New Traditions Deerhunter Flint showed up! Any advice?

[laagamer]

Howdy! So happy my new .50cal rifle showed up! I've had a used .50cal Lyman's, but this is my first brand new gun!

Just curious if anyone has any tips for this specific model? I plan to remove the synthetic ramrod, plus the rod retention spring under the barrel that seems to ratel around without it.

I've never bought a new muzzleloader before. Is it normal for them to come with grease or some kind of petroleum jelly all over the lock mechanism? Mine was covered in it!

I'm not going to be able to test her out until next weekend, but I'm super excited!

 

[Hermit Tim]

Some brands come with a protective coating on some of the metal parts to keep them from rusting while they sit in a box for months. My wife bought me a new Deer Hunter for Christmas back around 97 or so. It is percussion and still looks great and works flawlessly. Best $99 she ever spent. Enjoy your new rifle. Regardless of the fact three or four guys will be along shortly to tell you Traditions guns suck, are not accurate, won't kill a deer, and you aren't serious about muzzleloading if that's what you're shooting. Ignore those guys and have fun with it. Take care of it and it will feed you well.

 

[laagamer]

Some brands come with a protective coating on some of the metal parts to keep them from rusting while they sit in a box for months. My wife bought me a new Deer Hunter for Christmas back around 97 or so. It is percussion and still looks great and works flawlessly. Best $99 she ever spent. Enjoy your new rifle. Regardless of the fact three or four guys will be along shortly to tell you Traditions guns suck, are not accurate, won't kill a deer, and you aren't serious about muzzleloading if that's what you're shooting. Ignore those guys and have fun with it. Take care of it and it will feed you well.

Thank you!

My girlfriend got me her on sale over Xmas for $350. Seemed like a steal to me!

I'm not expecting a work of art!

 

[Historian]

Shoot what makes you happy. Best wishes to you and good shooting.

 

[New Hampshire]

Have a great time shooting next weekend. I killed my first muzzleloader deer with a traditions. Your girlfriend bought you a new muzzleloader eh, she's a keeper!

 

[Urban Coyote]

Nice gift, good girl and congratulations. Yeah, shoot the heck out of it and enjoy! Be careful you don't get hooked, on muzzleloading, it's real easy to do.

 

[Sidney Smith]

My advice would be to sell it and get a better grade gun. You'll enjoy muzzleloading a lot more. Let the insults begin.

 

[SDSmlf]

Howdy! So happy my new .50cal rifle showed up! I've had a used .50cal Lyman's, but this is my first brand new gun!

Just curious if anyone has any tips for this specific model? I plan to remove the synthetic ramrod, plus the rod retention spring under the barrel that seems to ratel around without it.

I've never bought a new muzzleloader before. Is it normal for them to come with grease or some kind of petroleum jelly all over the lock mechanism? Mine was covered in it!

I'm not going to be able to test her out until next weekend, but I'm super excited!

Make sure and get all the ‘protective’ grease out of the bore, especially the breech area, before you shoot it the first time. You want everything clean and dry. Haven’t seen it mentioned and you probably already know, but make sure you are using real blackpowder in your new flintlock. Way easier to light up compared to any of the subs.

Enjoy new flintlock. Light gun that’s easy to carry and fun to shoot. And so it begins…..

 

[laagamer]

Make sure and get all the ‘protective’ grease out of the bore, especially the breech area, before you shoot it the first time. You want everything clean and dry. Haven’t seen it mentioned and you probably already know, but make sure you are using real blackpowder in your new flintlock. Way easier to light up compared to any of the subs.

Enjoy new flintlock. Light gun that’s easy to carry and fun to shoot. And so it begins…..

Oh, thank you! I'll be sure to give everything a good once over!

 

[laagamer]

My advice would be to sell it and get a better grade gun. You'll enjoy muzzleloading a lot more. Let the insults begin.

I appreciate the candid advice! I actually own a very reliable Lyman's .50 flintlock that I've got working pretty well already!

