One flint(lock) to rule them all!

[capnwilliam]

If you were restricted, for whatever reason, to owning and shooting only one flintlock shoulder piece: what would it be, and why? Rifle or smoothbore? What caliber? Make? Barrel length? What type of furniture would it have? What size flint and powder would you use? What accoutrements and tools would you carry for it?

Capt. William

 

[roundball]

If you were restricted, for whatever reason, to owning and shooting only one flintlock shoulder piece: what would it be, and why? Rifle or smoothbore? What caliber? Make? Barrel length? What type of furniture would it have? What size flint and powder would you use? What accoutrements and tools would you carry for it?

Capt. William

.54cal, TC Hawken, flintlock, 31" X 1:66" rifled round ball barrel, brass, 3/4" BEF, Goex, with all appropriate small tools, flints, leathers, etc, that I might need to keep a day's hunting activity going.
Back at the truck, I have an even broader complement of additional items stored...including a back-up rifle depending on how far away from home the hunting trip is taking place.

 

[Stumpkiller]

That's the plan. Only one for everything.

44", .54 cal. swamped & medium crowned LC Rice barrel with a Jim Chambers Early Germanic flintlock on a curly maple stock with forged iron furniture done in the Lehigh style (some carving and engraving). It will be THE ONE mostly because the others were sold off to afford it. Why? Because the original J.Rupp it is based on makes my socks roll up and down when I look at it.

I suppose if I was truly restricted to only one firearm of any type (breechloading or otherwise) I would have gone with a .58 smooth rifle.

In my shooting bag I carry:
Tin of patch grease ("antiqued" Kiwi 1 oz w/side lever opener)
Eight flints (7/8" English)
Two 36" x 1-3/4" strips of cotton tick
One 36" x 1-3/4" strip of flannel bedsheet for cleaning/oiling
Small wad of tow flax (initial cleaning w/water or spit)
One oz glass bottle of homemade "Moose Milk" w/cork
Small oil bottle (brass - WWI era from SMLE M1)
Turnscrew to fit lock & top jaw
Two metal vent picks ('forged' coathanger)
Flint awl
2" x 8" strip of leather (BIG aid in pulling a ball)
Five holer loading block (purpleheart)
Small antler-handled patch knife (on strap)
Vent feather (on strap)
Six inch strip of tick for wiping flint & frizzen (on strap)
27 ft (?? 25 meters) of 1/8" jute cord
25 to 40 cast round balls
Ball puller
Tow worm
Cleaning jag
Small folding knife

Second 5-holer loading block (walnut) w/ 1-1/2" stub starter on neck lanyard.

11" powder horn on seperate strap w/ a pound +/- of FFg
42 gr bone powder measure (two scoops is 84 gr)
75 gr antler powder measure

That's what I carry hunting, target shooting, hiking, etc.

I also carry a canvas haversack with lunch, license/permits/tags, deer drag, canteen, misc toiletries (aka a smushed partial roll of TP - I ain't a barbarian).

Sheath knife (forged coulter steel w/antler crown handle) and small pouch w/tinderbox on belt.

In car? Extra water and a Thermos of black coffee.

Whew! That was some question.

 

[musketman]

If you were restricted, for whatever reason, to owning and shooting only one flintlock shoulder piece: what would it be, and why?

The .75 caliber Brown Bess...

Why?

If all I could get a hole of was .490 round balls, no problem, the bess can shoot them, 3 or 4 at once...

.32 caliber balls, how about 8 to 12 of them...

From a hand full of #9 shot to a .735 round ball, the Bess will send it down range...

It's the "do all" musket in my book, after all, I'm musketman...

 

[capnwilliam]

I'm likewise inclined to think that a smoothbore would be a wiser choice than a rifled piece, Musketman: much more versatile in what it can digest. However, a .75 Brown Bess is pretty heavy; what would you think about a .62 fowling piece?

Capt. William

 

[Deadeye]

You bet, Capt., the French "Fucil de chasse" .62 smoothbore
would do it for me along with most of the stuff Stumpy mentioned and some shot.

 

[charlie47]

My one choice would be my Caywood R. Wilson English .62/20
"Chiefs Grade" trade gun. It has a 41 1/2" barrel. It comes on point very quickly, feels balanced, not heavy.

This is my second fusil. I ordered it 3 wks ago it arrived
this Tues., how's that for service?
Regards,
charlie47

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

How about some pics for the photo forum Charlie?

 

[Ohio Joe]

I guess I'd have to stick with my .45 caliber Jacob Dickert, Lancaster County rifle with large Siler Lock... It's trimmed in brass, nothing fancy... I like the single trigger, and the 42" inch GMB - 7/8 inches across the flats... I like the English Flints, and 60 grains of 3fg Goex... I also prime with 3fg, but carry 4fg with me just in case I'm feeling like using it??? It's a good rifle for medium size game (Deer and Antelope), and small game too (rabbits and such)... It also make a good target rifle... As a matter of fact I think I'll go shooting in the morning with it... I built this rifle to fit me, and my needs so I guess that's why I'd choose it...

