Flint lock or Percussion?

[displacedhntr]

I have been thinking about taking up muzzle loader hunting and wanted your opinion. Flintlock or percussion?
Were I hunt we have an early muzzle loader season and you can not use the new inlines just old school muzzle loaders. I'm sure a few you have hunted with these and just need some info. :huh:

[killitgrillit]

I got both, but I would go with Percussion it's just much easier, I think,

[duke13]

How traditional do you want to get? I've got flint, percussion and inline. I have only used the inline the last couple years but i'm considering getting the flint out again next year.

[Hawken2222]

I would go with percussion, it seems to be less tempermental than flint lock.

[displacedhntr]

I would use the inline because they are easier to deal with and are alot cheaper than the percusion and flintlock. The land that I hunt has a muzzle loader season that opens before bow season and you can only use traditional muzzleloaders.

[jeclif]

I use a flinch lock ;) and like it .
did you know you can make all you need to shoot a flint lock.
But be care full of the grain size or corn size of the powder if you make your own. I learned the hard way :hair:

[Nicodemus]

Shucks, get one of each. They`re both great rifles!!

[displacedhntr]

Does anyone know who sells them beside cabelas or bass pro for a fair price?

[orion1mdl]

There are a lot of folks that hate the very mention of Walmart and guns, but if you have a local walmart, and they have a special order book, (you can also look on-line), they sell Lymans blackpowder rifles like the Trades Rifle, and the Great Plains.

I just bought a .50 cal. Lyman Great Plains kit from them, for less than $250.00, and they have the ones already put together around $300.00. I already have one in .54 cal percussion, with a 1 in 60" twist and it's accuracy with patched roundballs is amazing!

Cabelas has the same rifle in their catalog for $499.00!

If you want a gun to shoot patched rounballs with, I'd go with the slowere twist like 1 in 60. But if you want to shoot conicals or sabots, I'd go with a faster twist like 1 in 32" or so.

[raghorn]

The percussion is the most dependable ignition source between the two.A flintlock takes some getting used to because of the small firing time from the powder in the flash pan igniting the main charge.I would suggest changing the nipple so you can use a musket cap instead of a no. 11 cap.It burns much hotter and will be more dependable.

[jeclif]

you can order them from the net or any where you find them they are not regulated like your rifle ,pistol , shotgun,yet

[displacedhntr]

[I just bought a .50 cal. Lyman Great Plains kit from them, for less than $250.00, and they have the ones already put together around $300.00. I already have one in .54 cal percussion, with a 1 in 60" twist and it's accuracy with patched roundballs is amazing!]

[Cabelas has the same rifle in their catalog for $499.00!]

I saw them in Cabelas and thought it was a little high but I have never looked into them before so I wasnt sure what price range I would be in. The kit you talk about that is 50 dollars cheaper how much assembly is required with them?

[orion1mdl]

[
I saw them in Cabelas and thought it was a little high but I have never looked into them before so I wasnt sure what price range I would be in. The kit you talk about that is 50 dollars cheaper how much assembly is required with them?
The entire gun is in parts except for the trigger assembly, and lock assembly, but it's really not as hard to put it together as it might sound. And you will have to buy some wood finish for the stock and ramrod as well as the bluing or browning for the metal.

The stock is already pretty well inlaid for the trigger assembly, lock assembly, tang, etc...
It just requires some minor sanding to get the proper fit, and then you have to finish the stock, which is nice because you can choose how dark or light you want the wood. The entire stock has to be sanded, going from like 80 grit and ending up with 340 grit first but it really isn't very hard.

The barrel and a few smaller peices of the gun have to be blued or browned, and after some light smoothing of the meatl parts, the finishing of the metal is pretty easy also, it just requires some time as you have to wait between coats of finish, and again, you can choose how dark you want the blue or brown on the metal.

The only tools I used were a big toebig toebig toebig toebig toebig toebig toe file, round file, a pillar file, some various grits of sandpaper, a screwdriver, and a few times my dremel tool.
Basicaly, if you've ever refinished a stock on one of your guns, and re-blued a barrel, or done some minor wood working, you can most likely put one of these together.

If you don't feel like messing with it, or don't have the time, you can get one already assembled, and if you decide you like shooting and hunting with these more traditional type of muzzle loaders, you could always get you a kit at another time, and make it look the way you want.

There are some other manufactures out there that make pretty good guns also, and I think the walmart catalog has the T/C Hawkins and Renegade too. I had a T/C years ago, and they're a good gun also, but I personally like the Great Plains style, and Lyman has been the most accurate for me.

Hope this helps a little.

[displacedhntr]

Thanks alot. Unfortunately I wont have alot of time for the kit. If I bought it today I might be able to get it finished before next season. The army can burn up alot of your time sometimes and I'm trying to finish my degree right now and be a dad and husband. Its a wonder I ever get to go hunting anymore. I only went twice this year. Two morning hunts. Saw four bucks and couldnt let the last one walk. Waiting for the official P&Y score. He will qualify for the books if he doesnt drop off on deductions.

[orion1mdl]

You're quite welcome, displacedhunter.
I understand completely about time issues, ecspecially in the Army. And congrats on the deer you got this year! I've only been able to hunt deer in Kansas twice, and both places were in the western part of the state on farms we also hunted pheasants on. There are sure enough some fantastic deer in that state! Both mulies and whitetails.

Anyway, I thought of a couple of other places you could look at a pretty good selection of traditional type of muzzle loaders, and Natchez has some really good prices on their guns most the time too.
www.natchezss.com.
www.dixiegunworks.com.

Hope this helps give you some additional info.

Also, Thank you for your service to our Country, and heres wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!