Trying to decide between a Jaeger or a Longrifle as my next flintlock

[Spencer_Murphy]

Hey everyone I've been inactive on the forum for quite some time. I am looking to get a flintlock rifle. I posted a while back about my local hunting club selling some rifles but they went out of my price range at the auction so I never managed to get one. Now my club has more rifles for sale and I have more money to back me up. I'm stuck between two styles of rifle, the Jaeger and the Longrifle. I like the look of both but I can't really decide which one to pick as I only have enough money for one. What are the ups and downs of both rifle types and does anyone own and hunt with a Jaeger style ? I know mostly everyone here has a Longrifle. The 4 I'm looking at are all custom no name brand rifles. 2 are Jaegers and 2 are longrifles. The 2 Jaegers are 31" and 29" barrels and are .58 and .55 calibers. The 2 Longrifles are 46" and 42" barrels and are .50 and .56 caliber. Both Longrifles and the 29" Jaeger have Siler Locks ( or slier I forgot how it was spelt) and the 31" Jaeger has a Maslam Warranted lock. They are all in decent shape and have good looking rifling with no major pitting inside or out. I would like to get some input from forum members about their personal experiences with these two styles of rifle. I know it will all come down to what fits me best but I would definitely feel more comfortable with my decision if I could get some input from first hand uses of these style of rifles since I've never owned them. Thanks to all who respond. ( To Clarify whatever rifle I choose will be used to hunt White Tail Deer and recreational target shooting, nothing professional ).

 

[Rod Man]

I’m partial to the long rifle in a .40, 50 or .54. I have to admit though it would be neat to have a big ole fat bore Jaeger to play with from time to time. Thinking for target shooting the .50 would be most efficient. Good Luck!

RM

 

[Spencer_Murphy]

I’m partial to the long rifle in a .40, 50 or .54. I have to admit though it would be neat to have a big ole fat bore Jaeger to play with from time to time. Thinking for target shooting the .50 would be most efficient. Good Luck!

RM

I saw a .72 cal with a 21" barrel on Gunbroker but is was smoothbore. My Bess has some wallop but it's weight lessens it's mule kick. I think .58 is big enough for me. A buddy of mine has a .70 Caliber original Jaeger from 1819 and that thing gives my shoulder one hell of a stroke. Is anything smaller than .45 good for deer ? I've seen some rifles at my club that are in calibers .40, .42, .44, .45 and .48 that are cheap but I did not include them in my post because I didn't think them deer hunting equivalent.

 

[Rod Man]

I saw a .72 cal with a 21" barrel on Gunbroker but is was smoothbore. My Bess has some wallop but it's weight lessens it's mule kick. I think .58 is big enough for me. A buddy of mine has a .70 Caliber original Jaeger from 1819 and that thing gives my shoulder one hell of a stroke. Is anything smaller than .45 good for deer ? I've seen some rifles at my club that are in calibers .40, .42, .44, .45 and .48 that are cheap but I did not include them in my post because I didn't think them deer hunting equivalent.

I think the .40 will handle white tails fine (placement) but a lot of states have caliber requirements. In Arkansas you are good to go with.40 or larger. If your shooting a muzzle loader pistol they require.45 with 200 grain conical or .54 PRB. So, you might wanna check your local regs.

RM

 

[Spencer_Murphy]

I think the .40 will handle white tails fine (placement) but a lot of states have caliber requirements. In Arkansas you are good to go with.40 or larger. If your shooting a muzzle loader pistol they require.45 with 200 grain conical or .54 PRB. So, you might wanna check your local regs.

RM

My local regs in Maryland are .40 in a rifle or pistol with a 60 grain powder charge for the rifles and a 40 grain for the pistols. No regs on ammunition type and weight.

 

[Rod Man]

My local regs in Maryland are .40 in a rifle or pistol with a 60 grain powder charge for the rifles and a 40 grain for the pistols. No regs on ammunition type and weight.

There are a lot of people that hunt deer with 45’s on this forum. There are a couple of threads where they talk about them in considerable details.