My girlfriend wanted to get me something I'd actually enjoy for Xmas, and I told her I actually wanted to try one of these cheapo ones! LOL

One day when I have the money I'm definitely going to get a custom one made.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Make sure you have a proper sized flint, about as wide as the frizzen. When the frizzen is down over the pan, with the hammer at half cock, the flint should not touch the frizzen but shouldn't be more than .25 inch away (usually around an 1/8 of an inch). It should be pointing at a spot on the frizzen face in the upper 40% of the frizzen.
If you lift the frizzen up, part way, and (while holding the hammer) release the lock, as you lower the hammer you should be able to get a straight line between the flint and the frizzen base.

 

[snakebit]

Sweet. Enjoy it. Take your lady with you and let her shoot some too. Maybe she will catch the bug and you two can enjoy shooting muzzleloaders together.

 

[Des52]

Don't forget to clean and oil the lock, might be the difference between a klatch and a boom.

 

[Sidney Smith]

You will soon realize that Traditions locks are junk. They're too small for a rifle, and unless you use those dinky little 5/8 flints, you'll have issues with the frizzen and the flint jamming it open and not allowing the cock to fall all the way.

 

[Howard Pippin]

You will soon realize that Traditions locks are junk. They're too small for a rifle, amd unless you use those dinky little 5/8 flints, you'll have issues with the frizzen and the flint jamming it open and not allowing the cock yo fall all the way.

I respectively disagree with that statement, they might not be as fine-tuned as a $300 lock, my entire flintlock, from Lyman, didn't cost $300, but then I spent my entire life hunting with Savage and Remington rifles. I don't own a single Weatherby and yet I have been very happy. Perhaps flintlocks and percussions can be viewed the same way. Shucks I drive an old Chevrolet pickup instead of one of those 80,000 electric Fords and I'm still happy.
Squint

 

[Rebel bull]

I respectively disagree with that statement, they might not be as fine-tuned as a $300 lock, my entire flintlock, from Lyman, didn't cost $300, but then I spent my entire life hunting with Savage and Remington rifles. I don't own a single Weatherby and yet I have been very happy. Perhaps flintlocks and percussions can be viewed the same way. Shucks I drive an old Chevrolet pickup instead of one of those 80,000 electric Fords and I'm still happy.
Squint

sir your reply to a snobbish reply to a newbie is a refreshing breath of fresh air. I have owned at 1 time or another a sample of most of CVA's guns and worked on 100 or so others that somebody screwed up and have never considered my self to be handy caped when shooting against any custom gun made. Are there prettier guns out there YES but they don't shoot better !

 

[Cvkotvkse]

Some brands come with a protective coating on some of the metal parts to keep them from rusting while they sit in a box for months. My wife bought me a new Deer Hunter for Christmas back around 97 or so. It is percussion and still looks great and works flawlessly. Best $99 she ever spent. Enjoy your new rifle. Regardless of the fact three or four guys will be along shortly to tell you Traditions guns suck, are not accurate, won't kill a deer, and you aren't serious about muzzleloading if that's what you're shooting. Ignore those guys and have fun with it. Take care of it and it will feed you well.

What he said!
After 35 years, my CVA St. Louis Hawken is STILL phenomenally accurate, and has accounted for its share of deer. Early on, before any serious historical research, I found conicals such as Maxi-Balls and Buffalo bullets ahead of 70 gr. fffg to be an awesomely accurate and effective couple of combo's...
Although I am spending more time w/ the types of flintlocks some of my forebearers likely used as snipers in the AWI and the War of 1812, my old caplock Hawken was what I toted on a long hoghunt this weekend.
Enjoy!

 

[azmntman]

LOVE my traditions. And don't you EVER give that away or sell. Not many of us have the girl you got. Why some of us even have to smuggle boxes in from time to time. (I got away with the Renegade BTW).

 

[Hermit Tim]

LOVE my traditions. And don't you EVER give that away or sell. Not many of us have the girl you got. Why some of us even have to smuggle boxes in from time to time. (I got away with the Renegade BW).

Know the feeling. Nothing like hoping she is in the bathroom or taking a nap when the mail shows up. But if that's the dirtiest thing I ever do behind my wife's back then I'm doing ok.

 

[nkbj]

I have one of the flintlock Deerhunters. Super reliable ignition.
Got the original rifled barrel and a 31" long smooth bore barrel for it.
Bet it would be fine a tree rat nailer with a small bore barrel.