This afternoon I made a 100 mile round trip to swap my SKS for a T/C New Englander.
It was so worth it.
The full view. I would like to replace that rubber coated rod with a wooden one.
The tip is mine. I wanted a bit of brass on it.
My very first pound of Holy Black!
It came with everything you see here. The black is open, but only a little has been used. Both it and the Pyrodex look to be a bit older. The primers certainly are. The CCIs still have a "C" stamped into the top; first time I've seen that!
The triplets.
Tomorrow I take an 11 year old boy on his first squirrel hunt. If we have time, we'll be firing off muzzleloaders. If he shows competence in loading, firing, and cleaning, he will take the Bobcat home. (His mother knows guns - in fact, while on duty, she shot herself through the hand! Glock malfunction, but still fun to joke about with her).
His mother's boyfriend shoots, but the goal is for him to show up the boyfriend. I'm planning to show him some sniper's tricks tomorrow. I do already know he can shoot.
Anyway...
I took the T/C apart and promptly lost the barrel lug. Spent about four hours finding it. Went through everything; the lock needed lubed so it got grease, and the barrel, well, I was pulling rust from the barrel.
I must state here that the rust was not bad at all, and I used methods learned in the muzzleloading community that would not be used by a person used to shooting smokeless.
It will need a new nipple, but the current one will suffice for tomorrow. It's not even really eroded; it's just pitted a bit from rust. it's stainless so it's not as bad as it could have been.
This is a very solid rifle and definitely has its own personality, as does the Kentucky. I'm not sure which I like more; they are very much the same but distinctly different at once. I'll probably like both the same, for different reasons.
That's it, I'm out of trade goods I do believe. You can see part of a rifle and a revolver in that first pic, but they were put in there accidentally and won't be trade fodder. I still have a slow twist Hawken replica to grab up, and then I might start looking at flinters, or building a custom boxlock assuming I'm bringing in enough.
One question though: The T/C looks like it was coned from the factory. It's not a fast twist; I get about 1/2 turn of a cleaning rod, or 1:52", which is probably 1:48", so it's not a dedicated bullet gun.
I was thinking I read someplace that T/C uses "built in false muzzles" to help loading. Is this what I'm seeing?
Thanks,
Josh
If you are talking about what looks like counterbored muzzle then more than likely it is to aid in loading. Most of my "bullet" guns have that for quick loading for follow up shots. None of my patch guns have that though. Looks like the previous owner was using "minnieball" style hunting rounds so maybe it was designed for quick loading of those.
