Recommendations for first flintlock

[MDHunter]

I love it. OP asks for best flint under a grand and not a kit and people jump in with Kibler rife kit suggestions. Then questions of why would you want a 45???
This is on par with questions like I want to shoot a conical and the very next post is you should shoot a round ball.
I have 2 Kibler rifles with another on the way and love them! But there is nothing wrong with Traditions, Pedersoli or Investarms flintlocks that are in your asking price range.

 

[MDHunter]

I want to clarify my statement above. I don’t think people’s hearts are in a bad place when suggesting things that don’t fit the original poster questions. But sometimes we should just answer the questions that are asked.

 

[Coldfingers]

I will jump in with the Pedersoli Kentucky suggestion.
Picked a used one last summer. Freaky accurate. They can be had cheep too, paid $450 for it.
You do need to pay attention to the patented breech, or whatever Pedersoli calls it.

 

[NARC50]

As @morehops52 said, don’t worry about a patient breech, especially with a hooked breech barrel that pops off for cleaning. It’s not a problem as long as you clean properly.

I agree. My GPR has patent breech and I have had no issues. I soak the entire barrel down with water because it can easily be pulled from the stock.

 

[stikshooter]

Sent you a private message on my Kibler SMR 45cal with extra fancy wood/Ed

 

[stikshooter]

I would prefer .45 cause is what I use now, a seneca my grandfather gave me. I’ve owned.50 percussion but never had a desire to shoot them. So .45 is where my heart is set at, I live in Florida so no big game here. Everything can be killed legally with my .32 Crockett per our regs. Later on I will probably jump to .54 or.50

sent you a PM /Ed

 

[Hanger]

I’m not to knowledgeable but it seems pedersoli is really the only turn key flinter besides traditions. I believe I would either go with the Pennsylvania or the Frontier from Pedersoli if I went that route.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

A built rifle is way better than a third world production gun period.

Get any kit, I had my kit custom made with the parts I wanted.
Way more Period correct than production guns, if yer into that scene.

I bought the best parts I could get at the time. You will not find a production gun with a Rice barrel, Chambers lock, or a fine piece of Tenn black walnut as I got from Muzzle loader Supply.

 

[Freedom]

It is easy to clean a patent breech!.... its not even too difficult to keep one running for 10 shots at the range.

What's hard, is watching your great woods-walk score crumble as all of your buddies continue the "walk".

But don't worry,..as their laughter and firing fades into the distance, you will have plenty of quiet time to reflect on how good, or bad, the patent breech is?

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Hanger, all the production rifles available under $1,000 will benefit from some lock tuning at the very least. The Traditions rifles, while being priced for entry level sales tend to have very accurate barrels. You will need the proper spring vise and polishing stones to remove the burrs that slow ignition. Most likely, you will need a 1/16" drill bit or a set of number drills (#51 and #50) to open the touch hole for reliable ignition.

Not everyone feels comfortable assembling a kit at any skill level and the production rifles do fill that void. I would recommend looking for a well cared for used rifle while looking for that entry level production gun. These can often be found in your budget range and these often have a proven performance background.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Here’s the deal.
If you have a good lock, and a good barrel, you will not be disappointed.
You get what you pay for.
For $1000, the only way you’re going to get that, is used. That is NOT a bad thing. They are out there, and if you keep those two things in mind, you can find a gun that will not frustrate you.
If you buy a cheap piece of crap, before long, you will hate it, and be back here asking everyone how to make it go bang.

These are the reasons Kibler keeps coming up.
Good luck with your search.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

[

there is nothing wrong with Traditions, Pedersoli or Investarms flintlocks that are in your asking price range.

My opinion would be that the flintlock mechanisms are not up to the task.

 

[morehops52]

It is easy to clean a patent breech!.... its not even too difficult to keep one running for 10 shots at the range.

What's hard, is watching your great woods-walk score crumble as all of your buddies continue the "walk".

But don't worry,..as their laughter and firing fades into the distance, you will have plenty of quiet time to reflect on how good, or bad, the patent breech is?

I fired 20 rounds at the range just yesterday with no issues loading or ignition.

 

[morehops52]

I've been shooting patent breeches for decades. Didn't even know they were patent breeches. I've never had an issue at the range or hunting. I guess thoroughly cleaning with Dawn and warm water goes a long way toward reliability.

 

[MDHunter]

[
My opinion would be that the flintlock mechanisms are not up to the task.

That’s unfortunate for the future of flintlocks and black powder shooting If the only way to enjoy the sport it to spend a 1000 plus dollars un a gun.
Couldn’t someone buy a budget rifle try it out and maybe it shoots fine? If it doesn’t upgrade the lock or send it off to be tuned after some money is saved up again? Probably still the less expensive route.
I feel like I’m better equipped to handle any problems that come up with my guns now because I learned lessons from “lesser” quality ones.
This is a good topic with good advice. Cheers!

 

[Hanger]

Okay so…. To stay on track are there any other companies that make full stock flintlocks, besides traditions and pedersoli? Since most are saying kibler, are there any others companies like him? If I’m going to spend $1500-2000 on a kit, than how much is a custom build?

 

[TDM]

The weak point of less expensive flintlocks is the locks themselves. As @Grenadier1758 brought up, polishing and tuning of the lock is important to improve lock time. And that’s true for any new, out of the box lock. I have 2 Pedersoli locks and both were flint breakers, but after some careful main spring work they do fine now. Had similar problems with L&Rs too. But you’ll end up learning quite a bit by working on each lock. It hasn’t been that many years since looking at the back of a flint lock for me was like like a dog watching TV. But it’s a confidence builder and you learn what problem areas to look for pretty fast.

 

[Erwan]

To talk about the choice of a first flintlock ready to shoot just out of the box, the simple way could be a Pedersoli, it is a bit more expensive than a Traditions but also a bit higher in quality...
The "Frontier" (also called Blue Ridge) could be a good choice for the beginning, with a 7/8" flint and only 36 grains of 3Fg (for target shooting). You can get it in .45 cal or .50 cal. ...

 

[morehops52]

Flintlock mechanisms not up to the task? Does the hammer (cock) fall? Does it make sparks? does it ignite the main charge? If the answer to all three is Yes than what it not up to the task? Yes a particular lock or rifle might not be a quick as a Chambers lock or as accurate as a custom barrel but that doesn't mean it down grades to useless. Again, there are .lots of older flintlocks that will do the job until OP can get the better rifle he will want more. Like many here I started with a T/C. Later on I realized I wanted a "real" period rifle and after saving my simoleans I now have a beautiful Lancaster rifle with all the good stuff.

 

[Flintandsteel]

A poor lock will cause many to abandon a flintlock rifle. It just can be very discouraging to start out with something that requires toil and trouble to get it to go off.
Again, good lock good barrel, nothing else really matters.