Flinters - lets see ‘em.

I have a .50 cal Hawkin. Love that gun. Been far too long since I've taken it hunting, need to change that this fall. About every year or so I get the itch to buy a Pennsylvania rifle. One of these years I'm going to follow through on that urge.

Drag that thing out and get familiar with it again. I did that very thing this fall after over 20 years in the safe. Our muzzy season opened with the start of the rut and after three weeks of only seeing bucks on camera after dark I settled for a middle aged doe and and am now enjoying the roasts, steaks and bratwurst.
 
I only have one. But it goes everywhere.

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Cool, sounds like a fun project I could do.

You can. It isn't really hard, but it takes patience (not my strong suit) and strategizing. Three are good books to read and follow and probably a million videos and so forth now. Go for it and have YOUR rifle the way YOU want it.
 
50 caliber Thompson Center PA Hunter, with 90 grains of FFg and a patched round ball it shoots really well. I have had it since I was 14. Growing up playing football and wrestling and then continuing with wrestling in college made hunting time in the fall and winter really tough to come by. Coaches always gave us a few days off at Christmas time. This translated to a few days of hunting time. Fortunately, Pennsylvania has a late flintlock only deer season that runs from December 26th into January. There is also a concurrent small game season. Those few days time in the late season were really special to me and the late season remains my favorite time to hunt in Pennsylvania. I always hoard a tag for the season. This rifle has killed squirrels, rabbits, deer, and even stump shot a few grouse and pheasants. The buck is the first one I shot with it.
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My father also had a Thompson PA hunter. It has to be at least 35 years old, and last year he handed it off to my 10 year old son. It had not been shot or used in years and needed some work. My son and I did the work together as a project to get it up and going. It seems to shoot 70 grains of FFFg with a patched round ball well. This past last season was my sons first late season with it. 823B04CE-61DD-4645-9081-ACFF4E7786E1.jpeg
 
Anyone have experience with fowler kits? Been looking at TOTW, Sitting Fox, TVM.
 
This is a full-stock Hawken that my dad made me (along with some help from Ed Parry of Black Hart Long Arms in Connecticut). When you think of Hawken rifles, you typically think of the half-stock percussion cap rifles. But I believe the earliest Hawkens were full-stock flintlocks, which this one was built to duplicate. I've taken a few whitetail and mule deer does with it.
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And here's Dad with one of his three Kentucky long rifles. As you can see, my dad gets into the entire "period authentic" experience. He made a Kentucky long rifle for himself and another for his father. He's had two others made by Ed Parry. This one is a Parry gun. Both the picture above and this one were taken along the Missouri River near Ulm, MT.
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If you can't wait to build one, they can be bought, but you will find that the venison is much sweeter from a rifle you built on your own. If you must, here are a handful of some available https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/487/1 There are other places too, but you will be happier with a rifle build, like mine, on the landing at the top of the stairs of my first house, 'cuz that's where I had space, using a quarter inch chisel, some files, a few other tools, and patience.
 
If you can't wait to build one, they can be bought, but you will find that the venison is much sweeter from a rifle you built on your own. If you must, here are a handful of some available https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/487/1 There are other places too, but you will be happier with a rifle build, like mine, on the landing at the top of the stairs of my first house, 'cuz that's where I had space, using a quarter inch chisel, some files, a few other tools, and patience.
So if I’m going to make one, would it be better to buy a kit or do I make it “freehand”. Is there that big of a difference? Also, What is the difference between a percussion and flintlock rifle.
 
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