Flintlock... hunting

[wojciste]

All I know are flintlocks. Never shot a caplock rifle.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Some of us wing shoot with a flintlock. Deer hunting is easy with one!

 

[Spikebuck]

Yep...

 

[Loja man]

Just get a smooth bore!! That way if your a little of target you can blame it on the lack of rifling!! ;-)

 

[embrr2]

As I get older, hunting is more the challenge. For me, bow and flintlock hunting makes it more of a fair hunt.
But you’ve got to fix the hang fire. I put a replacement lock on my 54 GPR. It’s a different gun. Much more pleasurable to shoot. Keep at it, it takes time.
For me the hardest part of deer hunting with a flint gun is putting on the orange vest and hat. It just seems wrong.
Ed

 

[nchawkeye]

One thing we need to remember, these guns were made to hunt with, the deer hide trade was a tremendous influence back in the mid 1700s....I remember reading somewhere that Salisbury, NC during that time frame, shipped out about 300,000 deer hides back to England...The men that hunted for a living used these rifles for that purpose...

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I really enjoy hunting with a flintlock. With a properly set up gun I find there is no discernable delay and with practice I am not longer aware of the primer flash.

Success often involves the seven P's. Proper prior preparation prevents pretty poor performance....

 

[Britsmoothy]

I really enjoy hunting with a flintlock. With a properly set up gun I find there is no discernable delay and with practice I am not longer aware of the primer flash.

Success often involves the seven P's. Proper prior preparation prevents pretty poor performance....

Try sayin that after a few whiskey's!

 

[tenngun]

Since 1978 I’ve had three or four years I used a cap gun, since 2000 or so flint smoothbore

 

[Bushfire]

I think the problem is people are spoiled today. Anyone and I mean anyone can pick up a centrefire and immediately shoot well. It's the culture of instant gratification. Thr best things take time to master and I guarantee you there are few things as satisfying in hunting as taking game with flinters when you get there.

Get a flint, accept there is a learning curve and I promise you'll love it.

 

[SciAggie]

Go for it. I’m hunting this year with a flintlock. It has taken me a while to become comfortable with it and learn the little things that ensure reliability. Now I see it as “just a gun”. What I mean by that is that if I miss a game animal it’s not the fault of the rifle.
The cool factor is worth it.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

I'm hunting deer with one of these firelocks this weekend. Can't wait!

 

[Loja man]

I'm hunting deer with one of these firelocks this weekend. Can't wait!
View attachment 173630

They both shoot so nice!! How will you chose!!

 

[bud in pa]

I started out with a TC Hawken style. Then PA changed the rules . Since I am on what some call a fixed income, I refer to it as a broken income, I could only afford one, so I chose a 20 gauge smooth bore. Since the woods are extremely thick 50 yards is a far shot. I can keep a 4 inch group at 50 yds. . I can also load it with shot for small game. also I feel a little better with a sixty caliber ball in my firelock, when those 500 lb black bears pass by. i don't hunt bears, but I don't know if they want to hunt me!

 

[appalichian hunter]

I think the problem is people are spoiled today. Anyone and I mean anyone can pick up a centrefire and immediately shoot well. It's the culture of instant gratification. Thr best things take time to master and I guarantee you there are few things as satisfying in hunting as taking game with flinters when you get there.

Get a flint, accept there is a learning curve and I promise you'll love it.

I dont know about the center fire statement, I have seen fellas who could not hit there arse with both hands at the same time, shooting any weapon with consistant accuracy is a learnt and often practiced skill. I hunt with flintlocks but it took a bit of range time in the early years to be proficient with one. Now of days it is second nature.

 

[French Colonial]

I hunted with a TC Hawkens flintlock for years and killed many deer with it. Mostly in Pennsylvania's late primative weapons hunt. I also shot, hunted, and owned several TC Hawkens caplocks at the same time. I found no disadvantages hunting with the flintlock. You had to learn a few things to insure ignition though. Make sure you're getting a good spark off the flint you're using. TC flints usually got about 35-50 good sparks before they didn't spark as well (edge gone off the flint). You had to make sure not to put too much priming powder in the pan. Most think the more the better. What happens is you get too many hang fires which make most people flinch. Black powder substitutes don't fire well out of flintlocks. Use black power. If you do some searching you'll find some place to get it. Triple 7 and Pyrodex don't ignite consistantly with flintlocks. You end up having to put some black powder down the spout first and dump the sub on top to get it to work. You don't end up saving anything that way, you still have to clean. Speaking of cleaning, Triple 7 is about the dirtiest stuff you'll ever put down a frontloader barrel. Google Triple7 crud ring. You'll find out what I mean. It shoots well out of an inline but you have to clean every shot. I gave up using side locks several years ago. They really weren't any more challenging than an inline once you get to know them. Up to about 140-150 yards they are just as effective and I've only ever once shot a deer with a muzzle loader any further than that. Happens to have been with the TC flintlock at 167 yards. They're fun, for a while. Like all things the challenge fades with time and you move on to something else. Have fun and good luck.

167 yards..... Ahhh to have young eyes again, I cant see anything at 167 yards anymore.

 

[Rodd Boyer]

I do.... both large and small game

 

[Loja man]

I do.... both large and small game

I’m just not that cool!;-) Maybe Hatchet Jack will sell me his Fowler! THEN I could be cool!

 

[Rodd Boyer]

Gotta start somewhere/sometime!!!

 

[Loja man]

Gotta start somewhere/sometime!!!

FYI that was a very nice buck!