Percussion or Flintlock?

[user 36911]

Ok, i'll be tangled in brush at your mountain. You'll be gasping for oxygen at 12,000ft on my mountain.

 

[user 49399]

Are you calling those Tennessee hills as your mountains?

yeah you might have something there. Our Cumberland Mountains may be hills to westerners, but that’s ok. You can call me hillbilly and I’ll take it as a compliment!

 

[Cattywompuss]

Ok, i'll be tangled in brush at your mountain. You'll be gasping for oxygen at 12,000ft on my mountain.

That's a fact. I've never been above 7000 feet on while still on the ground. But then, calling the Eastern woods "brush" is like calling the Rockies "hills". Somehow it doesn't even begin to tell the tale.

 

[Cattywompuss]

So, flintlock or percussion?

 

[smo]

Are you calling those Tennessee hills as your mountains?

Many Overmountain Men, including John Sevier, John Rhea, and Isaac Shelby, went on to play prominent roles in the establishment of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. The foothold they gained on the frontier helped open the door to mass westward migration in ensuing decades.

If it hadn’t have been for those Tn hills and their brave men & women .

Weren’t most “mountain men” from back East originally?

Flintlock!

 

[user 49399]

I am curious so please bear with me. I am very new to Black powder and muzzle loading. I have two percussion rifles a GPR and a Tradition St. Louis both from kits. I’m very happy with both and plan to purchase or build more rifles. My question is are most members using percussion or flintlock rifles? Is it necessarily a foregone conclusion that one progresses to flintlock? If so, how long before one makes the plunge or did you start out shooting flintlocks? I understand that this may seem like a silly question but I’m going to build or buy a new Pennsylvania rifle in the near future and thought I’d go with percussion but thought it would be maybe more correct to go with flintlock. I like shooting percussion and think I’ll be happy doing that but I’m afraid I’m missing out. So any guidance or advise please feel free to offer.

To answer your question (we got a little off track), I shoot percussion and flintlock and enjoy both equally. I started with percussion and added flintlocks later. While both are traditional muzzleloaders they are different. Your question is a good one but there is no clear answer. If you want my suggestion I’d say go ahead and add a flintlock to your collection. Since you already shoot percussion you should have no problem transitioning to flintlock. Hope this helps.

 

[Booneliane]

Personally, I don’t see the allure of the mountains.

Full of people, bicycles and dog walkers, expensive living, high taxes, killing jobs, transplanted Kalifornians banned trapping 20+ years ago. Did I mention there’s people everywhere? You need a permit to take a dump in the woods. Save the predators. People everywhere. Constant battles with fern fondling anti consumptive users of wildlife. Etc etc etc.

They’ll probably ban lead projectiles shortly.

The only thing I miss about the mountain state I lived in was a $20 elk tag.

 

[oncewas]

To answer your question (we got a little off track), I shoot percussion and flintlock and enjoy both equally. I started with percussion and added flintlocks later. While both are traditional muzzleloaders they are different. Your question is a good one but there is no clear answer. If you want my suggestion I’d say go ahead and add a flintlock to your collection. Since you already shoot percussion you should have no problem transitioning to flintlock. Hope this helps.

Thanks, appreciate your response. Yeah I decided to get a Kibler SMR in either 36 or 40, not sure yet which but since it will just be for target shooting thinking I’ll go 36. But yes ready I'm ready purchasing my first flintlock most likely first of June when I get paid.

 

[user 36911]

Many Overmountain Men, including John Sevier, John Rhea, and Isaac Shelby, went on to play prominent roles in the establishment of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. The foothold they gained on the frontier helped open the door to mass westward migration in ensuing decades.

If it hadn’t have been for those Tn hills and their brave men & women .

Weren’t most “mountain men” from back East originally?

Flintlock!

Don't get serious. We're just playing around.

Yes, the mountain men of the fur trade era were from all over the states and Europe. However, they didn't get the name mountain men until they were here.

 

[user 36911]

Personally, I don’t see the allure of the mountains.

Full of people, bicycles and dog walkers, expensive living, high taxes, killing jobs, transplanted Kalifornians banned trapping 20+ years ago. Did I mention there’s people everywhere? You need a permit to take a dump in the woods. Save the predators. People everywhere. Constant battles with fern fondling anti consumptive users of wildlife. Etc etc etc.

They’ll probably ban lead projectiles shortly.

The only thing I miss about the mountain state I lived in was a $20 elk tag.

That's the Denver area. I've only been there once and i'll never go again. None of that is around me. The population of my small town is only 2200. I'm lucky to see one hunter during my whole hunt. No crime or crowds anywhere. One traffic light in the whole town. I'm good friends with the bank president. He's a hunter. Cops wave hi at me.

Walk out my door and see a trophy muley. 5 min and see a herd of elk. 15 min and i'm at 11,000ft. Gold medal river fly fishing 5 min away.

I wouldn't live anywhere else.

 

[Kreole]

Nothing like a good old flash..... bang

 

[smo]

Flash????

