Starting Deer Hunting With a Flintlock

[DavyCrockett]

Hello, this is my first post and this seemed to be the most appropriate place for this thread to me, sorry if I'm mistaken and this is misplaced.
I'm very interested in getting into shooting flintlocks and more so, deer hunting with a flintlock. I live in Southeast Alabama, Right on the border of Florida and Georgia, don't know if where I live matters but I figured with the humidity of where I live, I should probably include it to make sure there's nothing I need to know to shoot in high humidity. But my main question is, where do I start? I know very little about flintlocks other than they use flint to make a spark and ignite the black powder and it shoots haha. I'm an experienced hunter and have tried primitive hunting with a traditional longbow and commonly hunt with a compound bow, but I've been wanting to try something new and flintlocks seem awesome to me. I love the idea of hunting the way my ancestors would have hunted the same lands hundreds of years ago. If anyone can give me any advice on where to start I'd be highly appreciative. Thanks in advance.

 

I know very little about flintlocks other than they use flint to make a spark and ignite the black powder and it shoots haha.

I would suggest "starting" by learning about the flintlock. Learn how to load, shoot and clean it. Practice a lot and become proficient.

Then, consider hunting with it.

Books like this may help too.
http://www.amazon.com/Muzzleloadin...rr&keywords=Muzzleloading+for+Deer+and+Turkey

 

[DavyCrockett]

That's why I'm here, And hoping to be pointed in the right direction, and I'm not as ignorant about flintlocks as just that one quote may make me seem, I was being a bit extreme there and making a joke. But I do know very little and not nearly enough to hunt. And if you're worried about me hunting deer too early before I'm prepared with a flintlock don't worry, I'm a strong believer in ethical hunting and wouldn't even consider taking a flintlock to the stand until I am proficient enough with a flintlock to take a deer down with little chance of only wounding it. And by little chance I mean the slight chance that everyone has. I know i'm starting to ramble about how careful I'd be and that may not really help my case, I just don't want anyone thinking I'm some reckless idiot out there and them not want to help me. Where would you recommend going to learn about them? Any specific sites that have good starting lessons to learn that you know of? anything like that? Deer season here is over in a few days so I'd be getting a flintlock month before deer season would even come in and it would hopefully give me the time needed to practice with it for next season or perhaps the next season if I don't feel ready with it yet.

 

[DavyCrockett]

Oh sorry, just saw the link to a book that could help, didn't notice it at first. Thought at first you were slightly upset at my wording of how little I know and that you thought I was about to go be an idiot in the wood. Thanks for your help and if you have any other advice I'd love to hear it.

 

[roundball]

Thanks in advance.

I salute your attitude & approach...and your decision to post here in the Hunting section...for actual Flintlock hunters to share their hands on hunting experience and knowledge gained over the years...it will be the best way to shorten the learning curve.

 

[palonghunter]

My first piece of advise is don't go cheap. The lowest grade commercial guns are kind of a crapshoot. Some work good, some work about half the time, and occasionally they don't work at all. Even if you get a decent cheapo gun, if you're anything like me you'll soon be wanting to upgrade to something better.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Embrace the flintlock for what it is and not for what you think it should be.

That said I would start here. http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/

 

[nwtradegun]

for humid weather stick with swiss or shuzten powder.

 

[DavyCrockett]

What sort of price range of a gun would you consider not cheap and good idea to start with? I've been locking around and I've found them in the $500-$800 range and they seem to look like quality made guns. But I'm here for a reason, and that's to find out from people with experience. So what would you recommend?

 

[smo]

Go up top of the forum index look under articles & list & charts there's lots of good info there. Most non production flint locks start at around $1200 or so.

 

[Grumpa]

Along with Bob Spencer's Black Powder Notebook, already mentioned by CC, I would recommend deceased Forum member Paul Vallandigham's Flintlocks: How To Shoot Them
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/FlintlocksHowToShoot.php

If the link doesn't work, - and it doesn't! I just tried it, just Google it.

Beyond that, click on the "flintlock Rifle" category on the left of the Forums Index, go to the bottom of the screen, and choose to eliminate the default (so you can go back over all the posts, and start studying.

Then, ask lots of questions here. No end of people eager to help you.

