where to start ?? looking for a good .36 cal squirrel rifle

[BobYoung]

Mamaflinter:
Mebbe if we raise enough of a ruckus 'bout it here on the web we can get T/C to reconsider...or maybe get somebody like Ruger (??) to step up to the plate in their place.  

Somehow the smallbore smokepoles have gotten a bad rap and people stay away from them.  Might have something to do with the spindly wooden ramrods they come with and the recommendation that they be loaded with .015" patches and much more powder than they need.  Throttled back to a reasonable level and using .010" patches when called for (especially when gun is new) makes them a positive delight to shoot...economical, easy loading, deadly accurate, zero recoil and almost no cleaning hassle at the range.  Not to mention that they generally charm the socks off me just from their appearance.

That Traditions Crockett .32 looks kinda nice.  Might pick up one of those before they too, disappear forever.

Thanks for all your informative posts.
Bob

[msmith]

I like the english flints the best but the duraflints are ok. I wouldn't waste the money on the duraflints unless you shoot an awful lot. You just can't beat an english.

msmith Ya know English flints are good, however it is difficult for some to find a reliable and consistent source of flints. When I say that I mean that sometimes when you buy flints, they are good flints, spark well, etc. Other times you buy them and they don't perform well.

Another thing, I realize you may not like duraflints, but I can tell you this. I had a friend over shooting one day. He was shooting one of our flintlocks, and upon firing the flint exploded. The small pieces embedded in his arm as he was a left hand shooter shooting right handed. It was shortly after that we heard of the duraflints and gave them a try. Yes they do cost more, but you don't have to worry about wearing one out.

You're right, It's not easy to find good flints. I am fortunate enough to live close to Mountain State Manufacturing, formerly Mountain State Muzzleloading, and can go right in the showroom and pick through probably a couple hundred flints. I guess this is something I kinda started to take for granted. You are right though, a couple of duraflints and a diamond file and you are set for life. I still find a freshly knapped english gives me better spark and quicker ignition, but...... I guess if I couldn't sort through and get good flints, the dura flints might be the way to go.