Brand new - looking for Flintlock advice

[SteveK]

Hi Everybody:

I'm pretty new to the forum, and brand new to muzzleloading. I've wanted a flintlock rifle for many years now, and am getting ready to buy a kit. The kit I'm leaning towards is a Track of the Wolf J.P. Beck. My family has been in Lebanon PA from the early 1700's, so of course I have to get a Lebanon gun.

I'll be using the gun primarily for informal target shooting, although I may use it to hunt deer occasionally. I'll probably go with .50 cal. In any case, I am considering the following, and would appreciate any feedback or advice:

- they offer a B or C profile, and it appears that the C profile is larger. Not sure which to get. I'm thinking about the 42" barrel, as it would be easier to handle

- For $60 more, I can get the swamped Rice Match grade barrel, over the Colerain swamped barrel. Are the differences worth the extra $ ?

- they offer several options for front sights, high and low, 0.050 or 0.080". Again, not sure which. Also, I may have TOW install the sights. I'm about 50 yrs old, and will shoot with glasses. Anything on sight placement that I need to think about?

- Siler large flint lock by Chambers or the deluxe lock ?

- Ramin vs Hickory ram rod?

Link to rifle that I'm looking at is: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Cate...-PARTS-LIST-42-SWAMPED&KitId=KIT-JP-GAC-FLINT

I'll need to get everything from powder to horn to balls, etc. I would appreciate any guidance that someone is willing to give.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[hoochiepapa]

I'm no expert. There are plenty of fellas here that are. But if it were me buying a .50, I'd get the smallest weight barrel I could for weight savings. I have no experience installing sights either. As far as sights go, it depends how much time you are going to spend at the range. The taller sights work better with a hot barrel because the mirage doesn't affect that much.
Wish I could be more help. Welcome!

 

[Slash]

The lighter weight will be a good choice (especially hunting). Most of us as we age need the rear sight to move forward on the barrel. If you need glasses for reading, you might want to consider moving it.Colerain and Rice are good barrels.
slash

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

SK, if it were me I would get the B weight barrel I would put the rear sight no closer to the breech than 10 inches. I like mine at 11 inches. I am quite sure that you would be more than satisfied with either a Rice or Colerain barrel. The high sights give you a little more latitude in making adjustments and are a little clearer when the barrel gets hot but the low sights are more traditional. What I did was got a set of both and after the stock was rough shaped I put them on the barrel and saw which looked better with the stock dimension with which I ended up. Get the Deluxe Siler without question. I would get hickory but it really doesn’t matter all that much.

 

[jbwilliams3]

Hickory. No one complains about a good piece of hickory. I’ve heard plenty of complaining about ramin, however.

 

[Birddog6]

Always best to go houlder one first, but if that is not an option...... I would go with:

"B" weight Rice barrel. (Worth the dif. to me)
Chambers Siler or Chambers Deluxe Siler lock, both are great locks & use allot of both.
Rear sight at 10" to 11" from breech. I would go with Medium ones. You can always change them later if necessary.
Hickory ramrod for sure.

Keith Lisle

 

[bioprof]

The rear sight placement needs to be adjusted according to your eyesight. As you get older, your near point of vision moves further from the eye. Your near point of vision is the minimum distance from your eye that you can keep things in focus. To determine your near point of vision, close one eye and hold a yard stick with the end under your open eye. With your other hand, hold a large straight pin along side the yard stick, and gradually move the pin away from your eye until it comes into clear focus. The distance where the pin just comes into focus is your near point of vision. You want the rear sight beyond this distance, but not right at the balance point where you are going to hold the forestock.

The other way to do this is just to tape the rear sight on the barrel and look down the barrel to see if it is in focus. If it isn't, move it further away.

I've heard that on some original rifles, the rear sight has been moved forward several times during the lifetime of the owner and the old dovetails were plugged with a piece of metal to fill them in.

I also vote for the Rice barrel in B weight. One advantage of the Rice barrels is that they already come fitted with the breech plug.

 

[saber]

I have done 8 of these for people and they are nice I do them in 54 cal, with top of the line wood get the rice it is best and the Chanbers up grade also hickory is best the wood patch box one is good and easyest to start out with do the sights yourself that way you can place the rear sight for your eyes also whitlighting touchhole made by Chambers is best good luck and have fun building it God Bless saber

 

[Birddog6]

Normally a swamped Rice & Colerain will Both come with a fitted breechplugs.
The Rice breechplug will be hand fitted & it will be fitted perfectly, if using over 40 of them is any indication of what to expect.
And from the ? 20+ some Colerains I have used, it will will be fitted to whatever the machinery happened to fit it to that particular day. Some of them are close, some of them are way off, none of them are as nicely fitted as a Rice.

Finish inside & outside on the Rice barrel will be superior to the Colerain, thus why you are paying more for it.

But that being said, either barrel will shoot more accurately than most people can shoot them, IMHO.

Keith Lisle

 

[jerrywh]

Personally I would get the Rice b weight barrel and I would buy both ram rods. Get the high sights. Put the rear sight ahead of the hand balance point about an inch.

 

[inthex]

Hey Steve just like you I'm new to these flints. I bought a kit from TVM and just this evening got both sights in place. The rear is 12" from the breach. I'm 51 years old and need 1.75 reading glasses, but I can drop back to a 1.00 power and see my sights and target clearly out to 50 or 60 yards. Hope this helps.

 

[jerrywh]

Just a tip fpr the guys and gals who shoot.
When you place your sights, remember you arn't going to stay young. your eyes may change a lot between 50 and 70 years of age.