Hawken vs Long Rifle

[Dr5x]

EDstrain,
How easy was it to clean your pinned in place long rifle barrel?
My dang neardry waterless method is much easier than the Hot soap Water method used by so many.
/
Pf yo arereal real careful with my so called 995 Waterless method you might drag the process out to maybe 4 minutes.

Would liketolearn your long rifle method.

Dutch Schoultz

 

[Dr5x]

My efforts to encourage posted stories of the recent deer hunting adventures may have succeeded but I would;t know that if the word Dutch was not included as that is what my limited vision allows me to read. Knowing what a responsive crowd checks on the Forum daily I have been trying to think of a prize to give the best story.
Having given all my equipments away I have little of interest to offer.
I have been toying with the idea of a spiral bound printed copy of literary efforts, Autogrphed for and additional cheap thrill
I will continue to think of an incentive

 

[Dr5x]

Here's a Hunting related story where no real hunting occurred.
This guy thought it was bwst to always hunt with someone so this year he agreed to go with a man he didn't know very well at all but hunters were all in a sort of brotherhood
So the two of them are headed into toward the wooded areas ofMissouri with him driving and the not well known companion in the front seat of the e vehicle holding his rifle upright between his knees as they traveled past farms and other rural scenes. After a while the new companion was pointing his rifle out the window and aiming at various does in the fields they were passing. "Pow, pow" the guy was saying as he "dry fired" at his targets. Tham BAM! the rifle "Got him," the guy said and there was a cow in some distress struggling in a nearby field.
This beyond belief and the driver didn't know what todo, He continued to drive while his companion raved about his great shot.
He had suspected this new guy was a bit high on something possibly booze or even drugs and he didn't want to offend this lunatic so he began making sounds of being ill and then with many apiligies said he was too ill to continue driving further and really had to turn back toward home. Which he did and was able to free himself from this possible lunatic. Thought of all the rules of behavior this guy had broken without even thinking of the legal adventures that could have resulted.
From then on he always hunted alone or with old friends who weren't even slightly drunk/

Dutch

 

[Critter Getter]

I have both styles. I prefer the longrifles but own a bunch of the Hawken/ Plaines style rifles. Both styles are both accurate and reliable so it just comes down to looks and personal preference. I think I may sell off some of my short rifles but don't have any percussion long rifles that I will be parting with anytime soon! Greg

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

One thing I do like on the Hawken, mountain rifle or any rifle, half-stock or not, with a hooked breech is that they are soooooooo durn easy to clean!

Pull the barrel, drop the end in water w/ a elixir of choice or not, pull water up & through from the patched jag ... and presto - CLEAN! Then dry & oil of course.

... not that cleaning full-stocked longrifles is a chore, as to me it’s not...

 

[Walkingeagle]

Dutch,
Not a recent, or even a deer story, but it is true and factual.
Many years ago I aquired myself a .50 GPR flint kit and spent the winter tinkering away at assembling. Once completed I spent the spring and summer trying so hard to master the flintlock, to no success. That fall I positioned myself for a mule deer by snuggling into a small hollow in some diamond willows. Shortly out steps my deer and walks by broadside at under 20 yards. I missed...
Fast forward a few years and still working to master the flint, when I decided to try for a nice color phase black bear that was hitting a bait I set for a friend. I settle in against a fallen log 12 yards away, and slightly above the bait. Suddenly I see from my perifriel vision a small black eyeing the bait 4 feet to my left. Not sure who jumped higher as we both startled each other. Anyhow I settled back down and waited. After a bit my color phase bear showed and I laid the muzzle end of the flinter on the toes of my boots to minimize bbl movement from my flinch as I still had no luck mastering the flint. Anyhow the bear gave me the shot and I took it, he spun and took off into the thick stuff. After waiting a bit I started on his trail on my hands and knees when I thought I could hear him abead heading for the river bank. I ran tothe bank and looked over hoping for a glimpse and a shot before he made the water. You should have seen my surprise when I was peering over the edge and he stood up right beside to, to my left. I spun, placed the muzzle of the gun on (thats right, on) his right shoulder and fired! I would love to say he dropped, but as with life he ran down the bank then dropped, forcing me to work even harder to get him out. Thats the one and only game animal to fall to my flintlock.
Walkingeagle

 

[Dr5x]

Walking EWagle,
That is one hell of a story.
I think if I found myself standing next to a bear of any size I would have broken olympic speed records running away.


My Dad used to tell me bear stories and claimed a scar on his arm was from a bear event near Boseman, Montana where he was employed at a barber in a shop offering baths for 10 cents just like in the old western movies..

We kids were never sure about that scar story.

Dutch Schoultz

 

[AZbpBurner]

Which style do you think performs better at target and hunting? Which do you find more pleasant to shoot. Just looking for opinions. Might get a new gun for Christmas!

If you want a capable first gun to become accustomed to shoot, the Lyman/Investarms Deerstalker is an excellent choice. It may get you derision from the snooty purists, with it's rubber buttpad & nowhere near authentic styling, but it is easy to shoot and maintain & has the potential to be amazingly accurate, and very comfortable to shoot all day.

I grew up shooting an assortment of original rifles, and already had several percussion and flint rifles, when I found my Lyman Deerstalker. They quit listing the lefthanded .54 cal. flint model in the Lyman catalog, a few years ago, but a vendor had one on-line, so I bought it.
Break-in was quick and working up an accurate load was also quick and painless. Accuracy was sufficient, that it became my 'Grapefruit Slayer', excelling at dispatching the bags of excess grapefruit from my parents' trees. At 100 yards, no grapefruit was safe, and when the ranch was sold & grapefruit were no more, clay pigeons, or small water balloons suffice.

Some of the snootier shooters at my range asked me why I bothered with that "cheap, old fashioned junk". After successively busting a line of a dozen grapefruit at the 100 yard berm, the only questions became: " Hey, can I try it?"

.54 cal is preferred. It seems easier to work up accurate loads and the heavier ball retains more energy at 100 yards than my .50 cal's.

You'll go on to get other, fancier & pricier guns in the future, but the Deerstalker will give you a solid foundation for shooting either flint or percussion that will carry over to everything else you'll ever shoot.

 

[Dr5x]

I thought Walking Eagle's stort had stopped all reports of hunting experiences, but under the heading of
My Black Powder Hunting 2017 there are all sorts of stories..

Worth reading Both educational and sometimes amusing,

Dutch

 

[tenngun]

I will be simi-snooty :wink: I would say go with the GPR as it has a lot of traditional styling but enough modern features to provide a good platform for a new shooter. A TC Hawken if you can find one would be #2