Brand new

[Johnny Tremain]

Its a steep learning curve for a flinter.
I had a store bought $500 **** flinter. It was a royal piece of crap. Its name was "YE Ole Fence Post"
I spent 10 months buying pieces until I had it all.
Then another 5 months to build it.
Now I have a rifle that works flawlessly.

 

[stikshooter]

I started out with a TC. First shoot I went to I saw how awful that gun was. So, I learned how to make them and did it professionally for a good portion of my life. You can get into a good hand made used flint rifle for about $1500 these days. If you save your money you'll have a good start.

Or get a Kibler kit and never look back , and when you want sell it for more than you paid ! Plank builds for newbies is BS Ed

 

[rich pierce]

Welcome to Traditional Muzzleloading. I hope that @rich pierce spots this thread and jumps in to tell us about what rifles he has seen at the Primitive Biathlons in which he has participated.

What you need is an accurate on target rifle that is relatively light in weight with a large enough caliber that will be easy to load while getting exhausted trampling the course on snowshoes. The alternative choice is a small caliber, squirrel rifle using a loading block to ease the loading process. I'm not sure what rifles are allowed by the competition rules. To that end, as a new to primitive biathlons, I would look for a used Lyman Great Plains rifle in 54 caliber or a CVA Big Bore Mountain rifle in 54 caliber. Since the scoring is done by number of hits, a 36 caliber Traditions squirrel rifle would work too. I would avoid any of the smooth bored trade guns as the accuracy would not be competitive. The Traditions might well be acceptable with a good lock tuning. But I sure wouldn't want to overlook the used rifle market.

I found the website for the Lamoille Valley Fish and Game Club's Primitive Biathlon. Pretty much any type of Traditional muzzleloader (rifled and smooth bored) and some non-traditional categories can compete.
https://www.lvfgc.com/muzzle
So, get the muzzleloader you want and get ready to compete next year.

Any sidelock muzzleloader will pass muster at a primitive biathlon. A first muzzleloader or first flintlock seems like a big decision, then 40 years later it’s hard to count them all. Most folks want their first one to be an all-rounder, and .50 caliber is a good choice for deer, plinking, target shooting and so on. It can be challenging to master a flintlock without spending time shooting with experienced shooters. There’s a lot more going on. I know a shooter who never made the jump, just could not get used to the slower lock time. I try to apply the “fire hose” technique- pretend I’m pouring water into the target long after the shot went off. I think set triggers are not great for me because I relax after it goes off because it goes off when I want. But every shooter is different.

 

[stikshooter]

Any sidelock muzzleloader will pass muster at a primitive biathlon. A first muzzleloader or first flintlock seems like a big decision, then 40 years later it’s hard to count them all. Most folks want their first one to be an all-rounder, and .50 caliber is a good choice for deer, plinking, target shooting and so on. It can be challenging to master a flintlock without spending time shooting with experienced shooters. There’s a lot more going on. I know a shooter who never made the jump, just could not get used to the slower lock time. I try to apply the “fire hose” technique- pretend I’m pouring water into the target long after the shot went off. I think set triggers are not great for me because I relax after it goes off because it goes off when I want. But every shooter is different.

If properly prepped/ primed the only difference between center fire and flint lock is the flash , If yours is slow attribute that to poor prep/not knowing amount/placement of powder in the pan . The poor /crap lock is most likely the cause ,bringing back that you get what you payed/didn't pay for . Still applies to this day , why you steer newbies towards quality not junk . You and I have no idea how many potential rock lock users walk away from never to return due to poor advice from folks that should know better ! Not sayin buy the most expensive but if you can't afford a (KIBLER) save your money till you can , again worst case you will sell it for more than you paid ,
house fires /boating accidents excluded !/Ed

 

[Jason holgate]

Where u from

 

[kyron4]

Its a steep learning curve for a flinter.
I had a store bought $500 **** flinter. It was a royal piece of manure. Its name was "YE Ole Fence Post"
I spent 10 months buying pieces until I had it all.
Then another 5 months to build it.
Now I have a rifle that works flawlessly.

 

[smoothshooter]

Ok, so I’m brand new to muzzle loading. I’m getting into it to participate in Primitive Biathlon. Given that I’m new to the sport, I don’t want to spend a grand on a hobby that I may not get further into, and I certainly don’t want to booger up a high price kit.

All of that jabbering out of the way…. Traditions Kentucky Flintlock seems like a pretty good starter. Low price, less risk if I booger it up or don’t get super into the hobby.

I’ve read sometimes there are frizzen issues, but that aside what is the common opinion?

Decent starter or jump directly to a more expensive Indian made English Trade Gun?

You can get by with a cheaper percussion gun.
If you go flint, you gotta spend a lot more.
Second-class locks are worse than a waste of money.

