Longrifle too long for hunting?

[Onojutta]

I'm in the process of building my first rifle which is a Dickert Lancaster with a 44" Rice barrel in 50 cal.

I intend to do as much hunting with it as range shooting, but the first thing everyone says to me when I tell them about this gun is something to the effect of "Oh gosh that's going to be a pain to hunt with being so long."

So before I start second guessing my choice of barrel length... Anyone else out there hunt with a true longrifle, and is it that much more cumbersome than a modern rifle or even a longrifle of shorter length?

 

[tg]

I have used 44" barrles for several years and found them to not be an issue in the thick brush, don't put much stock in anything someone says who has not walked the path.

 

[Flintlock58]

My 58 poorboy is more of a challenge to handle especially in blinds or permanent stands than conventional firearms or carbines. But I will not stop hunting with it, in fact I prefer using it over my more modern muzzleloaders and centerfires. I bet you will enjoy hunting with your rifle too!

 

[Homesteader]

I use a 14 gauge English trade gun / fowler with a 48" barrel and a .45 Southern rifle with a 44" swamped barrel in Southeastern second growth forest and thickets. Before these I used a straight 33-1/2" barrel. I like the longer ones better.

I don't find it difficult to manage them in the woods, and I like the longer sight radius. I'm pretty deliberate about my shots, so quick swings and snap shots aren't something I do in the woods. That's for rabbit hunting and fowling, I figure. (And the trade gun's great for both of those too.)

Others will have different opinions, I'm sure.

 

[Jason Lewis]

you'll be fine, i've hunted with a 42" barrel for years. i don't notice any differance in handling in brush or sight alingment than a modern gun. i can almost promise you the people who are telling you it will be a pain have never tried it. or they shoot inlines and believe what they are told on TV and magazines.

 

[hawk]

I see no disadvantage to a long barrel gun in the woods my bush guns have 46" barrels .

...seems to work fine

 

[Onojutta]

Good points. The only place I can see it being an issue might be in a tree stand where it might smack branches and whatnot. I know treestand hunting isn't exactly primitive, but nonetheless how I like to hunt.

How was that deer taken...from the ground?

 

[Skychief]

I hunt with a 41 1/2" barreled fullstock. No problems compared with my shorter rifles.

 

[rabjr]

I'd give anything to be able to hunt with a true longrifle. Unfortunately I'm not able to in this life time, so I'll have to make do with slightly shorter ones. But in my next life time, you bet I'll have a 48" barreled French Fowler for sure. :thumbsup:

 

[dyemaker]

I'm sure no expert but there is a difference in dense woods. I mean really dense woods.

Now a bit of harmless sarcastic humor... You could go all out with a 54" barrel with an extra long bayonet and just joust critters from a horse. :haha:

Don't take that as a slam on long barrels or anything else for that matter. It's just me being silly. :thumbsup:

 

[Jason Lewis]

i've used them in a tree stand before. just do a little preseason preplanning and remove branches, twigs or whatever else is neccesary while still maintaining adequate cover and you should be fine.

 

[RonT]

I'll give the same answer that I give when discussing longbows (>64"), " Do you carry it fore and aft or side sideways?".
My long guns have ~42" barrels, no problems yet, but then I don't take running shots.
R

 

[KyFlintlock]

Just a little heavier, but I have never had an issue due to the barrel length.

 

[Hoyt]

I'm a serious deer and turkey hunter..and build my own flintlocks. The longer the barrel the more chance you have of being seen when you have to move it. Just a fact. I build 38" for rifle and 34" for spring gobble.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you can get through the brush and woods, so will the gun. I use my LR to push overhead limbs out of my face, lower limbs, up and away so I can duck under them, and bramble away from scratching my legs, or sticking in my pants.

As for tree stands, just putting a tree stand up involves some planning, and preparation. That is the time to cut or trim away branches that will block your view of your firing lanes. ( Its also the time to CUT fire lanes, or to put out ranging stakes, or cut blazes on trees to note ranges.) You won't be doing that at O-Dark-30, but if you scout the area before the season, you can do all that cutting and trimming well in advance.

I have used my 39 Inch barreled LR in tree stands. I can't think of a situation where a shorter barrel would have solved any problem shooting from them. I don't take shots at running deer- either out of a tree, or on the ground. Unless you are standing on a permanent, shooting Platform, any fast movement of a rifle is a good way to lose your balance and fall out of the stand. Here in Illinois, we have more people injured seriously enough to be hospitalized, from falling out of treestands, than who are injured by being shot by another hunter.

If you like the balance of that long barrel, by all means get the gun and shoot it.

 

[tg]

You will not regret the choice of a longrifle42-44" barrel they worked well 250 years ago and do so now as well,don't let your self get talked out of a real longrifle, the deer won't mind the longer barrel at least none I have shot objected.

 

[hawk]

yes, still hunting into the wind

 

[Stumpkiller]

I bowhunt from a treestand but have never lugged my longrifle up into a tree. I don't need the deer in as close with the rifle. I can see it would be a pain . . . but probably less so than a weapon like a recurve which you have to hold at arm's length that has a limb sticking up and down 30 inches above and below my outstretched arm that needs free space to snap forward with the shot. You'll just need to clear more branches.

I don't find my 59" overall .54 flintlock (with L.C. Rice 44" barrel) to be out of place in the thick underbrushy woods hereabouts. I just move slow and pause where I have room to swing about a bit. I don't take shots at running deer with a muzzleloader so I usually have time to position myself.

 

[roundball]

I hunted with 26"/28"/30" shotgun barrels for a lot of my life;

28" barreled sidelock muzzleloaders were no different of course, including treestands.

Then added some 33" GM barrels...no problems, including treestands;

Then this year added a 39" barrel...no problems in general but have not tried it out of a treestand because I don't use treestands anymore but agree with the others, even it shouldn't be a problem if a 'dry run' is made and to check for any possible surgical pruning that might be required.

 

[pchwcf50110]

i find my 36" barreled PH whitworth pretty long when taken afield and heavy too. it's the longest rifle i own. when i hauled that thing up and down the Idaho mountains 10 years ago elk hunting i knew it would be the last time i would do it but i just had to crush an elk with that 500gr slug.