Flintlocks, if you could only own one?

[Lastmohecken]

Well, it seems this site has been a little low on activity, lately, and this has probably been done before, but I havn't seen it.

If  you could only own one flintlock muzzleloader, and it also had to be your only muzzleloader, what would you choose?

You could give two answers, one choice for the here and now, for what ever needs you have in the present, and another for that time in history, that you might  have preferred to live, or your presona, etc.

I would guess, if one was considering a choice for carrying back into the past, it would make sense to consider the time and the place, small game, vs large game, war and or peace, etc.

[nobber]

>62 cal. smooth rifle Jackie Brown gun I've had for a few years, puts deer and fowl on the table and would take a mean injun or unruly frenchie down in a pinch.


Nobber

[hawkeye]

If I could keep only one of my flintlocks, it would be my Brown Bess. A medium to large bore smoothie will do anything you need from a firelock.  Rifles are specialty arms, smoothbores can do it all.

[AxelP]

Jim Chambers PA fowler .62 smoothie for all the above reasons.

[mark davidson]

I think my .62 full stock Hawken would do just fine. Plenty big enough caliber for griz, elk, and such and big enough to pour shot down and make camp meat. I have little experience with smoothies but from what folks say about accuracy beyond close range I would lean toward a rifled barrel gun.

[deadfallpaul]

My .62 cal. Tulle by Centermark.
Does it all!!

[pathfinder]

I'll go with my Macinaw gun,20ga 40" barrel. As far as accuracy,out to 80-100 yards I'll be right there with rifles on normal targets, not string measure accuracy,but meat is on the table.

[Gambia]

I own and shoot a s/b and a sxs flintlock sporting gun.The sxs is a 12 gauge with 30 inch barrels and the s/b is  a 20 gauge with a 32 inch barrel both originals which I use for pest control and game . Both shoot well but I still prefere a sxs percussion sporting gun
Feltwad
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Kermit]

My second flinter is still my go-to firelock. Dark-finished maple, 44" x 20ga Getz OTR barrel, Chambers early Germanic lock. Made for me 20-some years ago by Joe Gondek.

If I didn't have that, I'd be getting Jim Chambers' PA 20 ga fowler or his New England Colonial Fowler/Militia Musket in 12 ga. Probably go 12 ga just because.

[Puffer]

In my case, it is is my Petersoli Mortimer .54 cal/12 ga. ( it has interchangeable Bbl.s.)

Puffer

[AxelP]

My fowler is my "go to" gun. why? because for some strange reason, I can usually hit what I point it at... the chamber's roundface lock is a volcano and the gun balances extremely well--for me anyway... And of course, the versatility of shooting roundball and shot.

Its a rather plain jane gun compared to my rifles, but I have more confidence in it than my rifleguns.

Axe

[Loyalist Dave]

I can give one for now and it apply to back then too.  I'd want my current .54 caliber PA Mountain Rifle from Cabin Creek with the 38" swamped barrel, BUT, I'd want it grooved not rifled (straight rifled some call that, but that seems an oxymoron).  It would be a bit better in accuracy on a round ball than a plain smooth bore, and very good with shot being 28 gauge.  The grooved barrel prevents the shot column from twisting as it moves forward and thus helps to keep a tighter pattern.  

LD

[FG1]

I think I would go with a 24 ga. Small enough to not require a lot of shot and powder for small game yet large enough with roundball for big game .

[Forager]

Side-by-side cape gun; .50 rifled by 20 gauge smoothbore.

[greyhunter]

Don't own a smoothie in flint yet, so will have to go with my .50 cal TC Hawken. Love my Lyman GPR too but it's a little long for woods hunting. The old TC goes flash bang in a heartbeat most all the time if I do my part.