Do i need a custom flintlock rifle??

[duca]

I want to get into shooting flintlock rifles, my question is; Do I need to spend big money to get started ?

YES! On a good Quality Flintlock. After that you really don’t need to spend that much to keep it feed And maintained. You only live once do it right now so you’re guaranteed enjoyment. Just my two cents

Anthony

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Big money doesn't always equal good quality. We've all seen high priced junk before so it's a matter of let the buyer beware. I'm still amazed at the quality of my Kibler components and kit for the price he charges. It's an easy kit to put together with a minimum amount of tools and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get started in either building or just shooting.

 

[SOLANCO]

I want to get into shooting flintlock rifles, my question is; Do I need to spend big money to get started ?

I am 75. Something I learned decades ago is that a cheap/poor tool takes the pleasure out of what you are doing. That has proven true with tools, cookware, computers, cars, trucks, and, yes, guns. None of us wants to spend foolishly. Neither by spending too much nor by buying something inferior.

I don't know how much you know about flintlocks but stress that you should learn all you can before you buy. If there are muzzle loading shops near you? Haunt them. Ask questions there and at ranges. Dad said you have two ears and one mouth. Listen more than you talk. Check this site for events you could attend.

With the exception of a once in life splurge on an Emig custom built flintlock, I have not purchased a new gun in decades. Fortified with knowledge you can buy a used flintlock which will save you money and provide years of pleasure.

And I endorse what the Crisco Kid said above. If you are at all handy a Kibler kit can not be beat.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

My Pedersoli is a trouble free shooter. I have both cap and flintlock models.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Answer to question on title of this thread: YES! Everybody needs a nice rifle.
But, your question on getting started. We all started somewhere. A used factory made rifle in good condition (TC, Traditions, etc.) will do you well until you get more familiar with this game and not cost you a whole lot. With time, and money saved, you will be better able to decide for yourself what kind of custom rifle you want and who to commission to make it. Let us know what you decide.

 

[mushka]

I only have three flintlocks. All three work like they should. One is a rifle and the other two are smoothbores made by well known builders that I bought from members of this site for less than they probably originally cost. The rifle was built by an unknown builder but it is every bit as well made as the smoothies are and I got it so cheap that I would be ashamed to mention the price. Got it at a gun shop here in Yuma. Look on this board seriously, something might turn up.

 

[Rebel jim]

Answer to question on title of this thread: YES! Everybody needs a nice rifle.
But, your question on getting started. We all started somewhere. A used factory made rifle in good condition (TC, Traditions, etc.) will do you well until you get more familiar with this game and not cost you a whole lot. With time, and money saved, you will be better able to decide for yourself what kind of custom rifle you want and who to commission to make it. Let us know what you decide.

Deer Creek Products here in Indiana is a well known muzzleloader shop, they also deal in used rifles. I am thinking about going over there tomorrow and see what they have to offer and what advice they could give me.
Everyone on this forum has been helpful and I appreciate their advice. I will try to aquire a well priced reliable gun in the future, but I am also near Friendship and think I will check out what they may have down there.

 

[springfield art]

In am 75. Something I learned decades ago is that a cheap/poor tool takes the pleasure out of what you are doing. That has proven true with tools, cookware, computers, cars, trucks, and, yes, guns. None of us wants to spend foolishly. Neither by spending too much nor by buying something inferior.

I don't know how much you know about flintlocks but stress that you should learn all you can before you buy. If there are muzzle loading shops near you? Haunt them. Ask questions there and at ranges. Dad said you have two ears and one mouth. Listen more than you talk. Check this site for events you could attend.

With the exception of a once in life splurge on an Emig custom built flintlock, I have not purchased a new gun in decades. Fortified with knowledge you can buy a used flintlock which will save you money and provide years of pleasure.

And I endorse what the Crisco Kid said above. If you are at all handy a Kibler kit can not be beat.

Well stated, Solanco, and true. I love Emig's stuff, but don't own any. Guess he'll be at the Gunmaker's Fair this weekend.

