Live from the stand thread

[Bill Loser]

Sitting in the box blind with my flintlock on the last hunt of 2024. I wanted to be sitting about 200 yards in front of where I'm at but it was raining when I walked out the back door so staying dry took precedent. Of course the rain quit and now it's to late to move up.

Happy New Year everyone.
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Tell me more about your flint lock. I muzzleloader hunt with a .54 cal hawken. Dont see many using the old style one anymore.

 

[Gravel Road]

Just filled my doe tag. Pretty chilly at 22 deg. Even had bucks chasing a hot doe earlier

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[RGrizzzz]

Tell me more about your flint lock. I muzzleloader hunt with a .54 cal hawken. Dont see many using the old style one anymore.

Pennsylvania has a dedicated Flintlock season, after Xmas, for a few weeks. You can also use your buck tag on a doe with a flintlock. (There's a great Meat eater episode where Steve does this hunt. Really shows off what the experience can be like)

We have a mix of Hawkens and Lyman 50 calibers in our camp. For Xmas, I got my dad a 20 gauge flintlock Fowler with a Colerain turkey choked barrel. He wants to get a turkey with a flintlock.

 

[bigboreblr]

Flintlocks aren't only in PA. Your season is though. I would be out todaywith my great plains rifle If it wasn't for a spell of covid.

356,

I shoot modern muzzleloaders too. There is a thread in the gun section about a guy who just picked one up this season. I wrote down the things I do to keep it reliable. The only failure I had in 15 years is snow getting into my pan while hunting PA's flintlock season. Still my fault, should of had the lock cover on, a leather min tarp of sorts. I also went too long in the day without changing the pan powder. Now I put a toothpick in the pan and leave it dry when I am sitting.

A few things I do, I use a drill bit the size of the hole in the primer side. T/C is 1/8" Most CVA's are 3/32 or #85 bit is closer. Just use your fingers twist it in there to get the crud out. Put a little of that chapstick tyle neversize on the thread, but never put any oil on the breech plug. You can clean it with just water and store unoiled just fine, its stainless. No fouling and no oil in the hole, I don't fire a cape before I load, just makes it worse. Clean is clean. Store the gun without the plug muzzledown.

I always reload regardless if deer is down or ran off. I twist that bit in there, then reload. Always fired on me.

 

[bigboreblr]

Any PA folks been to dixon's lately. LAst time I was there was 2018. Im like a kid in a candy store there. I really miss the muzzleloading fair. Don't miss them firing that cannon all the time. I even planted a little patch of prickly pear cactus at home like they have.

Flintlock season, plenty of public land and AG, very generous season, good fishing too, much rather retire in PA than NC.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Any PA folks been to dixon's lately. LAst time I was there was 2018. Im like a kid in a candy store there. I really miss the muzzleloading fair. Don't miss them firing that cannon all the time. I even planted a little patch of prickly pear cactus at home like they have.

Flintlock season, plenty of public land and AG, very generous season, good fishing too, much rather retire in PA than NC.

I haven't been, but it's on my to do list.

What are you shooting with your Flintlock? Round ball? PA canonical? Sabots? I have the Great Plains too and shoot PRB. I did pick up the "rifle" barrel for it, but never swapped it on.

 

[Angus 1895]

I heard of a flintlock in below zero weather snap( shatter?) off of rifle when fired.

 

[bigboreblr]

I shoot all roundballs. I forgot the name of the forest, a large one north of philly that has the end of january extension. I was up there 5 years ago and joined in a drive with some guys hunting there. One of them had a custom flintlock, but with 1:28 for sabots. It does sound slick.

I Probably shoot 8-10 roundballs to a centerfire cartridge at the range. I shoot muzzleloader competitions locally, Almost all are woodswalk. I know the 54 trajectory pretty well. I don't mind a real nice huge buck, but my priority is an ethical shot. Im more than glad to pass up shooting a deer, just happy to see a nice one, even happier If it didn't notice me. I "shoot" every deer I see pretty much. Mount the gun, keep it steady to 10-15 seconds. Then I can say I could of shot em. Also, doing that really tones down the buck jitters. That and shooting deer shilouettes.

 

[fishin coyote]

Tell me more about your flint lock. I muzzleloader hunt with a .54 cal hawken. Dont see many using the old style one anymore.

Bill, It’s a .50 cal TC Renegade my parents gave me for christmas in 79. The old girl and I have been through a lot over the last 45 years. I’ve lost count of how many deer she has under her now but with 80gr of 2F and a PRB it’s deadly. I’ve used in every flintlock except 1 since 1980, a bunch of PA’s early ML seasons and a few times in the rifle antlerless season .

