T/C New Englander?

[trad hunter]

Can anyone tell me about this gun? I am looking at buying
a used one for my first black powder gun.It is a 50 cal
looks to be in near unused condition.would like any info
on gun and manufacture like if you can get a manual from
them if its a discontinued model if you could still
get parts if needed etc.Also any experiences anyone has
had with shooting this gun.Asking price is 145. ::

 

[Rebel]

I had one of them and it was a good shooting gun. I had both the .50 cal. and the extra .12 ga. barrel they made for them. You can still find the .12 ga barrels on the auctions now and then. With both barrels is it a real good all around gun. They are made by Thompson Center, and have a Lifetime warrenty. Parts should still be available. For $145, if it is in good shape, i would say go for it. It has if i remember right a 27" barrel. Mine shot good with a .490 rd ball and 70-80 grs of 3f powder, with a pillow ticking patch. I did find that i got better ignition with it with CCI #11 Magnum caps.

 

[swquiro]

Trad, I've had two TC New Englanders. The first one was a good shooter, but when I went overseas to work I sold it. When I returned I bought another, but could never get it to shoot to my satisfaction. Also, it had some defect in the lock mechanism. The normal procedure for silent cocking got rid of the main click (holding back on the trigger while moving the hammer from half cok to full cock), but there wer still some extraneous scratching sounds that would certainly have spooked any deer within 30 yards. I finally unloaded it, figuratively speaking. At $145 and in good condition Id say go for it. If you are not happy with it after putting it through its paces you can probably sell it and recoup all your investment.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've got one of the first kits. The shotgun barrel is a hoot; lots of fun for upland game. As a bonus mine throws a 0.715" patched round ball where I point it. My .50 cal rifle barrel doesn't like round ball loads except the very light ones. I use 350 gr Maxi-Hunters with 90 grs of FFg and it cloverleafs them at 50 yards. That's a duplication of the "Big Fifty" 50-90 cartridge and will cleanly harvest any game in North America. It is the muzzleloader I use in the regular gun season. Relatively light and very handy. The large trigger bow and single trigger make it nice with gloves. I like mine.