New Tennessee Rifle

[shootemup]

I have to apologize for not being able to post pics at the moment, but my son is gone with the digital camera.

My new Tennessee Rifle from TVM arrived today, and I'm sorta stoked. This is a poor boy, but a pretty dang nice little rifle in my book. I did get side and toe plates, and a single trigger. Also had 'em drill me a grease hole, although I'll never put anything in it. The barrel is a Green Mountain, 42". It's 40 caliber.

I shot the rifle several times this afternoon, and plan to spend Saturday working on sighting her in.

I'll get pictures up as quick as I can in case anyone wants to see it.

Did I mention I'm stoked? :grin:

:hatsoff:
Spot

 

[paulvallandigham]

Try 60 grains of 3Fg powder, with a .395 " ball, to start. Use a .015" patch with a good lube. If that works well for you, then get some .400" cal. balls and try them. If the gun is like my brother's 3 different .40 cal. rifles, you will probably get even tighter groups. You can shoot lighter loads for plinking and short range practice- 40-45 grains works great. But use the heavier charge for target work.

The Crown has to be polished so that the lands don't cut the patches, but if you slowly push down on the rb into the patch, then cut the patch at the muzzle, you will find that the soft ball will fill the grooves even better, and give you higher velocity, with a lower SDV.

A lot of people load .390" balls in these barrels, to make it "easier" to load the gun "quicker"??? I don't get that reasoning. This is a one-shot hunting sport. Either you kill it with your first shot, or you miss, or cripple the animal and have a long track to follow.

The accuracy using the .395" ball or the .400" ball will be much better than the .390" which isn't all that bad, either.

I think my brother has shot everything from .385" up to .405" in his guns. The closer the ball diameter is to the Groove diameter of the barrel, the tighter the groups.

 

[shootemup]

Try 60 grains of 3Fg powder, with a .395 " ball, to start. Use a .015" patch with a good lube. If that works well for you, then get some .400" cal. balls and try them.

As it happens, that is exactly where I did start. I hadn't thought about trying the .400 balls, but will give it a shot.

First thing I need to do is get sighted in. I'm not crazy about the rear sight (buckhorn), and may end up changing it.

Thanks for the tips.

:hatsoff:
Spot

 

[Tom Compton]

Love those .40s and I'm sure you will too.

I have 3 long rifles in .40 cal. They all shoot very well w/.395 w/.015-.018 patch. I use 50 gr FFg for 50 yds and under. 75 gr FFg for 100 yards. Works out so I don't change the sight or sight picture.

Prime with 4F and if I ever get some will use 7F.

TC

 

[wattlebuster]

:thumbsup: Congrats post pics when u can Id love too see them

 

[shootemup]

Finally got a couple of pics with my daughter's camera:

 

[enbutler]

Impressive! Congrats!

 

[wattlebuster]

:thumbsup: :hatsoff: I like

 

[hanshi]

Once again, very, very nice.

 

[SimonKenton]

Except for the trigger it's a dead ringer for my first TN rifle, Heavy Metal. I called it that because it had a 42" barrel 1" across. Talk about muzzle heavy. I used the hottest loads in the old Lyman black powder manual so up to 140 grains of GOEX FFFg! :shocked2:

It got to be known at the range as "that effin' cannon". I since replace it with Long Tall Sally. She's got a 44" Rice swamped barrel. Only half a pound lighter on the scale but FEELS two pounds lighter and balances about three times as well.

Odd trigger though. Most I've seen have a curved rear/straight front set trigger like both of mine. That looks VERY Pennsylvania. Of course frontier riflesmiths used whatever they had on hand so it's no biggie. :wink:

Ray

 

[shootemup]

Thanks all - Ray, I have to take the blame for that trigger. I wanted a single trigger since this will be a hunting gun. It does look a little different I guess. :grin:

Spot

 

[hawk]

:thumbsup:

 

[mtcurman]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[w_dexter]

Great looking rifle :thumbsup: what finish did you choose on the metal? I have a TVM on order now and still making final decisions on the finish ....let us know how she shoots

 

[rr11]

Nice! I have two TVM rifles can not go wrong with them. Plaining on geting a Tennessee or a Southern rifle next year. Will have to go to over and see Matt in the spring.

 

[shootemup]

Hi W,

Everything is browned. I know they do other finishes, Roundball's TVM Virginia's are a good example.

Which model did you order from TVM?

:hatsoff:
Spot

 

[dcahilly]

who makes tvm rifles,that looks likewhat I want in a flinter

 

[shootemup]

Matt & Toni Avance own TVM, and they're great people to deal with. Toni is a member of this forum under the moniker 'Slash' - here is a link to their website:
http://www.avsia.com/tvm/

This is my fourth TVM, and I heartily recommend them. I got this rifle in about four months, which is less than half the time I expected it to take.

Good luck with it, keep us posted on what you decide to do.

:hatsoff:
Spot

 

[w_dexter]

I have a Late Lancaster 40cal flint on order from TVM....