Jump to content

Anybody use a traditional muzzleloader to deer hunt with?


Recommended Posts

I do.

I’ve probably killed more deer with my traditional muzzleloader than any other individual firearm I own (bow not included). That’s probably because of the way the season falls, and I tend to get a lot more picky once the modern gun season opens. I love hunting with it though. It’s a Traditions Buckskinner. I also have an inline muzzleloader, but I only grab it during the season if the weather is wet.

It’s crazy how accurate you can get an open sight percussion black powder rifle. I DO NOT enjoy cleaning it though 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment

I love my traditional muzzle-loader for deer. I've not killed anything but paper with a modern rifle in a long, long time. Archery or BP for me. 

I have a flintlock Ky rifle that I've shot quite a bit, but never used for hunting. I really should give that a try....

  • Like 1
Link to comment

I used to work with a guy that had a .32 flintlock built from a kit. Pretty nice rifle, that had a maple  stock, 42" barrel and all browned. He talked about getting one in .50 for a long time. I need to work on my .50 Hawken and get it going. My uncle built it from a kit back in the late 70's. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
2 minutes ago, derf said:

I always messed something up or couldn’t keep my powder dry. 

My  biggest problem is that the rifle is so long that I can hardly hold it on-target. My coon-skin cap is off to the old timers who could hold steady with one of those. I need sticks or a tree or something to keep my aim on. And I'm not a lightweight.

Link to comment

I once gave serious consideration to making my own black powder. But most of the instructions you read tell you to dig a hole, line it with blocks, and put your ball mill in there so that if it just happens to blow up all the force will go straight up in the air. I guess I'll let the pros grind the powder and I'll just shoot it. I saw a YouTube video of some kid using an electric coffee grinder to grind the various components!!!  So far as I know he's still alive with all his fingers and both eyes, but I'm getting toward the end of my years on earth and don't want to shorten that number unnecessarily. 

Edited by Darrell
Link to comment
4 hours ago, Darrell said:

I once gave serious consideration to making my own black powder. But most of the instructions you read tell you to dig a hole, line it with blocks, and put your ball mill in there so that if it just happens to blow up all the force will go straight up in the air. I guess I'll let the pros grind the powder and I'll just shoot it. I saw a YouTube video of some kid using an electric coffee grinder to grind the various components!!!  So far as I know he's still alive with all his fingers and both eyes, but I'm getting toward the end of my years on earth and don't want to shorten that number unnecessarily. 

My BIL and his brothers used to make it. Their father was a chemist and had everything they needed on hand. They used it to make rocket engines for model rockets.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
4 minutes ago, Quavodus said:

Sweeeeet! Very nice, did you build it? What caliber?

The caplock on top was built for me by John D Anderson here in Tullahoma. .54, 42" 1:56 Rice barrel, completely built to my specs. Long rifle dimensions with Hawken furniture. 

The flintlock Fusil was built by a friend in Jacksonville. .62, rifle octagon-round 42" 1:62 Colerain barrel. Exhibition grade maple stock. Keyed, not pinned barrel. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
On 9/24/2021 at 10:23 PM, Quavodus said:

Is the flintlock, very reliable? I had a friend years ago, he has passed that had a .32 Tennessee Long rifle he built from a kit. He said it was very reliable but, I've heard some shooters have trouble sometimes, with pan powder not igniting. 

Not gonna lie, there's a learning curve & your attention to detail has to be spot on to make sure it's 100% reliable. You really learn to appreciate the difference between flint quality too! A great quality, English or French flint will give you 40-50 shots before it needs knapping. A cheap flint, anything from 5-20. You have to remember to wipe your flint, pan & frizzen after every shot. If you're hunting, dump & replace your priming charge every hour. Even when you do everything perfectly, there's going to be the occasional 'clack......f#@k!!!'🤬

There's a learning curve to shooting one too. When you watch someone else shoot, there's is almost no perceptible delay between the hammer drop & shot, but when you're on the trigger, it feels like there's a MASSIVE gap between the flash & the bang. You learn how to follow through & my gosh will it let you know if you've got a flinch! 😆

  • Like 1
Link to comment

My friend said his had a slow twist, probably 1-66", and wouldn't group good till you had 20 gr. 3F in it. It did shoot really good with that load but, he was basically shooting a .22 Mag. energy load. I asked him about how bad it ripped a squirrel up, and he said not as bad as he thought. About like using .22 LR hollow points. T/C used to make a Seneca .32, that had a faster twist.

Edited by Quavodus
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

TRADING POST NOTICE

Before engaging in any transaction of goods or services on TGO, all parties involved must know and follow the local, state and Federal laws regarding those transactions.

TGO makes no claims, guarantees or assurances regarding any such transactions.

THE FINE PRINT

Tennessee Gun Owners (TNGunOwners.com) is the premier Community and Discussion Forum for gun owners, firearm enthusiasts, sportsmen and Second Amendment proponents in the state of Tennessee and surrounding region.

TNGunOwners.com (TGO) is a presentation of Enthusiast Productions. The TGO state flag logo and the TGO tri-hole "icon" logo are trademarks of Tennessee Gun Owners. The TGO logos and all content presented on this site may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission. The opinions expressed on TGO are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the site's owners or staff.

TNGunOwners.com (TGO) is not a lobbying organization and has no affiliation with any lobbying organizations.  Beware of scammers using the Tennessee Gun Owners name, purporting to be Pro-2A lobbying organizations!

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to the following.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines
 
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.