 

[Bushfire]

I don't think so.

I didn't have the money free to spend on a custom first up, and what no one has mentioned is not everyone will like a flintlock either. Having an explosion going off inches from your eye isn't for everyone.

For e.g. my dad hates it, and won't fire my flintlocks anymore.

I bought a pedersoli trade gun first up. I had no comparison but it seemed quick to me. My trouble was getting it to ignite, but I have no BP friends so had to learn about proper priming, keeping touch hole clear, sharp flint etc.

I now own a custom made flintlock 54 longrifle with a great siler lock. And have a semi custom gun on the way in the form of a fusil de chasse. My 54 does not fire any faster than my pedersoli and that is no insult to it.

I have a pedersoli jäger which i suspect needs to have the frizzen hardened, but when it ignites the shots are instantaneous also.

Pedersoli aren't cheap, but a second hand one is a good place to start and I saved myself a lot of money buying them over a new one.

Edit: just fixed poor spelling and grammar.

 

[thomasgunn]

My maxim has always been "Buy once, cry once". Be it a firearm, vehicle or shoes. The quality lives on long after the price is forgotten.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I want to get into shooting flintlock rifles, my question is; Do I need to spend big money to get started ?

I have no basis to understand your financial position, so the phrase “big money” is ambiguous, and not clearly defined. I haven’t yet read through any posts in this thread, so if you’ve clarified this detail, then please accept my apologies on this point.

I’m going to actively advise you to stay away from low end, cheap, flintlocks. There is just too much that can go wrong with a flintlock ignition system to begin with, that a low end gun is not going to give you the experience you’re expecting…it’ll provide with countless hours of frustration…and in the end, rob you of the enjoyment that this aspect of the blackpowder hobby can provide.

I’ve shot mostly, if not only, flintlocks for most of the last 27 years. You will love this hobby.

I would quite frankly say that there are strong benefits to buying a custom or even a semi-custom muzzleloader. And this purchase is even better supported by your wanting to get a flintlock. The flintlock is a primitive ignition system, there are a lot of independent variables that come together to create a fully functional firearm: the lock; the geometry of the lock; the hardness of the frizzen; the location of the flash hole, is the flash ole an insert, or is it directly drilled through the sidewall of the barrel. How these things come together will have an impact on lock time…the amount of time that elapses once the trigger is pulled and the gun goes boom.

It’s difficult for a company to mass produce flintlocks, on a commercial scale, and have those guns function reliably…gun…after gun….after gun. From Personal experience, Pedersoli has done an admirable job of accomplishing this goal. My very first flintlock was/is a Pedersoli Brown Bess carbine…it taught most of what I know about flintlocks…I will never sell that gun.

RELIABLE Custom gun builders take all those individual details and combine them into a fully functional gun, and the work is guaranteed. I wouldn’t say that it’s “Big Money” to go the custom route, I would say that it is money well spent...and is cheaper in the long run. You want to enjoy your flintlock, you want your flintlock to function properly…and the custom, semi-custom route with a reliable, knowledgable builder guarantees you get the out come that you desire…

If you are concerned about costs, but really want a very good quality flintlock…get a Kibler Kit. I just started building my Kibler Kit, my dad is now wanting a kit…my son is putting money aside to get a kit. They are very reputable, with very high production standards that are unheard of in normal modern blackpowder manufacturing companies. With moderate skills, you have a top of the line functionally amazing flintlock…at an incredibly reasonable price.

So there’s my dos pesos…

 

[hanshi]

No, you don't have to get a custom rifle, but every serious flint shooter should have at least one. Pedersoli rifles are right up there in price, approaching some custom guns. They are nice guns and have accurate barrels. But the flint lock is usually where the problem is if indeed there is a problem.

