traditions flintlocks worth buying?

[paulvallandigham]

I could not agree more, save I believe there are other choices than to abandon BP guns and ONLY shoot Cartridge guns. Even with Cartridge guns, there is a learning curve.

The other option is to get an education about the gun you are interested in before you buy it. I have literally done that kind of " research" for every gun I have ever owned, save a couple I won in raffles and drawings. Its a bit hard to do research on a gun when you don't know: 1. That its going to be a prize in a contest; and 2. you have no idea that your ticket will be the one drawn to win the gun!

This forum is a GODSEND to people interested in getting a MLer, and learning how to shoot it. There are only a few books, and books have the habit of being out-of-date almost before they are printed. Lyman has done a pretty good job of describing how to load, fire, and clean a percussion gun, but I don't know any good reference book on flintlocks, much less Wheellocks, and Matchlocks. The internet has allowed people to have the world's libraries at their fingertips in their own homes.

I wrote an article years ago about Tuning Flintlocks, which was published in The Illinois Shooter, the magazine for the Illinois St. Rifle Association. It was my first attempt to put in print some basic information on how to load and shoot flintlocks.

I got a lot of nice responses, and comments to that article, including a comment from one of the Association's Officers, who said he liked the information so much he was going to buy a flintlock and shoot it.I doubt he did- at least I never heard back from him, but it was nice to find I had inspired people enough to help them gain the courage to tackle shooting a flintlock.

Once I show people- including my own brother, BTW-- How to set up, and load a flintlock so that it fires reliably, they want a flintlock! I suspect that its much the same with Wheellocks, and Matchlock rifles. I have handled both, and shot a matchlock. I chose to stick with my flintlock, because of its better design, balance, and lower cost. :hatsoff:

An updated version of that first article is now posted on this forum under " Articles". You will find it on the index page to this forum under "Member Resources". I am going to update it again, with more information learned in the past 6 years, and, I hope, with pictures to supplement the text. That is taking some time, however. :hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[nkbj]

I want a lyman, because i know they are good guns, but the traditions flinter kentucky long rifles are much more affordable. are they decent guns for a first flinter?

Well, a nephew and four boys came from Cook County and stayed almost two weeks with us and learned some round ball from melting pot to impact. Cardboard boxes stood and died. The iron pig swung to and fro. And the gong suffered much insult. The hundred dollar Traditions flintglock never once failed to fire.
And thank you Rich Pierce for mighty sparky rocks.
But, to answer your question: Reckon that depends on what you think is important.

 

[Legionair]

I own a Traditions Hawken Woodsman in flint, a Christmas gift from my wife and our families. It was my first blackpowder muzzleloader and took some getting used-to.

It may not be historicaly accurate or period correct. It might be poorly designed or an unskilled copy of an original.

After some advice here and there, along with some experimenting it has become a fairly reliable arm. If I do my part.

Flintlocks were abandoned by the military because caplocks were more reliable, and they gave way to cartridge arms for the same reason.

Are there ultra reliable flintlocks out there, sure. Are some of them Traditions, probably.
Are there more reliable (on average) semi or custom guns, almost definately.

Mine works well, maybe I'm lucky. But for 200-300 year old technology, even at it's best your going to have to work harder and more accurately than with a new .22.

Just an opinion
Legion

 

[ebiggs1]

One thing I have picked up on is, if a Traditions or CVA misfires for some unknown reason, it is a piece of junk but if the fancy custom gun does the same, it’s a learning curve.

 

[hockeyref]

One thing I have picked up on is, if a Traditions or CVA misfires for some unknown reason, it is a piece of junk but if the fancy custom gun does the same, it’s a learning curve.

:shocked2: SSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!! :nono: hahaha :rotf: :rotf: :haha:

 

[Kentuckywindage]

heck yeah the traditions flinters are reliable. Dont listen to the guys recommending a new replacement lock!

Traditions locks are fine. Some times you'll get a soft frizzen that hardly sparks but all it takes is about 20 seconds with a torch, heat it up bright red, dunk it into motor oil and let it sit till it cools off.

My Kentucky was a good sparker but once i did that heat treatment, WOW!

 

[Legionair]

Well that goes without saying....

The more you spend, the more you justify....


Just an opinion
Legion

 

[droptine55]

i own a traditions shenandoah 50 cal that i just love to shoot. only thing i have done to it in the 8 years i have owned it , is had the frizzen case hardend. very accurate. i know of one gun in our camp, that is a traditions, that has been a problem child, but then again it was not real well taken care of. my son owns a traditions deerhunter, agreeded, the sights on them are horrible, but we put a good set of fibers, on it, shoots like a champ. as an entry level gun, i would tell you to try one. you can get a bad one from any manufacter.

 

[Ron_T.]

I have been coming here for a little over a year... and I have learned a lot just reading the posts here. In fact, one could say that this forum has been my "mentor".

