Bob1961

i've noticed alot of talk about "inlines"....but hardly anymore on flintlocks unless your in a forum for them....i shot a friends of mine and i'm having a hard time seeing what all the hoopla is all about....don't get me wrong i'm not putting then down your anyone who uses them....but they just seem like a variation of a centerfire with a scope, pellets, copper jacketed bullets and all....i tried a flintlock and was bit big time with the bug....come spring i'm going to build a PA flintlock long gun with a 42" barrel....just trying to see the light....not that i'm going to rush out and buy one....thank you........................bob

cayugad

I own flintlocks, cap locks and inlines.. it is all a matter of personal preference I guess. I actually feel that in-line are not the great advantage that many traditional shooters believe them to be.

Their projectiles might be a little more high tech, but are they really anymore effective? I have taken a lot of deer with muzzleloaders, perhaps this year I will get one with a in-line. When people compare a copper plated powerbelt to a round ball I always tell them, place either in the right place and the results are the same.

If you take the scopes off a lot of inlines they are not better accuracy wise then traditional rifles. The few advantages like fiber optic sights, and sealed breechs on some models (not all... of the three I own not one of them have a sealed breech) might be nice, but you can do the same to a cap lock. If you know your flintlock, many have no problems hunting in wet weather. The traditional rifles take more committment. Some people do not have the time to commit to the sport the way they might want to. In lines are an option to them in this case.

Granted scoped inlines and red dotted inlines are an advantage at longer ranges. But is that because of the rifle or the optics. If you put the same optics on your Hawkins, could you figure out how to shoot it out to the same distances as the inline could? I believe you could.

The thing that a in-line offers is the oppertunity for many more people to enjoy the sport of black powder. It gets them onto the target ranges and in the field hunting because they can tune them faster and there is not as much to learn about them. The best is inline shooters spend thousands of sporting good dollars which in some States a portion of that is used for wildlife programs. It also keeps the hunting industry alive....

I do feel that some of the people with inlines later turn to the traditional aspect of the sport because they are interested in it from the aspect of what they have learned using the inlines. It opens the door to their learning. This is a good thing. Whether they ever buy a flinter is besides the point, at least some of them are reading the history of the rifles.

I used to hear the same thing when compound bows first came on the scene. All the recurve and tradtional straight bow shooter howled over something like a compound. Now they are more accepted in many cases then the stick bows. It gave some people a greater oppertunity to hunt.

The more hunters and target shooter we have in our ranks the better voice we have in political places to make sure out rights as hunters and target shooters are not taken away or restricted to a point where we will no longer go through the hoops to participate in the sport. The more voices we have the more power we have in Washington and local elections.

You don't have to like a inline, own one, or even use one if you find them objectional. All you need do is what makes you happy. There is room out there for all of us.

I will state that if all inlines were banned from hunting, the number of those that own inlines might surprise you how many of them would get a traditional rifle only because the black powder concept is not such a mystery to them anymore. Of course a lot of them would leave the sport simply due to lack of time to because a traditional shooter, but for many... they are hooked on the black powder concept as a whole.

johnch

IMO flint locks are ok if everything works . But the lock time is slow , there is a chance that the priming charge got wet , the vent hole is pluged or a spark just dosn't make it down ,the rnd ball most twists are for just dosn't have enough energy at longer ranges. I use a flint only if I have to on deer , because it is a 1 shot game and I want the 1 shot to be perfict. I use a 36 cal flint lock on squirel all the time.

Charley

Not a thing!

Lock time is slow due to 1. poor quality lock! You can get away with a lower quality percussion lock, but you can't with a flinter! 2. worn frizzen, see number 1. 3.Improper loading. Over filled pan, no use of a vent pick, poor quality or worn flint.

Nothing wrong with inlines. I would rather see people hunting with inlines than not at all, but if you are going to shoot an inline, you must face the fact that it's not a lot different from a cartridge gun. It sorta loads thru the front, but that is about it.

