What are the lefties shooting for flintlock?

[MrMarine79]

Like I said in a couple of my posts,and I don't have many more than that, I am a newbie to muzzleloaders and was just wondering, as a southpaw, what are your recommendations?


thanks in advance.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Entry level LH flintlocks include those by Lyman, and Pedersoli. At the custom level, you can buy LH flintlocks from Chambers, TVM, Tip Curtiss, and Both Pecatonica, and Track of the Wolf have them in kit forms for sale. Custom gun makers can make anything you want.

For most LH shooters, we get into the sport cheap, and find out if we really like it enough to order a custom gun. When we save enough money, that is the way we go. We are not buying a gun as an investment, or for resale value. Its for personal use. The custom route is a nice way to go in order to het the stock fit correctly for your body build, and the kind of shooting you want to do.

For instance, I have a semi-custom built LH Flintlock Tennessee Poor Boy style rifle with a 39 inch barrel. I also have a 20 gauge smoothbore Fowler, with a 30 inch barrel. I have more use of the fowler shooting birds, than I will shooting deer, and my .50 is my primary " go-to " deer rifle. I do have a commercial kit DB shotgun in percussion in 12 ga., that I also use on birds.

 

[renoman]

I've been shooting a 50cal GPR flint,since about July,as my 1st blackpowder gun.Left hand.
Having a lot of fun with it,very reliable and easy to shoot.Also its a popular gun,alot of posts here deal with this gun specificly,which is a big help if your teaching yourself Ive found.

 

[MrMarine79]

Thanks Renoman,

That is what I'll be doing. Teaching myself with the assistance of the sages here.

I'll be deciding which model to start with and at some point I want a Charleville 1763.

Have wanted one for a long time.


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"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined."
Patrick Henry

 

[Bountyhunter]

What I am curious about is if there is any known example of an original gun with a left hand lock?

It would seem to me that this shouldn't be such a new concept, that whoever was building rifles "then" would have mirrored a right hand lock and produced left handers.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

A LH I.H., 38" .54 Getz barrel, a very good hunting rifle. An old style RH TC Hawken with a 32" .45 Orion bbl, and it is great. My favorite is a RH fusil de chasse, 46" bbl .62 smoothie, and I love it.


Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H.L. Mencken

 

[mazo kid]

Go to page 3 of this forum and you should find a post by "undertaker" about a left hand flint rifle from the 17th century. As far as what lefties shoot, I started with a right hand flint and it worked just fine. Gradually found left hand flinters and now have 5 rifles, 2 smoothies (Trade gun and Fowler), and 2 flint pistols. Emery

 

[Joel Lehman]

My deer rifle is a LH Jim Chambers Isaac Haines 54 cal. The target, small game rifle is a TOW Tennessee mountain style rifle in 40 cal. My fowler is a 20 guage built by Bryan Turner.

Custom guns are worth the cost. The Jim Chambers rifle was a 30th wedding anniversary present, the Brian Turner fowler was for the 35th. For what I spent on a diamonds for my wife I could have had Mike Brooks make several rifles/fowlers. I better say no more.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I once held an original DB shotgun, 12 ga. made in the Tower Armory, in London England, in 1776 or 7, that came from a private collection in St.Louis, Illinois. The barrels were 36 inches long. LOP on the stock was only 12 1/2 inches. It balanced like a dream.

My point here is that the lock had the military double throated locks on both sides, and they were the large, Brown Bess locks, you see on RH military rifles. So, the answer to your question must be " YES", LH locks were made, but they probably cost a fortune, and only the very wealthy could afford them. Someone said a LH French Fusil lock was dug up somewhere in a dig in Louisianna a few years ago, so LH locks were also known to the French. Anywhere you see a Double Barreled Flint shotgun, whether made in Germany, Austria, France , Holland, Denmark, or England, you are looking at LH locks. The fact they exist means they were available for the right price to be used on single barrel guns, too. Sport shooting did not really come into vogue until the last half of the 18th century in Europe, or the colonies. Even then, only the aristocracy had either the time, or money to indulge in the sport, and own the firearms needed to do so. Much earlier than that( and you will find earlier firearms) you are looking at guns that were made for royalty, usually with the hope that the royal would make the gunbuilder his personal armorer, and put him under stipend,( a regular pay check) and pay for his place of work, his apprentices, etc. so that he could afford to do the kind of delicate, and time consuming work that would make him rich and famous.

 

[Billhuntz]

I started with a LH GPR. Then I went to Dixon's Gunmaker's fair and met Tip Cuptis. I bought an in the white Issac Haines LH kit and that's what I shoot now. If I do say so myself it's beautiful and shoots great!!!!

 

[MrMarine79]

Thanks Bill,

I've found a lot of positive feedback on the GPR and I did also see the Isaac Hayes and bookmarked the site.

:thumbsup:

Both in left hand models....

 

[markinstettler]

Maybe Paul knows something I don't, but I haven't been able to find a left-handed flint-lock by Pedersoli.

Back when I was looking for a mass-produced left-handed flint-lock, Pedersoli would have been my first choice. However, I couldn't find a lefty Pedersoli, and they never replied to my emails, so I went with a left-handed Lymans GPR.

As a less costly introduction to flint-locks, I'm happy with the GPR. Mine needs a slight modification (very slightly deepening the lock inletting), but with that exception, it didn't have any problems coming out of the box. Well, there's always the mandatory modifications to the vent, but that's barely worth talking about.

Once I'd convinced myself that I liked flinters and muzzleloaders, I hunted down a custom gun builder. Hopefully, I'll be arranging shipping for a .40" long rifle from Steve Zihn today and receiving my rifle before Christmas. (It's unlikely that a rifle will make it through Canada customs without a long delay, but I'm hopeful.)

 

[paulvallandigham]

Go with the GRP by Lyman. For the money, you can't go wrong. I don't find a left hand Pedersoli, now, either. I may have been thinking of Pedersoli, instead of Investment arms, or whatever name its called, that makes the gunbarrels for Lyman, Cabelas,Dixie, etc. There some really bad locks out there, but these can often be replaced with American made locks. Even with that added expense, you still get a better gun for a lower price than you will pay for an american made lock and gun, although not by much. We are talking about savings of probably less than $100.00, when all is done.