User Panel
Posted: 9/27/2018 3:14:28 PM EDT
...to shoot.
Prefer Revolutionary War or up to Civil War. What are my options? Can’t give price, as I don’t know the price? Under $700? |
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I like the looks of a Mortimer rifle. I think Pedersoli makes the replicas.
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I have a Zouave in .58 cal.Fun to shoot.
Cast my own bullets for it. |
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I would do an 1853 Enfield again, or a Zouave replica in 58. The Zouave has a shorter barrel, but the Enfield meets the really long criteria, 55 inches with a 39 inch barrel.
They use winged musket caps, and it's fun to cast softlead using the cheap lee setup. The and the learning curve is not particularly steep. The only problem is that you need to be handy with the cleaning, rust pops up in funny places, and it seems like almost immediately. If you don't see one here, I see them on the castboolits forum with regularity. |
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Zouave, Enfield or a Springfield
If I recall there’s a couple guys on here who make revolutionary era smoke poles. Some beautiful pieces to be sure |
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I used to have a Hawken rifle replica that was an absolute blast to shoot. Pretty sure it was a Pietta...something Italian, anyways.
Pretty brass and walnut, octagonal barrel with gorgeous bluing, and plenty accurate to hunt within 100 yards or so. |
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One of the guys on my N-SSA team has an original US Model 1863 musket for sale. It was made by SN&WTC (a government contractor) for the state of Massachusetts in 1863.
Go to N-SSA.org and check out the "for sale or trade". If you have trouble finding it, PM me and I'll try to help. I suggest this gun since it is an original and is priced at only $1075. A repro is $900 or so, so you'll be better off investing in a gun that will not only hold its' value, buy will increase in value every year. |
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What kind do you want? Military style? Hawken? Pennsyltucky rifle?
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Start with something closer to the Civil War because it will be a cap lock .
Starting with a Flinter could turn you off to shooting BP . |
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Quoted:
...to shoot. Prefer Revolutionary War or up to Civil War. What are my options? Can’t give price, as I don’t know the price? Under $700? View Quote The U.S. military used smoothbores(including flintlocks) right up until the decade before the War Between the States(and continued to during the war). Modern reproductions exist for pretty much any era. Flintlock and/or percussion. Hate to break it to you but if you're buying new you're going to have to x2.5 your budget. Finding used is possible but even then figure $1K and that is just for the firearm. Additional accoutrements such as bayonets, scabbard, belt, ammo pouch, tools, shooting supplies adds up. Smoothbores are fun and challenging to learn to shoot accurately. They'll never match a rifled gun in accuracy. Think of them as a modern shotgun. You can use slugs, buckshot, birdshot, in them. Even rocks. Rifled guns will require hand cast/purchased purpose made bullets. Pedersoli makes fantastic replicas. Buy with confidence. I own several and love them all. The Brown Bess or Charleville musket replicas are pretty much going to cover any time period right up to the U.S. CivWar. They were used everywhere. In the early West, Texas Revolution, etc. So if you're re-enacting these two will have you covered. You can even get the Bess in a carbine version nowadays. U.S.CivWar period the 1861 Springfield or the 1853 Enfield were everywhere. I prefer the stock angle and ergonomics of the Springfield. The Enfield has a very low stock drop and it doesn't fit me as well as the Springfield. |
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I went with the Pedersoli Bess, personally. It’s pricey, but it’s worth what they are asking.
Attached File |
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Why is that? I've thought about getting into BP weapons, and my inclination has always been towards flintlocks. Are flintlocks juat significantly more finicky? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes |
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Quoted: Same. Not defarbed, but I like it. https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7739/18073739116_2001dc80ca_b.jpg Longrifles are fun, too. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4151/35597367862_731a0be627_b.jpg And there are plenty of military guns if you go further back in time. A matchlock arquebus is fun. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7540/27366059092_428f15ba48_b.jpg View Quote then double badass then omgwtfbbq mf'in Super Badass! |
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Quoted:
First you need to determine exactly what you want to do with it(Hunt, target shoot, re-enact, etc.)and what time period you prefer The U.S. military used smoothbores(including flintlocks) right up until the decade before the War Between the States(and continued to during the war). Modern reproductions exist for pretty much any era. Flintlock and/or percussion. Hate to break it to you but if you're buying new you're going to have to x2.5 your budget. Finding used is possible but even then figure $1K and that is just for the firearm. Additional accoutrements such as bayonets, scabbard, belt, ammo pouch, tools, shooting supplies adds up. Smoothbores are fun and challenging to learn to shoot accurately. They'll never match a rifled gun in accuracy. Think of them as a modern shotgun. You can use slugs, buckshot, birdshot, in them. Even rocks. Rifled guns will require hand cast/purchased purpose made bullets. Pedersoli makes fantastic replicas. Buy with confidence. I own several and love them all. The Brown Bess or Charleville musket replicas are pretty much going to cover any time period right up to the U.S. CivWar. They were used everywhere. In the early West, Texas Revolution, etc. So if you're re-enacting these two will have you covered. You can even get the Bess in a carbine version nowadays. U.S.CivWar period the 1861 Springfield or the 1853 Enfield were everywhere. I prefer the stock angle and ergonomics of the Springfield. The Enfield has a very low stock drop and it doesn't fit me as well as the Springfield. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
