Rifle Recommendation

[Russ T Frizzen]

On early flintlock rifles the buttstock is much thicker. It's the later ones that have the skinny buttstocks.

 

[tg]

If you are interested in the gun following true to the originals I suggest picking a time frame
+/- 5 years, this can help in choosing swamped vs straight barrel, lock and furniture styles and other details that may be time sensitive, then you have "built" the gun on paper and can search the vendors to see who has the closest to what you want. It would be best if you could find a ML club and handle the different styles of guns to see which you prefer.

 

[colmoultrie]

One of the best places to start for picking out your style is your local library. Learn to love interlibrary loan!

Get a copy of Shumway's Rifles of Colonial America (vols. 1 & 2)and Kindig's Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in its Golden Age. Drool over the rifles there; find a few examples that fit your taste (although if your taste runs to really fancy rifles, you're in real trouble with your budget). Look for lines that make your heart beat faster. Bookmark those.

Put the books down for at least a week. Look at other rifles on the web, or just ignore flintlocks (if you can) for a week. then look at your top choices again, as well as flipping through the other pages of the books. Make sure you're still in love with your top choices. Then look for makers or rifles available that reflect your taste.

Some will say, pick your timeframe first, and then get a rifle to fit that timeframe. If there's one rifle type that makes you drool more than others, however, it might be better to adjust your posible timeframe to the style of rifle you like.

 

[Zoar]

What I was re-enforcing in my last post was---that nearly all the recommendatiosn you had been getting from people on this forum were for rifled barreled guns. You had asked on a couple of occasions through this thread if you should go rifled or smooth. Just in case you did not know you were getting recommendations almost exclusively for rifled barrled guns even if people did not come out and say, hey this is another vote for a rifled barrel.
Just wanted to be clear. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Yeah, sorry, we presume you're talking rifles if you're posting on the "Flintlock Rifles" forum instead of the "Smoothbore" forum. Don't really need a swamped barrel on a smoothbore. So just to be clear, let me say, "Rifled barrel!!!" :rotf: :rotf:

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:

Yeah, geez, it appears we may need an EITHER / OR forum. :grin: I know the original poster was debating that very topic---do I go smooth bore or rifled?... So in a way there is no CLEAR place for him to post that question since there is ONLY a rifle forum OR a smoothbore forum. hahaha :thumbsup:

And, from hanging around this place for a while, I must say that is a fairly common query.

 

[JMN68]

Good recommendation. I do not have to work today, so I will make my way to the local library and browse.

The advice from forum members were excellent. My decision went from off the shelf rifle and now to a custom rifle, but I guess that is money that will be well spent.

Joe

 

[Zoar]

as long as you shoot the dern thing :thumbsup: