New rifle

[jbwilliams3]

How dependable is the lock on the blue ridge.I'v heard you have to drill out the touch hole a bit.Only flint lock i'v had experiance with was the Cabin creek york town i had. It worked all the time but it had a siler lock. But that's the past.

Hunter,

The Pedersoli Frontier (marketed by calelas as the Blue Ridge) has a pretty good lock for a factory rifle. It’s a big lock with strong springs, stronger than I care for so it makes for a bit of a flint crusher if you don’t have the flint lined up well enough or have a misshapen flint, etc. At least it doesn’t have any trouble sparking. The real quirk with those guns is the patent breach, the small chamber at the breach end which allows powder down near the touch hole, but not the ball. I had one of these guns in .45 and that chamber was a bit annoying, particularly because I didn’t know it was there until it caused misfires from being clogged (I couldn’t figure out why cleaning patches kept coming back with fowling on the very tip). Anyhow, I hear it’s not as much of an issue with the larger calibers and it’s not an “issue”, per se, if you clean the chamber with a small caliber brush. It’s just annoying.

I’m sorry to hear you know longer have that Cabin Creek rifle. I’m afraid any factory gun will be a big step down as far as aesthetics are concerned. That said, if all one cares about is the particular ignition system and not the architecture, etc. then you can hunt and hit paper just as well most of the time with a well-tuned factory gun. The Pedersoli was a good first flintlock for me, quirks aside. It was accurate. One additional comment on them from a practical standpoint (I won’t comment on their appearance of balance unless you’re interested): the rifling is sharp from the factory and can make loading the first couple hundred balls difficult as well as possibly tearing patches. Some oiled scotchbrite can help with that, I think. Also, the buckhorn rear sight takes some getting used to.

James

 

[jbwilliams3]

I always swap out the ramrod, as for some reason the Italian, wooden ramrods are always very fragile.

LD

Oh, and the ramrods are no good. I'd buy a few hickory blanks and use the rod ends from the factory rod on the new rods (or just keep as a backup and spend a few bucks on a new rod end). pick a new rod with as straight a grain as possible and sand or scrape down to size, do a finer sanding to get smooth, turn or whittle the end down to get the rod end on and glue plus pin them it place. You can stain if you like before you seal the rod. Most of the time I forego staining ramrods and just seal with hot beeswax. They end up getting some color from the wax then they darken further after use.

 

[hunter12]

Great forum, I'm learning a lot from you guy's. Thank's.

 

[Col. Batguano]

If you're hard on your equipment, there's nothing wrong with getting a gun with 2 stocks either. One, a synthetic you wouldn't want to be seen at the range or a rondy with, but is essentially indestructable for hunting purposes, and another that you wouldn't mind being seen with in daylight hours.

 

[Gene L]

I'd also recommend the Blue Ridge. I've got one in .32 and it's very accurate. Me, I'd get a .50 caliber because I have another rifle in .50 and don't see much advantage of .04.

On my .32, I switched the brass for iron from Dixie to make it look more like a Southern rifle and like it a lot better. A long way from perfect, but it sure shoots them squirrels great! Although the factory brass isn't that bad. I broke the front tab off on the brass or it still would have been brass.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Me, I'd get a .50 caliber because I have another rifle in .50 and don't see much advantage of .04

I have to confess, my other rifle is .54, and if my Cabin Creek was a .50 I'd be getting the BRH in the same caliber. Nothing wrong with a .50, especially with the size of the deer in Maryland.

LD

 

[Spikebuck]

...don't see much advantage of .04.

The advantage may not be so much in .04 of extra width, which is only 8%....the advantage comes in about 40 grains or 20% more weight. In round balls, you cannot just look at diameter difference for the sake of diameter, but for the added weight to the projectile and the resulting change in Momentum, or KE, (whatever you believe results in penetration capabilities) assuming you work up a load with near equivalent velocity.

Not saying a .50 isn't adequate, just expressing my opinion of why a .54 may have advantage as many people only state the diameter difference and fail to discuss the impact of weight in the penetration/energy equation.

 

[Gene L]

Yeah, you're right about weight advantage. But I'll stick with a .50 right now since I don't need another caliber. I've got five MLs in four different calibers!

 

[bpd303]

One can never have too many muzzleloaders or calibers. I have 36 total from .32 all the way up to .65 caliber.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Of course! Which calibers, or how many different ones?

 

[patriot]

Just got into reading this thread. You might want to contact Jack Garner at Tennessee Valley Manufacturing. Jack is currently offering a limited edition of his Tennessee rifle, any caliber, for $1000. Only 100 of these limited editions will be offered, any caliber. I am number 4 on the list for a .36cal 42" bbl. I have several of Jack's products and they are top notch. Call him and see if it fits your bill.

Patriot

 

[bpd303]

Of course! Which calibers, or how many different ones?

