What's Your Favorite Sidelock?

[RonRC]

From what I have read here and elsewhere is that the T/C Renegade must be one of the most popular muzzle loaders around. The comments are consistently positive - accurate, bagged multiple game, dependable, etc.
Ron

 

[Squint]

Whatever rifle I'm using is my favorite at that time.

 

[RichW]

Hard to pick one, but I guess if I have to, it would be an old Sharon half stock trade rifle, 54 caliber, a real shooter. I have a couple of other Sharons that I really like too. Either of the other two could become favorites too. One of them is as new, never fired and I think that is rare.

 

[Hanshi]

Fess up! Ain't this a fun thread?

 

[Fyrstyk]

It's so hard to just pick one.

 

[heelerau]

My Niel Fields .40 Lancaster style rifle, double tapered Collerain barrel and Jim Chambers round faced lock. Niel built this rifle for me some years ago, a lovely handy hunting rifle, a real tack driver.

 

[Sparkitoff1]

Funny to me, I always refer to percussion rifles and pistols as "sidelocks" (if they are) but when referring to a flintlock I just call it that - "flintlock". So keeping with my own quirk, my favorite sidelock is a CVA "Hawken". It has a 28.5" barrel with 1:66 ROT Made in USA. The set trigger works excellent and is consistent, making the main trigger crisp and precise at whatever setting I use. The barrel loads easy, the lock provides consistent and reliable ignition and the accuracy is outstanding. Usually one ragged hole out to 75-yards off bench with PRB. At 100-yards its still keeps them as good as I can aim with the factory sights, about 3-inch groups. The balance is nice and the stock has the right drop and a little cast so that I am on the sights when shouldered without lifting my head or squeezing my cheek down excessively. When I carry, shoulder and handle this rifle it just feels right. In contrast, I had a T/C in the same caliber and configuration that in name and theory had a "better" barrel (GM), wood and components. It was no more accurate but did have better sights (they were Williams replacements). However, it did not have the just-right feel that the CVA has and I sent it to another home.

 

[BigAl52]

Here is a couple of mine. First one is a Don Stith kit built by John Bergmann. 40 caliber Hawken Squirrel rifle just plain fun to shoot. Second one is John Bergmann 54 caliber Hawken full stock. John in my opinion builds one fine rifle and his cost is very reasonable.

 

[7MAGMIKE1]

I sure do like my TC Hawken, fun to shoot, accurate too.

 

[Airborne1/504]

renegade

 

[exMember]

love my traditions st louis hawken.

 

[Standing Bear]

Built by Tom Gillman (Hot Springs AR)in ‘83 with ToW SMR parts. Used a .40 Douglas barrel 7/8” x 42” and Willie Cochran flintlock kit.

After 30 years of use the old girl’s bore appeared frosted or micro pitted (I blame 4 months of straight Ballistol while moving and settling in) and she seemed to have gained weight. I sent the barrel to Bobby Hoyt for inspection and remedy. He believed she’d clean up at .402”. I asked about a .50 cal if it didn’t clean up there he said no how about .45? Having both a .470 and .475 molds, the fact that she was getting a tad heavy and My likings for things unusual I opted for a .48 with .010-.012” deep grooves and a 1/48 twist.
The barrel came back with a note that the barrel was already .403 would have taken .406 to cleanup and was now .480 land to land with grooves .011” deep and 1/48 twist. If only I could as easily take 30 years off my right eye.

 

[JonE]

My Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .54 cal

 

[[email protected]]

I like my TC Hawkens. Two long 1/66 twist with Lyman peep and globe sights one percussion one flint, two stock one.percusion one flint, and one persusion kit I made in 1984 with primitive sights. All unique in my collection and each as fun at the other. The kit is my first.love, the other 3 are restorations and one is a stock i found new in the box and I put a new TC round ball 1/66 barrel in it.

 

[oldprogger]

love my traditions st louis hawken.
View attachment 2309

Looks good. Are those dots, inlays of some sort?

 

[Vince-m]

Thompson center renegade

 

[oldprogger]

Looks good. Are those dots, inlays of some sort?

Never mind. I enlarged the photo and I see they are tacks.

 

[Buck Conner1]

.
Here's my favorite so far, working on a couple other Green River Rifle Works Collectors Association guns at this time. This is GRRW.CA #H03 J&S Hawken [CW] full stock .50 caliber (flint) rifle by Carl Walker.

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Testing:
GRRW.CA #NW01 H.E. Leman North West Tradegun [GW] full stock .50 caliber smoothbore (flint) by Doc White.

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GRRW.CA #L02 H.E. Leman [LB] half stock rifle .50 caliber (percussion) by Les Bennett.

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Notice the serial numbers follow each other (nice to call the shots on something once in a while).

See:
http://grrw.ca.tripod.com/pages/grrw.ca.models.built 2016.2017.htm
http://grrw.ca.tripod.com/pages/grrw.ca.cost.sht.htm

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.

 

[Hanshi]

That's a beautiful rifle, Buck. Easy to see how it could be your favorite.

 

[rp77469]

My favorite for fun is a Chris Hirsch cherry stocked SMR. It's light and pretty and fun to shoot .40 caliber. My go-to rifle is a 1978 kit CVA Mt. Rifle .50 that has had almost 100 pounds of powder run through it over the last 40+ years. My absolute pick over all others in the safe for deer hunting. It still shoots a ragged one hole group at 50 yards with my 70 YO eyes.