How practical is a flintlock for deer hunting

Skippy

Skippy

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I'm going to pick up a blackpowder rifle for this coming deer season. I had my mind set on a Hawken .45 caplock, but notice that the price difference between the cap and flintlock is negligable.

I'm wondering if you veterans would consider it practical for an absolutl newbie, one who's never shot a blackpowder (I've been hunting and shooting for my whole life with smokeless), to go traditional from the start and use a flinter with patched ball? Or should I stick with the somewhat more idiotproof cap rifles with the maxi's or sabot's?

My shots will be 150 yds max, is this out of practical range for a flinter with patched ball?

ALso, my budget is pretty small, I'm looking for a rifle under $300
Please post pics of your flintlock or traditional style cap setup's.
 
Depends... you need more skill to properly use a flintlock rifle - the caplock is more idiot proof. Also, a flintlock is HIGHLY dependant upon a quality lock while the caplock is not.

Assuming you get a quality lock, the rest of the rifle is less important on a flinter. A quality lock will have good geometry, a fast lock time, a frizzen and pan that when closed is virtually weatherproof and a decent #### screw.

Flint selection and placement also matter. You likewise need a well hardened frizzen to spark well. A cow's knee will help with rain, coupled with keeping fresh powder in the pan.

A good flinter should be fine out to 150. Something 50cal or bigger if shooting patched ball at that range for deer. Personally, I like .54.

The flinter can be more fun if you enjoy traditionalism and best of all, no need to register it ;)
 
Whichever you choose, be sure to practice with it, at the distances at which you expect to shoot a deer. Muzzleloading guns, and flintlocks in particular are not the same as a modern rifle. Remember that in the event of a bad first shot, it will take some time before the second shot can be made.
Claven2 is absolutely correct about locks. All a caplock has to do is fire the cap. A poor quality or poorly adjusted flintlock is extremely unsatisfactory.
 
I've never shot a T/C, but this is an established name, and their guns have been around for a long time. There is a replacement lock available from L&R with which to re-lock a T/C rifle if a more authentic looking lock is desired.
 
I have a TC Hawken flinter in .50 and it is a very reliable rifle. I would, however, recommend that you check the diameter of the touchhole. Having played with three different flintlocks (the TC .50 and two Lyman .54's), I found that there's a huge difference in reliability of ignition between a 0.050" and 0.075" touchhole.

In terms of practical use, I would limit my own rifles to 100 yards for deer.
 
If you are just starting out, but want to remain traditional (ish) - a caplock. This is one of the sports where the further you get into it, the farther back in in time you will travel.

Can' wait until TC introduces a matchlock. Oh yah, baby!
 
I also would go with a caplock to start, and stick to a 100 yards as the max. T/C or Lyman are good rifles, and most will shoot a patched round ball very well. My go to rifle is a Lyman Deerstalker in .50 cal, and I use round balls in it. I just started using a flinter last year, and it takes a little more fiddlin with.
 
Also worthy of note, if you are right handed, T/C is an option. If you are a lefty, stick with Lyman of a Track of the Wolf kit gun. T/C doesn;t make lefty models and the other makers, like Traditions, aren;t worth a second glance IMHO.

I went Lyman (lefty!) for my hunting rifle, but for range fun I use a variety of right handed guns and just wear long sleeves and safety glasses...
 
Claven any idea where a guy would find a left handed lyman? I to have been sorely tempted by flintlock rifles.
The right hand flash pan has kinda scared me away till now.
 
You can order one directly from the USA if it's a flintlock rifle - neither country considers it a firearm under the firearms act - it woes right through the border and doesn;t need to be registered.

Easiest place to order is probably Track of the Wolf. They stock them.
 
unless you are hunting open fields or logging slashes, 100 yards is a long shot-most of my deer were taken well under 50 yards.The farthest shot I've ever taken a deer was about 175 yards.
 
david doyle said:
Claven any idea where a guy would find a left handed lyman? I to have been sorely tempted by flintlock rifles.
The right hand flash pan has kinda scared me away till now.
Click to expand...


Wild West Shooting Centre in West Edmonton Mall has had a left handed Lyman flintlock in stock for a while now. Not a lot of left handed flintlock enthusiasts around, I guess.

Sharptail
 
Sharptail said:
Wild West Shooting Centre in West Edmonton Mall has had a left handed Lyman flintlock in stock for a while now. Not a lot of left handed flintlock enthusiasts around, I guess.

Sharptail
Click to expand...

Yeah, it seems most of the lefty models I see are caplock. Even more specifically, I see oddles of 1:36 Great Plains "hunter" series rifles. Probably b/c LeBarons sells only the left hunter, not the 1:66 great plains for roundball.

Also, the original hawken it's based off of was a caplock, not a flinter.

Truth be told, I prefer my flinters to be Fusils or Kentucky and Pensylvania long rifles and my Hawken-type rifles to be caplock.
 
near-side flash

david doyle said:
Claven any idea where a guy would find a left handed lyman? I to have been sorely tempted by flintlock rifles.
The right hand flash pan has kinda scared me away till now.
Click to expand...

For anyone lucky enough to shoot a flint double, every other shot is on the near side, whichever hand you favor. I haven't noticed a real difference between sides, either with safety or with distraction by the flash - unless one tries to fire from the assault position... that'd hurt, alright.

On the matter of field reliability, it doesn't really take a lot more effort to load and fire flinters reliably in snow or light rain - haven't tried in heavy rain, yet. Now, matchlocks would seem likely to be more of a challenge, but some folks take deer and even ducks with them.

Joel
 
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