Flintlock Moose !

[roklok]

@roklok
I had the pleasure/ misfortune of firing a Hawken percussion cap 58 cal with a 600gn Minnie with the same charge.
I can say with great certainty with that curved steel but plate it sure got your attention when you touched old Betsy off.
Holy shit, lit me up like the 4th of July. I wasn't expecting that. I was told he was working up a hunting load for pigs. After seeing my reaction he backed it off to around 80 grains.
Bob

I can imagine that recoil would be quite severe. A .595 round ball weighs about 317 grains, just over half of that 600 grain bullet. This rifle also has a wide and flat buttplate, so it is not unpleasant to shoot with heavier loads.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I can imagine that recoil would be quite severe. A .595 round ball weighs about 317 grains, just over half of that 600 grain bullet. This rifle also has a wide and flat buttplate, so it is not unpleasant to shoot with heavier loads.

@roklok
That was some fine shooting with a round ball and a flint lock. We may have to change your handle to Dan"l Boone.
Enjoy eating that lovely meat you got.
Well done
Bob

 

[SCHUNTER73]

That is BADASS!!!

 

[C.W. Richter]

Moose tartare on the ball! Survival food.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Awesome hunt. Congrats on getting a nice bull.

I enjoy shooting and educating people about flintlocks. I was unsuccessful on hunting deer and bear with my 61.5 smoothbore trade gun and 50 cal Pennsylvania rifled gun. Was successful on squirrels and turkey with the trade gun using #5 shot over 70 grains of 3f Goex and successful on deer with my 50 cal Hawkens cap guns.

Keep your powder (pan, flint and frizzen) dry, your flint sharp and touch hole clear.

Happy Hunting

 

[flatwater bill]

@roklok ......Your handle says it all........ I have been shooting a .62 for the last 20 years, and can certainly see the power difference between it and my old 54. The mechanical fire starter is true wonder. 3F is the correct powder for the flint...despite what many armchair writers state. (Mountain men used the same horn for the pan and the charge) 'Grats on that cow............any animal taken with the flint is a trophy....FWB

 

[roklok]

@roklok ......Your handle says it all........ I have been shooting a .62 for the last 20 years, and can certainly see the power difference between it and my old 54. The mechanical fire starter is true wonder. 3F is the correct powder for the flint...despite what many armchair writers state. (Mountain men used the same horn for the pan and the charge) 'Grats on that cow............any animal taken with the flint is a trophy....FWB

Yes sir ! I got addicted to flintlocks as a teenager hunting in Pennsylvania's flintlock only deer season after Christmas. Have been shooting them for well over 30 years now. I use a .54 longrifle I built for deer hunting and the .54 works great for that, but this .60 definitely has more umphh for bear and moose. I only shoot roundballs in my flinters though, I would not hesitate to use a heavy .54 conical on bigger game.

 

[flatwater bill]

Ya, I am with you on using the RB......somehow it seems wrong to use a conical in a flint.....but they do offer a lot more penetration in my caplocks. Pennsylvania is in the lead IMO on the muzzleloader regs and restrictions. Most states have two to three pages of regs for the mzzledr......when I read Pa's regs 25 years ago, they had two words.......flintlock, smoothbore. Loved it. I have used the caplock for 42 years, but the flint for the last 20. Holding history in your hands is a great part of hunting.......here is a deer I took in 2020 with my .62 flint. Once again...congrats and thanks for posting...............FWB

 

[gizmo]

Ok so the only thing cooler than hunting moose is successfully taking one with a flintlock. That’s got my vote for the coolest hunt of the year! Well done and congratulations

 

[fourfive8]

@roklok and @flatwater bill, you guys are dialed in on what ML hunting is all about… excellent! Large cal flinters historically are certainly roundball shooters for most part. Plus … It would be a real trick to get a conical to shoot into the correct county out of a smooth bore anyway . 69-75 cal patched roundballs out of a smooth bore can be reasonably accurate and carry plenty of penetration and “effect” for larger game like elk and moose at reasonable range. I have an original 69 cal percussion “Plymouth rifle”. It is somewhat an exception to the rule as it is rifled but it shoots a conical Minie very well. A pure lead 69 cal conical Minie at 900-1000 fps yields truly impressive penetration without “wasting” energy on expansion that would in turn limit penetration. The large caliber soft lead roundballs carry plenty of momentum and act similarly to a large, soft Minies if kept to reasonable velocities.

 

[DPHunter4570]

Awesome!

 

[roklok]

Ya, I am with you on using the RB......somehow it seems wrong to use a conical in a flint.....but they do offer a lot more penetration in my caplocks. Pennsylvania is in the lead IMO on the muzzleloader regs and restrictions. Most states have two to three pages of regs for the mzzledr......when I read Pa's regs 25 years ago, they had two words.......flintlock, smoothbore. Loved it. I have used the caplock for 42 years, but the flint for the last 20. Holding history in your hands is a great part of hunting.......here is a deer I took in 2020 with my .62 flint. Once again...congrats and thanks for posting...............FWB

Beautiful buck and flinter! Congratulations ! I shot my biggest whitetail buck back in 2000 with a flintlock in PAs late season.

 

[fourfive8]

I've owned and built a few flintlocks over the years. Currently only have two. One an old Afghan jezail with original EIC British Brown Bess lock and rifled twist steel barrel of about 60 caliber. The other is an original US Model 1816/25 69 caliber smoothbore. Shoot flintlocks to learn marksmanship, follow through and firearm "management".

 

[roklok]

My latest flintlock is an original 1777 "Charleville" made at St Etienne in 1792. I took it hunting last year in Pennsylvania's flintlock season after I killed two with my .54 longrifle. It was a lot of fun, but did not get a deer with it. They are generally thought to be .69 caliber, but this one is right at .72 bore.

 

[Spearhead]

Congratulations @roklok ! That is a full freezer.