New rifle

[Trkdriver99]

I just ordered a Traditions Pa rifle. It is my first flint rifle. I have fired others a few times, but is there anything I need to know? What size ball should I shoot? I will be using it mostly for reenacting and that sort of stuff, but I hope to maybe hunt some later. Any tips as to any special problems or issuses with this particular weapon?

Thanks for your help.

Ronnie

 

[Rebel]

Use REAL Black powder in it even though it says you can use the pellets. You will have far fewer problems with misfires and hangfires. Not sure it will go over too well at reinacments. Should be ok with a .490 rd ball and about .018 pillow ticking patch over 70 grs of Goex 3f powder. But you will need to experiment with it to see what it likes best.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Is it the PA pellet rifle or the Pennyslvania longrifle? If it's the PA Pellet rifle, it is not suitable for Rev War reenactment, but could probably pass muster for fur trader era.

If it's the longrifle, despite the fact that it is advertised as "'authentic for reenactment use' from the American Revolutionary Brigade", it is NOT a rev war era gun. It is a highly decorative rifle of golden age architecture, not seen until after the Rev War. I bought one because of that "certification" and as I found out more about longrifles, could easily ascertain that the rifle did not fit into the Rev War time period.

That said, it is a good, reliable, accurate shooter and visually appealing rifle. It hunts just fine.

Even though it isn't really accurate for Rev War rifle portrayal, none of the events I've attended over the last four years have prohibited my use of it, and I'll be using it again this weekend. If you are reenacting the era after the Rev War, it fits into there just fine.

If you just bought it, and haven't fired it yet, you might consider returning it and getting a less decorative more accurate representation for reenactment. I am finally in the process of purchasing a much more historically accurate rifle now, and expect to have it in-hand in about 3 months.

So, I'd recommend getting something different for reenacting if it's not too late. Ask some questions about rifles you are considering from the folks here on the forum before you make your purchase.

If returning it is not an option, then just use it and enjoy it. The one that I have has a particularly nice piece of wood, and after I get my new rifle I may try my hand at removing a lot the excess wood that is typical on production rifles. And, as I said before, it is a good shooter.

Hope this helps,

Twisted_1in66

 

[Mike Brooks]

I had a pellet rifle when I was a kid, in fact I still have it. Mine was made by Crossman.

 

I just traded for a pellet rifle -.32ML for a BSA .25.-- Yet another expensive hobby & learning curve.!!!! (This subject may have gone astray.)

 

[sprucefly]

I got one becasue the price was cheap and I wanted to learn about flintlocks. The gun is accurate and the lock works well if my powder is dry. I learned not to keep my priming powder in a primer but to laod the primer (a brass T/C) at the beginning of each shooting session.

I found the comb to be too high for me so I had to work it down and am still working it down. I seem to require quite a bit of drop in my stock. I felt it was a good gun for what I paid for it and for what I got it for.

 

[tg]

a lot of the production guns with the Roman nose stocks are a funny fit, I think they try to get too much out of a narrow board and it does not work out well.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

a lot of the production guns with the Roman nose stocks are a funny fit, I think they try to get too much out of a narrow board and it does not work out well.

I concur with that tg. On mine, I have to make a conscience effort to mount my cheek farther back on the stock of that rifle to align the sights well. Another trick that works is to mount it like you would a normal rifle and then turn your nose in to the stock instead of pressing your cheek farther in and over. That allows the Roman Nose to slide past your cheek on recoil, whereas pressing in and leaning over will result in a bruised cheek bone (people think you've been in a fight or a car wreck). Been there, done that, don't recommend it.

I also think they just designed it poorly. Someone did it for looks without actually mounting the gun to see what it was like. Then, once the machine is set up to cut them that way, they all have the same problem. I doubt if the original Golden Age rifles had that problem and they had pretty thin stocks by that time too didn't they?

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:

 

[tg]

I think the originals and good replicas had a wide enough piece of wood so the comb did not have to be up so high and allowed the shape of the stock to be cut, with the proper flow into the wrist from the panels. you eill see the difference if you look at a profile of a well made replica or an original and one of the guns with the fit problems.

 

[yukon jack]

I think trkdriver99 means his new rifle is a Pennsylvania hence the PA. the pa pellet rifle is designed to shoot pyrodex pellets ( a black powder substitute)and not an air rifle. :yakyak:

 

[spudnut]

I was thinking of buying one of these too, though I think they have a less ornate one called something else,Maybe a Kentucky rifle.I had a couple of the frontier rifles in 36 and liked them but they came and went.Just getting back from Kalamazoo the days of 600 dollar rifles are gone and I can't hang onto money long enough to add up to what there going for.And I don't have the talent to build one...Mark

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I think trkdriver99 means his new rifle is a Pennsylvania hence the PA. the pa pellet rifle is designed to shoot pyrodex pellets ( a black powder substitute)and not an air rifle. :yakyak:

Traditions makes two different "PA" rifles:

One is the Pennsylvania Longrifle which is a classic longrifle of the Golden age era. It passes OK for Rev War reenactments although it really is a later period gun. I've owned this gun for a few years and can tell you anything you want to know about it. I'm holding it in my avatar.

The other is the PA Pellet rifle, which could not under any circumstances be mistaken for a Rev War gun, nor would it be allowed for use in Rev War reenactment. In the wooden-stocked version, it is much more of a half-stock fur-trade era gun and can be used at most, if not all, rendezvous. The Black synthetic stock and silver barrel are not representative of any era and would not be allowed at any rendezvous. It can certainly be used for hunting, but not reenactment.

Hope this clears up any mis-understanding. I actually asked him which of the two he had with my first post, but didn't get an answer from him. The PA longrifle has been out for many years. The PA Pellet Rifle was a much more recent addition and I believe it was specifically made to qualify for Pennsylvania's "primitive" hunt.



Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup: