Traditions Crockett ????

[Free Dumb]

I am looking for a BP rifle for my wife. One consideration is that she has a stiff neck and has trouble hunkering down on a straight stocked rifle. I bought a Kel-Tec folding carbine thinking that we could both use it: light kick and high sights. She was unable to crane her neck down far enough to line up the sights. My assumption is that the more drop in the buttstock, the easier it will be for her to use it. The Traditions Crockett seems to have the most drop that I have found so far. It is also in a small caliber and I think that would be a good introduction to this type of rifle. I am totally ignorant about muzzleloading and will welcome comments.

Thanks,
Terry

 

[Tahquamenon]

I would have her handle as many types of rifles as possible.

A .32-50 cal with light loads should fit the bill but the most important is her ability to handle the rifle.

The Traditions Crockett .32cal is a very light and easy to handle rifle. I've not shot one but I'm looking at the same thing for my youngster.

Also the traditions .50cal Tennessee is shorter and even lighter (6 pounds) than the crockett.

Also the Lyman Trade rifle.

 

[Rebel]

The Crockett is a very accurate shooting rifle. They are light, and cheap to shoot. But if you can find one for her to try out first, that would be the best bet, to see if it fits her right.

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

The Kel-Tec and those other "short carbines" are not really designed for "shooting comfort". They are "plinking" guns and may be OK for some self defense situations. It's difficult for me to "try" and use the sights on that type of gun as well, and they also have a very short "length of pull". Not exactly conducive to the best accuracy you are capable of.

REMEMBER this next comment applies to ME, and it may NOT be the same for someone else, but I've found that stocks with a lot of drop are best for offhand shooting. They also transmit the recoil differently that a straighter stock. It's just a matter of personal preference. It's always best (if you can) to take the person to a gun shop and actually handle the prospective rifle(s) FIRST!, before plunking down those hard earned shekels.

A .32 muzzleloading has very little felt recoil, and no one "should" be bothered by it. A .36 caliber would also be a good choice (very little recoil) and Traditions still makes the Shenandoah rifle in .36--which has about the same drop in the stock. The Shenandoah is also available as a flintlock too, though both of these .36's will cost more than that .32 Crockett rifle.

There are very few "inexpensive" alternatives available in small bore muzzleloaders; though an H&A Underhammer "Buggy rifle" in .36 caliber makes a nice gun (and would cost less). Or Deer Creek Products may still have some CVA guns in .32 and .36 that would be even less costly.

Is your wife interested in starting shooting (muzzleloaders) with the intent of hunting? or just targets? or some of both?
There are some advantages to both calibers.

Shoot Safely!
WV_Hillbilly

 

[Free Dumb]

The concept of handling rifles before buying them hadn't occurred to me, but it seems obvious now that it's mentioned. The Kel-Tec wasn't cheap and doesn't fill the bill. At the time though, gun shows and gun shops weren't incorporated in my relationship with my wife. Length of pull is also as important as drop. I hadn't considered that either. This is a "duh" moment. It was a surprise that she offered to go to a show with me and even more of a surprise that she had such an emotional reaction to muzzleloaders. I guess, I haven't made the adjustment. Expecting a rifle to feel right to her because I like it is like handing her my coat and expecting it to fit.

I am sure that target shooting will be what she will do with her rifle (just as I was sure she would never express interest in firearms). About the only hunting I/we have ever done is for predators around the livestock. As far as calibers, if this first flush of interest develops into something, she can have a Monday caliber, Tuesday caliber and Wednesday caliber, a red squirrel gun and a grey squirrel gun.

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

I don't know if any one else has found this phenomenon to be true, or maybe they didn't notice, or didn't care...

BUT for some unknown reason, women don't seem to mind muzzleloaders... yet they are generally "turned off" by "assault style guns", "black guns", almost all handguns, and large hunting bolt action rifles with large scopes. Maybe muzzleloading guns are somehow less threatening or less intimidating, by some mysterious means that males just aren't affected with. Although, I would be the first to admit that a really well made and highly decorated muzzleloader compares to a "work of art" in my perception anyway.

Am I just losing it, or does any one agree/disagree/don't care?

Anyway...
Free Dumb,
We ALL have those moments when "brain fog" seems to take control. Take her to a few shops and gun shows and let her get a "feel" for various styles and stock configurations. Like you said, it doesn't necessarily have to "fit you" and you may think the gun is almost unusable for your stature and hold. I think it's really neat that she IS interested in ANY gun at all. My wife only sees them as tools for filling the freezer with venison and knocking off the varmints that try to infiltrate and devour our garden. At least she is being a pragmatist about guns.

Shoot Safely!
WV_Hillbilly

 

[Zonie]

I've even had some "anti gun" women admire some of my muzzleloaders. They are not intimidated by them.

