TRADITIONS DEERHUNTER ???

[ZERMATT7]

Hi,
Most of my muzzleloader experience is with tc hawkens...
I just picked up a used Traditions Deer Hunter, percussion, 1:48" twist 24" barrel, Its a little older model with the wood stock and thin fixed rubber butt plate...gun is in really nice shape, but it needs a few things !

The first and most important is the flat head clean out screw next to the nipple...its all buggered up...Does anyone know the thread pitch and length of this screw ? I want to replace it with an allen/hex head bolt
Already called traditions and the best they could tell me was it was metric and sell me a new one.

2) what are some good accurate loads using 777 (2f or 3f) and conicals and sabots

3) Do I want to use #10 OR #11 caps with it?

4) Do you need to get the bent hammer to use a scope ?

It looks like a fun little gun and seems to weigh about 1/2 as much as my hawken...sorta feels like a Cherokee...Plan to use it for some fun shoots and Turkey hunting !
thanks

 

[john12865]

Do they let you hunt turkey in your state with a rifle? Just curious. I shoot Black Powder only so I can't help you out there. Should be a # 11 cap. I don't use scopes, if I can't see it at 100 yrds. I'm not going to shoot at it.

 

[ZERMATT7]

In Ga. you can use a bow, muzzleloader or shotgun for turkey's

I also have a new can of pyrodex 2f to shoot thru it

 

[john12865]

In Ga. you can use a bow, muzzleloader or shotgun for turkey's

I also have a new can of pyrodex 2f to shoot thru it

Damm, only shotguns here. What caliber is it?

 

[Rebel]

Are you sure they aren't refering to smoothbore muzzleloaders?

 

[ZERMATT7]

OOOPS..ITS A .50 CAL 24" barrel, 1: 48 " twist

"Are you sure they aren't refering to smoothbore muzzleloaders? "

Before this turns into a what you can hunt Turkeys for in Ga,. Thread :hmm:
I'll qote the 2007 hunting guidelines...
Turkey firearms ; Shotguns with #2 or smaller shot and any muzzleloading firearm .44 cal or larger (scopes legal) :hatsoff:
you can verify by going to [url] www.gohuntgeorgia.com[/url]

And I would be grateful for input from anyone who has actual experience with this gun and what loads they have had success with...already know the roundball load...need hel with the coniacals and sabots

 

[mbw907]

You are quite legal in Ga. to hunt turkey with it. In fact, you can hunt small game with it, too. I would use a no. 11 cap with it, CCI magnum #11s are good. And if you insist on conical bullets, use powerbelts. They are accurate and easier to find locally here in Ga. I don't know about the scope mounts. It would depend on how much clearance you had with the hammer in both positions. If you can find some real black powder to try, I think you will be happier with the results. Triple seven is not reliable in a sidelock. I have a 50 cal. in the basement right now taken apart because I thought I could get a shot or two off with some triple seven that I bought on clearance. Now I gotta pull the breechplug and hammer out the bullet. No go boom. So have fun, but save the triple seven for something less finicky. Good luck.

 

[mbw907]

Oh, and the cleanout plug, that's a good idea to go to an allen head bolt. It should be a 5 mm bolt.You don't want it to thread in too deeply and hit the base of your nipple, so you will probably have to cut it to length yourself. I changed mine to an allen head a couple of years ago and it makes it easier to remove.

 

[playfarmers]

My wife has the same rifle, and it shoots a .490 round ball with a 15th patch, and 70g of 2f goex. We have put some pyrodex through it, but found real black powder was far more reliable in firing. I put a set of fire sights on it for her, and it shoots as good as most can hold. She has taken several whitetails with it.

 

[n8dawg6]

if it is drilled and tapped for a scope mount, it should have a bent hammer that will clear a scope.

real blackpowder tends to work much more reliably than subs in a bolster-type sidelock like the deerhunter. however, i have a bolster-type cva and i have made it work reliably w/ pyrodex. you just have to do a lot of tapping/bumping next to the breech and hold the rifle at the right angle, etc., to make SURE that some powder trickles into the bolster.

 

[mbw907]

That all sounds like great advice to me. I agree that Pyrodex is more reliable than triple seven in a drum-type percussion. I have a patented breech pistol that will shoot 777 but you just can't beat the reliability of good old black powder.