Let your journey begin. :hatsoff: :thumbsup:

 

[Claude Mathis]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/222420/

 

[Spikebuck]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your desire to hunt with a flintlock. You won't regret it one bit.

If you have been bowhunting "successfully," you've certainly gained many of the skills for hunting with traditional firearms. Being close, patience waiting for the right shot, etc. I bowhunted exclusively for 25 or so years before adding traditional firearms to the mix, and bowhunting experience is a great asset for this sport.

If hunting with a flintlock is your main interest, I would recommend getting Brian Beckum's Flintlock hunting videos. He not only shows how to effectively hunt with flinters, but he explains the loading process, how to clean them, etc. He's from Southern Georgia, so not a real long ways away from you.
http://www.beckumoutdoors.com/

I think it is wise advice to buy a quality flintlock. But you certainly don't have to spend "thousands." You want a quality lock. I have not personally owned a production flintlock, but others here have good luck with them, though many talk about having to do some work on those locks to get the performance they need. There's someone on this forum that's experienced whatever issue you may have to work through on whatever gun/lock you get! :grin: So just ask as you work through any issues with whatever you end up with.

Best wishes for great success.

Mike

 

[Wes/Tex]

Like the others, I'd like to say welcome to our favorite addiction. Flintlocks, though requiring a bit more attention than percussion, are no magical or mysterious pieces of witchcraft...just good ole fashion flint against steel to make sparks. Read the preciously mentioned material, and posts. Try to get a reasonable understanding of what's going on with a flintlock and ask all the questions you need any time you feel confused or just need to comment. There is a bit of a learning curve, as mentioned, but it's not voodoo or rocket science. One of the most satisfying thins is showing family and friends your baby and being able to say, "And if well tuned with a good sharp flint, it'll go off inverted"...then do just that. It's magic watching their faces though! :wink: :thumbsup:

 

[palonghunter]

In the $500-800 range you can get a few different Pedersoli and Lyman guns. My main hunting flintlock is a Cabelas Blue Ridge (same as a Pedersoli Frontier). You don't have to go custom to get a reliable hunting rifle. You won't be disappointed if you do go that route, but it's not a necessity.

 

[DavyCrockett]

I've looked at some of Cabela's from the line you're talking about and was very curious as to how well they perform. I'm glad to hear this. I also have the question, how much research should I do before purchasing one? Should I already have memorized all the cleaning processes, flint positioning (need to research more as to exactly how you change the flints position, I just hear people talking about the angle and things of the flint), and be able to take it out of the box and already know how to fire it correctly and know every piece of it etc... Or would it be more helpful if I did basic research and had an idea of exactly how everything works and then get the gun to learn all the maintenance and all the particulars about it while being able to see the gun in person and be able to practice the cleaning and adjustments to flint positions and anything else aforementioned? I've very confident that I do want to learn the skill of shooting these so I'm not worried about buying it and deciding "Eh too much work" and then regretting the money spent, even if I don't become a successful hunter, I'd love to just shoot one and teach my friends and family about them. Also, so far you guys have been an awesome community and thank you for all your help so far. Glad to see I don't have to worry with the "snobbery" that sometimes comes with traditions hunters who think just because they use a more traditional weapon they are better and are not willing to help anyone learn. Thanks guys.

 

[DavyCrockett]

Oh and another question I have that isn't quite as immediate, do the traditional musket balls (sorry for the lack of proper terms here) do enough damage to a deer and are accurate enough, or is it a wiser decision to use the more modern bullets that are shaped more like a regular rifle round?

 

[coloradoclyde]

Oh and another question I have that isn't quite as immediate, do the traditional musket balls (sorry for the lack of proper terms here) do enough damage to a deer and are accurate enough, or is it a wiser decision to use the more modern bullets that are shaped more like a regular rifle round?

Round balls have been effectively killing game for centuries. Those modern pointy things have been emptying shooter's wallets since the 1980's

 

[DavyCrockett]

Glad to hear that because I was really hoping to use the balls. I love doing this the traditional way and will be using the most traditional items I can with it still not being a big risk of only wounding a deer.

 

[coloradoclyde]

You still have to practice and know your limitations.....the same as any gun.