.45cal Flintlock gets the job done !!

[roundball]

Took a good doe this afternoon with a .45cal Flintlock...it had clouded up at midday and rain was supposed to start right after dark, figured they might move a little early, so I went an hour early in case...wind forced me to a stand I seldom hunt, but I still-hunted into it by 3:30pm.

Reached up an hung the flinter (sling) on a tree step, put on my insulated overalls, bent down to zip the zippers and saw some does coming towards me through the trees and brush across a drainage ditch about 65yds away.

Slowly straightened up, reached up behind the tree and brought down the flintlock which already had the main charge in the barrel, primed it with a pocket pan primer without taking my eyes off the deer still headed my way.

When I knelt down to get under some limbs, the lead doe saw me move and froze at about 40yds...shot her in the heart, she sprinted 25yds and dropped.

And after taking a fair amount of gaff over the years about my choice of flintlocks...
:: :: ::
...it's time to make a comment on the reliability of TC's redesigned flint lock assemblies.

This is my 3rd year using TC flintlocks exclusively and this doe today is the 12th deer I've taken with them. Every time I've squeezed a trigger on a deer, the TC flintlocks have fired instantaneously and the deer have gone down...not a single lock failure, not a flint failure, not a failure to ignite the prime, not a single hang fire, delay-fire, flash-in-the-pan, etc, etc...just complete, 100% reliability every time I've squeezed a trigger...I don't think that's too shabby!

:blah: :nono: :winking: :: eace:

:redthumb: :redthumb: :redthumb:

 

[Ohio Joe]

Nice job, Roundball...

My hunting season opens December 1st, but I won't get out until early Saturday morning, December 4th. We have the entire month of December to hunt here, in Nebraska.

My Dickert Flintlock will be my rifle of choice this year. The .45... I like the .45! There's just something about hunting with the flintlock rifle that really adds to the hunt. I can't explain it, but it feels good! It feels right! :thumbsup:

Again, nice job. Are you going to get another tag?

 

[Huntinfool]

Congrats!! :redthumb:

YMH&OS,
Chuck

 

[BambiSlayer]

COOL Roundball :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Its real cool after 200+ years the we still can fill the freezer just like our fore fathers taught us to with rocklocks. :master: :master: Maybe you can put up a pict of your prize trophy?

 

[roundball]

The 'trophy' is the Flintlock...the doe was just a routine skinhead
::

 

[musketman]

This is my 3rd year using TC flintlocks exclusively and this doe today is the 12th deer I've taken with them. Every time I've squeezed a trigger on a deer, the TC flintlocks have fired instantaneously and the deer have gone down...not a single lock failure, not a flint failure, not a failure to ignite the prime, not a single hang fire, delay-fire, flash-in-the-pan, etc, etc...just complete, 100% reliability every time I've squeezed a trigger...I don't think that's too shabby!

I had a flint T/C Renegade (.54 caliber) and I must say, it had never failed to go off either...

With proper care, the lock will do it's job flawlessly...

Here's to you and your flinter...

 

[adkmountainken]

Bill,
what load did you use? i will be heading out in the morning with my 45. flinter to see if i can trim the heard a little. way to go!!
Ken

 

[roundball]

Bill,
what load did you use? i will be heading out in the morning with my 45. flinter to see if i can trim the heard a little. way to go!!
Ken

I've been using nothing but round balls for a few years in all calibers, but this summer I ran across an EBay steal on a very large quantity of unlubed TC .45cal / 255grn Maxi-Hunters...$2.19/box DELIVERED...they'd always been extremely accurate in .45cal percussions in the past...(another excuse to shoot a flintlock!)

So this summer I ran some through a maxi-luber that screws onto a tube of Natural Lube 1000, tried them in a standard TC .45cal x 1:48" flint barrel, got ragged holes at 50yds using oxyoke wonderwads and 90grns Goex FFg.

Since my .58cal GM flint barrel got recalled for a possible vent-thread tapping problem, I decided to temporarily break away from patched balls and try this .45cal flinter setup with maxi-hunters...and "she done good" !
::

 

[sduve]

Congrats!!

 

[KyFlintlock]

Roundball,

Congrats on your doe, that is great.