 

[boar]

Did you try pumping it out with grease, Roundball just did one, check his post, last 2 weeks, he said it really work good. Dilly

 

[Runner]

I have the flintlock version. 70 grains of 3f under a 495 roundball wrapped in a prelubed commercial patch shoots real good. I took my first flinter buck with it. The sights are junk and should be changed as soon as is possible. If not, you will lift the gun to shoot at game and find the top of the front sight gone or the back sight sliding around on the plastic ramp. The cold does funny things to plastic sights! Other than that, cock the lock to full and push side to side on the hammer gently. Some of them had enough slop in the pivot hole that the lock would release if side pressure was placed on the hammer.

 

[Mailman]

I have the exact same gun. I heated the cleanout screw with a torch and it came right out. I replaced it with a 5mm bolt, with a hex head. First take out the nipple, then screw the bolt in and when you put the nipple back in you will see it doesn't go all the way in, so get a nut to fit on the bolt and then cut it, back the nut off and carefully put the bolt back in. The reasson for the bolt, I can put a wrench on it to come out easily. Then put some black paint and it looks good.

 

[Mailman]

Clean out screw
Page: 1 2 All Mailman 23 326 01-06-07 10:50 AM
by Deadeye
Go to Forums, then Gun Builders Bench, then look at 01/06/07 Title , clean out screw

 

[Slake]

I have two Traditions Deer Hunters bought them both used, one in tough shape from use and one in tough shape from being up on a wall over a fireplace...I cleaned them both up and one I kill deer with the other I've won medals at shoots with
I love them both, they are fine shooting rifles, light and well balanced and very fine shooters
I wouldn't dream of putting a scope on one and am tempted to tell you not to but to each is his own I guess I'll hold my old tongue
I use 90 grains of Goex fff for deer and 60 0r 70 to compete with.
The screw on the nipple barrel is mangled on both of mine and I see no reason to mess with it...don't need to

 

[Recurve]

A deerhunter was my first ml. I love the short length and the drop at the comb. It really shoulders well. I've killed a few with it. Also missed two nice bucks because of hang fires. I was using pyrodex and I did my best to get the powder in the bolster. I had better luck with some nipples over others but forgot which ones. I think I used 80 grains and a maxi hunter.

I cannot get the clean out screw out of my drum. Anybody got any hints for getting it out?

Also, my stock has started to crack around the barrel pins. I once had a CVA and this barrel fit the CVA stock perfectly. I'd love to get a full length stock for the short little barrel. It might be an abomination but I think it would be a neat canoe gun. Where could I get a full length stock that would fit the lock and barrel without a lot of work? If I didn't get the full length stock I'd still need a new stock for it. Anybody got one?

I thought about selling the gun but it's hard to part with it.

 

[arcticap]

My Deerhunter has the nickeled barrel which seems to clean up more easily due to it's surface slickness. It also coats the barrel interior and seems to be very durable.
It shoots these 240 grain lead hollow points & Break-O-Way sabots very accurately with 85 grains of Pyrodex P.

This is the thread that Mailman previously mentioned about cleanout screw removal/replacement:
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/201642[/url]/

 

[ZERMATT7]

Thanks for all the replies :v

Shanethem, already went to ACE hrdwr and picke up a few "Stainless" hex head screws to replace the clean out screw..Got 3 because they need to be cut to fit.

I usually RWS Dynamit Noble #11's...hard to find though

HERE ARE THE SPECS ON THE CLEAN OUT SCREW...
1. ITS METRIC
2 It looks like its brass but its not, its steel
3. the size is 5mm with a .80 thread pitch
4. its about .8mmlong but you wont find one that length

I got mine out by having a friend who is a welder (you want someone who is a very good welder with experience doing detail work)
:hatsoff:
put the empty barrel removed from the gun in a padded vice whith the existing cleanout screw pointing up
Weld a 1/2 to 1" long hex head screw to to the existing clean out screw...
the threaded end of the new hex head gets welded to the screw driver slot end of the stuck cleanout screw...[after it has cooled] turn the hex head screw very slowly while applying verticle pressure...ie dont grab the long end of the hex wrench and twist :nono: use a screw driver with a hex head bit...tap the the screw drives fairly hard wile turnig the screw driver...this is better done with 2 people...and you might want to heat the area around the cleanout screw with a propane torch.

Turn the screw driver very slowly and with steady pressure

If you follow the above advice you do so at your own risk, and might want to take it to a gunsmith. :surrender:

Hope this helps

 

[ZERMATT7]

Hangfires...

Are there any known permanent fixes for the hangfire problem ?