As for shooting, I don't know how many first time women shooters I've seen come out to the range and with some proper instructions proceed to shoot rings around their boyfriend/husbands scores.
This is especially true with handguns.
They aren't trying to be Macho, and they havent been "bit" by a gun so they don't flinch.
With a little training on sight alignment, follow thru and not jerking the trigger some of their scores are ourstanding!!

 

[IronMan]

Sounds like my wife Zonie. She had never touched a gun until we met. I took her to the range and she outshot me the first time. She still can when she takes the notion to do so. She even suprised me Christmas day when I got my Bobcat. She told me she wanted to learn to shoot it and wanted to go deer hunting next season :: I now have the .54 so we will both have a smokepole for deer season :thumbsup:

IronMan

 

[Chrismico]

The .32 caliber Crockett is an excellent rifle. As has been said before, it is very accurate and cheap to shoot. The main consideration if you are going to shoot it a lot, is to get an extra ramrod to use with it. The Crockett rod is aluminum, so you can just get an extra factory rod. I added an extra section with a swivel handle to make it easier to use. This is a great rifle that every blackpowder shooter should have.

I have read that this is the caliber that the original mountain men liked to carry, because of economy of powder and lead, and to minimize weight carried. They are also supremely accurate. Almost any game can be killed with it too, if done correctly. Small game is not badly damaged and larger game can be brought down too. I wouldn't want to take big game with a Crockett, but it can be done with a proper head shot, especially if you are a mountain man in need of food.

I love the Crockett and would recommend it to anybody, man, woman, or young person. It's a good looking gun too.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Check your local laws before deer or larger hunting with a .32 cal.

I would not shoot a deer with a .32 unless I was sitting on it's back or standing right next to it. ::

 

[adbranaman]

Indiana requires at least a .45 to hunt deer.What size charge would you use for deer. My paper work says 15- 35 grains max.I've found that 25 gr.s is dead on at 50 yards. :m2c:

 

[Chrismico]

I'm not advocating big game hunting with the .32 caliber Crockett. I was just referring to the mountain men who carried the small caliber guns who could, if necessary, bring down a deer for food, with a proper headshot.

I have killed a deer at about 40 yards when only one pellet of the buckshot I fired from my shotgun went into the side of the head. It dropped dead right in it's tracks.

If I wanted to take a shot like that with a small caliber rifle, I would definitely have it loaded at the maximum safe load for the gun. I'm not going to be doing any small caliber deer hunting, so it's not something I really need to worry about.

Just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about that.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Indiana requires at least a .45 to hunt deer.What size charge would you use for deer. My paper work says 15- 35 grains max.I've found that 25 gr.s is dead on at 50 yards. :m2c:

What .45 rifle are you shooting?

I would think that 25gr FFG BP would be a little light in .45 cal rifle.

For deer or larger hunting, I'm of the school that hunts with the the heavier or heaviest charge that holds accuracy within the loading limitation of the rifle.

I'll be hunting deer with a T/C Hawken .45 this fall, but I'll be shooting a T/C 255gr Maxi-Hunter conical & on top of a wonderwad. Likely use about 50-60gr 3FG Swiss or the same in Black Mag'3.

 

[Tahquamenon]

I'm not advocating big game hunting with the .32 caliber Crockett. I was just referring to the mountain men who carried the small caliber guns who could, if necessary, bring down a deer for food, with a proper headshot.

I have killed a deer at about 40 yards when only one pellet of the buckshot I fired from my shotgun went into the side of the head. It dropped dead right in it's tracks.

You bet.


Was that head shot with buckshot by accident or by design?

I do head shot's on deer quite a bit but not with buckshot.

I know what you are saying though.

 

[Chrismico]

I guess you would have to say it was not planned. I had been on a tree stand most of the afternoon. I had seen a peg antlered buck feeding some distance away, but didn't have a shot because all I had was a shotgun loaded with buckshot, and the distance was too great.

As the sun went down and the light got dimmer, I lost track of the buck. I was about to get out of the stand and go home, when I saw the outline of the buck silhouetted against the white sand of a primitive road that passed though the field below my tree stand. He was walking by fairly close at about 30-40 yards. Even though it was getting close to dark, I decided to take the shot. I heard more than saw the deer drop dead in his tracks. When I examined the deer, the only mark on him was the single pellet hole in the side of the head.

My hunting buddy was surprised. I had heard him get in his truck as he had already left his stand, and he was coming to get me. He stopped on the road about 300 yards away, to wait for me to come out, when he heard the shot.

 

[Tahquamenon]

::

I've seen deer simply fall over when nicked and I've also seen them run for hills with the top end of their heart blown to pieces.


I shot a doe on the run a few years ago with buckshot and I never did figure out where she was hit. I think some shot went inside the ear canal to penetrate the brain. That was the only thing I could think of because she piled up on the spot from a dead run at 25 yards. No blood. Really a strange kill. I'm still accused of in fact missing the deer and it was my good looks that caused her to faint dead on the spot!
:crackup:

:thumbsup: