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Dave K said:
I have no idea if you ever get to any of the muzzleloader events, but it sure is worth your while to go to one and try a gun on for size. If you could travel to Tip Curtis's place on western Tenn.

No doubt a great idea. However I am a handicapped person and going places is a real job to undertake. I pretty well have to rely on the information I can find on the forums. Then I try to make my best decision from the information that I gather.

I do go to a local range and shoot with the guys. They go far out of their way to help me out. I really enjoy going, but hate being a burden to the guys. However I honestly believe most of them don't really mind at all. A good group of guys. But they are not so much into MZ's. But that is OK with me. We don't really care what anyone shoots. Just as long as we can all get together and shoot. Tom.
 
If you are handicapped I would think a shorter barrel (30 to 36 inches) verses a 42 inch+ would provide other intrinsic benefits for you, too.

Have you ever tried building a gun from a kit?
 
Zoar said:
"...iron hardware is far better than shiny brass..."

Why on earth would you make such an across the board statement?
:shocked2:

Reality is that nothing could be further from the truth...I've hunted with shiny brass furniture for about 20 years now...and, that includes having added more shiny brass in the form of full length brass ramrods...never kept me from filling a tag and that includes 3 sharp eyed turkeys at 25 yards.

Movement is everything...not colors.
 
Hogghead said:
I am sure I want a nice piece of wood. Whether it be Walnut or Maple. The Maple look is growing on me a little. And I am sure it would be cheaper than a high grade piece of walnut.

Tom - I'm thinkin' a piece of curly maple like you see in Flehto's post or Roundball's post is not likely to be cheaper than walnut.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
/MM
 
MeteorMan said:
Hogghead said:
I am sure I want a nice piece of wood. Whether it be Walnut or Maple. The Maple look is growing on me a little. And I am sure it would be cheaper than a high grade piece of walnut.

Tom - I'm thinkin' a piece of curly maple like you see in Flehto's post or Roundball's post is not likely to be cheaper than walnut.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
/MM


Not only is the Maple cheaper. But it is considerably cheaper than even a decent piece of Walnut. And unbelievably cheaper than a top quality piece of Walnut. Tom.
 
I would go with a .54 in one of the "early" style guns Lancaster/Virginia maybe with a barrel 42"swamped and a lock to match the period like the Chambers Colonial no finish on the barrel, brass furniture, wood patchbox or simple early brass one with no fancy piercings built by someone who knows about MLas well as being a good builder this would be a handsome gun and hard to beat for hunting, a 44"barel would do as well.
You wil likely find that brass furnitute and longer barrels will not be a problem at all for hunting no matter where/how you hunt, often this is an unfounded fear expressed by many who have not tried either or just bought into some of the vast missinformation that is commonly tossed about.
 
flehto said:
A flint LR in .54 cal. w/ a 42" swamped bbl,single trigger and in an early Virginia style which has a wide, flat buttplate for comfortable shooting. A Chambers early round faced flintlock would be appropriate and is one of the best on the market. SMRs are also nice but don't like the extreme curve to the BPs which require an upper arm hold. Here's an early iron mounted Virginia that I built a couple of yrs ago.....Fred

Lehto603All.jpg


Walnut would be nice and the rifle would look better w/ the round faced lock instead of the Davis Twigg. The BP is a little over 2" wide and the 44" bbl is an oct/round in .54 cal.Excellent balance.

Fred that's a beautiful rifle.
Back to the original post, Looks like some pretty good advice that's hard to complete. The only thing I'd suggest would be maybe a .54 cal C wieght barrel in 38" length. A .50 will be fine for deer but I'd want a little extra for an elk. For the kind of turn around you are looking at I would check With TVM. They make a solid gun at a reasonable price.
 
tg said:
"...brass furnitute and longer barrels will not be a problem at all for hunting no matter where/how you hunt, often this is an unfounded fear expressed by many who have not tried either or just bought into some of the vast missinformation that is commonly tossed about..."

Well said.
 
The stock on the "Virginia" I posted is from a quarter sawn blank of sugar maple that ran close to $300 a few years back and is probably a lot more now. Pretty decent maple can be had for a lot less and if the rifle is plain w/o carving and inlays, the highlight would be the wood. Walnut in the very high grades can be more expensive than maple but for a plain hunting rifle I wouldn't spend the money. A decent grade of curly maple would do just fine. Below is a Hawken I built awhile ago w/ an outstanding maple stock. 36" tapered bbl in .54 ca. Oops...it's a perc but does show the wood....Fred

HawkenFullS.jpg


HawkenHalfS.jpg
 
rounball --I was respondiong to Hogghead and HIS STATEMENT that he preferred Iron hardware to brass for HIS HUNTING gun. AND I was agreeing with is sentiment that he wanted NO FLASH, just straight PURPOSE in his hunting rifle.

It was not an across the board statement.

Geeeeesh.
 
I understand RoundBalls position, but not his ill-tempered comments. Brass furniture is something of concern when enemy PEOPLE might see the flash. I have found no problem with flashing spooking game. Dont mix the two concerns.

