What is your hunting rifle?

[olskool]

I’ve been hunting modern migratory and archery deer and turkey. I’m actually out crow hunting with the Jack Brooks Carolina trade gun 20 gauge right now and filming. One down. They’re not cooperating.....

I’ve already filmed the preliminary part of the video, explaining my absence, apologizing, and promising good things to come. I’m also setting up a modern hunting and rural life YouTube channel (Bob McBride Films) so I can get some of my waterfowl, archery, etc a place to be but BPTV will still be my primary channel. I’m also headed to a longrifle show next week in Ohio. I’ll film that as well. This time of year is hectic with hunting kicking off.

I’ve given the e-caller plenty of time off. Let’s see if I can decoy these black rats back over the top of me.

Expect videos coming pretty rapid fire when BP deer starts in just a few.

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thanks Bob for replying, I look forward to your video return. I hope you bag your limit,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[hanshi]

I won't be hunting this year due to eye surgery that will take a few months to heal. But most always it was with a .45 x 36" x 13/16" straight barrel that weighs about 6 lbs..

But it's time to take the .50 x 38" x "B" wgt barrel virgin out. Had it for years but never got it christened.

The .62 smoothbore deserves another as well.

 

[nkbj]

If I put meat in the freezer this year it might be with .595 round ball in the TC flinter Hawken, .62 Green Mountain barrel rifled by Mister Hoyt.

 

[Spikebuck]

My Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken in .54 has taken more deer for me than the many others I've owned and used. So it's definitely a favorite, but I haven't used it for 7 years since making the complete switch to flinters. It is a tad heavy at 10 1/2# but it's a great shooting gun.

As far as being a complete joy to carry and shoot, my Larry Williams built .54 Virginia is sweet. Everyone who picks it up says it's the best balanced gun they ever held. It's .54 with a 44" swamped green mountain barrel and weighs in at just a tad over 7.5# even with the long barrel.

Earlier this year, Dave Person finished up a copy of the Haines RCA #81 for me. Only major difference to the original is that this one is built around a 38" swamped Rice barrel in 54 caliber. It tips the scales at just over 7#. I haven't had enough time with it yet to be comfortable taking it out hunting, but it will get its chance...probably next year.

The original:

The contemporary:

For small game It's a .62 smooth rifle in Virgina Style with a 42" swamped barrel. This one is heavier, but really does the job on squirrel, turkey, and rabbits.

 

[user 48679]

Pilot error (sorry)

 

[Darkhorse]

20+ years ago I wanted a better rifle, a better barrel, a better lock, just a better rifle than I was getting with my production ones. So after much research I decided to try and build a .54 Haines from TOW despite not ever having seen or held a real longrifle, and worse, with no mentor. The rifle didn't come out too bad, the 38" .54 cal. swamped C weight barrel is a pleasure to carry and balances almost perfect with none of the nose heaviness I've felt in straight barrels. This is my main deer rifle.

It is also extremely accurate.

5 years later I decided to build a turkey rifle seeing as we have can use muzzleloader rifles to hunt turkeys with. This time I built a .40 caliber B profile Rice 38" barreled rifle. And this one shoots as good as my .54 does. I studied the long rifles a bit more before I started and this one turned out a little better.

Both rifles have LH Large Siler locks and over the years I've made a real effort to learn how to tune them to best suit me. I try to get my frizzens to open at 4 pounds of pressure measured with a trigger gauge while not touching the mainspring if possible. I've done more to them than that but I'm keeping some things to my self. The .54 has a single trigger pulling just under 3 pounds. The .40 has Davis set triggers. The stocks are as close to identical as possible given the .54 must be a touch larger. And both fit me extremely well as I intended them to hold and shoot like one rifle.

 

[Rodd Boyer]

I'm going to use my SMR .45 this year.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Very surprised to see only two mentions of .45s. For 50 years my gun for whitetail deer has been a .45 cal. flint longrifle. My wife used a cap buster .45 for hers. Never have we had to track one more than 20 yards. The .45 is plenty enuf gun for deer out to 100 yards. If I ever hunt again, though, it will be with my Dave Person built Little Fella in .50 cal.

 

[TerryK]

I was carrying a Pedersoli Mortimer for the last 5 years or so. I just sold it because it was too heavy to help drive deer. Typically we push many miles in a day, and it was just too much.
The one that has the most miles is a TC Renegade with a LR lock. I had that since I was 18.
I have 4 I don't use so I am selling them for my daughter's college fund. Hard to let them go.

 

[brazosland]

No sexy outdoor pics but these three are my go to hunting rifles. The two Hawkins are both .62’s and are a joy to shoot with 60 grains of 3F. Haven’t found anything yet in Texas that inside 75 yards that .610 ball won’t go right through. Both have tapered barrels and carry very easily. Much lighter than the 1803 Harpers Ferry gun I just got suprisingly.

The Mississippi is an original .54 barrel and lock...stock and furniture are new. Patched ball over 80 grains of 3F goes into 2” at 75 yards.

Have a flintlock .40 I am going to shoot a doe with next week. Been trying to find a volunteer hog...but none have been willing so far.

