Hunting with Wheel locks and Match Locks in PA

[Accu-Riser]

Early last year I got an original German wheel lock off a small auction online. It is in excellent original condition so why not hunt with it , right! I talked to a PA Game officer and asked if it was legal to hunt with one for deer. First he didn’t know what a wheel lock was so I had to explain what I had. He didn’t know but made a call to the regulations department and determined that it was not legal to use a wheel lock or match lock in any of the big game seasons in PA. I asked why not and he said because the regulations did not specify that a match lock or wheel lock was legal to use. The regulations were written stating only flintlock , percussion cap and inline muzzleloaders were legal in regular big game seasons and the early muzzle loading season in October. Only flintlock ignition muzzle loading long rifles could be used during the late Flintlock season. This was very disappointing to me so at the last Harrisburg outdoor show I made a point to visit the Game Commission booth. There I met a member of the board, a woman to whom I explained that there were other primitive muzzleloading guns ( pre-flintlock) that should be allowed to hunt with in PA. She agreed and asked that I write a letter to her with pictures of the weapons and she would take it to the board. I have never received any reply and I was planning to go to the annual board meeting this July 12th in Harrisburg. But I just got my hunting license yesterday and I read the 2024 regulations and was surprised to see the regulation have been changed so that any type of muzzleloading long rifle is legal for all large game in the regular and early muzzleloading season. The late flintlock season is still regulated to flintlock ignition only. So that is a big win for us pre 17th century muzzleloading enthusiasts! I did get a doe with my wheel lock last year.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Awesome, your persistence paid off - in & out of the ‘field! As a brother of the wheel, I applaud your efforts - HUZZAH!

 

[2 shots]

 

[cyten]

Congrats and beautiful gun

 

[ChuckJonesWagon]

Hey.....your darn good!! Can you lobby for the use of a flintlock pistol in the Special Regulation Areas? To me it seems sort of nutz that I'm permitted to use a flintlock long rifle in the SRA but a pistol....which doesn't shoot as fast or as far...is not permitted in the SRA.

And if you have hunted in Pa and read the digest over the years the SRA are the areas around Philly and Pittsburgh. I'm a bit east of Pittsburgh.

 

[Accu-Riser]

Chuck, Well im fighting my own wars. First you need to ask the Game Commsion why they are not allowing muzzleloading pistols in SRA areas. There may be a very good reason like Those areas are already controled by other state and local laws resticting the use or possession of pistols in those areas. That is my guess. There are lists on the PAGC website of contacts in the PGC that you can email and ask queastions.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Ice job!!!! That’s a dandy looking Wheellock! Would enjoy seeing more photos of it if your so inclined

 

[Rudyard]

The rifle looks to have a particularly long barrel , Interesting basic rifle same as mine in style .Good on you .Matchlock next ? I copied a friends original reckoned Suhl region circa 1660. mine has a lot of 'bush' miles & looks original (I've got a lot of bush miles on me and Feel original ! )
Regards Rudyard

 

[Juice Jaws]

Early last year I got an original German wheel lock off a small auction online. It is in excellent original condition so why not hunt with it , right! I talked to a PA Game officer and asked if it was legal to hunt with one for deer. First he didn’t know what a wheel lock was so I had to explain what I had. He didn’t know but made a call to the regulations department and determined that it was not legal to use a wheel lock or match lock in any of the big game seasons in PA. I asked why not and he said because the regulations did not specify that a match lock or wheel lock was legal to use. The regulations were written stating only flintlock , percussion cap and inline muzzleloaders were legal in regular big game seasons and the early muzzle loading season in October. Only flintlock ignition muzzle loading long rifles could be used during the late Flintlock season. This was very disappointing to me so at the last Harrisburg outdoor show I made a point to visit the Game Commission booth. There I met a member of the board, a woman to whom I explained that there were other primitive muzzleloading guns ( pre-flintlock) that should be allowed to hunt with in PA. She agreed and asked that I write a letter to her with pictures of the weapons and she would take it to the board. I have never received any reply and I was planning to go to the annual board meeting this July 12th in Harrisburg. But I just got my hunting license yesterday and I read the 2024 regulations and was surprised to see the regulation have been changed so that any type of muzzleloading long rifle is legal for all large game in the regular and early muzzleloading season. The late flintlock season is still regulated to flintlock ignition only. So that is a big win for us pre 17th century muzzleloading enthusiasts! I did get a doe with my wheel lock last year.

Good job following through, a win for the common man

 

[Sidney Smith]

Well, I plan to use my matchlock on a few deer hunts when it's finished. I think it is ridiculous that the pgc would not allow certain muzzleloader types during the regular firearms deer season, yet allow even more primitive weapons, namely bows and arrows. I'm glad to hear they have changed the rules.

 

[Rudyard]

Well, I plan to use my matchlock on a few deer hunts when it's finished. I think it is ridiculous that the pgc would not allow certain muzzleloader types during the regular firearms deer season, yet allow even more primitive weapons, namely bows and arrows. I'm glad to hear they have changed the rules.

Bows are fine nice light things , I used a matchlock a 54 rifled one I made to hunt Deer , But in NZ there are No seasons or prohibited items to hunt except for smooth bore for Deer ect mostly due to the DOC thinking to preserve the native pigeons . If on private land its fine to use smoothbores but not to shoot the pigeon's that are tame like most native birds having no evolved fear of man . ( Ime tempted to ask are you related the to the Sidney Smith Hero of the Breech of Acre ? ) .
Regards regardless Rudyard

 

[Sidney Smith]

Bows are fine nice light things , I used a matchlock a 54 rifled one I made to hunt Deer , But in NZ there are No seasons or prohibited items to hunt except for smooth bore for Deer ect mostly due to the DOC thinking to preserve the native pigeons . If on private land its fine to use smoothbores but not to shoot the pigeon's that are tame like most native birds having no evolved fear of man . ( Ime tempted to ask are you related the to the Sidney Smith Hero of the Breech of Acre ? ) .
Regards regardless Rudyard

No I'm not. Sidney Smith is just my handle. My grandfather on my mom's side was named Sidney. I just used his first name and picked the last out of thin air..

 

[Accu-Riser]

This is my cheek hold German wheel lock that I shot the deer with. It is a 58 smooth bore rile, that is it has a rear sight. Barrel length is 42”. It is dated 1685 on the barrel. When I got it I emediately cocked the lock and set the rifle on some shooting bags and aimed at something about 40 yards away and pulled the trigger. I was so happy to be reassured that as I had heard there was no torque to the wheel and the front sight stayed exactly on what I aimed at. This was proven again when I actually shot the rifle at the range. I actually shoot this smooth bore better than my large lock flintlock rifles with rifled barrels. But I don’t shoot flintlocks on a regular basis. I recently got another wheel lock on auction that is a shoulder mount version . This one is also a smooth bore .62 caliber. Barrel length 33”.There is no date or makers name anywhere on the rifle but I’m thinking it has to be a later 16th or early 17th century . I have seen this rifle online many times in different references and it went up for auction last year but didn’t reach the reserve. It came up again last month and I decided I had to have it as a version for one of my kits. The stock dimensions are totally wrong as it is impossible to shoulder and get into the sights. I will make appropriate adjustments to my stock blanks based on some Jaeger rifles I have.

 

[Rudyard]

No I'm not. Sidney Smith is just my handle. My grandfather on my mom's side was named Sidney. I just used his first name and picked the last out of thin air..

Ime Rudyard since I like earthy Victorian poetry & covered the same ground ,India & East Africa , I travelled in West Africa too but didnt fancy ' Mungo Park' though I did try to reach Timbuctoo.in 1965, no road no traffic ,But in 1969 I reached Kathmandu stayed 2 months. due to blackwater fever ( ' Jai Nepal'/viz ' Praise Nepal') Theirs worse places to get sick in .
Regards Rudyard

 

[rickystl]

Beautiful Guns - BOTH !!! And nice doe. Must have felt great to have the gun still taking game after 350 years. Wonderful photo. Congratulations.

Rick

 

[Sidney Smith]

Early last year I got an original German wheel lock off a small auction online. It is in excellent original condition so why not hunt with it , right! I talked to a PA Game officer and asked if it was legal to hunt with one for deer. First he didn’t know what a wheel lock was so I had to explain what I had. He didn’t know but made a call to the regulations department and determined that it was not legal to use a wheel lock or match lock in any of the big game seasons in PA. I asked why not and he said because the regulations did not specify that a match lock or wheel lock was legal to use. The regulations were written stating only flintlock , percussion cap and inline muzzleloaders were legal in regular big game seasons and the early muzzle loading season in October. Only flintlock ignition muzzle loading long rifles could be used during the late Flintlock season. This was very disappointing to me so at the last Harrisburg outdoor show I made a point to visit the Game Commission booth. There I met a member of the board, a woman to whom I explained that there were other primitive muzzleloading guns ( pre-flintlock) that should be allowed to hunt with in PA. She agreed and asked that I write a letter to her with pictures of the weapons and she would take it to the board. I have never received any reply and I was planning to go to the annual board meeting this July 12th in Harrisburg. But I just got my hunting license yesterday and I read the 2024 regulations and was surprised to see the regulation have been changed so that any type of muzzleloading long rifle is legal for all large game in the regular and early muzzleloading season. The late flintlock season is still regulated to flintlock ignition only. So that is a big win for us pre 17th century muzzleloading enthusiasts! I did get a doe with my wheel lock last year.

You might want to read those regs again. I just read the 24/25 digest and the early muzzleloading season still mentions flintlock, inline, or percussion only. It seems only during the regular firearms season are you allowed to use any muzzleloader.

 

[Sam squanch]

Be careful. You DON’T want your wheellock confiscated and possibly destroyed. It ain’t worth it.

 

[Sidney Smith]

The wheel-lock's mechanism is very complicated, especially in comparison to the matchlock. Any competent blacksmith could make or repair a matchlock. To repair a broke wheel-lock took the services of a jeweler or gunsmith

A matchlocks mechanism is very simple in comparison to a wheellock, however inletting a matchlocks lock is as tedious as any of the flintlocks Ive built. I've been slowly inletting my matchlocks lock for over a week now. Unlike a flintlock, a matchlock has long moving and pivoting parts, requiring a lot of wood to be removed. I'm finding it an interesting process as it's definitely not the same as building another type of muzzleloader.

 

[TobJohn]

A matchlocks mechanism is very simple in comparison to a wheellock, however inletting a matchlocks lock is as tedious as any of the flintlocks Ive built. I've been slowly inletting my matchlocks lock for over a week now. Unlike a flintlock, a matchlock has long moving and pivoting parts, requiring a lot of wood to be removed. I'm finding it an interesting process as it's definitely not the same as building another type of muzzleloader.

How precise are you making it? Originals seem to have taken a quick and "good enough" approach.

This one has a regular trigger, but similar build quality:

 

[Sidney Smith]

I'm being more precise than the ones in the photographs. I try to leave as much wood as I can get away with whenever possible. I use a dremel tool with the dentists drill type attachment as part of my inletting repertoire.