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Short and light

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This is my first post here been lurking/reading for a while but I’m having a lot of trouble finding what I’m looking for.

I hunt the Adirondack mountains in New York. I never sit in a stand and walk all day. I want to kill a buck with a flintlock still hunting or tracking on snow. I’ve Hunted with a flintlock a few times in Pennsylvania with a borrowed modern flintlock and it was fun but not what I’m looking for.
I want a short barreled light weight gun. It’s common for me to walk 8-10 miles a day so it will be carried a lot and shot a little. I think I want a single trigger because it seems like it would be faster and less hassle for close range hunting when things happen quick. How short can I go with the barrel? I need it to balance well when carried 1 handed but want it as compact as possible for getting through the thick stuff. I don’t want anything fancy or shiny. I’m also left handed so I’m sure that limits my options.

I appreciate any and all insight!
 
This is my first post here been lurking/reading for a while but I’m having a lot of trouble finding what I’m looking for.

I want a short barreled light weight gun.

Welcome to the board !

If you can find one, both Traditions & Lyman flinchlocks came with a 24" bbl - about as short as you can get in a factory rifle.

The Traditions rifle is billed as an "Ultralight"

Lyman:
lyman-deer-50-f_1.jpg


Traditions:
R3200801_TRAD_Wood_50Cal_EA1__31378.1583348194.jpg
 
Welcome to the board !

If you can find one, both Traditions & Lyman flinchlocks came with a 24" bbl - about as short as you can get in a factory rifle.

The Traditions rifle is billed as an "Ultralight"

Lyman:
lyman-deer-50-f_1.jpg


Traditions:
R3200801_TRAD_Wood_50Cal_EA1__31378.1583348194.jpg
If they was smooth-bores they'd be canoe guns for sure.
 
This is my first post here been lurking/reading for a while but I’m having a lot of trouble finding what I’m looking for.

I hunt the Adirondack mountains in New York. I never sit in a stand and walk all day. I want to kill a buck with a flintlock still hunting or tracking on snow. I’ve Hunted with a flintlock a few times in Pennsylvania with a borrowed modern flintlock and it was fun but not what I’m looking for.
I want a short barreled light weight gun. It’s common for me to walk 8-10 miles a day so it will be carried a lot and shot a little. I think I want a single trigger because it seems like it would be faster and less hassle for close range hunting when things happen quick. How short can I go with the barrel? I need it to balance well when carried 1 handed but want it as compact as possible for getting through the thick stuff. I don’t want anything fancy or shiny. I’m also left handed so I’m sure that limits my options.

I appreciate any and all insight!
Welcome to the forum! It would be best to get a left handed rifle, but not totally necessary. (JMO)
I am right handed and shoot my double flintlock 12 gauge and have no issues shooting either side.
 
Don’t cloud your mind with left and right handed! Folks have shot guns from either hand for centuries and even today some, like me do it with regularity.
 
Those little Traditions guns have been around since the 70's and they work pretty dang well, about the only other choice is having a nice light rifle built for close to $2,000. No matter what, buy real black powder. If anyone suggests Pyrodex, pellets or any "fake " powder, they have never shot a flintlock so kick them between the uprights.
 
In order to get exactly what I want I would consider building one. This give you a wide range of options in barrel length and caliber. Now....about that 8 - 10 miles a day. I enjoy still hunting but that sounds more jog hunting with a very long recovery drag. ;)
 
A custom gun sounds like it would be cool to get exactly what I think I want. I’ve been looking at a lot of kits but shortest barrel I can find is 32”.
2000$ is about double what I was hoping to spend.
Those little Traditions guns have been around since the 70's and they work pretty dang well, about the only other choice is having a nice light rifle built for close to $2,000. No matter what, buy real black powder. If anyone suggests Pyrodex, pellets or any "fake " powder, they have never shot a flintlock so kick them between the uprights.
 
