Pennsylvania Hunter
06-22-2008, 06:59 PM
#21
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
lemoyne .... with the 1x scope the sun glare is not such a factor with aiming. I have noticed, and perhaps others that when the sun is behind you on certain sights, the open sights can glare out and I loose them in the sight picture which opens up the groups a little. With the scope this is not such a factor.
Out to 50 yards I do not find much of a difference accuracy wise between the open sights and the scope. But for me, the further out I get, the more the 1x scope seems to help in group size. I like the 1x scope. And they are legal in Wisconsin. I feel they are a real advantage at longer distances.
For instance the other day I was shooting at 118 yards with the 1x on a 28 inch GMB .50 caliber. The rifle is sighted in for 75 yards. If I aimed almost at the top of the plate, it put the bullets into the center of a pie plate almost every time. So if I were field hunting, the 1x would be a real advantage for a longer shot, simply because for me it is a better aiming point. There is no sight advantage since there is no magnification.
Out to 50 yards I do not find much of a difference accuracy wise between the open sights and the scope. But for me, the further out I get, the more the 1x scope seems to help in group size. I like the 1x scope. And they are legal in Wisconsin. I feel they are a real advantage at longer distances.
For instance the other day I was shooting at 118 yards with the 1x on a 28 inch GMB .50 caliber. The rifle is sighted in for 75 yards. If I aimed almost at the top of the plate, it put the bullets into the center of a pie plate almost every time. So if I were field hunting, the 1x would be a real advantage for a longer shot, simply because for me it is a better aiming point. There is no sight advantage since there is no magnification.
06-24-2008, 12:32 PM
#22
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Dover, PA USA
Posts: 5,497
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
Nice rifle.........every single guy in our hunting party except one (T/C Hawken) shoots a Flintlock T/C PA Hunter. A bunch of us also had some gunsmith work done to ours to install a T/C set trigger group (I think he used a Renegade trigger group)
The triggers were pretty horrendous on all of our guns from the factory. (Pretty sure we all have the older style barrel like yours with the step from octagonal to round in the 1/66" twist) I know my trigger wouldn't break over supporting the full weight of the rifle bouncing while hanging from my finger. Had to be somewhere in the mid 20# range.
The set trigger group turned them from flinching machines to downright tack drivers.
We had excellent accuracy for years with roundballs but never cared for the on game performance of them. We would have too many perfectly punched deer leave little to no sign for tracking. I actually shot the same mature doe 3 times in the chest with .50 roundballs before she fell for good. (RMC Speedloader helped)
So when PA finally did away with the roundball only bullet rule we all went searching for something with better on game performance than the light roundballs.
What we all settled on (And some of us independentally I might add) were unexpectedly 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoints (Green gas check)
I wish I had some of my test targets to show you from 50 yards as the accuracy was better than you posted with your Hornady roundballs. My best 3 shot 50 yard group wasjust about 1/2" at 50 yards with the 2nd shot almost dead through the first and the 3rd shot center punching the outside edge of the first.
I can't do any better than that with an open sighted centerfire and this is a FLINTLOCK.[:-]
The load wound up being a bit unconventional and pretty hot but brother does it shoot! I wound up settling on 100grs of FFFg Goex (seems to speed things up and is a bit easier cleaning) primed with the conventional FFFFg.
We also did 2 more things to enhance the accuracy, and that was a fiber optic front insert, and on mine I added a sharp contrasting white traingle to the base of the rear notch to better center the sights in poor lighting.
The other was a bored out touch-hole to speed the ignition even further.
These things combined with good cut agate flints, tuned locks and some electronic contact cleaner to spray on the flint and frizzen face (removing any residues) and I can honeslty say that I have NEVER had a misfire, hangfire or even slow fire since I am shooting it.
It's absolute hell on deer and is quite simply night and day vs the days when we were shooting roundballs from them. We all have slightly different views on powder charges but the bullet for every man wound up being the same. They simply LOVED that 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoint. We've been flipping them over like tin cans ever since.