 

[JohnnieT]

How big does a molehill have to be before it's considered a mountain?

Ask a good plastic surgeon, they’ve been making mountains out of molehills for years.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Thanks, appreciate your response. Yeah I decided to get a Kibler SMR in either 36 or 40, not sure yet which but since it will just be for target shooting thinking I’ll go 36. But yes ready I'm ready purchasing my first flintlock most likely first of June when I get paid.

I don't have a Kibler... yet. But I have never heard a bad word spoken about him, his guns, locks, process, devotion, or anything else.

Put it thusly: if a bunch of crusty old Boomers have nothing bad to say about a Gen X innovator making Longrifles with a computer and a jig, they are better than you could hope for. Part of that prolly has to do with knowing Mr. Kibler can build one by hand as good as any person in the Creation.

You will have an excellent weapon in the end. To anyone who just punches paper, make no mistake, a gun is a weapon. It exists for one purpose: to kill. Anything else you do with it is just fiddlin. Tools are for carpenters. My hammer drives nails, but I own a rifle because I can't throw a hammer 1300 feet per second.

 

[Brianc]

Chiming in as the grandson of a long rifle builder, in my humble opinion having been around “front stuffers”’ as long as I care to remember. Kibler is probably the best thing going for value. Met them at CLA a couple years ago and to say impressed is an understatement. Honestly to say I was spoiled doesn’t quite cover it , never had to buy a Thompson Center/CVA , and had my first full custom built for my 13th birthday over 20 years ago. However if I found myself wanting a new one the Kibler is where I’d look . Just my 2 cents and it’s worth exactly what you paid lol

 

[French Colonial]

How many rifles did the Hawkens build and how many mountain men were there. I know the numbers are not definitive but that should give some insight in to how many carried "other than". I would think carrying rifles from the Corps of Discovery would show you were hivernant. (Not sure if I spelled that correctly)

I only own one percussion rifle which is the original Tatham and Egg pictured earlier that has not been fired in 40 years or so that I know of, the rest of them are all flintlocks. My double shotguns are all original percussions because I can not afford the double flintlock of the quality I would prefer. (Any one wanting to donate a Manton flinter to ease this problem please PM me)

Now for the shocker! I am considering buying a percussion rifle, a reproduction of the rifle my great grandfather carried in the civil war, I wonder how far down the rabbit hole this might take me.

If you are just a shooter or hunter buy a percussion, if you are interested in a certain time period buy what is correct for the time period so you can enjoy researching more.

Percussion...Flintlock...Its all black powder it's all fun!

 

[gunnyr]

How big does a molehill have to be before it's considered a mountain?

This may not be really connected with the subject matter but as a kid I used to walk the rail road tracks to the river.
After a days fishing I'd walk back home , sometimes the fish I caught would get bigger and heavier with every step. I swear sometimes the fish that made it home would have the tails worn off from all the dragging across the ties.
So I guess your question about the size of a mole hill would have to depend on your state of mind at that time.
gunny

 

[Ian Straus]

I am curious so please bear with me. I am very new to Black powder and muzzle loading. I have two percussion rifles a GPR and a Tradition St. Louis both from kits. I’m very happy with both and plan to purchase or build more rifles. My question is are most members using percussion or flintlock rifles? Is it necessarily a foregone conclusion that one progresses to flintlock? If so, how long before one makes the plunge or did you start out shooting flintlocks? I understand that this may seem like a silly question but I’m going to build or buy a new Pennsylvania rifle in the near future and thought I’d go with percussion but thought it would be maybe more correct to go with flintlock. I like shooting percussion and think I’ll be happy doing that but I’m afraid I’m missing out. So any guidance or advise please feel free to offer.

Percussion here.
No, I progressed to a matchlock.
Shooting flintlock involves developing flint management skills. This can be frustrating which is the reason I didn't progress from a flintlock pistol to a flintlock rifle. Do you have a flintlock mentor?
Don;t worry about 'correct', please yourself.

 

[RATROD56]

I am curious so please bear with me. I am very new to Black powder and muzzle loading. I have two percussion rifles a GPR and a Tradition St. Louis both from kits. I’m very happy with both and plan to purchase or build more rifles. My question is are most members using percussion or flintlock rifles? Is it necessarily a foregone conclusion that one progresses to flintlock? If so, how long before one makes the plunge or did you start out shooting flintlocks? I understand that this may seem like a silly question but I’m going to build or buy a new Pennsylvania rifle in the near future and thought I’d go with percussion but thought it would be maybe more correct to go with flintlock. I like shooting percussion and think I’ll be happy doing that but I’m afraid I’m missing out. So any guidance or advise please feel free to offer.

I shoot percussion (Hawken Woodsman) but, I want a flintlock as well.

 

[gunnyr]

Oncewas, I believe that just about everyone starts out with a percussion, then after a time they progress on to a
flint lock . Not because its better but because its more of a challenge , function , at least that is why I progressed
towards flint. I still shoot percussion though, and enjoy both.
gunny