TC scope mounting

Was looking at some TC's at some gun shops and found that some were taped for mounting a scope. Were these barrels taped at the factory? :hmm: If so when did they start doing that? I personally don't like buying any ML that has been taped for a scope. Now I didn't say NEVER would buy. :rotf: Just my thoughts.

I feel the same way hacksaw. If I want to hunt with a scope, then I'm going to leave the MLs at home. But when I am using a black powder rifle, I want to do it the way it was intended to be, me and my rifle and all the wits and patience and luck that I can gather. Scopes just don't belong on a traditional gun. Nor banana clips, for that matter. :rotf: :rotf:

The sentiments about scopes has been around as long there have been rifle scopes. I heard some grumbling about the Slugs gun shooters using scopes for the really long range matches at Friendship one year from a bunch of buckskinners. I just luaghed. I was fascinated by the kind of equipment and accuracy these men and women werer getting with BP rifles at long range. I considered the slug gun shooters to be the " Research and Development " arm of Muzzleloading sports, as their quest for long range accuracy demanded the best of powder, primers, bullets, barrels, and sights.

The scopes on T/C were put on after market, by guys who want that extra edge, and, only sometimes, by men who simply want to remove the human error when they are developing a load for that particular gun. I think its perfectly OKAY for a gun owner to use a scope in two cases:

1. In load development. Just like using a Chronograph to give you ballistics feedback, a scope can tell you that any problems with the group is YOU, and not the load, wind, sun, the barking dog, etc.

2. For any shooter whose vision is failing, due to injury, illness, and old age, and still wants to continue to hunt, but do so safely, and humanely.

We all grow up thinking we are indestructible, that we will live forever, and that we will be, or ARE just as keen sighed now at age 60 as we were at age 20. Sadly, that is most often not the case. Its not how life is lived, nor how the human body is programmed. For young shooters, the last thing you every consider is having your eyes damaged in an accident. It happens. I had a client many years ago, who was waiting for his tailpipe to be put on his car at a truckstop, minding his own business, when a young kid spun his wheels driving his car out of the garage bay. The back wheels kicked up a stone that struck and STUCK in my client's eye. It tore part of his Iris away, leaving his eye functioning, but with too much light coming into it, so that he could no longer focus with it, and suffered headaches just being out in daylight, without putting a patch over the eye. His life became an instant hell. We tried to get him fitted for a " donut hole" contact lens, but he never could get used to putting that lens in his eye. He wore dark glasses or a patch after that. The only good thing about the incident was that the eye damaged was his Left eye, and he was right Eye Dominant. But, when we finally settled his claim, he finally realized that he was just that much closer to being blind, and that he had to take extra precautions to protect his remaining eye.

I have used scopes on guns that have no business having scopes on them- such as MLs, and lever action rifles, when load developing. A couple of gasket clamps, around the barrel and stock for a long eye relief scope allows me to use a scope to find the very best load and know that the gun and that load are doing the job. Then I remove the scope and use my open sights, as God intended a ML to be used! When I miss, I know its 99% likely that the miss is " Operator Error ", and not the gun or load.

I don't like scopes on muzzleloaders, but I agree that there are times and circumstances that it is needed. For that reason I picked up a clamp on mount at a gun show. I have not used it, and hope I never need it, but the price was right, and it is insurance. Besides I may just work a good load for my front stuffer with it.

Leupold makes a sope mount for TC Hawkens that uses the rear sight mounting holes,only 2 screws to hold it on,that you use a pistol scope or scout scope.TC sells an offset mount that uses the same holes and another that is in the breech plug.The scope dose not sit over the center of the barrel but off to the left to clear the hammer.My 1970's.45 doesn't have the screw in the breech plug but my 6 month old .58 flintlock does.At 57 my eyes will only focus for a shot or two with open sights after that I can't tell where the front one is because the rear is a blurr.So I have Lyman or TC peep sights on all the TC's.The CVA's don't get shot much because I can't see the sights.

No offense Paul. I do agree with you on that. But I choose not to for now. I may need them in the future.....

Thank everyone for the help I’m 64 and still enjoy and love shooting my ML

If it has anything other than rear sight holes and a hole it the top of the breechplug it has been drilled and tapped. TC had their proprietory scope mounts which used these holes to mount scopes on their guns.

Eye Pal really helped me. EyePal | Get back on the Range with EyePal

I've never seen a red dot on a muzzleloader.

It is an aperture that sticks on your eyeglasses. You can put a pinhole in a piece of paper and look through it to see how it works.

Cut a square of black electrical tape, punch a hole in the center of the tape, and stick it on your shooting glasses so you can see the sights. Use different sized holes for different light conditions.

Yes, I do the same thing I carry them on an old gift card in my wallet.