“I heard of a flintlock in below zero weather snap( shatter?) off of rifle when fired.” Angus 1895 while anything is possible It was probably just the flint breaking. The coldest I’ve hunted and successfully killed a deer was -18 in a late January management hunt

 

[RGrizzzz]

I shoot all roundballs. I forgot the name of the forest, a large one north of philly that has the end of january extension. I was up there 5 years ago and joined in a drive with some guys hunting there. One of them had a custom flintlock, but with 1:28 for sabots. It does sound slick.

I Probably shoot 8-10 roundballs to a centerfire cartridge at the range. I shoot muzzleloader competitions locally, Almost all are woodswalk. I know the 54 trajectory pretty well. I don't mind a real nice huge buck, but my priority is an ethical shot. Im more than glad to pass up shooting a deer, just happy to see a nice one, even happier If it didn't notice me. I "shoot" every deer I see pretty much. Mount the gun, keep it steady to 10-15 seconds. Then I can say I could of shot em. Also, doing that really tones down the buck jitters. That and shooting deer shilouettes.

Sorry it's the Great Plains rifle "Hunter" barrel I bought. It has a 1:24 twist. I'm not sure if you can still find them for sale.

 

[bigboreblr]

Grizzz, IF you have a good bore for that flintlock, that'll do sabots just fine. MY omega and I think the CVA as well is 1:28". Sabots might not respond nicely to bore pitting. Frizzen still good? The T/C have a thin hardened surface vs the lyman frizzen. A little filing and the lyman fits on there if and when you need to replace.

Flintlocks are fragile little buggers. You have to inlet the breech plug / tang area very carefully. I cheat and epoxy that area to make the fit good. Where the problem is likely is the tennon. The tabs that are under the barrel and pinned to the stock. Once you pin them, you have to take them out and elongate the hole to a line. The temp and humidity make the pin locations move. As with any gun the wrist area grain has to be right too. When you have a 3ft+ forearm section on a stock, it get harder to get that grain where you like it. Loose tang bolts can be a problem too. Not as pretty as other builds, a double tang bolt is cheap insurance. Often epoxying leave stain marks too. Its good to inlet, then epoxy, thren finish the wirst area surface.

IF the weather is good and the corn isn't chopped yet, I bring my flintlock out during rifle season. Especially If I got doe in the freezer already. Huunting 30 minutes after dark is kind of a new thing in NY. 4 or 5 years if that. Now you definitely want a scope. I see more deer at 2:30 than at dusk at that site.

 

[Electrodigical]

Huunting 30 minutes after dark...

That line is kind of misleading. It's 30 minutes after sunset. "Sunset" is a specific time every day. That was a welcome change compared to guessing what was an wasn't okay. Where I hunt you have no idea when the sun sets beause of the hills. It disappears behind the mountain at least and hour, maybe two before it goes over the horizon. I find it works both ways, mostly weather related, there are days when it's too dark to shoot before legal time is up. Other times I could see and shoot well past what would be legal. Like I said, I like having a set time compared to the old "dawn to dusk" which was way too open to interpretation.


ETA: I've run into a lot of hunters, including some family members I hunt with that thought "sunset" just means when the sun sets. (Leave it to NY to be vague and not explain it like every law they write) Sunrise and sunset is a specific time wherever you are and it changes a little every day. If you have a smart phone there are several Aps that you can track it, including ones that track the half hour before and after and count down by the second until the next one happens. Helpful to plan your hunt, as well as stay legal.
or https://www.timeanddate.com/sun

 

[bigboreblr]

Sorta wish that snow cameup to northern NY. Haven't snowmobiled yet. I did have a thought in november, if the snowmobile trails aren't open in january go flintlock hunting.

Now PA is getting some snow. Been a few moons snce I been in milford state forest.

 

[fishin coyote]

There's a grapevine thicket in front me about 50 yds but it's hard to see at the moment. In the middle of a lake effect snow event. Picked up about 20-25" over the last 3 days. Don't expect to see anything but it beats sitting in the house

 

[bueller]

There's a grapevine thicket in front me about 50 yds but it's hard to see at the moment. In the middle of a lake effect snow event. Picked up about 20-25" over the last 3 days. Don't expect to see anything but it beats sitting in the house
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Get the snowmobile out!

 

[356]

Back at it before the forecasted snow. 19 degrees with a steady NE wind.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Decided to stop being lazy

 

[Mortenson]

Congrats. Good timing right before a foot of snow! Nice building too. Did your new farm come with it?

 

[356]

In the mobile blind for an afternoon sit before the snow. This is a new location along a travel route.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Congrats. Good timing right before a foot of snow! Nice building too. Did your new farm come with it?

I wish we were getting a foot…we are bound for an ice event.
That’s just my cabin/house at my main place but thank you. It checks all the boxes for me