TVM Rifle Question

[Enfield58]

I have a chance to get a new TVM flintlock rifle. With that said, does anyone here have any experience with them?

If so, what are your thoughts and recommendations?

I give up on asking anyone on this forum to talk me out of the purchase. You people failed me miserably on the Howdah pistol.

So I might as well come here looking for a reason to get another muzzleloader.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I have owned six TVM flintlocks. I have a .62 rifled fowler (it is their fowler model with a rifled barrel and sights), a .50 Early Virginia, a .50 Late Lancaster, a .36 Early Lancaster, and previously owned two .62 (20 ga.) Fowlers. The rifles all fit me perfectly, having been customs made for me to my specifications. Two are plain, and two are very fancy.

I also own a Jackie Brown .62 smooth rifle and an unnamed .62 fowler, and a couple of Lyman Great Plains rifles. All of the above are left handed.

By far, the TVMs are the best shooting flintlocks I have ever owned. I regularly shoot the Early Virginia at matches, and it is alway dependable. I have taken whitetail deer with the .62 rifled Fowler; a .62 round ball is "definitive."

I cannot recommend the quality, personal attention, and customer support provided by TVM more highly. I am looking forward to commissioning my "last rifle" from them soon; a .54 Southern rifle.

 

[S.Kenton]

I personally have not dealt with TVM not owned any of thier firearms... but I’ve not ever heard of anything bad about them on this forum. Fit and finish is normally good..i was eyeballing one of thier “ in the whites” a while back, then I spied Jim Kiblers kits.. I’m going that route.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Mine should be ready in a couple months or so. Can’t wait!!

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Web between the ramrod and barrel is way to thick, the barrel is sunk way too far in the wood, the lock panels are too large and there is generally too much wood left on the gun all which makes for a clunky appearance. The styles offered are very generic and the wood is usually too soft. They do seem to shoot well and the people who own them seem to like them as they all comment "Great gun, for the money!" I myself would prefer to spend a little more money and get something more correctly built.

 

[Grenadier1758]

TVM makes a good dependable, attractive rifle and fowling piece. The issue, which is often overlooked, is the use of a Siler Germanic lock for a gun that should have an English styled lock. TVM will install as an option a Chamber's lock and swamped barrels.

Is this rifle already built? If it is ready for you to take home and you like what is offered, then go for it. After you tell us some more information such as style, caliber, wood and lock. Then we might want to talk you out of the purchase in order for one of us to get it.

 

[Enfield58]

TVM makes a good dependable, attractive rifle and fowling piece. The issue, which is often overlooked, is the use of a Siler Germanic lock for a gun that should have an English styled lock. TVM will install as an option a Chamber's lock and swamped barrels.

Is this rifle already built? If it is ready for you to take home and you like what is offered, then go for it. After you tell us some more information such as style, caliber, wood and lock. Then we might want to talk you out of the purchase in order for one of us to get it.

I'm looking at one of the rifles on the "showroom" page of their web site. I talked with the customer rep yesterday.

I was planning to order one but she told me that there was a approximately one year wait on getting the rifle. I'm not getting any younger and started asking questions about their showroom rifles. There was one that caught my eye but was in the wrong caliber. I'm wanting it in a .45 caliber. When I told her that, she said she will ask the question about putting another barrel in that rifle.

She will follow up with me on Monday and let me know if that can be done. On the other hand, there was another rifle there that caught my eye and in the caliber that I wanted. However, it has a single trigger. I was wanting a double-set trigger. She is also going to ask about this but thinks that the pull weight on the single trigger is about 2-3 pounds which is acceptable.

I don't mind the Germanic look as I am not doing any re-enacting with the rifle. I want a flintlock that is dependable, accurate but also looks good; Germanic lock aside.

I've tried several times to post photos from their web site but it won't let me do it. Sorry.

 

[Brokennock]

I'm pretty happy with mine. A couple things could have been fit better, muzzle cap is off center (a bit of would outside the metal on one side, a bit of metal outside the wood on the other), couple other tiny places similar to that. I bought it pre-owned, but unfired, if I'd had it built there would be a couple things I'd do differently but that isn't TVM's fault.

 

[EC121]

It all falls into the category of what it is worth to you. The parts will function properly even if they are inlet into a 2x4. After that it is all about value to the customer of the work done for the money. As the drag racers say; "Speed costs money! How fast do you want to go?" If you are happy with what you are getting for the money then go for it. TVM sells a lot of rifles.