 

[Howard Pippin]

Do I own one of those $1500 guns?, No, but I've never felt the need. My entire working life was taking poorly designed equipment and making it work. Most jobs I ever had were never with Cadillacs, but were a cross between a model T and a Pinto. My flintlock was the same way, a lower-priced rifle with problems of its own. I take a certain amount of pride in being able to take a poorly designed rifle and make it work good enough to be dependable and able to hit targets or game. My life has not evolved around having to own the best or the newest but something I was satisfied with. I'm old enough to have worked on My dad's old model T and yet own a device to read computer problems in a car. It has been the best of two worlds.
Squint

 

[Thingamajiggy]

You'll be fine starting out with a traditions. They are low end and they do not have the best locks but they are servicable and work as intended. And the one I have and have seen, are good shooters. If you question the traditions because of some of what you read, can find used Investarms (lyman) and TC's around for around 5 which many would say are the better of the production guns. Food for thought.

 

[Colonialnerd]

I like your style Squint. I’m the same with just about everything I own. I like to tinker. I like to fiddle with it. Back in my biker days, my bike seldom looked the same week to week… same as when I was into air cooled VW’s. The tinkering and problem solving is half the fun.

 

[LSLibelo]

Welcome from California.

 

[dracer]

welcome to the forum

 

[BP Addict]

Welcome from the Oregon Territory!

Many years of knowledge and experience are among our ranks!

Walt

 

[S.Kenton]

Check out the pawn shops and gun shows, you might be able to pick a flintlock up a little cheaper there. Just make sure the bore has no rust, run a white patch with WD -40 down the bore to check .. if it comes out with a lot of brown on it keep walking.If you have lock issues you might be able retrofit a drop in lock from Chambers or L&R. I have had some bad experiences with Traditions flintlocks, mostly soft frizzen issues. Anyhow, get one and post often with any issues you may have. There’s plenty of people here that can and will help you.

 

[BP Addict]

Check out the pawn shops and gun shows, you might be able to pick a flintlock up a little cheaper there. Just make sure the bore has no rust, run a white patch with WD -40 down the bore to check .. if it comes out with a lot of brown on it keep walking.If you have lock issues you might be able retrofit a drop in lock from Chambers or L&R. I have had some bad experiences with Traditions flintlocks, mostly soft frizzen issues. Anyhow, get one and post often with any issues you may have. There’s plenty of people here that can and will help you.

L&R replacement locks are not "Drop-In". They may require removing metal from the lock and/or wood from the stock.

Walt

 

[BP Addict]

L&R replacement locks are not "Drop-In". They require removing metal from the lock and/or wood from the stock.

Walt

My only issue with factory-produced flintlocks is they seem to chew through rocks pretty quickly.

My L&R pistol lock has 50 shots on the flint and still sparking. The Siler on my Long Rifle has 75 and still going. I buy them a little long (not enough to open the frizzen at half-cock) and sharpen them when needed.

Now, having said that, a factory gun such as a Traditions, Lyman, or CVA would get someone a taste for the hobby at a reduced price.

Good Luck!

Walt

 

[S.Kenton]

I stand corrected, however the ones I’ve replaced weren’t that terrible to fit. It’s been a while since I’ve done it, so I can’t remember which one. I was thinking it was a a Traditions but could have been a T/C as well.

 

[BP Addict]

Don't know how I ended up quoting myself. Don't know how to fix it.

Walt

 

[SmokepoleSam]

Walt you can hit the edit button in your post and delete the whole post. HTH

 

[Sidney Smith]

Not everyone can afford to or wants to spend thousands of dollars just to try muzzleloading,and you don't have to.I started out with a traditions flintlock and it worked just fine. It didn't ruin my muzzleloading experience, it was the foundation that brought me to where I am at today. If not for that traditions rifle I would never have experienced the smell of burnt black powder, how to load a patched round ball and how different ball sizes, patch thicknesses and powder charges can affect accuracy. I would have never learned how to prime the pan of a flintlock and how to position the flint for the best ignition. That was 25 years ago and I'm still in to muzzleloading, more than ever.Every now and then I get that old traditions flintlock out and fire off a few shots and you know what, it's still fun! Go check out " I love Muzzleloading" and "Black Powder Maniac Shooter" on YouTube or just search " traditions flintlock" and you will see plenty of folks doing just fine and having a good old time enjoying muzzleloading.

If you're unwilling to spend some money on a sport then IMO you shouldn't bother at all then. I'm sorry but I don't buy the Traditions experience. My grandson has one and within two years he got a better gun. If you really want to start at the bottom then don't be surprised when all your results are at the bottom. If you can live with that great.

Noone is saying you have to spend multiple thousands of dollars, but in order to really enjoy muzzleloading you may have to spend $1000 plus. I think most people can afford that these days. A Kibler won't set you back much more than that and you'll get a gun and the experiences that go with it will be orders if magnitude above the Traditions experience.