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Jaegers?

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You people on this forum are a bunch of enablers! I have been really getting back into muzzle loading of late. I am sort of semi-retired now and hope to pull the pin all the way in the next few months. I am thinking for my retirement of getting a jaeger. Is there anything between the Pedersoli and the expensive (for me) custom made rifles. Should I opt now for a Pedersoli, shoot it a bit and then save my nickels for a better built gun or just wait altogether and start saving for a better rifle? I currently have and shoot a CVA Mountain rifle in .45, a Mowrey in .45, and a New Englander .50.
 
Sell a couple of your other ones to help fund a quality kit, like they say buy quality buy once go cheap buy twice, sometimes difficult but always better to do it right the first time, but then sometimes you can only do so much
 
Probably not a fair comparison, but compared to original Jaegers the Pedersoli feels like a club. If you can find a well built contemporary Jaeger I believe you will be much happier with it than with the Pedersoli. It amazed me how eloquent or dainty for lack of a better description, the originals were with their large bore (58-65 caliber), short swamped barrel (25-30”) and LOP of 13” or less. Unfortunately, many builders today, Pedersoli included, make their ‘Jaegers’ real heavyweights in my opinion. If you can find one similar to those built by someone like Mike Brooks you will do well.

Just for a little bit of background, I had the opportunity to shoot original Jaegers in Germany and Austria, and they all seemed lighter, quicker, easier to handle and pointed better than TC Senecas and Cherokees I have owned as an example.

I also had chance to shoot a Pedersoli Jaeger flintlock and while it functioned fine, it just didn’t have that Jaeger feel or handle like one. Barrel heavy and very much on the wrong side of 8 pounds for Jaeger. Balanced and felt more like a barrel heavy full stock plains rifle. Only had chance to shoot conicals out of it and found it accurate. Believe the the straight vs swamped barrel was the real killer in how it handled. This from a guy who loves his bored out to 58 caliber short barreled T/Cs.
 
I had a Pedersoli Jaeger flintlock and loved it. Sold it to buy a TOTW Jaeger kit and love it even more. A swamped barrel makes a big difference. Not sure if TOTW offers this kit anymore but I would recommend a kit from some reputable kit maker.
 
How much do you have to spend?
Can you afford a gun that might run five k or more?
How soon do you want it. Can you wait a year?
You can go quick and shoot soon, or you have to wait. And wait and wait.
Check it
People bad mouth traditions, but it can get you in the sport fast while you save your pennies for better.
You can find some good guns from Track of the wolf or sitting Fox but choice is limited.
Decision decisions
 
There is a nice Jaeger for sale at the Gun Works made by Craig Kern. I have one of his Jaegers, and it is a joy to shoot and very accurate.
 
I have a Ped jager, barely used it because I bought another longrifle at the same time that I prefer. But it is beefy.
 
I am thinking for my retirement of getting a jaeger.
Watch what you wish for. I had always wanted one. And was able to get nice used custom reproduction, which worked out well for several years. Mainly used it for deer hunting. But as I started to get age. it seemed to had gained weight. So I gave it to our son who is young enough to carry it.
 
Check out Dunlap Woodcrafts, Jim Chambers Flintlocks, or RE Davis for a Jaeger kit as well.
 
You people on this forum are a bunch of enablers! I have been really getting back into muzzle loading of late. I am sort of semi-retired now and hope to pull the pin all the way in the next few months. I am thinking for my retirement of getting a jaeger. Is there anything between the Pedersoli and the expensive (for me) custom made rifles. Should I opt now for a Pedersoli, shoot it a bit and then save my nickels for a better built gun or just wait altogether and start saving for a better rifle? I currently have and shoot a CVA Mountain rifle in .45, a Mowrey in .45, and a New Englander .50.
This original was about $2500. Lovely gun and still as good as it was around 1720ish
 

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Looking at your Jaeger question from a historical light. The jaeger rifle wasn't the rifle for the Americas. It was introduced here into the American woods about 1740 , During the central /western migration of European folks to eastern North America , the Jaeger rifle showed it's weakness. 1. Large caliber ........Inefficient waste of valuable lead , and powder. 2. Short barrel /short sighting plain , longer barrel and smaller caliber needed for hunting , and defense. Jaeger rifles were brought to Moravian gunsmiths in Eastern Pa. , and the long rifle was born. Long barrels, long sight plain , smaller more efficient calibers , .470 , to .60 cal.'s , less ammo components needed. The ability to shoot accurately at longer distances meant more meat , and hides to use or sell.
From personal experience , I've built and used Jaeger rifles of most calibers , ..54 to .69 cal.'s. My favorite was the .62. Over time , I found a barrel of 38 " was most efficient , but that removed the rifle definition away from the Jaeger with a 28" to 32" length barrel , toward a long rifle length barrel of 38" to 44". Shooting deer size game at a distance , requires a cal. from .58 , to .62. Both are stable calibers to get killing hits out to 200 yds. , shooting from a rest , using a peep sight. (I'm old , and can't see well any more). I have always loved the looks of jaeger rifles ,but history proves itself correct. Hope this rambling diatribe has helped someone...........oldwood
 
You people on this forum are a bunch of enablers! I have been really getting back into muzzle loading of late. I am sort of semi-retired now and hope to pull the pin all the way in the next few months. I am thinking for my retirement of getting a jaeger. Is there anything between the Pedersoli and the expensive (for me) custom made rifles. Should I opt now for a Pedersoli, shoot it a bit and then save my nickels for a better built gun or just wait altogether and start saving for a better rifle? I currently have and shoot a CVA Mountain rifle in .45, a Mowrey in .45, and a New Englander .50.
I built mine with parts from Pecatonica. Spend the $$ and get a swamped barrel; it makes a huge difference when you haul it around for a day.
 
i have had 2 Jaegers, i loved them. but both were in 62 calibers, one was a 3000,00 custom gun the other was built from a TOW kit. those large calibers take a lot of lead, and to make them shoot level past 50yds they take a lot of powder, and they take a toll on your body. if i were to get another one it would smaller, like 54 or 50 cal,,,,,,,,,,,,
 
Looking at your Jaeger question from a historical light. The jaeger rifle wasn't the rifle for the Americas. It was introduced here into the American woods about 1740 , During the central /western migration of European folks to eastern North America , the Jaeger rifle showed it's weakness. 1. Large caliber ........Inefficient waste of valuable lead , and powder. 2. Short barrel /short sighting plain , longer barrel and smaller caliber needed for hunting , and defense. Jaeger rifles were brought to Moravian gunsmiths in Eastern Pa. , and the long rifle was born. Long barrels, long sight plain , smaller more efficient calibers , .470 , to .60 cal.'s , less ammo components needed. The ability to shoot accurately at longer distances meant more meat , and hides to use or sell.
From personal experience , I've built and used Jaeger rifles of most calibers , ..54 to .69 cal.'s. My favorite was the .62. Over time , I found a barrel of 38 " was most efficient , but that removed the rifle definition away from the Jaeger with a 28" to 32" length barrel , toward a long rifle length barrel of 38" to 44". Shooting deer size game at a distance , requires a cal. from .58 , to .62. Both are stable calibers to get killing hits out to 200 yds. , shooting from a rest , using a peep sight. (I'm old , and can't see well any more). I have always loved the looks of jaeger rifles ,but history proves itself correct. Hope this rambling diatribe has helped someone...........oldwood
All true, and then the American rifle evolved again into a shorter heavier caliber rifle called by many "Hawken"

What goes around comes around.
 
I have a custom Jeager in .75 cal. it's a beast at just a tad over 11 lbs. Max load is 200 grs of 2F. I've only pushed it that far a couple of times because it is a punisher when loaded that heavy.
 
What do you think of BigSkyRamblers short Virginia in the Percussion section. Kind of a Virginia Sporter!
 
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