I hunt whitetails mostly with the .50.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

Hey everyone I've been inactive on the forum for quite some time. I am looking to get a flintlock rifle. I posted a while back about my local hunting club selling some rifles but they went out of my price range at the auction so I never managed to get one. Now my club has more rifles for sale and I have more money to back me up. I'm stuck between two styles of rifle, the Jaeger and the Longrifle. I like the look of both but I can't really decide which one to pick as I only have enough money for one. What are the ups and downs of both rifle types and does anyone own and hunt with a Jaeger style ? I know mostly everyone here has a Longrifle. The 4 I'm looking at are all custom no name brand rifles. 2 are Jaegers and 2 are longrifles. The 2 Jaegers are 31" and 29" barrels and are .58 and .55 calibers. The 2 Longrifles are 46" and 42" barrels and are .50 and .56 caliber. Both Longrifles and the 29" Jaeger have Siler Locks ( or slier I forgot how it was spelt) and the 31" Jaeger has a Maslam Warranted lock. They are all in decent shape and have good looking rifling with no major pitting inside or out. I would like to get some input from forum members about their personal experiences with these two styles of rifle. I know it will all come down to what fits me best but I would definitely feel more comfortable with my decision if I could get some input from first hand uses of these style of rifles since I've never owned them. Thanks to all who respond. ( To Clarify whatever rifle I choose will be used to hunt White Tail Deer and recreational target shooting, nothing professional ).

I also hunt in Maryland, I don't own a longrifle yet but it is next on my list. I own a Pedersoli Mortimer, Pedersoli Brown Bess and an Indian Repro Brown Bess Carbine. I can tell you this from personal experience. One of my buddies has a Pedersoli Jaeger Flintlock Target model in .54 and loves it but it isn't a good offhand shooter. My other buddy I hunt with has a .58 flintlock with a 47" barrel and it is a great offhand shooter. Jaeger rifles are good for hunting in dense brush and thick wooded areas, hunting from a blind or tree stand, low weight and easier to carry around. Longrifles are good for stable off hand shooting and stable shooting from blinds and tree stands. Most times you can get better range from a longrifle compared to a Jaeger. If I were you I would get a longrifle. I would get one in either .45 or .50 because ammunition and consumables are cheaper letting it be easier to get into. I started out with a .75 cal bess and that is a meat shredder I was in my own opinion ruining my deer. The .54 Mortimer is nice but is very heavy compared to most rifles. As it is mostly a target rifle, I got it because my grandfather and I got a good deal on a pair plus shotgun barrels that go with the rifles. My next rifle will be a .45 or .50 I can't decide yet. That is also the decision you need to make if you want a .45 or .50. Back in the old times .45 caliber was what most deer were taken with. .50 is a caliber everyone uses so if you don't like being in the same cohort as everyone else then .50 won't be for you. I hope this helps somewhat.

 

[Spencer_Murphy]

I also hunt in Maryland, I don't own a longrifle yet but it is next on my list. I own a Pedersoli Mortimer, Pedersoli Brown Bess and an Indian Repro Brown Bess Carbine. I can tell you this from personal experience. One of my buddies has a Pedersoli Jaeger Flintlock Target model in .54 and loves it but it isn't a good offhand shooter. My other buddy I hunt with has a .58 flintlock with a 47" barrel and it is a great offhand shooter. Jaeger rifles are good for hunting in dense brush and thick wooded areas, hunting from a blind or tree stand, low weight and easier to carry around. Longrifles are good for stable off hand shooting and stable shooting from blinds and tree stands. Most times you can get better range from a longrifle compared to a Jaeger. If I were you I would get a longrifle. I would get one in either .45 or .50 because ammunition and consumables are cheaper letting it be easier to get into. I started out with a .75 cal bess and that is a meat shredder I was in my own opinion ruining my deer. The .54 Mortimer is nice but is very heavy compared to most rifles. As it is mostly a target rifle, I got it because my grandfather and I got a good deal on a pair plus shotgun barrels that go with the rifles. My next rifle will be a .45 or .50 I can't decide yet. That is also the decision you need to make if you want a .45 or .50. Back in the old times .45 caliber was what most deer were taken with. .50 is a caliber everyone uses so if you don't like being in the same cohort as everyone else then .50 won't be for you. I hope this helps somewhat.

I dont hunt out of a blind or stand so I'm definitely going to have to look into a Longrifle. I think that the .50 cal longrifle is a good price so maybe I will go for that if it isn't sold already. Have you ever hunted with a .45 caliber ? If this .50 sells before I can buy it there is a .45 I can fall back on.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

I dont hunt out of a blind or stand so I'm definitely going to have to look into a Longrifle. I think that the .50 cal longrifle is a good price so maybe I will go for that if it isn't sold already. Have you ever hunted with a .45 caliber ? If this .50 sells before I can buy it there is a .45 I can fall back on.

