what Flintlock to get

[Snakebite]

What about archery? You are usually shooting $15 - $20 arrows. I think blackpowder shooting is relatively cheap depending on how often and intensely you do it. The thing that makes it cheap is the rate of fire. Twenty round is a serious day out. With an auto centrefire it is one magazine. I also think less is more. You don't need a dozen rifles. There's nothing wrong with that but two or three rifles will cover everything you need and you can make a lot of your own gear.

Compare it to other hobbies such as golf, scuba, cycling, etc and the start up is about the same if not cheaper. How many golfers can hang their clubs on the wall and admire them?

:thumbsup: I agree with you 100%. I've saw a set of Woods in a golf proshop and they were over $500 apiece. You can buy a pretty nice rifle for $1500 and it's a whole lot cheaper to shoot a muzzleloader all day long than it is to play a round of golf. (Plus a lot more fun, IMHO)

 

[TLanoy]

Good luck.

 

[Hierophant]

The real expense comes when you get a nice ML and realize you need another in order to be ready for all game. But then you need another, then another and so on. Expensive but wonderful.

Feeling that now...must have a smoothbore of some type...fowler, Trade Gun maybe but something. :hmm:

 

[Shotar]

I will add my two cents here. Like the OP, I too have been a percussion guy for a long time. My only flinter was a Pedersoli KY style pistol that I bought on a whim for about $40. It shoots great, but I put little time into it. A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to try a Flint Lock rifle. I was wandering western PA gunshops and found an unfired, but used Traditions Deer Hunter for the lowly price of $125 OTD. Aha says I!, finally something in my price point.

It shoots well, and is quite accurate. No, it is not the best, but is a good tool to teach me flinting. It is also handy and much lighter than my TC Hawken. I could carry this in the field all day without the weight bothering me. I am sure that I will upgrade later to something nicer, but for now, it's good enough, and later will serve as an excellent platform to teach others. Besides, with it's black polymer stock, I see no problem showing up at next summer's " Black Rifle " shoot with it. :thumbsup:

 

[JimKok]

Thanks All
I still don't know what am going to do but I just keep looking and maybe some day I will find the one I really like and being in my price range.

 

[excess650]

Don't be discouraged by the pure traditionalists. If you find something that interests you, and seems to be of reasonable quality and condition, buy it. There is a learning curve to shooting flint, but once you have it figured out, you're hooked.

If you buy a low $ gun and you decide that you don't like it, or flint isn't for you, you aren't out a lot of $ when you decide to sell it.

I find it less $ to shoot flint than percussion in that I can get quite a few shots from a single flint. Caps are $ these days.

 

[roundball]

Hello all
Am new in this room because I own two percussion rifles but I would also like to own a flintlock but I don't now what to get I really don't want to spend a lot of money thu I do like the CVA Frontier or the traditions PA Pellet
Thanks
Jim

FWIW, I spent 18 years using caplock, then Flintlock T/C Hawkens in various calibers and smoothbores...its only been the past 5 years I've traded in much of all that for a final few long guns to enjoy during retirement...and while I like them all, not a one of them takes down a dove, squirrel, deer, or turkey any better than my T/C Hawkens did.

As someone else mentioned, check around pawn shops for a clean used T/C Hawken, IMO a .54cal, and enjoy. And if you accidently let the bore get away from you during your learning curve, you can always have that 1" barrel bored out to a .62cal(20ga) smooth bore for about $60...and that opens up a whole world of hunting possibilities not available to a rifle.

 

[Rifleman1776]

If you are wanting a flintlock in an affordable price range, understand fancy wood and silver inlays do not help with the shooting part. A plain Po' Boy style has, IMHO, a beauty of it's own. As long as the parts (barrel, lock, triggers) are quality, you will have a shooter. There are several makers who can provide one at fairly low prices. And do check with dealers and our own classifieds here. Attending shoots and rendezvous will often turn up some real bargains. Good luck.

 

[Billnpatti]

I think a rifle from Mike Lange is the way to go.

 

[cynthialee]

You can be poor and get into muzzle loading. I am poor and shoot them.

Beautiful artwork and inlay do not make a gun shoot better. Fine wood doesn't make it shoot better.

A simple gun that functions is perfectly good. Besides there is a certain amount of smug satisfaction to be had when you are at the range and holding your own with your cheep rifle against folks who have spent themselves into a hole acquiring stuff.

Now I will admit that if I were to hit the lottery and get rich overnight there are a few men here on this forum that I would be putting to work in a heartbeat making me guns and knives! :wink:

 

[ncmtmike]

Jimk,I listened to a couple of very knowledgeable guys here and another site,after years of questions,I chose this one:

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just save up if you must,but don't do like me and waste money buying something that "will do". She is a smoothbore 20gauge/62 caliber,that I CAN hunt anything in North America with,deer-bear-boar-turkey-birds of all descriptions. I promise you won't be disappointed. Mike

 

[Snakebite]

JimK,

MtMike's advice is very good. When I first started out I was looking at buying a TC Hawken (In 1977 that was about the only choice except for a custom gun). I was in the Army at the time stationed in Atlanta. We had a Soldier report in t our unit not long before I left who had two rifles built by a guy in Alaska. His advice to me was to wait until I got home and check out if anyone was building rifles in my area, (Austin TX). I took his advice and I have a custom Hawken rifle that I'm very proud of and one like no one else's. I had to pay a little at a time while waiting to have it built but it was well worth it. Since you already have a couple rifles, I'm assuming you're pretty knowledgeable. Just need to refine your decision on what you want out of a gun and what you plan to do with it.

This is all just my opinion and free advice, but in my case I'm very glad I didn't waste my money on something else.

Snakebite