Who Hunts With a Sidelock (Let's See Photos)

[Splitear 429]

I've been bit hard by the ML bug, and am excited to take my TC New Englander out this month. I'm curious who else hunts with a sidelock gun. I'd love to see some photos!

[ncountry 1252]

I have at different times thought that I might want a sidelock again , just for fun.. If nothing else all my stories of pops and fizzes and.  Etc.  Are starting to get old.  May be time to make some new memories .

Edited November 3, 2020 by ncountry

[Splitear 429]

1 minute ago, ncountry said:

I have at different times thought that I might want a sidekick again , just for fun.. If nothing else all my stories of pops and fizzes and.  Etc.  Are starting to get old.  May be time to make some new memories .

I took my buddy out with me when I did my last sight in. I used my New Englander, and he used one of our Traditions Hawkens program gun. No joke, at 50 yards he nailed his bullseye first shot (left target) and never got anywhere close after that (note the high left hit on the right target). Regardless, we left and he said that he needs to get one because it was so much fun.

[ncountry 1252]

I did enjoy mzl season more when we were limited to sidelocks. Don't get me wrong, when they changed the rules I had an encore with a scope the following year.. But I do miss the ol patch and ball. .. sometimes. They are fun.

[Skillet 2373]

[Splitear 429]

3 hours ago, Skillet said:

Okay, you've stumped me, what gun is it?

[Skillet 2373]

7 minutes ago, Splitear said:

Okay, you've stumped me, what gun is it?

The first is a Traditions Deer Hunter.

The stainless one is Lyman Deerstalker.

[Otto 2753]

I just bought this gun a couple of weeks ago. So much fun to shoot! Can't wait to use it this season. Thompson Center Arms, Renegade, Left Hand, .54 caliber The gentleman I bought it from said he bought it new in early 70's and put less than 50 rounds through it over the years.

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[cas 154]

I don't have many pictures that aren't printed photos in a drawer somewhere. Muzzle loaders (real ones ;) ) are something to drive me crazy.  Even though I rarely shoot them these days (eyes), when I see ones for sale that I like they drive me nuts wanting them.  I know someone right now with a whole collection of uncommon, quality rifles for sale, but I've been able to maintain my self control and not buy any of them. (because I know I'm unlikely to shoot them) .

That said, I did buy a T/C "Hawken" in .45 caliber from an acquaintance last month, simply because he only wanted $100 for it. I haven't shot it, and don't know if or when I even will. I bought it with the idea of finally making a muzzle loading "SBR" / canoe rifle of sorts, but I may just give it to my nephew instead. 

My first rifle as a CVA Kentucky rifle kit I made 35+ years ago. Somewhere along the line I bought a long brass tube sight and that was the only thing I could thing of putting it on. (a regret) Of course at the time it made it illegal for hunting. I think I only shot it twice since then and it's sat in the corner for the last  30 years.

My ML interests turned to an 1863 Springfield and that became my main shooter for many years.

A few rifles came and went, bought and sold, one stolen. I still have a T/C New Englander that was my main hunting rifle when I still bothered to hunt the muzzle loading season. Got into flintlocks with a T/C Pennsylvania Hunter. Sold that and bought a Pedersoil Mortimer, which is a beautiful gun and I really need to shoot it more. I hunted regular gun season with it a few times. But about that time the BPCR bug hit me and my interests swang that way for quite a while. Then my eyes started turning on me and my ability to hunt with what I really wanted to started to dwindle.

 

 

[The_Real_TCIII 18967]

I have a CVA sidelock that I bought a 209 primer kit for. Im going to hunt with it a bit this year. It was a gift from my father and Ive never taken a deer with it

[eaglemountainman 391]

 I used to. Cheney .54 Elkhunter . Sadly, she doesn't get out much anymore.

Edited November 5, 2020 by eaglemountainman

[Splitear 429]

7 minutes ago, eaglemountainman said:

 I used to. Cheney .54 Elkhunter . Sadly, she doesn't get out much anymore.

Beautiful rifle!

[Pygmy 15041]

Back in the early 1970s, when muzzleloaders were first allowed here in what was then shotgun only country,my ex-wife bought me a TC Hawken  .50 cal.  for my birthday...    It has been my only  muzzleloader  since then...

Along  in the late 1990s, I had to put a tang peep sight on it, since my old eyes could no longer function with the standard open sights...

I have killed a lot of deer with it over the years, including my best racked buck, a 120 ish 10 point in 1994...I also used it in Colorado to kill my one and only bull elk, a 6x6....

The only other MZ deer I ever shot  were with Moog's  Encore , with which  I shot 2 does from his enclosed blind...His Encore was scope sighted and the deer were both over 100 yards, beyond my comfortable range with my Hawken  and peep sights...

I still hunt with the Hawken, and have probably killed 20-30 animals with it, but the longest shot I ever made was perhaps 75 yards..  While prepping for my elk hunt in 2004, I did a lot of practicing at fairly long range and I could hit a 20 pound propane bottle from the bench at 150 yards, but I ended up shooting my bull at about 15 yards....Hehehe....

[cas 154]

I'd sworn off the muzzle loading season for over a decade due to all the hooples in the woods, but I was all set to go this past weekend. Then a small matter of 3 feet of snow happened. Damn! 

While the guns are still out, I'm going shooting.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by cas

[The_Real_TCIII 18967]

I have a CVA sidelock that I bought a 209 primer kit for. Im going to hunt with it a bit this year. It was a gift from my father and Ive never taken a deer with it

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[The_Real_TCIII 18967]

I'd sworn off the muzzle loading season for over a decade due to all the hooples in the woods, but I was all set to go this past weekend. Then a small matter of 3 feet of snow happened. Damn! 
While the guns are still out, I'm going shooting.

 
 

Thats a beautiful rifle! I wish we had a flintlock season like Pa


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