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Another option is a TC flint hawken. The shoot about as reliably as any.
I only have and personally would never purchase any foreign made firearm period. No offense intended to anyone, it’s my personal preference, I am and will be till they spread my ashes on top of the mountain 100% USA. For someone just starting out there are several shops all around this country that have plenty of used fine USA built flints for sale and a Rochester Made TCA can be had for Around $500 in excellent condition. Anyway your Italy made gun sounded more like a frizzen issue not being hardened enough to me and a simple fix with lime and your kitchen oven.A factory flintlock is more than likely to work just fine. But, factory flint "locks" are still somewhat "hit or miss". I had one from Pedersoli quite sometime ago and it should have been the cat's meow; only it wasn't. It was accurate, handy and looked darn good; but it didn't operate worth a flip. on a good day I could get off 3 shots and it stopped sparking. New flints had no effect. I was forced to fit a percussion lock on it to get reliability. But I still changed it back and forth pretty frequently. I killed plenty of deer with it in percussion mode and surprisingly killed at least two others with the flint lock mounted. It was a high dollar rifle and the expectation was it would work as intended. But Pedersoli was no better in that department than the cheaper Traditions & CVAs. Would I recommend a hunting flintlock from Pedersoli, not sure but still possible. Considering their astro-prices it would be no. I'd trust Traditions probably more but their prices keep rising as well.
That’s crazy money for most of us smokers. You can get a beautiful, nicely tuned lock for 5% of that and have the same reliability. For 5k you could go to a few of the best craftsmen in this country, couple here in Pennsylvania and get your lifelong dream custom built and still get change back.Just about any lock will benefit from some work. Some just need less than others. Any lock made in large numbers will need a little polishing. On the other hand Jud Brennan will make you a totally handmade lock for about $5000.
Are the the older lyman flintlocks reliable? Or is it a hit or miss scenario? I was watching a blackpowder channel on you tube and the guy on there was saying that if you wanted flintlock, you needed to go the custom route to get reliability. Is this the norm?
I concur with your assessment totally. Although my preference is for USA made firearms (again no offense) , It is my opinion that you really have to take the time, a lot of time And embark in a serious journey with each flintlock you own. Factory made or custom, semi custom, two identically made rifles will shoot totally different to various degrees, it’s just that simple and each if us needs to understand that. I see some at the range shoot new rifles with basic skills having no idea about loads patches and not even realizing the difference in powder grades. Mentoring is a great help to all of us, new, learning, intermediate, seasoned and ole timers, it benefits everyone. I may have got off track a bit. Point is, being knowledgeable about your rifle is your best weapon, not the maker, brand caliber etc!The problem is..., such a statement is WAY too broad... and quite frankly unprofessional because it is so (imho).
Just because a person assembled a group of parts into a one-of-a-kind flintlock does NOT automatically mean that it will be reliable in ignition, nor that it will shoot well. I've seen some craptastic "custom" rifles.
I own several factory made flintlocks, and they are super reliable..., even those from..., dare I say it... INDIA....
Most of my factory guns are smoothbores. I also have a DGW Tennessee Mountain Rifle, a flint TC Hawken, and once owned a flint Pedersoli Frontier..., all shoot or shot well for me.
I currently hunt with a .54 Cabin Creek PA Mountain Rifle, and I also have a Jackie Brown .40 Southern Rifle. All shoot fine.
LD
If the fact that it’s hand made and hand polished is worth $4,700 to you. Otherwise buy a perfect CNC milled lock for $300.Just about any lock will benefit from some work. Some just need less than others. Any lock made in large numbers will need a little polishing. On the other hand Jud Brennan will make you a totally handmade lock for about $5000.
You can get a jim chalmbers usa made brand spanking new for $295.00If the fact that it’s hand made and hand polished is worth $4,700 to you. Otherwise but a perfect CNC milled lock for $300.
SilerYou can get a jim chalmbers usa made brand spanking new for $295.00
I agree. I didn't say I wanted one. I just said a totally custom individually handmade lock was available.If the fact that it’s hand made and hand polished is worth $4,700 to you. Otherwise buy a perfect CNC milled lock for $300.
Very well saidI agree. I didn't say I wanted one. I just said a totally custom individually handmade lock was available.
I also had to polish my Woodsrunner lock. It wasn't perfectly CNC milled. It was machined to really nice tolerances, but it had some "rough" spots in various places that needed polishing. It also had some casting flash(parting lines) on the frizzen and hammer. ( Those two pieces aren't machined.) Milling cutter marks under the pan, etc. It worked fine that way it was received, but once I knew the spots were there, I had to do some polishing.
If Jim K. polished his locks to a higher level, they would be a lot more than $300. I would call Kibler/Chambers/ L&R locks production locks since they are turned out in quantity. Chambers has several people assembling batches of his castings. That would easily fit in the "production" category.
On a good quality lock you should easily get 50 shots some I know 75-100 shots before it’s kaput. I certainly hope you get at least 20I have a TC Renegade bought in 85, a Pedersoli bought in 90, and a Cabella's (Investarms) bought around 95. All have worked flawlessly through many a woods walk shoot. Your looking at 20 plus rounds and never had to replace a flint. Maybe just lucky.
Yuppers. custom is a wide meaning word. I prefer home made.if you wanted flintlock, you needed to go the custom route to get reliability.
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