Flintlock Scope?

I know they fitted scopes to percussion guns back in the day. Does anyone have a record or picture of them fitting one to a flintlock? I would think it happened some time. Bubba's have been wrecking historical artifacts since Moses dropped the tablets. Just have never seen a picture.

"flintlock scope"?
Those words are oxymoronic. And worse. :shocked2:

Hey Col.

You need to take a day off. Spend some time with the wife and kids. Relax. You're thinking too much. :hmm:

:wink:

I've actually been wanting to add a long tube telescopic scope to my Lyman trade for sometime.
Just for fun mind you.

don't let them get to you

Optics on guns goes all the way back to Sir Isaac Newton and his experiments with the idea way back then.
Did the average fella even ever see or hear about such a thing? Nope. But the idea was out there.

If one can believe Wikipedia (and in this case I do), the telescopic sight was not invented until about 1840.

The first documented telescopic rifle sight was invented between 1835 and 1840. In a book titled The Improved American Rifle, written in 1844, John R. Chapman documented the first telescopic sights made by Morgan James of Utica, NY. Chapman, the author, being a civil engineer, gave James the concepts and some of the design, whereupon they produced the Chapman-James sight.

Click to expand...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescopic_sight

By this time, most of the newer guns were made with percussion locks and I think it unlikely that telescopic sights would have been attached to a old flintlock unless it was done just for experimentation by some target shooter.

Rifleman1776 said:

"flintlock scope"?
Those words are oxymoronic. And worse. :shocked2:

Click to expand...

100% Agree, Flintlocks an scopes = oil an water they just don't go together.

Go for it! After you get that scope mounted, don't forget to add the folding bipod & a Muzzle Brake :shake:

Haha I went through the same dilemna myself... This was with a .32 CVA varminter I had that was factory drilled for a scope. I just wasnt getting the grouping I knew the gun was capable of, so not wanting to use one of my good leupolds, I got a cheap on sale cabellas 2-7 dropped it on with see through mounts for hammer clearance... my groups got WAY better..BUT the scope took a heck of a beating with just the cap flash, and I just couldnt make myself get used to the horrible look. After a while, the scope came back off and I stripped both sights and went with a peep system. I got a used TC hunters peep, tapped the tang myself and put a lyman globe front sight on. still looks like a frankenstein job...but at least it doesnt make ME cringe at the look. Im still getting the performace once I got used to a peep. that scope never would have lasted anyway. I was regularly shooting 30-50 balls a day abt every weekend, and after about 400 balls I think the scope was toast anyway, glad I went cheapo for that one, and I think I may put a peep on another gun or two in the next while

I have to agree that the gun gods might come down if this was to come to pass! Geo. T.

I think your scope will be fried, every time you shoot, by the ignition of the pan powder...

I think I would just buy thick glasses :grin:

Other than it constituting committing sacrilege...,

I know of a fellow who put a pistol scope about half way down his TC Hawken barrel as the hardware plus the diameter of the rifle scope that he wanted to use didn't fit..., where the scope body flared to hold the rear lens messed with the movement of his lock. It was just wide enough to mess with the hammer movement. The pistol scope is meant to be mounted on a handgun held much farther away from the eye than a standard rifle scope, so it also works when mounted way down on a barrel...

LD

I have seen a picture of a scoped T/C Renegade, and it looked horrible....went blind for a week, only got my sight back after going to confession and admitting my sin before God...don't do it! :wink:

The recycle time on the screen flare from the pan flash would be really troublesome. :rotf:

Scopes on Muzzleloaders is bad!!

Oh geez fellas! Yes I agree with all that has been said. Flintlocks and scopes = really bad, ugly, and simply "not done". Not these days anyway.

Have never seen any original flintlock with an optical glass sight. The closest is a Kentucky/Pennsylvania style rifle illustrated in "The Book Of Rifles", p.27. This particular rifle is labeled, "A Kentucky Rifle, circa 1770. Made by J. Bender, location unknown". What is actually on this rifle is a tunnel type sight which appears to be about 9" to 11" long and is basically a sheet of thin iron (?) that's been bent over a wooden or metal rounded tube and attached to the sides of the barrel, though that technique isn't obvious. What resulted was a rounded top, long tunnel fitted over the rear sight, obviously to improve rear sight clarity. It also appears to have two or three holes in it, about where the rear sight should be, with the intent to sharpen the appearance of that sight.(?) This is basically my interpretation of an old, semi-focused photo. The question presents the theory that J. Bender either thought it a great idea or a later owner did...who knows? :idunno:

:hmm: Hmmmm, I always thought "scoping a flintlock" referred to searching for one to buy. :idunno:

If'n you're visually challenged, try this first: get yer seein' eye service dog to bring you a roll of duct tape & simply attach a long white cane/stick.

Kinda like a lo-tech muzzleloader lazer - anything the stick touches will be your ball POI.