I am sure it has happened, but deer rely more on their sense of smell, and sense of hearing, to warn them of danger, than their eye sight. Brass can also be " dulled" by wiping it with a dirty cleaning patch, then cleaned up and polished after the hunt with any household copper cleaner, or by making a mix of citric acid(lemon juice) and salt to wipe the brass.

I join RB in stating that I would never choose a iron mounted rifle solely because of concerns about flashes and reflections during a hunt. With all the debris we find out in the open lands these day, from plastic bags, to pull tops from aluminum cans, and water bottles, there are enough things that "Flash" at animals in the wild every day that they simply don't associate a flash with danger, much at all.

If they see large movement with the flash, now you have a problem! Large anything that moves scares them. On the other hand, sit yourself down in front of a large tree, as Roundball does when he hunts, so that the tree breaks up your outline, and you can use the shiniest rifle you can afford to shoot deer that come to you. :thumbsup:

My Tennessee Poor boy flintlock has iron(steel) furniture, but only because I believed then it was more traditional in that form than those with brass. :hmm: I had already hunted enough to know what bothered game.
 
I have an incredible learning curve ahead of me before I can speak to what actually is traditional on the older rifles, and what is not. I simply do not know.

I could only assume that the black iron was more traditinal. But that is only an assumption because the black iron is less expensive, so I just figured it was the original items used. But I have absolutley no facts to base that on.

The problem as I see it with the brass furniture is that it just looks so darned good on a rifle. The brass is really starting to grow on me. Almost to the point that I am now considering brass on my new build. There is just too many darned decisions.

I like the Early Lancaster design as well as the Early Virginia design. Since I am in WV I would assume the Virginia model would be more in the realm of what was seen here in the ealy years. But I really do not know that for sure. And both models look great to me.

I also need to decide on a swamped barrel or not. But I am going to start a different thread on that decision.

Personally I have no animosity to what anyone's opinion is. Nor do I have any in how they project their opinions. I know there is alot of passion in peope about these firearms. And I need to realize that. Thanks guys, Tom.
 
I like the darker wood finishes on those TVM Late Lancaster rifles. I think silver would look absolutely gorgeous on one!
 
I would readily trade off wood grade for a swamped barrel which is really what one wants for pre 1800, brass furnitute as well there are a few top notch gun builders who are also well studied gun historians here,it will become obvious which they are in vewry little time and they would be the ones advice to take to heart if history and quality are of omportance.Buit always do some homework yourself it can turn into a big part of the overall enjoyment of the experience.
 
Tom: Now you know why we all end up owning more than one gun. its really kind of silly, when you think about it, that you might be able to design the PERFECT rifle for you for all situations. That would be like designing the perfect screwdriver to use with all kinds of screws, in all kinds of places.

Pick one, and live with the decision. You have to have something more to do with your life than to fret over every decision concerning a rifle. The best thing to do when you have no clue is wait until you can test out some rifles, to get a better "FEEL", literally for what all these recommendations mean. Only you can decide questions of caliber, barrel length, style of barrel, balance( to be sure this is strictly an individual decision. My twin brother and I don't agree on BALANCE!), and what Kind of furniture you want on a gun. :idunno: :hmm: :surrender: :thumbsup: We wish you all the best, and hope whatever decision you make is the right one for YOU, not us, and that you will post pictures of your finished rifle, and of the game you take with it, be it ground hogs, deer, or ELK. :hatsoff:
 
There's lots of good info and suggestions in all the posts but I'll comment on some of my preferences. The SMR is great. Mine is from TVM and a .36. But for a large bore the thin, curvy butt plate is not a good idea. Something on the order of the previously suggested E. Va is right on target. I'm having a .54 E. Lancaster built; they have a flatter, wider butt plate (not quite as wide as the Va. rifle, though) and handle recoil extremely well. Forget frills and put your money on a fine piece of maple instead. A barrel of 36" to 38" is about perfect; longer barrels are - for me, anyway - unwieldy and hard to manage with no real offsetting benefits. And for heaven's sake get a swamped barrel. You'll never go back to a straight barrel. Brass furniture looks good and is no handicap in the woods. Both Siler locks and English round face locks from Chambers are very fine locks. I have both styles on various guns with nary a complaint. If you're wanting an all around large game rifle that will handle most everything with aplomb, get a .54. Nothing wrong with a .50 but the .54 has power to spare and works well with about the same powder charges as the .50. Of course this is all based on MY perspective and needs but works in my neck of the woods. Enjoy.
 
tg said:
I would readily trade off wood grade for a swamped barrel which is really what one wants for pre 1800...brass furnitute as well.
Absolutely on both counts...
 
hanshi said:
Forget frills and put your money on a fine piece of maple instead.
And for heaven's sake get a swamped barrel. You'll never go back to a straight barrel.
Brass furniture looks good and is no handicap in the woods.

My sentiments exactly...
 

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