...to shoot. Prefer Revolutionary War or up to Civil War. What are my options? Can’t give price, as I don’t know the price? Under $700? The U.S. military used smoothbores(including flintlocks) right up until the decade before the War Between the States(and continued to during the war). Modern reproductions exist for pretty much any era. Flintlock and/or percussion. Hate to break it to you but if you're buying new you're going to have to x2.5 your budget. Finding used is possible but even then figure $1K and that is just for the firearm. Additional accoutrements such as bayonets, scabbard, belt, ammo pouch, tools, shooting supplies adds up. Smoothbores are fun and challenging to learn to shoot accurately. They'll never match a rifled gun in accuracy. Think of them as a modern shotgun. You can use slugs, buckshot, birdshot, in them. Even rocks. Rifled guns will require hand cast/purchased purpose made bullets. Pedersoli makes fantastic replicas. Buy with confidence. I own several and love them all. The Brown Bess or Charleville musket replicas are pretty much going to cover any time period right up to the U.S. CivWar. They were used everywhere. In the early West, Texas Revolution, etc. So if you're re-enacting these two will have you covered. You can even get the Bess in a carbine version nowadays. U.S.CivWar period the 1861 Springfield or the 1853 Enfield were everywhere. I prefer the stock angle and ergonomics of the Springfield. The Enfield has a very low stock drop and it doesn't fit me as well as the Springfield. Looks like the Brown Bess. I cast bullets so casting .735” bullets won’t be a problem. |
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I’m left handed. If I shoot as a lefty will I die having my face so close to the hammer and powder pan?
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If you want to hunt, get a P-56 2 band Enfield. Those things are wickedly accurate and will hit harder than any inline with its sabot clad bullet. 535 grains of soft lead puts critters down. Confederate sharpshooters used the P-56 and those shorter ones were taken from other soldiers and saved for them).
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Quoted:
I’m left handed. If I shoot as a lefty will I die having my face so close to the hammer and powder pan? View Quote |
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BTW, taught a black powder class last week. One gun was a 32 cal cap gun that was made in 1883. Yikes! It was accurate but what a pain to clean. Teaching a blackpowder rifle class this weekend too.
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Wear safety glasses. I'm southpaw and shot a right handed flintlock quite a number of times. Concentrate on that front sight blade. I don't notice the flash in the pan. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I’m left handed. If I shoot as a lefty will I die having my face so close to the hammer and powder pan? This thread can be blamed on Last of the Mohicans. |
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Long rifle, or musket? Pick one.
Oh, yeah, Arfcom..... learn the difference between the two, then get BOTH. |
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Flintlocks have a learning curve of thier own.
You'll have learn the basics of loading , cleaning and caring for it BUT you won't have to learn much about ignition . Flintlocks can be cantankerous and you'll need to learn to knap your flint , prick your charge wipe the frizzen . Believe me when I say UNLESS you know someone who shoots flint you will be happier with a hooked breech cap lock . Cleaning will be Much easier with a hooked breech. Which means you can easily remove the barrel and dunk each end into a bucket of hot soapy water , then suck water up and into the tube with a tight patch . |
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Perdorsoli Indian trade musket. It's a pretty basic and accurate depiction of a gun that you would find on the colonial American frontier. Most people didn't own a military musket. Most people couldn't afford expensive rifles. Most people could only afford one gun that had to do everything.
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Black powder is fun but it is a PITA to clean. Stinks too. Back in college I had to have one of my many talks with the dean about using a toilet to clean a Hawken.
Would probably be expelled, prosecuted, and strung up for that now. |
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Musket-Brown Bess.
Rifle-Enfield replica...I'd choose a 3 band. |
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Quoted:
Why is that? I've thought about getting into BP weapons, and my inclination has always been towards flintlocks. Are flintlocks juat significantly more finicky? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted: Starting with a Flinter could turn you off to shooting BP . I've thought about getting into BP weapons, and my inclination has always been towards flintlocks. Are flintlocks juat significantly more finicky? That said, flint guns are a hoot to shoot. |
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Flintlocks have a learning curve of thier own. You'll have learn the basics of loading , cleaning and caring for it BUT you won't have to learn much about ignition . Flintlocks can be cantankerous and you'll need to learn to knap your flint , prick your charge wipe the frizzen . Believe me when I say UNLESS you know someone who shoots flint you will be happier with a hooked breech cap lock . Cleaning will be Much easier with a hooked breech. Which means you can easily remove the barrel and dunk each end into a bucket of hot soapy water , then suck water up and into the tube with a tight patch . View Quote So, do you build flintlocks? |
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Quoted: $1,100! Yeouch! I’d be willing to buy and assemble a kit. View Quote :) Be wary of what you are getting into with a kit & having to finish it yourself. Most of your decision regarding a kit is how long do you want to spend finishing it up & fitting it, and how you want it to look when you are finished. Do you already have the special chisels needed to make it look right? Do you have the patience? I have finished my own from raw uncut blanks, and I have bought finished rifles as well. Now, I am married, so I can't spend the time on finishing kits like when I was younger. Tennessee Valley Muzzleloaders....Track of the Wolf... Jim Kibler... If you go the kit route & want to finish it yourself, go Kibler... You will have it finished MUCH faster. Round-bottom rifling? Square-bottom rifling? Gain twist? Swamped barrel? Large left hand Siler or Durrs Egg? Will your lock ignite upside down? Can't shoot those Minies as accurate out of a round-ball twist rifle; Know what you want the rifle to do for sure before you start out... Check out the black powder section in the armory here... |
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If you’re ever gonna hunt/go afield I’d recommend a fowler. You can do pretty much anything with it.