 

A side by side double, both .62 bores, one rifled, one smoothie for shot. A flinter like that would handle anything from rabbits to T-Rex.
What would I carry with it?
Everything I could!

 

[Rebel]

Took a little thinkin' on this one but, i would have to say an over and under/ swivel breech. One barrel rifled .58 cal. and the other smoothbore .12 ga.. That should take care of everything from squirrels, rabbits and birds, to elk, moose, buffalo, and Elephants.

 

There sure are some good and valid points made in this post. I'm in something of a quandry to offer an opinion. My first love is always rifles and then rifles.....but....I'm supposed to choose one. I really like the idea of a trade gun in 62 cal.. Then again the swivel breech has much to commend it also. I believe I'd go with a swivel breech with one barrel bored and rifled for 54 cal. and the other a smooth bore in 62 if the two barrels could be made to match. If not I'd go to 58 cal. for the rifle. Sounds a lot like a Cape Gun.

Now, if I knew I was only going to be hunting here in S. Central Missouri it would be a 40 cal. Southern Mountain rifle.

I'd carry the stuff I needed to keep it shooting.

Vic

 

[riarcher]

Been working on that answer myself for awhile.
And here's what I came up with.
First - RI hunting laws pretty much states;
Muzzleloading (deer)- .45 cal or larger
Shotgun deer season - 20 ga and over "00" buck or slug/ball
small game / muzzleloader - .40 cal. or under
/ shotgun - no larger than #4 shot
Waterfowl - shotgun no larger than 10ga. no shot larger than BB.
We hunt deer as our largest, squirrel as about the smallest. Lots of geese, ducks and often at range over the Atlantic and salt ponds.
So, my conclusion (at present) is something like a .75 "Colonial Smoothbore" or a Bess.
Lots of brushy swamps here (ie. "Swamp Yankee") and that .75 "pumpkin" stays the course better than most in that swamp (50 yds. in the swamp is an extreemly long shot - usually you can't see more than 30 yds.). And Bismouth with shotcups should reach out and invite some of them geese to diner.
Load her heavy, or load her light. Round ball for Bambi or #6 for Rocky.
Think the .75 would sweet talk some nice varieties to the diner table. :winking:
Now if I was in Arizona I'd probably have a completely different outlook. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

Restricted - sounds like words used in Canada.
: There is no constest here. The gun would have to be a smoothbored one, the same as found favour as "best all-round gun" in the States from the .1820's on. The ability to handle shot as well as round ball, is a definite advantage. As well, most of the smoothbored guns to hit the West were muskets or shotguns, side by sides, etc, of large bore. The great advantage of smashing blows with ball for large and dangerous game and shot for small game along with increased effectivenes with buck and ball for guard duty cannot be argued against, IMHO & that of many fontiersmen, it seems.

 

[Stumpkiller]

How about some pics for the photo forum Charlie?

The only baby picture I have so far:

I promise more as they arrive. ::

 

[Gary]

OK, while I like rifles better, if I were restricted to just one gun, it would have to be a smoothbore. Why? You can shoot fowl in flight with a smoothbore and my skills aren't up to par with Annie Oakley to shoot them in flight with a rifle. Additionally, like the New Englanders of the 18th century, if I wanted big game, it would be buck 'n ball & a lot of stalking.

 

Stump,

The guard looks like it started as 1/2 square that you split and forged out - correct?

 

[Stumpkiller]

I wish I had the talent. I'm having John W. Donelson build a rifle to my heart's content. My forging ability ends at making vent picks out of coathangers pounded square with a twisted shank and a curled end shaped with a Benz-o-matic torch.

Elvis didn't write songs and Patton didn't build tanks. We can't all do everything (at least I can't).

It looks to me like it's a three piece - the tail split as you mentioned.

 

[JerryToth]

Hey Deadeye;

You bet,..., the French "Fucil de chasse" .62 smoothbore
would do it for me...

I would enjoy and appreciate if you would take a few minutes to tell me absolutely everything about the fusil de chasse that would make it your "one and only"!

I think there might be a fusil in my future at some point, as a buddy of mine re-enacts a French persona and I might accompany him at some point.

I'm listening with great interest if you're teaching!

Regards,

Ironsights Jerry.

 

[capnwilliam]

I'm glad I started this topic! Seems like the consensus is that a smoothbore wins out for all around versatility over a rifled weapon. That being the case: do we go with a .62 fowler? Or a .75 musket? Or some other smoothbore? And why?

Capt. William