[GBullet]

...during deer season.

Successfully hunting with the same gear as our forefathers used is its own reward. I haven't decided if I will use percussion or flintlock, but it will probably be percussion this year.

Pennsylvania has a flintlock only requirement for part of their deer season. Although I've never hunted there, it fascinates me. I hear that PA's hunters are quite skilled. Here are the 2004-2005 PA reg's on the flint only season:

Flintlock Muzzleloader Season: Only single-barrel long-guns with a flintlock ignition system are permitted. The firearm must be an original or reproduction of a gun used prior to 1800, which is .44 caliber or larger, with iron, open "V" or notched sights (fiber-optic inserts are permitted). A flintlock ignition system consists of a hammer containing a naturally-occurring stone which is spring-propelled onto an iron or steel frizzen, which, in turn, creates sparks to ignite a gunpowder. Flintlock hand guns are not permitted. Flintlock muzzleloader hunters may use "any single projectile," including sabots, and mini and maxi balls.

What I hope to do is use a muzzleloader throughout the regular season, too.

I clean a muzzleloader with hot water. The easy way to do this is to run plain water through your coffee maker to heat it (obviously I've rejoined civilization at this point). I then pour the water into an old, metal coffee can. I sit the coffee can on a scrap of rug to keep the colder floor from cooling the water too quickly.


Who else likes hunting with rifles that make loud noises and stinky smoke?

 

[brass hammer]

my brother, in n.e ohio

calls them 'flinch locks'[he takes 5 DEER ayear]in penn/ohio


i shoot a 51navy and a spiller/burr[also.36, both repoes]

never put them in the dishwasher yet ,but do clean in sink with HOT WATER.

not any dedicated hunting, though i do fancy myself a bow hunter, ha! who am i trying to kid? i could have taken 10x as many with hand grenades out here[i can get that close] but,i can't connect/find[yes, i've lost a monster mulie one year,and it made me more than sick, some other hunters found it about 5 days later, another set of hunters relayed that info to me out in the bush, a week after i quit looking for it]



a word of advice, take a mirror with you to look at your self every few days so you don't revert to wildman status permentently[sp?]HA!


have a BLAST!



thanks.

 

[RIKA]

I hunt with a 50cal Lyman Hawken along with a spare Thompson Center in 45cal. Both percussion. Never killed a deer though last year was my first year. I like hunting with the old rifles because I'm forced to practice my woodsman's skills and get up close.

You will thoroughly enjoy yourself GB, just get plenty of practice. The primitive hunters are some of the nicest people I know.

RIKA

 

[Magnum88C]

I like to hunt either with my Lyman Great Plains Rifle, or Great Plains Hunter, depending on if I want to shoot balls or bullets. We have no "flintlock only" season here, just a frontstuffer season. Usually I won't hunt through regular season with the smokepole, but I do like loading up some BP .45-70 loads in the #1 for regular season.