Look around your area, find some rendezvous, or historical shooting events or black powder clubs. You may be surprised how light, well balanced a longrifle is. My primary hiking rifle is a iron mounted 42" barreled flintlock and wouldn't trade it. Often at rendezvous a person can find a slightly used gun in great condition for half of what it costs to have one built.
 
Look around your area, find some rendezvous, or historical shooting events or black powder clubs. You may be surprised how light, well balanced a longrifle is. My primary hiking rifle is a iron mounted 42" barreled flintlock and wouldn't trade it. Often at rendezvous a person can find a slightly used gun in great condition for half of what it costs to have one built.
I’ll have to look around for one, that’s a good idea.
The deer rifle i’ve mainly carried the last could years overall length is 38” I couldn’t imagine trying to get through the swamps with a gun with a 42” barrel.
 
Another thought, Go onto MeWe and sign up on "Flintlock Era" and post your thoughts and what your looking for. That site although slow still allows the sale of black powder guns and it's surprising how many people will opt to sell one that they may have as a extra. Worth a shot anyhow.
 
In order to get exactly what I want I would consider building one. This give you a wide range of options in barrel length and caliber. Now....about that 8 - 10 miles a day. I enjoy still hunting but that sounds more jog hunting with a very long recovery drag. ;)

When you hunt an area with less than 1 deer per square mile you have to cover a lot of ground just to find a track and that’s when the hunt starts.
 
I’ll have to look around for one, that’s a good idea.
The deer rifle i’ve mainly carried the last could years overall length is 38” I couldn’t imagine trying to get through the swamps with a gun with a 42” barrel.
I live in northern Minnesota's thick, thick manure and love swamps, you learn to deal, although a shorter gun is nice at times.
 
In my early Army days i carried an 11-pound walnut and steel rifle many miles a day. I never thought of it being too heavy, but your muscles get used to that sort of thing if you do it every day. A flintlock long rifle would weigh less.

As for handiness in the brush, you need to remember your own body and the clothes and gear will make more noise than the rifle, and hang up more. If you manage the rifle right it will make almost no noise at all. Only if you insist on standing totally up right and clopping along at port arms does a rifle become a problem. Use it out front to bulldoze your way through brush will cause a hell of a racket. Learn to lace the rifle through the brush like a needle and things will be much quiter. A longrifle needn't be a problem for one who knows how to manage it well.
 
I know absolutely nothing about the terrain your hunting in but 8 or so miles in is a long way to bring a deer back out. You don't need a stand to hunt from but if I may suggest sit more and walk less.
 
In my early Army days i carried an 11-pound walnut and steel rifle many miles a day. I never thought of it being too heavy, but your muscles get used to that sort of thing if you do it every day. A flintlock long rifle would weigh less.

As for handiness in the brush, you need to remember your own body and the clothes and gear will make more noise than the rifle, and hang up more. If you manage the rifle right it will make almost no noise at all. Only if you insist on standing totally up right and clopping along at port arms does a rifle become a problem. Use it out front to bulldoze your way through brush will cause a hell of a racket. Learn to lace the rifle through the brush like a needle and things will be much quiter. A longrifle needn't be a problem for one who knows how to manage it well.

I’m sure it can be done with a longer, heavier gun but for me I like short and light. About every new deer rifle I buy before it ever makes it out the back door to be shot gets put in the vice for a barrel trimming unless it came from the factory at the legal limit. Been doing pretty well so far and Not looking to change now.
 
I know absolutely nothing about the terrain your hunting in but 8 or so miles in is a long way to bring a deer back out. You don't need a stand to hunt from but if I may suggest sit more and walk less.

My style of hunting is tracking. Walk until you find a large enough buck track then follow the track until you kill him or you run out of daylight. I know deer can be killed when sitting but it’s not my style.
If we don’t have snow I’m walking looking for deer sign to go back to when we get snow and try to find a track.

this is my buck from last year, I shot him in his bed 13 gps miles after I cut his track.
 

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