How do you choose a musket?

Thanks for all the input guys. I'll check with the local club to see what they have going on for BP shooting, although I think not much in the way of musket type shooters.

Pedersoli does have a lot of nice rifles, but they're out of my price range for now.
 
stevejones said:
I had an Indian charleville (before I acquired the Pedresoli Charleville I currently have) and it came with no touch hole so thus it had to be proofed. We loaded it with 140 grains of powder and double balled it. Then secured it to a truck tire. It was fired using a long string to ensure safety and everyone was behind a solid wall. That gun passed with flying colors and I must have fired close to 500 rounds at least over the next 3 years I owned it. I did have to case harden the frizzen at one point but I have seen new guns that needed that done.

Cheers. SJ
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Fixed it for you. Generally, I wouldn't trust them for live fire. Their intent is for reinactors to make smoke puffs with,or to hang on a wall. With these Indian curios, I believe people are a tight patched ball away from a really interesting "show". If you want to buy a gun, buy a gun. Don't turn a toy into a gun.
 
I think the owners of the guns would object to your prejudice but you are welcome to your own opinion. Mine is based on experience alone. I think that you are partly correct in that there are guns made specifically as wall hangers however confusing them with the products that Loyalist sells would be a mistake. Previously a comment was made about a Spanish made flintlock that a fellow owns and he is very happy with it and so he should be, as the Spanish guns have come a long way since my experience with them.
 
saskgunowner101 said:
I guess cap lock is the way to go then. I'm probably ugly enough without powder burns and missing hair.Laugh2
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I went flint for my first fun shooting front stuffer just to get as far back in time and as far away as I could from any cartridge gun association. I'm glad I did. The big PHOOF! going off inches in front of your nose is a FANTASTIC experience.

I've since gotten a percussion gun to go with the two flinters I've gotten just for the really wet and soggy days on the local club black powder trails. It's surprising how long and well a flinter CAN shoot in the rain. But eventually they get wet to where you need a good dozen tries to get them to fire. And that's where I drew the line.

There are a bunch of tricks to wet weather flint shooting. I'm learning them from the others that do well in the rain. But I'm not up to their level yet and generally find that I can't finish the whole 25 shot string once we're out from under the tree cover and on the last area where we're more exposed.

But on dry days? Flint all the way!

I drew the line between the choice of rifled vs smoothbore. I went rifled as at least a minimal nod to modernism. I've got enough problems hitting targets without watching the ball run out in a spiral path.... :D Having said that I've walked and shot the local trail with others that shoot smoothbore. And it's surprising what you can do with one once you get to know the right patch thickness, best lube and optimum charge to use. A good well tested and practiced smooth bore shooter can easily match a mediocre rifled barrel shooter.
 
plinker 777 said:
Flinters are a huge pain in the a$$ imho. Very unreliab ignition. That's not to say that they can't be made to be reliable, but it takes a tonne of tinker, tweet, adjust, knap, surface harden/temper, change out mainspring, clean, dry...and you haven't even shouldered the gawd damn thing yet.

Although shooting a RH flinter left handed wouldn't be ideal I don't think that it would set your face and hair on fire (That's if it ignited:p). RH or LH you don't want to fire a flintlock into a strong head wind. That will send unburnt/burning powder back your way but that's just part of BP fun...you end up dirty:).

I prefer caplocks. All the fun of BP with only 30% of the fuss. ;)
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Boy, a lot of misinformation here.
I have been shooting flint for about 30 years and own several. In my experience, ignition is every bit as reliable as percussion, providing it isn't raining cats and dogs. Flint maintenance is requred periodically, but that certainly isn't a major chore and there is not a lot of tinkering or parts adjusting required - provided you are not stuck with a cheap import. In my opinion, cleaning is every bit as easy as cleaning a percussion, if not easier - simpler flash channel.

I think a lefty shooting a right handed flinter has the potential of being a very big deal and I would not recommend it. Left handed flinters are available and, as a right handed shooter, I would not shoot one off my right shoulder. For one thing, if you are shooting offhand with your offhand arm held high, your arm may be in for a scorching.

I cannot imagine what plinker is referring to with regard to firing a flinter in a strong headwind. There is simpl NO issue there.

Shoot caplock if you want to but, if you want a more rewarding bp experience, shoot flint.
 
BCRider said:
I went flint for my first fun shooting front stuffer just to get as far back in time and as far away as I could from any cartridge gun association. I'm glad I did. The big PHOOF! going off inches in front of your nose is a FANTASTIC experience.

I've since gotten a percussion gun to go with the two flinters I've gotten just for the really wet and soggy days on the local club black powder trails. It's surprising how long and well a flinter CAN shoot in the rain. But eventually they get wet to where you need a good dozen tries to get them to fire. And that's where I drew the line.

There are a bunch of tricks to wet weather flint shooting. I'm learning them from the others that do well in the rain. But I'm not up to their level yet and generally find that I can't finish the whole 25 shot string once we're out from under the tree cover and on the last area where we're more exposed.

But on dry days? Flint all the way!