The Bess is a heavy beast. Flinters require patience to master. Buy good flints and learn to knap them. It isn’t brain surgery. With a flintlock you have to use real Blackpowder. The substitutes do not work. BP is getting difficult to obtain in some areas so check local availability. In some states you can order thru the internet. |
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No matter what you get use real black powder. I make my own. I make about 24 ounces at a time. A small cannon eats a lot of powder.
I use 2 ounce charges in mine which is mild. 1 3/4" bore. |
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Quoted: OK - I wonder this every time I see your avatar. You're either a builder that I know or you're aware of a builder that I know. So, do you build flintlocks? View Quote I also, have an affinity for hitting rocks and steel together to make sparks. i shoot commercial guns but it's still so cool killing something with a round ball you moulded yourself. Once you get into the groove flintys are routine. Just keep EVERYTHING clean. And keep your powder dry. |
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Keeping things clean and properly oiled is important.
One thing I learned using flinters is don’t overload the pan with powder. Use 3-4 grains. You want to keep the powder toward the outer lip of the pan as well. When the flash occurs, you want the spray to reach the flash hole. Too much powder causes the flash hole To be covered up. This will greatly slow ignition and even cause misfires. Sharp flints are your friend. The frizzen face needs to be clean and dry of oil when you start to shoot. Any oil will retard sparking. Don’t make paper cartridges until just before you will use them. BP absorbs moisture. Paper cartridges made too soon have time to absorb moisture and can cause slow or even misfires. Keep your BP sealed up in the factory jug. Only put enough in your powder horn for the days use. Roundballs are easy to make. Patching used in a smoothbore can yield acceptable short range accuracy. Using a flint musket really makes you understand why the bayonet was so important. Post pics! |
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One of the guys at the range has one of the militaryheritage Brown Bess muskets. You have to drill out the vent hole for it to fire, but he's happy with it. It seems well made, but IDK much about BP firearms.
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http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/f/f5/LOTM_002.jpg/604px-LOTM_002.jpg I’d like to have a long rifle like Hawkeye’s in ‘Last of the Mohicans’, though a sawed-off trade rifle would probably be more tribe-correct. View Quote |
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One of the guys at the range has one of the militaryheritage Brown Bess muskets. You have to drill out the vent hole for it to fire, but he's happy with it. It seems well made, but IDK much about BP firearms. View Quote Personally, I wouldn't make them shooters. Maybe blank shooters. |
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Is that one of the Indian guns? Personally, I wouldn't make them shooters. Maybe blank shooters. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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One of the guys at the range has one of the militaryheritage Brown Bess muskets. You have to drill out the vent hole for it to fire, but he's happy with it. It seems well made, but IDK much about BP firearms. Personally, I wouldn't make them shooters. Maybe blank shooters. |
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Eventually I'll get around to buying either a Pedersoli 1853 three band Enfield or an 1858 two band Enfield.
I like the look and feel of the two band better but if I ever reenact CW the three bander makes more sense |
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I built a Lyman Great Plains .50 cal flintlock from a kit several years ago, it was fun to build, and even more fun to shoot.
Love the smoke from real black powder (not that substitute crap), especially in the fall. And just because it's sweet to watch a flintlock in slow motion... slow motion flintlock close up |
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Pedersoli Brown Bess. It is on my list as well OP. View Quote Bess by SoloDallas, on Flickr Rev by SoloDallas, on Flickr Besses by SoloDallas, on Flickr |
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Flintlocks have a learning curve of thier own. You'll have learn the basics of loading , cleaning and caring for it BUT you won't have to learn much about ignition . Flintlocks can be cantankerous and you'll need to learn to knap your flint , prick your charge wipe the frizzen . Believe me when I say UNLESS you know someone who shoots flint you will be happier with a hooked breech cap lock . Cleaning will be Much easier with a hooked breech. Which means you can easily remove the barrel and dunk each end into a bucket of hot soapy water , then suck water up and into the tube with a tight patch . View Quote |
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