I hunt with traditional rifles...kinda obvious I am biased. I've got a .50 percussion T/C Mountain Rifle (I refuse to call it a Hawken...it's no mare a Hawken rifle than I am Jake Hawken) a Dixie .32 Poorboy in Flint, an Italian "Harper's Ferry" in .54, a Jim Chambers Pennsylvania Fowler in 20 bore, and a .45 Southern Mountain rifle from TOTW parts. All are blooded hunters except the .45, Just finished it this year and have not hunted with it yet. I've never had a problem getting close enough for flint and round ball kills, and I'm no great woodsman!

roundball

Actually John, if I may clarify, none of the things you mentioned are "intrinsic" to flintlocks...they are "allowed" to happen by the owner / shooter.

Flintlocks are no different than taking up any other sport that utilizes equipment...you have to spend a little time learning about them and how to use them to avoid those things you mentioned...mine are like shooting a .30-30...I get 6 deer tags a year and have filled them all with patched round balls for a several years now, and specifically with flintlocks the last couple years...they're so fast and reliable they're all I need to deer hunt with.
http://www.members.aol.com/wjcutbush...7pointers2.jpg
http://www.members.aol.com/wjcutbush/54cal8pointer.jpg
http://www.members.aol.com/wjcutbush/45cal6pointer.jpg

After all, flintlocks are what the entire population of our country used in their daily lives to put food on the table, protect themselves from attackers, etc, for over a couple hundred years...won our independence, won the war of 1812, etc.

So give them a serious try deer hunting so you'll KNOW they'll work every time and you'll have a deer laying in the leave as if you'd hit him with a .30-30...get some black english flints, Goex powder, Oxyoke prelubed patches, Hornady balls, and drag'em out !!

bronko22000

Nothing wrong with flinters at all. I love shooting mine bot on the range and for deer hunting. I agree with roundball. All it takes is a little more TLC and a bit of knowledge about them and reliability is not an issue.
Keep your powder dry.

RustyOlRanger4x4

I dont think theres anything wrong with them, ive never shot one, owned one, or really even messed with one they just seem to complicated for me but id be willing to try one.

James B

I use both inline and traditional. I however use caplocks for the same reason our forfathers switched to cap locks. More reliable faster lock time. More consistant.

livbucks

I have shot a flintlock <40 shots total.
The thing that sums flinting up to me is maintenance. Treat the gun like it is equivalent to the beating of your heart or the air that you breathe. Every day that you fire the gun you should take down the gun, clean it thoroughly. adjust and test the flint, maybe knap the edge or replace it, all in all total inspection and adjustment, so that the next time you go to fire the gun it is in prime operating condition. Once you do this a few times it becomes second nature. Our forefathers knew that their lives depended on the gun to fire when called on and took this responsibility very seriously. Modern centerfire rifles and modern smokeless powders have spoiled us. You could conceivably shoot a modern day gun your whole hunting career without ever cleaning or adjusting it, and it would function well enough to kill something. This is impossible with a flintlock. A flint shooter should make his gun like new after every shooting session. If you clean and maintain it properly, making necessary adjustments and testing of function and obey some fundamental rules, you should go "bang" every time. As for comparing them to inlines, just a little more dedication involved. They are just a different variation of the same tool. The inlines have a few technological upgrades that remove a little (not much) of the attention needed to be reliable.

roundball

And it's that knowledge and attention to detail that is the challenge and sense of accomplishment...to master what our forefathers did as second nature like you said.

I've hunted all my life with everything, including good deer with a scoped inline but it was no different than a Marlin .30-30, a Remington .30-06, etc.

Deer with a flintlock and patched round ball are a totally different, and a uniquely satisfying feeling...lay the rifle back down and see smoke curling up out of the vent, an 8 pointer laying in the leaves 50yds away, and the feeling hits you that "this is how the settlers did it"...a connection to the past like nothing else...the first buck with a flintlock was all it took...all my centerfires just lay oiled in their cases now...might as well start selling them