Wess

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Excellent show, RB! There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of a hunt that goes the way it should. No major goofs, no nasty changes of wind that spook the deer just as they come in range, and none of those "pfffft...DANG" misfires!

Now that I've had a chance to get used to shooting sidelock percussion guns I think my next muzzleloader's going to be a flinter. Your comments on the T/C lock are most appreciated. Now all I need to do is find one used at a good price... LoL

Just as an aside, to the T/C flinters use the same tapered breach as found on their percussion guns? The reason I ask this is because, of all my percussion guns, the T/C Renegade has the least reliable ignition, so it doesn't go afield hunting. Hmmm, maybe I should trade it for a rocklock...

 

[Stumpkiller]

The reason I ask this is because, of all my percussion guns, the T/C Renegade has the least reliable ignition, so it doesn't go afield hunting. Hmmm, maybe I should trade it for a rocklock...

That's kind of a surprise. Mine is 100%. Do you pull the nipple every time you clean it (fouling builds up on the base of the nipple) and fire a cap before the first loading of the day?

I just had my T/C New Englander out for three 11 hr. days (one rainy) and it fired without hesitation when I emptied her to clean & re-load. At 40 yards I was maybe a half-inch below where she's sighted, and that was a COLD barrel (lightly pre-lubed and one cap popped three days prior).

 

[roundball]

Just as an aside, to the T/C flinters use the same tapered breach as found on their percussion guns? The reason I ask this is because, of all my percussion guns, the T/C Renegade has the least reliable ignition, so it doesn't go afield hunting. Hmmm, maybe I should trade it for a rocklock...

========================================================

Yes, same patent breech design, without the snail/nipple of course...the problem is not the patent breech...that's the finest thing since sliced bread.

Like Stumpkiller said, have to be pretty particular about the nipple/fire channel area on a percussion...must be bone dry, and should have at least SOME kernels of powder bump-bumped in there to jump start the ignition sequence.

On my flintlocks, the kernels of powder are perched in the large hole of TC's redesigned vent liner and the flame hits them directly and immediately...no turning corners, etc

Before I got into flintlocks, I remember seeing posts over the years about flintlock ignition being more reliable than percussions, and frankly I didn't believe them...but now I've experienced both and I'm a believer...the powder is "right there with the flame"...with good equipment and good powder, they're just really, really fast and satisfying to shoot.

 

[JesseJames]

Roundball

I have tc hawkins percussion. Do they make a flintlock to drop right in its place? If so,where to purchase. All my muzzleloaders are tc's. Hawkins,white mountain,cherokee,45 and 32 and a cougar.

 

[roundball]

Roundball

I have tc hawkins percussion. Do they make a flintlock to drop right in its place? If so,where to purchase. All my muzzleloaders are tc's. Hawkins,white mountain,cherokee,45 and 32 and a cougar.

====================================================
Yes, almost every one of mine are converted percussions.

The flint barrels drop right in perfectly.

The flint lock assemblies sometimes require 20-30 minutes tinkering to remove a couple high spots of wood inside the lock mortice.

And where the fence needs to slide in to contact the side of the breech plug, 15 seconds with a razor to simply shave .040" inch of wood out of the way, etc.

At first I was totally intimidated at the thought of tackling it myself, knowing my talents with basic 2x4's, but it turns out it's simple, and I've done several now.

PS:
I converted a .45cal Hawken / Cougar with it's stainless furniture to a flintlock...bought a TC stainless flint lock assembly that they use on the stainless Firestorm flintlock model...(all TC locks except for the old Cherokee & Seneca are the same physical dimensions)...the Cougar looks / works great!

 

[shmrck1]

roundball,
congratulations----- i personally think the .45
is very underestimated as a deer gun weather f/l or p/l. i use nothing else where i hunt in ohio. :m2c:
snake-eyes :imo: eace: :thumbsup:

 

[JesseJames]

roundball

Thanks for the reply. A friend of mine wants me to get a flint to hunt with him in Penna,I may go that route. My nephew just got out of the Army and moved to Wilson,N.C. Any good hunting grounds in that area?

 

[roundball]

Absolutely...that's in the Eastern third of the state where ML week opens early October, followed by general firearms season through January 1st...huge deer herd...4 buck/2 doe tags per year