The triggers were pretty horrendous on all of our guns from the factory. (Pretty sure we all have the older style barrel like yours with the step from octagonal to round in the 1/66" twist) I know my trigger wouldn't break over supporting the full weight of the rifle bouncing while hanging from my finger. Had to be somewhere in the mid 20# range.
The set trigger group turned them from flinching machines to downright tack drivers.
We had excellent accuracy for years with roundballs but never cared for the on game performance of them. We would have too many perfectly punched deer leave little to no sign for tracking. I actually shot the same mature doe 3 times in the chest with .50 roundballs before she fell for good. (RMC Speedloader helped)
So when PA finally did away with the roundball only bullet rule we all went searching for something with better on game performance than the light roundballs.
What we all settled on (And some of us independentally I might add) were unexpectedly 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoints (Green gas check)
I wish I had some of my test targets to show you from 50 yards as the accuracy was better than you posted with your Hornady roundballs. My best 3 shot 50 yard group wasjust about 1/2" at 50 yards with the 2nd shot almost dead through the first and the 3rd shot center punching the outside edge of the first.
I can't do any better than that with an open sighted centerfire and this is a FLINTLOCK.[:-]
The load wound up being a bit unconventional and pretty hot but brother does it shoot! I wound up settling on 100grs of FFFg Goex (seems to speed things up and is a bit easier cleaning) primed with the conventional FFFFg.
We also did 2 more things to enhance the accuracy, and that was a fiber optic front insert, and on mine I added a sharp contrasting white traingle to the base of the rear notch to better center the sights in poor lighting.
The other was a bored out touch-hole to speed the ignition even further.
These things combined with good cut agate flints, tuned locks and some electronic contact cleaner to spray on the flint and frizzen face (removing any residues) and I can honeslty say that I have NEVER had a misfire, hangfire or even slow fire since I am shooting it.
It's absolute hell on deer and is quite simply night and day vs the days when we were shooting roundballs from them. We all have slightly different views on powder charges but the bullet for every man wound up being the same. They simply LOVED that 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoint. We've been flipping them over like tin cans ever since.
06-24-2008, 01:11 PM
#23
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
I never tried the powerbelts in this rifle... It is a thought. Perhaps I will have to give it a try.
My trigger pull on this rifle is excellent. I have the old style sights on this rifle and you could not make me give them up for fiber optics. Fiber Optics are ok, but I like a good iron sight a lot more.
As for roundball.. I have shot a lot of deer with roundball and never lost one. Although I am very fussy about shot placement and angles of shot. I shoot a roundball like I would a arrow. I want a pass through if at all possible through vital organs.
I do wish this rifle was a flintlock, but for the price I got this, I could not pass it up. It is a good shooter. Thanks for the heads up on the Powerbelts. I have some at the house and will have to give them a try with about 100 grains of powder you say....
My trigger pull on this rifle is excellent. I have the old style sights on this rifle and you could not make me give them up for fiber optics. Fiber Optics are ok, but I like a good iron sight a lot more.
As for roundball.. I have shot a lot of deer with roundball and never lost one. Although I am very fussy about shot placement and angles of shot. I shoot a roundball like I would a arrow. I want a pass through if at all possible through vital organs.
I do wish this rifle was a flintlock, but for the price I got this, I could not pass it up. It is a good shooter. Thanks for the heads up on the Powerbelts. I have some at the house and will have to give them a try with about 100 grains of powder you say....
06-24-2008, 01:49 PM
#24
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Dover, PA USA
Posts: 5,497
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
We never lost an animal shot with roundballs, but there were more than a few that wound up being a "body search" Blood trails would be all but non-existant on many, and we thanked our lucky stars when our week long flintlock hunt would coincide with a good snowfall for tracking.
We always took good shots with them but I will never forget that doe I shot about 10 years ago. The first shot was roughly 20 yards from the ground dead broadside,(load was a .490 Hornady just like you shoot from 95grs of FFg)and just punched her clean as could be. She jumped stumbled and ran about 20 yards and stood there, the next shot was quartering away and hit the offside leg on the exit and knocked her down. she got right back up spun around and stood there again.
