Hi guys, I'm finally getting round to buying my first muzzle loader after toying with the idea for a couple of years. (Going with a reproduction from Pedersoli).
I've decided on a smoothbore for the versatility but not sure if I want to go flint or percussion.
What are the pros and cons of each and is one more beginner friendly than the other?
I'll be taking the gun hunting for birds and deer and will also be using it for target shooting if you'd like to know.
From Pedersoli's catalogue I'll likely decide on one of these (Still open to suggestions though):
- Indian Trade Gun
- Brown Bess
- Carabinieri 1814
-1816 Harpers Ferry (Colt Conversion)
If anyone has some advice that might help my decision that would be great.
Cheers.
A few thoughts…
1) Caps have been scarce but I’ve seen plenty recently. If you go percussion place a big order on caps and no more sweating.
2) You can make your own caps and I personally am a fan. DIY’s for fooling around and I run the real deals for taking game as the DIY’s aren’t 100%. I’m getting probably 95% on mine.
3) Some of the best advice I think I heard about flintlocks personally was a YouTube video that summed up was “don’t buy a flintlock until you can afford a quality one”.
There’s a lot of components that have to work in concert with one another for a flintlock to operate at peak performance. A slow or inconsistent lock will crucify your shooting skills. My first flintlock was a Pedersoli and I ran into these issues. While not having the skills or knowledge to “tune” this gun it received much less attention than I would have liked.
4) If it were me I would consider looking on the forum for sale section for a gun. It’s a near certainty that you can track down an equal or better (possibly much better) gun for the same price or less than you’d pay from a vendor.
Side note +1 for smooth bore. I would say unless you have a model you are visually married to id lean more towards a handy gun that’s not too heavy. One of my favorite guns to shoot is a traditions Pennsylvania carbine. It’s super light and quite short and that makes a huge difference in how long I’m enjoying reloading and shooting.
Sorry for the novel but that’s some of my personal experience food for thought here.
My main takeaway on the flint vs percussion ? would be if I were you, and going to buy a flint as my first and only gun, I’d 100% buy one here that’s been run and proven to have a fast and consistent lock.