Model/Type Action Caliber
Kentucky percussion pistol 36cal
Remington Navy revolver percussion 44cal
Remington Navy revolver percussion 36cal
Hawken Rifle Percussion 50cal
Pope Stock Perc Fowler Muzzleloader 24ga/58cal
S/S Double Percussion Shotgun 12ga
1851 Colt revolver 36cal
Kentucky Flintlock Rifle (Spain) 45cal
Swivel Barrel Over under muzzleloader 45cal
Under Hammer Target Pistol 40cal
1847 Colt Walker 44cal
Squirrel Rifle 32cal
13th Air Force Percussion Rifle 50cal
Over Under Rifle/Smoothbore Percussion 40/600
Hawken Rifle Percussion 40cal
Carbine 16 1/2in barrel percussion 40cal
Under Hammer Target Pistol 45cal
1863 Zouave Musketoon Percussion 58cal
Tower Flintlock Pistol 62cal
Tower Flintlock Pistol 62cal
Revolver Cap&Ball 44cal
Smoothbore Flintlock 65cal
Percussion Rifle 50cal
Percussion Plains Rifle 54cal
Flintlock Kentucky Rifle 45cal
Smoothbore Fowler Percussion 13ga/.710
Pennsylvania Dixie Flintlock Rifle 45cal
Blue Ridge Frontier Flintlock Rifle 54cal
M1887 stock percussion Rifle 45cal
Jaeger Precussion Rifle 58cal
Smoothbore Fowler Percussion 13ga/.714
Hawken Rifle Percussion 54cal
Double Barrel Flintlock Shotgun 16ga
Hawken Rifle Flintlock 50cal
Percussion Kentucky Pistol 45cal
1864 Springfield 3 band rifle musket 58cal

 

[El Toro]

One additional comment on them from a practical standpoint (I won’t comment on their appearance of balance unless you’re interested): the rifling is sharp from the factory and can make loading the first couple hundred balls difficult as well as possibly tearing patches. Some oiled scotchbrite can help with that, I think. Also, the buckhorn rear sight takes some getting used to.

James

Your not kidding about the rifling. I posted another thread here about the bore tightness on the CBR in .50 caliber. New out of the box I couldn't load a .490 ball with a heavily lubed .015 patch. The same combo loaded fine in my Hatfield .50 which is virtually the same gun.

I hope the lands wear just a bit with shooting. For now I'm loading using thinner patches about .009 thickness.

 

[Col. Batguano]

You win, or at least have me beat by a mile. With that many calibers, (and some calibers like to shoot different diameter balls) I imagine you need to take care to make sure the balls are well labeled when you grab them to take to the range. At least powder only comes in 4 basic sizes.

 

[jbwilliams3]

One additional comment on them from a practical standpoint (I won’t comment on their appearance of balance unless you’re interested): the rifling is sharp from the factory and can make loading the first couple hundred balls difficult as well as possibly tearing patches. Some oiled scotchbrite can help with that, I think. Also, the buckhorn rear sight takes some getting used to.

James

Your not kidding about the rifling. I posted another thread here about the bore tightness on the CBR in .50 caliber. New out of the box I couldn't load a .490 ball with a heavily lubed .015 patch. The same combo loaded fine in my Hatfield .50 which is virtually the same gun.

I hope the lands wear just a bit with shooting. For now I'm loading using thinner patches about .009 thickness.

I don't have the rifle any more, but I've had luck with another gun scrubbing the bore well with green followed up with grey scotchbrite.

 

[El Toro]

Is that scotchbrite removing metal or just some invisible gumming in a new barrel?

 

[Gene L]

Yeah, you're right about weight advantage. But I'll stick with a .50 right now since I don't need another caliber. I've got five MLs in four different calibers!

In thinking about it, I'd like to modify my post a bit.

You're certainly getting a heavier ball with a .54, and if you're going after griz or elk, that heavier mass would be excellent. But a .50 will put a hole WAY through the game around here.

I've always felt that penetration kills. If you double lung shoot a deer, he's going down...eventually. Double lung him with a .54 caliber, he's going down, but more quickly? I have zero experience in this area.

I read a book about Tim Murphy, Colonial marksman in the AWI. He wanted his rifle to shoot a ball about 40 per pound, which I believe is about .50 caliber. I don't vouch for the accuracy of the account on Murphy, but at the time it made sense. Which is as big around as I'm willing to go, here east of the Mississippi. And my reason is not unassailable. It's just personal.

Heck, I MIGHT some day shoot a 80# deer with my .50 and expect the ball to punch through both sides, and given that, I fall back on my .04 larger reasoning. Sure, you've got more energy with the heavier ball, but how much more energy does one need.

Actually, I probably won't as I don't especially like venison. I mean I'd eat it after seasoning it to all get out.

 

[Beaver3365]

I have one of the Blue ridge flintlocks and love it. It's a fine piece to start off with.