scope a flintlock

Zonie said:

IMO If a scope is going to be mounted on a flintlock, it should be the cheapest one that can be found.
The flash from the pan will deposit fouling all over it and the acids the fouling creates will rapidly attack the scope.

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Russ T Frizzen said:

That sounds like Jeff Cooper, one of the best that ever was! That might be an option in this case.

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I have a TC New Englander caplock with a 2X Simmons pistol scope mounted about where the rear sights were. It works great and is amazingly fast for target acquisition. I hated to put a scope on a traditional rifle, but decided it's better to be able to see the target.

I have the same problem, those golden years!I bought a scope mount several years ago for a cap lock.The rear sight was removed and a part of the mount went in the slot, the other part of the mount clamped by allen screws on the side of the barrel.It has been a very effective mount, but as most older people I don't remember where I got the darn thing.

That's the scope base I was talking about. They work.
Mark

fisherman said:

hello I was just wondering if anyone on the forum has put a scope on their flint lock and how they mounted it I know its not a popular thing to do but as my age gets on my eye sight gets worse and I am finding it near impossible to use the open sights that it came with I cant focuse so pics or advice would be a great help thanks.

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Once you have a scope mounted on your flintlock you may want to concider some sort of see-through lens cover for the rear optic, this will protect the optical glass from the smoke and soot produced from the pan powder going off.

Just a thought...

I got one of those clamping rigs from a fella on the forum here. I think it is called a Kwickee or something close to that. I really owe the guy cuz the outfit is awesome. I bought a Leupold pistol scope and it works great. I use it for load developement at 50 and 100 yards. You really have no idea what your rifle is capable of unless you scope it. I rather enjoy the challenge of load development.
I use it on flinters and the powder smoke is of no consequence as it is mounted well forward. Not a consideration at all. That being said, the scope idea is not without some baggage. I have had to learn to shoot each rifle differently. The device that I use is somewhat high and when the scope is mounted it is higher yet. This pulls my cheek off the stock from where I normally put my face. The butt rides lower in the shoulder than normal and depending on the butt shape it can be most uncomfortable not to mention awkward. I have had to modify the butts on a couple to make it fit better and have added some stiky tape so that the butt does not move during the shot. I have just used some padding and sticky tape for fit and follow through. If the butt moves during the shot you have nothing. I shoot off sand bags but my left hand is supported by the bags so the rifle is held in the same way as offhand. I can recommend this method to you whole heartedly. It works great. Good luck to you.

:thumbsup: I don't use one myself as I have young eyes, but the old timers I shoot with use them.

Here's a link to what the Merit is: Merit Optical Sight

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Whippersnapper!

Heres my Merit sight..also have a AHG sight which is more suited for pistol or revolver shooting..I posted a small topic on shooting with the Merit sight..10 shots from a .62 cal rifled barrel at 125 yards..

reddogge said:

:thumbsup: I don't use one myself as I have young eyes, but the old timers I shoot with use them.

Here's a link to what the Merit is: Merit Optical Sight

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Whippersnapper!

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Ain't the first time I been called that, likely won't be the last!

thank you all for your help but I found a way I did not feel comfortable with drilling and tapping my gun barrel so I used a liquid metal glue called JB weld and it did the trick it is on their very solid and someone asked what type of gun I have it is a tradditions deerhunter .50cal with woodstalk nice gun it was a shame to put a scope on it but man is it accurate now with the tasco 3x9x32 scope.

I used a liquid metal glue called JB weld and it did the trick it is on their very solid

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Well that's interesting, Fisherman. Could you post a picture of that mount?

freeonthree said:

any good optician should be able to make you a pair of shooting glasses with a extra focal higher in the glasses to use when aiming your rifle.I had a pair made up they are about the same price as a pair of bifocals and if you have a good medical plan at work it will even pay for them My plan did.

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I have had a similar experience here in Richmond, Va. My optician is a competitive pistol shooter & makes lenses for shooters with the optical center placed up in the corner of the lens so that things are in focus when you are in your shooting stance. :thumbsup: Looks a bit odd when I have to hold a target up high & to my left to read it! :grin:

There is a company called XS that makes scout scope mounts based on barrel dimensions. I don't know about hex barrels, but round ones would be no problem to fit, inlet the stock, and glass in place with acraglas. The mount for the WIN 94 should work for ML rifles because they replace the rear sight and then the front two scope mount screws. Drill and tap and it's on your rifle.
http://www.xssights.com/store/scope.html

I have used their stuff and like it. Unrelated to this post, you also may like Coopers "Art of The Rifle" if you haven't read it all ready.

I hope this works I have never put pictures on the forum before.

Thanks fisherman. Looks like there's not a lot of support for the scope there. I would think the unsupported back end of the scope would have some flex to it. No?

Recently I started a comparison of Goex 2F and 3F and roundballs in a .54 Green River Hawken, using published charges and chronographing it to compare to them. Thought I might as well compare the accuracy at the same time, but can't aim precisely enough with that buckhorn sight. So I mounted a scope. It is a Weaver 4X. I fitted a block of wood between the rear sight and the breech snail, inletting the octagon barrel into it and letting it rest on the stock. It had to be high enough that when I inletted the scope into it, behind the rear sight, the scope objective lens cleared the barrel and the hammer cleared the scope. The block was about an inch high. I clamped the rifle in a vise and aimed it at a target and lined the crosshairs up so it aimed to the same place. I used hose clamps from clothes drier vents to hold it, padding the stock with leather. You could use duct tape to protect the scope from the pan flash. This works well, but I got side tracked by driving to Chicago to hear a friend from Scotland play guitar and sing in an Irish pub, then went to Minneapolis for a conference and back through Valentine, NE and the Museum of the Fur Trade at Chadron, NE and Cheyenne. Will get back to this and will post a photo eventually of the test results.
I'd recommend using a staight 3/4" tube .22 scope. I think Wal Mart sells one. You don't need more than 4X magnification, and the smaller tube would be easier to mount.

Fisherman:
The JB Weld you used is a high temperature Epoxy and should do the job.

Should you ever decide to remove the scope mount, you can heat the barrel with a propane torch.
IT will take quite a bit of heat but sooner or later the JB Weld will let go and the mount will fall off of the barrel leaving almost no trace of the epoxy.

Happy Shooting.