 

[Lakeman]

I guess it depends on what I'm hunting. Texas Hill Country whitetails are small and the range is usually under 75 yds. Looking back down the years I've taken most of them with a .45 cal shooting a round ball. The rifle I have now was built back in the 1960's from a 13/16ths Douglas barrel and a lefty Russ Hamm lock. More recently I discovered smoothbores. Mine is a 20 gauge and of course handles anything from a single lead ball to birdshot. It has become my favorite.
John

 

[ohio ramrod]

Been thinking of the ideal hunting rifle set up right now for Eastern Whitetail. I was thinking it would be along the lines of .50-54 caliber, 38 inch swamped barrel. What do you guys shoot? Im going to be using my .50 for hunting but with the straight 42 inch barrel it is a bear in the carry department.

I use a 45 caliber kentucky style I made from a 69 dollar Hopkin and Allen kit for a coworker forty years ago. He never paid for it and brought it back to get a dry ball out of it. I kept it! It has accounted for many Ohio White tail;s using both a hollow based mini and round ball . If I know I am going to be taking short shots I use the roundball, If hunting open fields I use the mini's.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Been thinking of the ideal hunting rifle set up right now for Eastern Whitetail. I was thinking it would be along the lines of .50-54 caliber, 38 inch swamped barrel. What do you guys shoot? Im going to be using my .50 for hunting but with the straight 42 inch barrel it is a bear in the carry department.

I carry a Pennsylvania Mountain Rifle by Cabin Creek Muzzleloading. 38" swamped .54 Colerain barrel, with a Siler lock, and a single trigger. I use a thin, silver front sight post, and it was quite accurate, but right now as the thread "what for wad or filler" is discussing, I've suddenly developed patch cutting problems. Hopefully I can work them out today so the early ML deer season won't pass me by.

LD

 

[sawyer04]

I find myself carrying an old 32 poor boy I put together in the 80's, Mostly small game here as the desire for the big stuff has subsided in past years. I am not hungry enough to wrestle with the big stuff, BUT, there was a day.

 

[Old Timer 48]

.32 TVM Early Lancaster 36" barrel., .50 TVM Early Lancaster 36"barrel., .50 Lowell Haarer Early Virginia 42" barrel (my favorite)

Also a .50 TC Hawken

 

[Ben Meyer]

This thread has me thinking.

Ive never hunted with my flintlock, and cant say I plan to this season. Last year I took a deer with my percussion Hawken and a PRB, but while in a modern treestand wearing modern camo. It wasn't much different than any other hunt, except for the smoke cloud when I pulled the trigger. When I DO decide to hunt with my flintlock longrifle, itll be still hunting from the ground, probably in period correct garb. I could do that during indiana's firearms season, but would rather use my 30-06, 30-30. If I strike out then, I may take the flintlock out walking. Whats kept me from doing so is lack of December-worthy traditional clothing. Maybe I get a wool capote or something?

 

[Tom Compton]

Stripped a Renegade stock finished w tung oil. Put in a GM .54 flint drop in bbl, fixed sights, L&R RPL flintlock, Hawken trigger guard from The Hawken shop and Davis triggers. Using 90 gr Goex FFg pushing a .535 cast ball w thick denim patch.

 

[tenngun]

This thread has me thinking.

Ive never hunted with my flintlock, and cant say I plan to this season. Last year I took a deer with my percussion Hawken and a PRB, but while in a modern treestand wearing modern camo. It wasn't much different than any other hunt, except for the smoke cloud when I pulled the trigger. When I DO decide to hunt with my flintlock longrifle, itll be still hunting from the ground, probably in period correct garb. I could do that during indiana's firearms season, but would rather use my 30-06, 30-30. If I strike out then, I may take the flintlock out walking. Whats kept me from doing so is lack of December-worthy traditional clothing. Maybe I get a wool capote or something?

Laying out clothing go with layers of wool. A wool shirt waist coat, then over coat. Day after flintlock makes meat your 30-30, 30-06 will go in your self protection arms. You won’t care to hunt with suppository guns again.

 

[Max Bowers]

.54 with a swamped 38” barrel works well for me. Shot this Buck a week ago - .54 flintlock with patched roundball over 80 grains Swiss FFG at 60 yards. Dropped on the spot

 

[Ben Meyer]

My best friend has 300 Acres of family land in SE Indiana we've hunted for years. We intimately KNOW the property, and have 13 ladderstands permanently set up. Deer camp is a tradition for us; we're passing it down to our sons too. Generally that 1st week of firearms season, we both gun hunt HARD from stands, usually with great success. I wouldnt want to go walking the heck out of the property then; itd screw up his hunt. Its mostly big woods and hills. And honestly, as I was sitting in a stand with my traditional caplock Hawken last year, it didn't "feel right." Fancy ladderstand, insulated Muck boots, waterproof Mossy Oak outerwear, binoculars....it just didn't FEEL right. Kinda the inverse of one wearing 18th century garb and shooting a scoped inline! I need to invest in proper attire. But I digress....

My hunting gun will be my .50cal DGW TN Mth rifle, and older one built in 1979-1980. Ive shot more BP this year than any year, and got "the load" dialed in. Shoots as good as I can!

Laying out clothing go with layers of wool. A wool shirt waist coat, then over coat. Day after flintlock makes meat your 30-30, 30-06 will go in your self protection arms. You won’t care to hunt with suppository guns again.