I have actually taken one deer with a .45 caliber. It was a 83lb Doe (dressed weight) that I took with my Hopkins & Allen Underhammer Caplock rifle. I shot it behind the shoulder at 52 yards and it ran about 40 yards before it dropped dead. Smaller calibers give them more run time compared to larger ones, but you get better quality meat and less damage from a smaller one. My first deer I took with my bess was a 97lb Buck (dressed weight) at 43 yards and with a behind the shoulder shot he locked his legs and fell over. The wound however looked like a Mack truck drove through his diaphragm.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

I have actually taken one deer with a .45 caliber. It was a 83lb Doe (dressed weight) that I took with my Hopkins & Allen Underhammer Caplock rifle. I shot it behind the shoulder at 52 yards and it ran about 40 yards before it dropped dead. Smaller calibers give them more run time compared to larger ones, but you get better quality meat and less damage from a smaller one. My first deer I took with my bess was a 97lb Buck (dressed weight) at 43 yards and with a behind the shoulder shot he locked his legs and fell over. The wound however looked like a Mack truck drove through his diaphragm.

On another note see what the prices of your club's rifles are compared to the Forum Forum gunbroker or gun auction you might get a better deal.

 

[Spencer_Murphy]

I have actually taken one deer with a .45 caliber. It was a 83lb Doe (dressed weight) that I took with my Hopkins & Allen Underhammer Caplock rifle. I shot it behind the shoulder at 52 yards and it ran about 40 yards before it dropped dead. Smaller calibers give them more run time compared to larger ones, but you get better quality meat and less damage from a smaller one. My first deer I took with my bess was a 97lb Buck (dressed weight) at 43 yards and with a behind the shoulder shot he locked his legs and fell over. The wound however looked like a Mack truck drove through his diaphragm.

Yea I'm definitely going to go with either the .45 or the .50 caliber rifles. They have a .45 cal and a 2nd .50 caliber rifle going up for sale on Thursday and the prices will be revealed then. I guess I will wait and see. Thank you for your reply to my question.

 

[DuncNZ]

The first Jager rifles were hunting rifles for shooting European Boar , Red Stags and Chamois , they were short to make them easy to use and large caliber to make up for the velocity loss in a short barrel and to nail the animals on the spot and stop them running off into very dense forest or over cliffs in the mountains .
I prefer a .50 Lancaster type rifle with double set triggers for both precise bullet placement when hunting and less recoil when casual target shooting .

 

[Loja man]

My first black powder deer was with my dads Kentucky 45 rifle. Large doe. Shot out of a tree stand. It went about 40 yards.

 

[Belleville]

Just my experience. I have a custom built Rev, War style rifle, made to satisfy target, hunting and living history. I also had a fine Jaeger. Hunted deer many years with the Jaeger. The Jaeger was not especially heavy when I was younger, but both the Jaeger and I seemed to gain weight as we aged. It became too heavy to carry hunting, so gave it to our son.

So what your needs are, should be satisfied with the rifle that you buy. Keep in mind the style, pull length, the drop and the weight to meet your needs. The Jaeger is .54 and the long rifle is .50. I my opinion .45 is getting a little small for deer. But the bigger the bore the more the kick and bigger is more expensive to feed. A .40 will kill a Deer with a well placed shot but .50/.54 are better. The few Jaegers in N. America were used up to about the Rev War but not so much post war. Read some where that Boone carried an old Jaeger when he was still a kid.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Not to be negative, but NO Jaeger rifle should sport a Siler lock. If authenticity is a factor. Definitely NOT a Maslin.
So what makes it a Jaeger? Just the length of the barrel?
Depending on the style of “longrifle”, a Siler may not be proper there either.
So, there are so many more things involved with the choice, other than caliber, or length of barrel.
Dont be discouraged.
Choose well young Padawan.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Matter of personal choice. Let us know what you decide.

 

[ord sgt]

The longrifle evolved from the Jaeger when German gunsmiths emigrated to the new country.
I have both types, longrifle and Jaeger. My Jaeger is what I imagined a new arrival would have made. An American Jaeger. Curly maple stock with a swamped barrel, wooden patch box.

 

[Africa58double]

Here ya go- I’m in the same boat . Looking at a few different models. Yet this certainly yells to me… Rice Swamped .58 and a beautiful piece of Walnut.

Dark and sultry brunette!

 

[Rod Man]

Here ya go- I’m in the same boat . Looking at a few different models. Yet this certainly yells to me… Rice Swamped .58 and a beautiful piece of Walnut. View attachment 115683Dark and sultry brunette!

Yessir! she has the right curves too!

RM

 

[andy52]

I have two long rifles and just got a Jeager rifle in .72 with a 30-inch barrel. The two long rifles are in .45 and handle much better.
The Jeager is a beast and there's probably nothing on the continent that it wouldn't takedown but it's heavy and rather unyielding unless you have arms like The Rock.