim · Oct 16, 2024

cjgregory said:
Yep. Already getting parts lined up.

The Lancaster are fine looking and are my favorites also, but don’t overlook the John Armstrong emmittsville school.

cjgregory · Oct 16, 2024

ochsner_tim said:
The Lancaster are fine looking and are my favorites also, but don’t overlook the John Armstrong emmittsville school.

Will search some of them today. Thanks.

R Ellis · Oct 16, 2024

I just traded for a 40 cal full stock with 40 inch barrel that is a real honest tack driver . And may become my favorite in time put it has some competition from a 32 cal and a 50 cal . I wanted to try a 40 after hearing and reading others say how accurate they were .Seem they were on to something . So try a 40 I believe you will like it .

ZUG · Oct 16, 2024

I tend to lean towards a Lancaster or York style of rifle as my first pick and in .54 caliber since you already have a .50 caliber rifle. My second choice would be from the Reading School style of builders also in .54 caliber. Whatever you pick use a high-quality swamped barrel and a high-quality lock.
Rather than have a custom rifle built by a custom rifle smith I would get a Kibler Woodsrunner or his Colonial American Longrifle and build it yourself or have your buddy build it.

hanshi · Oct 16, 2024

I've ended up with 4 rifles in .45 caliber. One is retired (nearly 60 yoa) and one has never hunted; both are percussion. My #1 late Lancaster .45 is 7 lbs even with a 36" straight barrel. A delight to carry with an ultra reliable large Siler flint lock.

The #2 is 7 lbs & 11 oz with a swamped "B" weight .38" tube and large Siler flint lock. I also have this "sorta" early Lancaster youth style .50 with a Golden Age Chambers flint. The Rice barrel is a swamped "B" wgt. 38" long beauty. The rifle only weighs 7 lbs & 2 oz; what a delight to shoot.

I can't think of a better all around/everything rifle than a .54 flintlock longrifle in whatever style one prefers. True, it will use more lead than necessary for squirrels. But for about everything else it can't be beat. And this praise is coming direct from a .45 aficionado too. Where more than one rifle is involved the .54 can become something of a specialized large game affair. The smaller siblings would then take care of squirrel or maybe deer. And deer are perfect for the .45 to chase.

olskool · Oct 16, 2024

a Kibler woods runner in 54, and a SMR in 45, both are great,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

cjgregory · Oct 16, 2024

hanshi said:
I've ended up with 4 rifles in .45 caliber. One is retired (nearly 60 yoa) and one has never hunted; both are percussion. My #1 late Lancaster .45 is 7 lbs even with a 36" straight barrel. A delight to carry with an ultra reliable large Siler flint lock.

The #2 is 7 lbs & 11 oz with a swamped "B" weight .38" tube and large Siler flint lock. I also have this "sorta" early Lancaster youth style .50 with a Golden Age Chambers flint. The Rice barrel is a swamped "B" wgt. 38" long beauty. The rifle only weighs 7 lbs & 2 oz; what a delight to shoot.

I can't think of a better all around/everything rifle than a .54 flintlock longrifle in whatever style one prefers. True, it will use more lead than necessary for squirrels. But for about everything else it can't be beat. And this praise is coming direct from a .45 aficionado too. Where more than one rifle is involved the .54 can become something of a specialized large game affair. The smaller siblings would then take care of squirrel or maybe deer. And deer are perfect for the .45 to chase.

I’m actually going with the Chambers golden age lock for this one as well. Under 9 lbs would be just right.

smoothshooter · Oct 16, 2024

SciAggie said:
In Colorado, climbing up and down hunting elk, I’d take my .62 Yeager. It’s short, light, points well, and packs a punch.
View attachment 355519
I’m also a fan of this .72 caliber English sporting rifle for the same reasons.
View attachment 355518

That’s quite a powder horn with the Yeager rifle. May be the prettiest I have ever seen.
Whose work is it?

Old Bear · Oct 17, 2024

hanshi said:
I've ended up with 4 rifles in .45 caliber. One is retired (nearly 60 yoa) and one has never hunted; both are percussion. My #1 late Lancaster .45 is 7 lbs even with a 36" straight barrel. A delight to carry with an ultra reliable large Siler flint lock.

The #2 is 7 lbs & 11 oz with a swamped "B" weight .38" tube and large Siler flint lock. I also have this "sorta" early Lancaster youth style .50 with a Golden Age Chambers flint. The Rice barrel is a swamped "B" wgt. 38" long beauty. The rifle only weighs 7 lbs & 2 oz; what a delight to shoot.

I can't think of a better all around/everything rifle than a .54 flintlock longrifle in whatever style one prefers. True, it will use more lead than necessary for squirrels. But for about everything else it can't be beat. And this praise is coming direct from a .45 aficionado too. Where more than one rifle is involved the .54 can become something of a specialized large game affair. The smaller siblings would then take care of squirrel or maybe deer. And deer are perfect for the .45 to chase.

Jim Chambers York Pennsylvania 45 flintlock swamped barrel double set triggers tack driver. Expensive and more challenging build but worth the time.

cjgregory · Oct 17, 2024

Old Bear said:
Jim Chambers York Pennsylvania 45 flintlock swamped barrel double set triggers tack driver. Expensive and more challenging build but worth the time.View attachment 355873

Sweet rifle and another awesome horn.

IronHand · Oct 17, 2024

British rifle of 1776 from the rifle shoppe.

http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/english_arms/(509).htm

tumblr_71ad44a080d26c6562fafb6d8b639f3d_67ede49f_400.jpg

.62 cal British military issue Jager.

Ironhand

Rebel bull · Oct 17, 2024

my personal preference as i have that 70 year mark is something along the lines of the original CVA mountain rifle short enough to move arround in the deer stand and light enough to carry without wearing me out and is a tack driver out passed what I can see in any of the 4 calibers I own

TheThunderGun · Oct 17, 2024

cjgregory said:
My buddy and I were talking last night and apparently he has some time in December to do another build for me. I’ve been thinking it over. I need to decide what caliber first and then what flintlock pattern I want to do.

I have a swamped barrel .50 colerain with a Siler lock. And a sweet .36 caliber with an L&R lock and a rice barrel. Both flinters, shoot like champs and I’ve well tuned them.

I know that here in Colorado if I want to hunt elk with a patched ball, the minimum is .54. I mostly bow hunt so I don’t give a damn one way or another.

Know what calibers I already have, what caliber rifle would you have him make for you? Specifically, why do you like your caliber choice?

As far as right now, Im thinking a Jacob Dickert (Lancaster County) pattern. What pattern is your favorite?

I'm a smoothbore guy. I like to use shot. I'm a Northwest trade gun shortened barrel .75 caliber.

What caliber and style for you?

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