I drew the line between the choice of rifled vs smoothbore. I went rifled as at least a minimal nod to modernism. I've got enough problems hitting targets without watching the ball run out in a spiral path.... :D Having said that I've walked and shot the local trail with others that shoot smoothbore. And it's surprising what you can do with one once you get to know the right patch thickness, best lube and optimum charge to use. A good well tested and practiced smooth bore shooter can easily match a mediocre rifled barrel shooter.
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I so agree, about the Flinters. IMHO, percussion is close, but not the full M.L.B.P. experience; much like watching a movie in stereo vs full surround sound. I also find the challenge of 'keeping my powder dry' fun, in a sort of thumbing my nose at nature way....briefly. Of course, remembering that during the flinter era, it would be a rare thing to have to shoot a 25 round course of fire in a day. That would only occur in a time of conflict; normally during hunting for your supper, once you got your game, wet powder really didn't matter that much anymore.
 
As mentioned earlier...flintlocks do require more knowledge to use. I always recommend starting with a percussion and if you get bitten by the bug, go to a flinter.

Cheers. SJ
 
plinker 777 said:
Flinters are a huge pain in the a$$ imho. Very unreliable ignition. That's not to say that they can't be made to be reliable, but it takes a tonne of tinker, tweet, adjust, knap, surface harden/temper, change out mainspring, clean, dry...and you haven't even shouldered the gawd damn thing yet.

Although shooting a RH flinter left handed wouldn't be ideal I don't think that it would set your face and hair on fire (That's if it ignited:p). RH or LH you don't want to fire a flintlock into a strong head wind. That will send unburnt/burning powder back your way but that's just part of BP fun...you end up dirty:).

I prefer caplocks. All the fun of BP with only 30% of the fuss. ;)
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It is apparent have no or little exp with flintlocks and it is also apparent that you have little experience with percussion locks as well or you would be better informed. I suggest that you contact your local BP group and attend their monthly shoots and gain more exp and knowledge before spewing misinformation about something you know nothing of.
 
MC One Shot said:
It is apparent have no or little exp with flintlocks and it is also apparent that you have little experience with percussion locks as well or you would be better informed. I suggest that you contact your local BP group and attend their monthly shoots and gain more exp and knowledge before spewing misinformation about something you know nothing of.
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Whoa, there boys pretty strong internet tough guy stuff...also a metric tonne of bullsh1t. Let's analyse it shall we, for the OP's benefit, not mine.

B_Noser states that the Flintlock is every bit as reliable an ignition as a cap..."providing it isn't raining Cats and Dogs, periodic maintenance is performed." And there is only little tinkering, "provided you're not stuck with a cheap import."
He continues in reference to the OP's question about shooting a RH flinter LH stating that he sees it as a "very big deal" because "for one thing if your off hand is held high you could get a scorching." Laugh2 WTF...So for 30 years B_Noser holds his off hand Costa style and hasn't been burnt solely because the pan is on the other side of the arm!? Sure, sure...cool story bro.:rolleyes: YET! he further states shooting into a strong headwind is absolutely no problem...really!? I suppose in his 30 years of shooting 100% of all power is completely burnt INSIDE the barrel (let alone the pan!?)...another cool story bro:bsFlag:.

Then MC One shot feels the need to chime in with nothing but conjecture and subjective unsupported statements...perhaps instead of making helpful statements such as I lack experience, knowledge and spew misinformation, YOU could enlighten us with your veritable encyclopedic knowledge and experience on the matter!? (I've got $10 that says I've pulled more dry balls than you've fired! F%%$ing a$$hole!).

2 more additions to my ignore list. Fear not, it merely means that when you attempt to pawn your 100% reliable ignition flinters on the EE, I won't be buying them. :)
 
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I'd just again like to state India guns are fine, they shoot just fine with tightly patched round balls and stiff loads. Flintlocks can also shoot very well if you know what you are doing. I'm no expert but I can tell you that with confidence, especially since I'm still alive.
 
Holy moly, did I miss the fight?? Just looking for opinions, and I welcome them all, no need for things to go sour.

I'm going to steer away front flinters off the hop, even if that limits selection.

Tyockell18: Is your musket rifled or smoothbore? What kind of accuracy should be expected of either with an average shooter?
 
As far as shooting a right handed flint left handed I have been doing it for years with no problem,remember they use to make double barrel flint shotguns so it really has never been an issue.
 
mooncoon said:
Perhaps you should increase that to four

Cheers mooncoon
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You're free to place me on your ignore list if you wish Coon, but I'm not so inclined to place you on mine. You've never taken such positions (that the 3 that shall never be spoken of again had) with people on this forum, at least not that I've seen.
Telling a new guy who's asking the question, that a bottom tier flintlock from India is the way to go for trouble and worry free shooting enjoyment is not only fiction, it's also not productive imho.
When I was new here I kept coming back because the advice I was getting for my numerous questions was accurate. I have no idea what the motive of the 3 are, or why they are telling the OP what they are telling him, but it is bad advice.

let me know if you are so offended that I am on your ignore list.
Plinker
 
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