mauser06

ok...i really like this black powder stuff....and have a tc 50 cal flintlock hawken....as we know if it rains my guns dang near useless...and little things can cause a misfire....but how about a percussion gun?? are they more reliable? any way i can seal the cap so it dont get wet? i think i seen cap covers in cabelas..dont know if htey will help seal out water or what......ive never shot a percussion gun.....i dont really want an inline...to me that takes alot of the fun out of it....really if i get a percussion it will be a tc hawken but a percussion...same gun.....so i can shoot the same loads same everything...no switching gear or anything.....but if its as useless as my flinter in bad weather i wont buy one....i kinda want something for them nice days in rifle season...where ill kick myself if my flinter doesnt go off when a nice buck steps out because i could have a 3006 in my hands...so how reliable are percussion guns?? i had my flinter tilted and the powder was all messed up in the flash pan and i had a misfire while hunting already...all the powder was far away from the touchhole...just a flash in the pan...youll have that....it was fun...but when i dont HAVE to have the flinter id like something a bit more reliable but still an older style black powder gun yano what i mean..?any info on percussions?? maybe ill step up to a 54 cal.....you guys seem to like them alot....i dont know if i will get one...im just thinking....its too dang easy with a 3006...and when i shot the deer the other day with the flinter it was a blast...loading like a mountain man....the smoke cloud....the misfire was a rush.....i like it alot...its fun......anyone know about percussions though?

James B

I might catch hell for this but yes the percussion cape are much more reliable. I say this because my hunting partner for many years used the flintlosy and I used the caplock. Although he was very carefull to keep his powder charge dry, he had occasional misfires while I have never in 20 years of muzzle loader shooting have had a misfire with the caplock. I used to get smoe little rubber rings that fit over the cap and nipple at a muzzle loading shop in South Dakota. I know thier are many precautions to use to keep a flintlock dry but it was never worth it to me. The tradition of the caplock goes back to very early firearms and the arguement that they are not traditional is BUNK. Though that never bothered me anyway. I shoot a caplock and an inline. Our forfathers always used the lastest in firearms. So do I.

lonewolf5347

MAUSER IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO STAY WITH THE 50 CAL.T/C FLINTER AND UPGRADE TO A GEEN MOUNTAIN DROP IN BARREL ( PERCUSSION) AND A LOCK, IT WILL FIT YOUR SET-UP THAT YOU NOW HAVE.

kevin1

Lonewolf5347 ,
for what a Green Mountain barrel would cost he could buy a whole new ML , but at least his present stock would still get some use .

Mauser06 ,
caplocks are far more reliable for hunting , especially in wet weather . Save your flinty for fun shooting or dry days , and get another ML . You know that you want another one anyway ...
A simple drip of birthday candle wax will waterproof a percussion cap well enough for all but the wettest days afield , or you can buy those miniature " jimmy hats" from Cabelas or most major ML makers like Traditions .

mauser06

lonewolf....would that work? i seen the barrels in cabelas and they are only 150 or so...plus a lock is like 50 or so...maybe morei duno..i know changing the lock is simple just 1 screw to take off the flint and put on the hammer....thats all id need right? and my gun would always be dead on once sighted in right?? none of that i have to resight in crap....you take your ml barrel off to clean so it shouldnt matter right?? that would actualy work nice and save me atleast 100 maybe even 200 or more...and would be nice....i like the flinter but a rifle is sometimes to easy....and sometimes a flinter is way to hard...like in a light rain...or heavy snow....ect....so a caplock keeps me pretty traditional...but still will go bang.....what do you guys think? thats all i need is the percussion hammer and the barrel right??

lonewolf5347

mauser you are correct once you sight in the gun with the iron sight either the percussion or flint barrel it will be on the money.would just be a matter in changing the barrels and lock.I think if you are not in a hurry you can do alot better than $150.00 from cabelas I sen alot of barrels for around $100.00 bucks or better and a lock used in good shape matbe around $35.00 bucks check out theses sight for great deals e bay is one, http://www.auctionarms.com/oldlook.htm
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http://www.dream-tools.com/tools/mes...ldetradinpost+
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mauser06

thanx alot...ill take a look at them and save them for when im ready....it wont be until spring or later.....but i think thats what ill do because its cheaper and i dont want an inline........and have rifles.....

cayugad

I have owned and hunted with a T/C Renegade for over 25 years. I have hunted with it in all kinds of weather. Here in Wisconsin, rain and snow is real common during modern and muzzleloader season. I use a muzzleloader even in the modern season now. I used to use the modern rifles but it just was not as much fun, and after all I am not out there just to shoot animals (although I enjoy the meat) but enjoy the whole hunting experience.

My Renegade is a cap lock. There are little tricks you can use to make sure the thing will have an above average chance of going off in rotten weather. The whole joy of black powder is, you have one shot and there " is that chance of no fire."

Actually I have had only one misfire and that was on a perfect fall afternoon. No rain or snow, just a bad cap. The second cap fired the gun but it was a little too late by then. I changed caps and have never had a problem since.

I really like the idea of a second barrel. I have tried to talk myself into a drop in barrel for the Renegade, but I would never hear the end of it at home. I just bought a CVA Stalker, and am now reminded often of what I need and such, and as hard as I looked have not located the hole in my head that keeps coming up in conversations. My friend bought a Green Mountain drop in barrel with a 1-66 twist for his Hawkins, and when we were shooting on afternoon, to be a show off, was shooting the thumbtacks off the paper that held the target to the backstop. That rifle barrel is very accuarate to say the least. You can choose if you want a roundball nail driving rifle, or go to a fast twist and shoot conicals or sabots. What a great idea... Good luck on what ever you choose.

kevin1

Mauser06 ,
now you can see why Cayugad is one of my heroes when it comes to MLs , that' s a man who knows what he wants from his , but he' s still open to suggestion . Green Mountain makes some really fine barrels , but you' re a bit new to the process at the moment . Switch to a cheaper caplock barrel and try it out . Get good with it , then upgrade .

bugs11

Mauser,
If your looking for a round ball shooter, you can' t go wrong with a caplock Lymans Great Plains Rifle. A GPR is a classic authentic looking Hawken style ML. The bolster has a little screw 90 degrees to the barrel, along the path of the flash hole. Remove that screw and you can run a pipe cleaner through the flash hole into the barrel during cleaning. I' ve never had a mis-fire with my GPR in 15 years and I' ve hunted in rain, sleet and snow. Now one time she didn' t fire, but then I neglected to charge before seating the patched roundball (done during a shooting session at the range). The GPR is very accurate and fun to shoot.