I sort of had this look on my face as I reloaded. [:-]
By the time I fumbled through another reload she was STILL standing there and a carbon copy of the 2nd shot from the opposite side finally put her on the ground and she still held her head up for about 10 seconds.
I'll never forget it and that was the last animal I have ever shot with a roundball.
Now don't get me wrong we've had some nice clean quick kills as well, but nothing like we get from modern bullets.
I switched bullet styles and have honestly never looked back.
Basically on the sights I just replaced the front blade with the T/C fiberoptic insert style. Its the older one you can't find anymore that has a couple extra ribs of protection for the fiber vs the one I see now that is only supported front and back. I still shoot the factory rear.
If you have any of those 295 grainers laying around absolutely give them a shot. I remember the first time I loaded one and how easy it it loads thinking, "this thing is gonna shoot like a wiffle ball".
They were exactly the opposite and shocked me from that barrel twist, and they flat out knock deer silly.
Glad to hear you got a good factory trigger on that one. Mine was in a word....BRUTAL. LOL
We always took good shots with them but I will never forget that doe I shot about 10 years ago. The first shot was roughly 20 yards from the ground dead broadside,(load was a .490 Hornady just like you shoot from 95grs of FFg)and just punched her clean as could be. She jumped stumbled and ran about 20 yards and stood there, the next shot was quartering away and hit the offside leg on the exit and knocked her down. she got right back up spun around and stood there again.
I sort of had this look on my face as I reloaded. [:-]
By the time I fumbled through another reload she was STILL standing there and a carbon copy of the 2nd shot from the opposite side finally put her on the ground and she still held her head up for about 10 seconds.
I'll never forget it and that was the last animal I have ever shot with a roundball.
Now don't get me wrong we've had some nice clean quick kills as well, but nothing like we get from modern bullets.
I switched bullet styles and have honestly never looked back.
Basically on the sights I just replaced the front blade with the T/C fiberoptic insert style. Its the older one you can't find anymore that has a couple extra ribs of protection for the fiber vs the one I see now that is only supported front and back. I still shoot the factory rear.
If you have any of those 295 grainers laying around absolutely give them a shot. I remember the first time I loaded one and how easy it it loads thinking, "this thing is gonna shoot like a wiffle ball".
They were exactly the opposite and shocked me from that barrel twist, and they flat out knock deer silly.
Glad to hear you got a good factory trigger on that one. Mine was in a word....BRUTAL. LOL
06-28-2008, 07:49 AM
#25
Spike
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 87
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
Cayugad...I may have asked you this before, but Isn't that a rare gun?(because its percussion)I have never seen one before and I thought that T/C made the gun for Pa.'s flintlock only season. It sure is a nice gun as well as a super shooter!
06-28-2008, 08:17 AM
#26
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
How rare it is, I could not really say... I also never saw one in a percussion. In fact when I saw it for sale, I expected a flintlock. When I saw the picture of it, I questioned the owner about it. It is a Pennsylvania Hunter model if that makes a difference.. The others are I believe called Pennsylvania Rifles. So maybe the Hunter part opened the styles up.. Just like T/C makes a Renegade and then they make a Renegade Hunter. The hunter model only has a single trigger.
06-28-2008, 12:22 PM
#27
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location:
Posts: 3,246
RE: Pennsylvania Hunter
ORIGINAL: Matt / PA
Nice rifle.........every single guy in our hunting party except one (T/C Hawken) shoots a Flintlock T/C PA Hunter. A bunch of us also had some gunsmith work done to ours to install a T/C set trigger group (I think he used a Renegade trigger group)
The triggers were pretty horrendous on all of our guns from the factory. (Pretty sure we all have the older style barrel like yours with the step from octagonal to round in the 1/66" twist) I know my trigger wouldn't break over supporting the full weight of the rifle bouncing while hanging from my finger. Had to be somewhere in the mid 20# range.
The set trigger group turned them from flinching machines to downright tack drivers.
