50, 54, or 58 cal flintlock “Plains” rifle?

[deerstalkert]

Not a whole lot of old men went West

but the west made a whole lot of us old!

 

[jetcsa]

this is my effort of producing a full length, flintlock, plains rifle.
I call it my double bagger because it isn't the prettiest.
may not be the prettiest but it matches me andView attachment 373186View attachment 373187 is the one i shoot 99% of the time.
54 cal 34 inch Sharon Barrel.
8.25 lbs
overall length of 51 inches.
1 inch barrel
Doc Haddaway lock, Davis single set trigger.
I used a plank of Birch I milled here on the place 15 or so years and had it curing in my neighbors basement.
it lacks the wedges of a true plains rifle but i have no problem with cleaning it as I do all my long rifle flintlocks.
though when I catch up on builds i may add wedges to pretty it up a mite.
it shoots PRB much better than I can.

That's gorgeous! You should be especially proud of it, having built it from a plank of wood you milled yourself. I've got a couple of slabs of walnut that a friend in the tree removal business cut for me. They've been curing for a little over 20 years, now. I genuinely hope to turn them into as many as 4 muzzleloaders one day. If I get one built, I'm going to have to put those barrel wedges in from the start. If had built something as nice as you did, I'm afraid I'd never go back and add the wedges for fear of messing up an old friend I'd already grown to love!

 

[Sniperdoc]

Old, or dead

but the west made a whole lot of us old!

 

[jetcsa]

As a child of the 70’s, I remember going to a Rondy with my CVA .50 calibre Mountain Rifle. On the firing line, there was this guy shooting a fullstock plains rifle…I’ve been wanting one ever since. I finally took the plunge a couple years ago and had one custom made for me. I feel like I waited almost too long, I should’ve done this years earlier.
View attachment 373190
View attachment 373202
As to calibre, I much prefer the efficiency of the grand old .54 calibre, it is the most efficient…and packs such an amazing punch on elk. So yeah, there’s that…

Well, I guess I'm not the only one who waited a little longer than they should have. At least you beat me to it on making it happen. Looks great!

 

[Antelope Pete]

When the term "Plains Rifle" comes up so many people think Hawken and only Hawken when most Plains Rifles were anything but a Hawken. They could be a Tryon, a Henry, a Leman, a Deringer, or several others including British rifles some heavy some not. Mostly .50 cal. plus.

 

[nchawkeye]

I built this in the late '80s, fullstock, flintlock but with a Lancaster style stock. I took me 2 years to build, it is a .54. With 80grs FFF Goex, it does a fine job on deer. The barrel is 38 inches long, 1 1/16 at the breach and 15/16 at the muzzle. It weighs about 9 pounds so it is a bit hefty.

 

[jetcsa]

I built this in the late '80s, fullstock, flintlock but with a Lancaster style stock. I took me 2 years to build, it is a .54. With 80grs FFF Goex, it does a fine job on deer. The barrel is 38 inches long, 1 1/16 at the breach and 15/16 at the muzzle. It weighs about 9 pounds so it is a bit hefty.

Gorgeous rifle - and deer!

 

[deerstalkert]

That's gorgeous! You should be especially proud of it, having built it from a plank of wood you milled yourself. I've got a couple of slabs of walnut that a friend in the tree removal business cut for me. They've been curing for a little over 20 years, now. I genuinely hope to turn them into as many as 4 muzzleloaders one day. If I get one built, I'm going to have to put those barrel wedges in from the start. If had built something as nice as you did, I'm afraid I'd never go back and add the wedges for fear of messing up an old friend I'd already grown to love!