I own a Traditions Shenandoah in .50 caliber (flintlock) that I purchased new in June of 2009. The ONLY real "problem" I've had with it was that the comb was too high and wouldn't allow me to line up the rifle's sights on the target while holding my head in a normal, comfortable position.

I had to move my head back towards the butt-plate a considerable distance in order to "get down" on the sights. A few other ML shooters also tried to "get down" on the sights and found they couldn't either.

I put up with this "problem" for a year, THEN did something about it. I used a rasp and several different grades of sandpaper and cut the comb down at least 3/8ths of an inch... and now, I can get down on the comb and sight the rifle with my head in what I consider the "normal" position on the stock.

Why Traditions makes stocks that are mis-shaped and leaves the comb too high is beyond my comprehension, but that's what they do.

However, a file or wood rasp, some sandpaper and a little wood stain plus a finish you like and you have eliminated the problem.

My Shenandoah is very accurate (1-1½ inch 5-shot groups at 50 yards off the bench-rest)... more "accurate" than am I... but that still doesn't mean I am "satisfied" in owning and shooting ONLY the Shenandoah 'cause I'm now building (under the tutorage and over-sight of a fine gentleman) an Emmitsburg (Md.) Long Rifle from "scratch" (not from a "kit")... and boys, it a LOT of work (also kinda enjoyable)... but the finished product will be worth it!!!

I've got a 13 pound chunk of curly (aka "tiger") maple that I'll shape into a 3 pound piece of "beauty"... i.e., a tiger-maple Long Rifle stock with fine, distinct "striping", a small Siler lock, a R.E. Davis double-set trigger group and plan on using all brass "hardware" and a large patch-box with 3 "piercings" and a toe-plate with 2 "piercings" plus two 8-point star inlays in the wood under the barrel on each side and either an 8-point star or a larger 4-point star inlay (with long points) in the cheek-piece.

I'm going to fashion my rifle after the outstanding rifles in John Armstrong's pattern which were some of the most beautiful rifles made of all the rifles patterned in the Emmitsburg "school".

As so many here have said, no commercially-made Long Rifle will be as nice as a well-done, custom-made Long Rifle. But then, the parts (alone) for a custom-made Long Rifle cost as much as the complete "store-bought" Traditon's Shenandoah or the Traditons Pennsylvania Long Rifle.

My Shenandoah has been VERY reliable and the lock seems to work just fine, although a bit "heavy" striking.

I use Rich Pierce flints and get an average of 60-80 shots from the majority of Rich's flints with an occasional flint that gives only 20 or so shots and an occasional flint that gives 100 shots or more.

I probably should take some of the spring pressure off the cock spring, but I don't know how... and, besides, I'm getting a very good "average" number of shots outta my flints.

The frizzen is looking a bit beat up with over 500 shots off of it, but I've already bought a 2nd. frizzen to replace the original frizzen when when the original one finally gets too soft or too beat-up... or both. I can, then, put the new frizzen on and have the old one cleaned up and re-hardened. Meanwhile, I can keep shooting while I'm trying to find someone to harden the old frizzen.

Would I recommend someone buy a Tradions flintlock? No! Not if they have the money to buy a BETTER custom-made flinter, absolutely NO! But if they're on a budget as I was and "am", they may not have a choice. As you builders already know, the PARTS for my Emmittsburg Long Rifle will cost as much or more than the whole Traditions Pennsylvania Long Rifle costs... and I'll get no pay for my "sweat-equity".

But one comes to the point where the money is almost secondary and the burning desire to have that "perfect rifle" over-comes the money issue.

But I got "lucky" and a fella who has built 3 beautiful Long Rifles from "scratch" is over-seeing the project, helping me out with "problems" and offering his suggestions and guidance to me as well as allowing me to work in HIS shop with HIS tools... so I'm now doing what I should have done to start with.

But when I started out, this man was not available to me... and there, my friends, is "THE" reason why so many newbies must BUY a commerically-made flintlock.

Again, my experience with the Traditons Shenandoah has been relatively good, but if I knew back then what I know now... hmmmmmmm... I'd probably do the SAME thing again because I wanted to SHOOT... not wait 2 years while building my own custom Long Rifle!!!

Now... because I have the Shenandoah, I can both SHOOT and eventually end up with my "custom" rifle!

"Experience", gentlemen... "experience" teaches us all many things, but building your own flintlock Long Rifle isn't something that one can easily do without some help or knowledge... or both plus some "experience"!

Ok... 'nuff said... :v


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

 

[rabjr]

In my opinion, no they are not worth buying.

I second that.

 

[goon]

I'd shop around for something used on here and on other online sites first. Also, hit up the local classified and newspaper ads. You'll likely find something better at a decent price, or a traditions at a low enough price that if you buy it and wear it out, you won't shed any tears.

 

[BadHorse]

I want a lyman, because i know they are good guns, but the traditions flinter kentucky long rifles are much more affordable. are they decent guns for a first flinter?

i got given one of those, i promptly gave it to my daughter and bought the lyman gpr! something about that 12" length of pull made it hard for me to shoot