We had excellent accuracy for years with roundballs but never cared for the on game performance of them. We would have too many perfectly punched deer leave little to no sign for tracking. I actually shot the same mature doe 3 times in the chest with .50 roundballs before she fell for good. (RMC Speedloader helped)
So when PA finally did away with the roundball only bullet rule we all went searching for something with better on game performance than the light roundballs.
What we all settled on (And some of us independentally I might add) were unexpectedly 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoints (Green gas check)
I wish I had some of my test targets to show you from 50 yards as the accuracy was better than you posted with your Hornady roundballs. My best 3 shot 50 yard group wasjust about 1/2" at 50 yards with the 2nd shot almost dead through the first and the 3rd shot center punching the outside edge of the first.
I can't do any better than that with an open sighted centerfire and this is a FLINTLOCK.[:-]
The load wound up being a bit unconventional and pretty hot but brother does it shoot! I wound up settling on 100grs of FFFg Goex (seems to speed things up and is a bit easier cleaning) primed with the conventional FFFFg.
We also did 2 more things to enhance the accuracy, and that was a fiber optic front insert, and on mine I added a sharp contrasting white traingle to the base of the rear notch to better center the sights in poor lighting.
The other was a bored out touch-hole to speed the ignition even further.
These things combined with good cut agate flints, tuned locks and some electronic contact cleaner to spray on the flint and frizzen face (removing any residues) and I can honeslty say that I have NEVER had a misfire, hangfire or even slow fire since I am shooting it.
It's absolute hell on deer and is quite simply night and day vs the days when we were shooting roundballs from them. We all have slightly different views on powder charges but the bullet for every man wound up being the same. They simply LOVED that 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoint. We've been flipping them over like tin cans ever since.
Nice rifle.........every single guy in our hunting party except one (T/C Hawken) shoots a Flintlock T/C PA Hunter. A bunch of us also had some gunsmith work done to ours to install a T/C set trigger group (I think he used a Renegade trigger group)
The triggers were pretty horrendous on all of our guns from the factory. (Pretty sure we all have the older style barrel like yours with the step from octagonal to round in the 1/66" twist) I know my trigger wouldn't break over supporting the full weight of the rifle bouncing while hanging from my finger. Had to be somewhere in the mid 20# range.
The set trigger group turned them from flinching machines to downright tack drivers.
We had excellent accuracy for years with roundballs but never cared for the on game performance of them. We would have too many perfectly punched deer leave little to no sign for tracking. I actually shot the same mature doe 3 times in the chest with .50 roundballs before she fell for good. (RMC Speedloader helped)
So when PA finally did away with the roundball only bullet rule we all went searching for something with better on game performance than the light roundballs.
What we all settled on (And some of us independentally I might add) were unexpectedly 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoints (Green gas check)
I wish I had some of my test targets to show you from 50 yards as the accuracy was better than you posted with your Hornady roundballs. My best 3 shot 50 yard group wasjust about 1/2" at 50 yards with the 2nd shot almost dead through the first and the 3rd shot center punching the outside edge of the first.
I can't do any better than that with an open sighted centerfire and this is a FLINTLOCK.[:-]
The load wound up being a bit unconventional and pretty hot but brother does it shoot! I wound up settling on 100grs of FFFg Goex (seems to speed things up and is a bit easier cleaning) primed with the conventional FFFFg.
We also did 2 more things to enhance the accuracy, and that was a fiber optic front insert, and on mine I added a sharp contrasting white traingle to the base of the rear notch to better center the sights in poor lighting.
The other was a bored out touch-hole to speed the ignition even further.
These things combined with good cut agate flints, tuned locks and some electronic contact cleaner to spray on the flint and frizzen face (removing any residues) and I can honeslty say that I have NEVER had a misfire, hangfire or even slow fire since I am shooting it.
It's absolute hell on deer and is quite simply night and day vs the days when we were shooting roundballs from them. We all have slightly different views on powder charges but the bullet for every man wound up being the same. They simply LOVED that 295gr Powerbelt hollowpoint. We've been flipping them over like tin cans ever since.