 

[Trot]

The Germanic lock may be correct, depending on which style of rifle it is.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I have two TVM's, one is a late Lancaster style, .54 caliber flintlock I purchased as a kit from them back when they were called Tennessee Valley Manufacturing. This was back in the late 90's, when Jack Garner owned the place. I had to send the stock back due to a large crack that I had noticed before I even started the project. They did make me a new stock. It is a nice rifle and I killed two deer with it. A couple years ago, I was on their site and saw an ad for a poor boy for around $500 for the kit. I purchased one, with a .62 caliber smooth bore and had issues from the get go. Supposedly the company was in transition to the new owner/s (Matt Avance), but still agreed to sell me a kit. I dealt with a guy named Randy who IMO was a total moron. Took me several calls to them before I got any information as to when I could expect the kit, and even if they had cashed my check. Finally, Jack Garner himself called me to tell me this Randy fellow was basically not very worthy and was ruining his reputation, so he told me he would make things right and I'd get the kit as ordered. I did get the kit but it was missing parts(they did refund me the money for those). The stock they sent me was made from some pretty low quality maple and had several knots in it that they had filled with filler. I considered sending it back but since I had had so much trouble just getting it, (took like 4 months)I kept it and made due. I did get the gun up and running and it turned out pretty well considering, but that was the last time I had any dealings with those fellows. I heard that Matt Avance pretty much bought the gun building side of the house from the old TVM, and not the kit producing side, so do not know if they produce kits or not. I have heard that the guns Matt does build are good quality though.

 

[Renegade Dan]

View attachment 6342 I own a TVM 45 cal Pennsylvania rifle. It feels and shoots Great.
View attachment 6342

 

[Enfield58]

Sidney, what happened to you sounds pretty bad. I've built a couple of kit guns before. Never again. I don't have the time, patience or the room to build one.

I'm not getting any younger and would rather be shooting than building something.

Dan, that's a nice looking rifle! Was that a kit gun or did you buy it finished?

 

[Gene L]

I've got two...a SMR in .36 and a fantasy in .60. I'm pleased, and not at all interested in HC/PC.

 

[Renegade Dan]

Sidney, what happened to you sounds pretty bad. I've built a couple of kit guns before. Never again. I don't have the time, patience or the room to build one.

I'm not getting any younger and would rather be shooting than building something.

Dan, that's a nice looking rifle! Was that a kit gun or did you buy it finished?

I bought it used at Dixon,s Muzzleloading Shop in PA. It was almost like new. I did have issues with the frizzen being a little soft, so I sent it to Jim chambers to have it hardened. Other than that it's been a reliable tack driver.


RD

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I often hear the gun builders and collectors dog the TVMs as having incorrect dimensions and stylings.

But, to the shooters, they seems well pleased with them and consider them good. I won’t have any first hand knowledge for a couple months or better when mine should be done, I ordered it last September and back then it was a 9 mos. lead time.

 

[Enfield58]

I often hear the gun builders and collectors dog the TVMs as having incorrect dimensions and stylings.

But, to the shooters, they seems well pleased with them and consider them good. I won’t have any first hand knowledge for a couple months or better when mine should be done, I ordered it last September and back then it was a 9 mos. lead time.

I've never held one, let alone ever seen one in person. Yet, the scant YouTube videos that exist say a lot of good about them. It seems there are more positive than negative reviews on other web sites.

If they can't swap barrels for me, I might get the only one in the show room with the single trigger. Has anyone had any experience with their single trigger rifles?

 

[Renegade Dan]

I like the single trigger more than the double trigger. My first build I used a single trigger and a single trigger will be on my next build.
No Adjustments Necessary!

 

[jfaldo]

Mostly I'm pleased with my TVM SMR. That said the sight dovetails were absolutely abysmal. Had to re-cut them and fit new sights.

On a side note has anyone noticed there's a new troll that's showed up around here lately? Kinda reminds me of someone who disappeared with the new site cut over just acting more abrasive.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Sidney, what happened to you sounds pretty bad. I've built a couple of kit guns before. Never again. I don't have the time, patience or the room to build one.

I'm not getting any younger and would rather be shooting than building something.

Dan, that's a nice looking rifle! Was that a kit gun or did you buy it finished?

The issues I had were more of a consideration of do I buy from them again, than it was, are the guns worth buying. My Lancaster is a great rifle, and its accurate. The smoothbore I bought is not a bad gun, but I would have liked to at least get a plain maple stock without the knots it has in it. I didn't expect nice curly maple or anything, but knots I didn't need. But, it does have a neat looking pattern to it......

As to building, I enjoy it. I'm no craftsman by any means but the two guns I've built so far turned out better than I had expected. Now a pro would fall off his chair laughing at them more than likely but to me they look good. and they shoot good. Besides, I build for my satisfaction not someone else's.