well thank you. now the rest of the story!
when i first built the double bagger, I thought i would be cute and built it with a high comb. after getting my face slapped more times than I did as a teenager, I grabbed a rasp and reduced the height and width of the stock from the breech rearward. that required stripping the finish off the entire stock. Birch is a wood that if you change the spelling a bit lives up to its name to finish and refinishing is a nightmare. I threw everything i had in stain, even engine oil i think and it actually came out even, not splotchy like most birch does.
I have 2 builds going right now, but if i ever finish them i will add some lipstick to this.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I’ve had a full stock standing breech flintlock “Plains” type rifle on my bucket list for over 25 years. I know that to call it a Hawken wouldn’t be historically correct, hence “Plains” type. This may be stirring the pot with a Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge type question, but which caliber would y’all prefer, and why? It will be used for target shooting and some whitetail deer hunting. I’ve been successfully deer hunting for nearly 40 years, but have yet to take one with one of my muzzleloaders. I know exactly what I want, but may have to build it in order to find it. Caliber is about the only thing I’m undecided on. Y’all please help me out!

why drive yourself crazy get all 3

 

[deerstalkert]

why drive yourself crazy get all 3

nah! get one of them Tesla pickups and store your BP in its bed!

 

[SPQR70AD]

nah! get one of them Tesla pickups and store your BP in its bed!

LOL

 

[Jasonb1911]

This is a rifle I had built a couple of years ago. I really wasn't going for any particular rifle style, I just knew what I wanted. It's a 58 caliber 1 inch ATF. The barrel was from an old CVA Mountain Rifle that I had. I like the way it balances and how light it is, so I vote for big bore!

 

[jetcsa]

well thank you. now the rest of the story!
when i first built the double bagger, I thought i would be cute and built it with a high comb. after getting my face slapped more times than I did as a teenager, I grabbed a rasp and reduced the height and width of the stock from the breech rearward. that required stripping the finish off the entire stock. Birch is a wood that if you change the spelling a bit lives up to its name to finish and refinishing is a nightmare. I threw everything i had in stain, even engine oil i think and it actually came out even, not splotchy like most birch does.
I have 2 builds going right now, but if i ever finish them i will add some lipstick to this.

I hear you on that birch refinishing! I’ve done it on everything from Crosman pellet rifles to M1 stocks - it’s tough not to leave them splotchy!

 

[jetcsa]

This is a rifle I had built a couple of years ago. I really wasn't going for any particular rifle style, I just knew what I wanted. It's a 58 caliber 1 inch ATF. The barrel was from an old CVA Mountain Rifle that I had. I like the way it balances and how light it is, so I vote for big bore!

Very nice! I believe that steel that just isn't there lends itself to good balance sometimes.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Love a .54, for an all arounder.

I don’t shoot enough for the cost difference to really add up, and it just feels right.

60 grains has a mild recoil, 90 is spicy but manageable. Good range and shoots flatter than a .58. Will kill anything I would ever want to hunt.

 

[smoothshooter]

I had the same lust.

Finally had one made . Went with 58 so I could do everything.


It's been a joy.

You forgot to mention what the distance to the target was.
View attachment 373066View attachment 373067View attachment 373068View attachment 373069

 

[smoothshooter]

When the term "Plains Rifle" comes up so many people think Hawken and only Hawken when most Plains Rifles were anything but a Hawken. They could be a Tryon, a Henry, a Leman, a Deringer, or several others including British rifles some heavyi some not. Mostly .50 cal. plus.

What about Dimmick? (sp)

 

[Banjoman]

Bigger calibers make bigger, easier to see holes in the targets.

 

[bldtrailer]

one rifle with 3 interchangeable barrels

the above rifle has a hook breech came with a 50 green mtn barrel and had Mr Hoyt make a matching barrel in 54 gain twist (might get a 40 made)

 

[jetcsa]

one rifle with 3 interchangeable barrels View attachment 373352View attachment 373353the above rifle has a hook breech came with a 50 green mtn barrel and had Mr Hoyt make a matching barrel in 54 gain twist (might get a 40 made)View attachment 373356View attachment 373355

That’s cool. Looks like they’re all shooters!