Think about getting a .50cal TC side lock and selling my SS Encore . Just think my Encore is too modern . When i shot bows until a few years ago , i used long bows and re -curve bows from jim brackenbury and Wes Wallace . Just feel like taking a step backwards again !!
How hard are they to clean ?? Any Advise there !! The traditional rifles are no more harder to clean then a modern rifle. And depending on the kind of rifle you purchase, that will determine the way it is cleaned. Most of the Thompson Centers, and Lymans are hooked breech. They can be cleaned in a bucket of water. The other rifles like the Traditions Kentucky, Shenandoah, and some of the Pedersolli are pinned barrels and must be cleaned with an flush kit. That flush kit is a tube over a nipple that is used to pump water through the bore. Nothing says, you can not patch a barrel clean with Windex, solvent, even soap and water.
What powder ?? Again, the kind of powder depends on the rifle. Flintlocks must have black powder IMO to get the most out of them. With black powder there are different brands. Some like Goex, Swiss, Graf's & Sons, and other brands and grades of black powder. I personally shoot a lot of Graf's & Sons powder. Cap lock rifles like a Hawkins can shoot most of the modern powders as long as they are not in pellet form. Now I have traditional rifles that can shoot modern pellets as well. The only powder not recommend is the Black Horn powder.
What would you use in it for Elk . Mini ball , Grain ?? Elk, I personally would want either a conical or a large bore roundball shooter. If I were going to shoot roundball, it would be a .54 caliber or bigger. With conicals, a .50 caliber conicals shooting rifle would work fine. If you want to shoot conical, look for a rifle with a 1-32 twist or faster. AS for grain of powder 2f. As for the amount, as much as I can get in there and still be accurate. Some traditional looking rifles will shoot sabots as well. One traditional rifle I own called a Thompson Center Black Mountain Magnum would be perfect for what you want. It will shoot sabots and conicals and any kind of powder other then black horn that you want to shoot.
I will be hunting in the snow , so will it fire when i need it to ?? How do you weather wise one so i know it will ?? There is this rumor out there that has muzzleloader hunters believing that traditional rifles do not shoot in snow, rain, ice, and cold. That is all hog wash. I have a traditional rifle I once dropped in a creek. It still went off. It is all in how you prepare the rifle, load the rifle, and weather proof the rifle. All of this can be done, and when the time comes, the rifle will go off like a sunny spring day.
Thanks -
RobK