Custom rifles along with "semi custom" ones (think Kibler, TVM, etc) cost a bit more but are consistently more reliable. Used custom rifles offer a good deal for an excellent price. In order to get a fine hand built rifle I saved & saved and am so very glad I did. That rifle at this time would be at least 1/2 to 3/4 more costly than when I ordered mine. Just get the best one you can afford even if you have to save a bit for it.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

No, you don't have to get a custom rifle, but every serious flint shooter should have at least one. Pedersoli rifles are right up there in price, approaching some custom guns. They are nice guns and have accurate barrels. But the flint lock is usually where the problem is if indeed there is a problem.

Custom rifles along with "semi custom" ones (think Kibler, TVM, etc) cost a bit more but are consistently more reliable. Used custom rifles offer a good deal for an excellent price. In order to get a fine hand built rifle I saved & saved and am so very glad I did. That rifle at this time would be at least 1/2 to 3/4 more costly than when I ordered mine. Just get the best one you can afford even if you have to save a bit for it.

Hanshi is quite correct.

I owned one in the past, and I know several guys who still own them, and they do very well with a Pedersoli Frontier, aka Cabela's Blue Ridge Hunter.
While owning and shooting that, I saved, looking for a very simple very plain flintlock longrifle. .50 or .54 it didn't matter to me at the time, and I found a Cabin Creek (semi-custom) PA Mountain Rifle in .54. I have taken all of my deer with that rifle.

Later I bought a .40 caliber rifle, in-the-white. A fellow put an ad out there that he had two built rifles that didn't have the wood carved, nor sanded, nor finished. So it was fully working, but it was up to me to do the stock completion, which saved me money and that's why I'm mentioning this option .

No idea what the price of a Frontier is these days but if you opt for that, get it in .54.

LD

 

[KIt]

I am basically asking the same questions. A Kibbler rifle kit will cost you about $ 1,300 plus or minus. A Pedersoli flinter is about $ 1,000. If you can find a used Lyman, GPR, they are around $ 500 to $ 700. If you have to buy a replacement lock ( L &. R) they run about $200 extra. So to my way of thinking, go with a Kibbler kit. Easy build and quality parts, unless you want a Hawken style rifle, you can wait for Kibbler or buy a used Lyman or TC and upgrade the lock. Custom built rifles are running about $ 3,000 to $ 5,000 or more. That's kind of where I am at. If anyone has any other suggestions, please comment , I am sure we can all learn something!

 

[smoothshooter]

I want to get into shooting flintlock rifles, my question is; Do I need to spend big money to get started ?

Go with a custom one if you can.

 

[ltdann]

Life's too short to shoot an ugly rifle....go kibler. With basic skills you'll have a treasure for the rest of your life.

 

[smoothshooter]

Any recommendations of what I should buy? This is what I was looking at.

The combs on those things look really uncomfortable to me.

With all of us old muzzleloader shooters losing our eyesight and dying off, nice used custom guns come up for sale more often than they used to.
My recommendation is to hold out for one of those if you can. The factory guns have gotten nearly as expensive as a low end (plain) custom is.

Do not let a pitted bore on a decently priced used custom gun scare you off if you like everything else about it. There is an underpaid barrel-working wizard named Bobby Hoyt who plies his trade near Fairfield, PA that can reline or re-rifle the barrel to as good or better than new.
Matter of fact I shipped him a barrel less than hour ago that a relative of mine did not clean properly when he last shot it 20 years ago. Having it re-lined.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I think you should go with at least a semi-custom. I view Kibler kits as semi-custom, even though you have to finish it yourself or pay some to finish it. I am very glad that I took almost 30 years to obtain a flintlock, despite idolizing them since I saw Last of the Mohicans at age 9 with my grandfather.

I'm not at all opposed to folks buying what they can afford though. If you can swing it, spend about 40-80% more for better the first time around. The first flinter I ever fired was one I bought two years ago(despite muzzleloading almost my whole life). It had an L&R lock and went pffft-bang the first time I pulled the trigger. It was worth the wait.

 

[smoothshooter]

I want to get into shooting flintlock rifles, my question is; Do I need to spend big money to get started ?

I would not go over .50 caliber unless you have a really good reason to.
.40 and .45 are VERY useful calibers.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts…another two pesos