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Any one know where on the internet I can get a good deal on a BP pistol? I've looked around quite a bit and have found a few that I like, but most of them are kits that you have to assemble yourself, including the finishing. What I'm looking for is a colonial era look, no flint locks, no revolvers. They are also quite expensive for what they are, even the ones you have to put together yourself.
Anyone have any experience with this type of gun? How do you like it?
There are several semi-custom companies out there; Tennessee Valley Muzzleloaders is one of my favorite (though their flintlock pistol isn't exactly cheap at over 700 bucks).
It's as they say: "You get what you pay for"; cheap mass-produced muzzleloader pistols are generally mediocre quality and historically inaccurate.
Chango I checked out the TVM parts and saw Jack Garner's name.. Sure can't go wrong there.... I have a .40 cal with a Getz swamped barrel. Real little broom stick of a gun... just super light weight and clean lines.
But a starter gun should not have to cost 700 bucks and be a pistol... Check out my link. I have seen these guns in my hand and they are about as historical as you can get often times build on the old plan on the same forge in India, and so even have the correct tool markings to originals.
Really check out the link, those folks have fantastic offerings for the right price.
Hey thanks for the link Mac. Right now I think I am pretty set on the "kentucky" by traditions, but I haven't made any moves yet, so I'll be checking your link out momentarily.
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This one is mine with a heavily modified siler lock. Most fo the rest i made from shop scrap. The whole cost to me at the time apx 1989 was 50 bucks
Thats pretty nice. When I looked at the pic and before I read the post I thought it was the the "trapper" by traditions, it sort of resembles it.
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What are you going to do with it?
Just your basic plinking and maybe a little target shooting. I want it for the novellty of it.I believe it's illegal to hunt with in my state, so other than that I have no practical use for it.
One state away is the home of the NMLRA (National Muzzle Loaders Rifle Asso) a sub group to the NRA, with maybe somewhat less poly tics.maybe....
I know the Traditions style which is a take off on the old CVA (Connecticut Valley Arms)
I see the kit price at cabella's is $199.00 err ahh
Is there anything I can do to stop you? Do you insist on cookie cutter out of the box and a no historical anything BP gun?
Way back in 1972 i have that very same gun in the very same part as a kit that cost about 25 bucks, and I have others like them too, and in the kit for that sort of money it is one thing, maybe another thing....
But not for 200 bucks...... i got lucky and sold all 3...... The others were the derringer and so called Tower pistol.
All 3 went for wall hangars in a bar in Bartlett NH where i used to live. The money got me a TC Hawkin Rifle used for a 125.00. That got me into other guns all black powder.. and a whole new life style 30 years ago now.
To be fair that will take game of a smaller size say rabbits if you hunt, but of course I have no idea what is or isn't legal in Oh..
Out hunting deer with my TC Hawkin I used it to take rabbit too, with head shots only.
This is a lower price i guess but really the quality is only in a bp pistol that will shoot a round ball and everything else ends right there. There is just no authenticity for so much as one single screw.
Why a pistol anyway? Why not a rifle, say a Lyman Plains rifle which are far nicer.......
If you're gonna buy one of the common commercial production guns, look at the various gun auction sites and at local yard and estate sales. I've seen enough of them for under half of new retail that way. Check the bore carefully for rust or bulges, and the wood for any major cracks.
I've seen real antiques too for no more than the new repros by Traditions. You do need to be more careful with the antiques.
Flintlocks can be almost as reliable as a percussion gun if you have a good and well tuned lock.
I do flinters now but i did work at it going backwards... modern guns since age 5 to about almost 30 and getting to wonder about BP. Having no one around to teach me i picked up cheap kits and a lot of books.
I played around with these kits and thought all flinters were junk based on CVA kit locks made in Spain, that were slow and not case hardened enough to make sparks.
I attended a few buck skinner shoots to far from home to really help but that was the time the bug bit, since then I knew i was no longer alone.
And so over time I became a lot more familiar and to the point I prefer flints to all other single shot BP guns.
This doesn't come in one afternoon at the range. Maybe about the time you finish making your 6th pair of mocs you might be getting the idea on flint guns.
I guess I need to say this but there are things one can do to a kit gun like a TVA aka CVA kit guns that will make them look a lot more like the real thing, but that is as much work as building one right the first time.
These parts are so close they have to be the very same parts.
Another part of my problem is I know of places in Pa and there must be more in Oh that have better parts but not kits in local BP stores where you could buy good parts and maybe a blue prints which might cost a little more, but in the end end up with something nice.
To me it's just that once the money is spent it's spent and no one will want to pay the price it cost used.... These kit guns won't get 25 bucks assembled use these days!
TC center guns go for 4 to 5 hundred these days new and used you can't get 100 out of them. I know because i have a never once fired, used TC Hawkin trying to sell for a guy and I can't move this gun for love or money.
It has a little rust on the lock plate and i rubbed that out but the pitting damage is done and there is nothing anything but a new lock plate that will fix it. It came to me that way.
So for 150 you could have a .50 cal rifle almost new...... Not this one since I don't want to ship it. I don't do anything but face to face sales. But I know there are deals in OH that would be local to you.
What Artichomesteader says is very true.... especially this! Check the bore carefully for rust or bulges
Artichomesteader, I wonder if you know a little trick, which is just to polish a under bore size disk of sterling to drop down a proven EMPTY bore to use as a bore light mirror?
Thanks for the info Mac..... I'm still looking around and haven't decided on anything just yet. When I decide to buy a firearm of any sort, it is usually a long drawn out process. I decided I wanted a new shotgun once, and it took me 3 whole years to "pull the trigger" on one. I ended up with a Remington 870 combo, and got it at an unbeleivable deal that couldn't be passed up.
As for a BP rifle, I already have one and not really looking to add anything there. I'm not wanting to spend "much" over $200 on this purchase. Some of the pistols I've seen cost over $500 just for the kits, and thats just plain ridiculous imo, although I'm sure you are getting an extremely good quality product for that much. Thats another thing, I'm sure I could put it together myself but I want to buy one already assembled professionaly.
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