Author Topic: Austin and Halleck Mountain Rifle (Read 1985 times)

doegirl · « **on:** May 02, 2006, 07:42:45 PM »

I was window shopping at Cabelas recently and a flintlock was on display at the gun counter. It was an Austin and Halleck Mountain Rifle flintlock. To say the rifle was stunningly beautiful, is,well, an understatement. I want it. Anyone have an Austin and Halleck? Didn't think the price tag wasn't bad ($425) for the workmanship I saw in this gun. I'm fairly new to muzzleloading and I own just one inline. Let me know what you guys think of that gun. Thanks.
http://www.austinhalleck.com/AH-Mountain.html

Snowshoe · « **Reply #1 on:** May 03, 2006, 01:59:20 PM »

I have one, and it has a fairly fast lock time, and is accurate. The stock developed a fine crack, and when I contacted Austin and Halleck, they said to return it for a complete new rifle. That is good service in my book but, I am anxiously waiting for it to return. I don't know if all places advertise the rifle as being 7 1/2 lbs, but if they do don't fall for it. The rifle weighs in at 9 lbs.

Turtle · « **Reply #2 on:** May 03, 2006, 05:18:25 PM »

I have one in a 50 caliber flintlock and is my favorite gun. Shoots great and I don't mind the extra weight. To me it's a great gun.

-Turtle-

doegirl · « **Reply #3 on:** May 05, 2006, 05:04:05 AM »

Couldn't stand it. My new "baby" is on layaway. It has a 1 in 66" twist, which means it a round ball shooter. I'll have about 5000 questions when I take it home and learn how to shoot it

flintlock · « **Reply #4 on:** May 05, 2006, 08:54:31 AM »

You're gonna love it....flintlocks are just plain fun!!!
Enjoy....

hunter neal · « **Reply #5 on:** May 08, 2006, 03:19:46 AM »

Snowshoe,
I'm in the same boat. What attracted me to A&H was that it seems like a fair -priced, good-looking rifle for the money. I want to hunt deer, not just hang a gun over the fireplace. So, I didn't want to shell out $2,500 for something I was afraid to scratch or use. When my Mtn. Rifle arrived, it had a 1" crack going in both directions from the rear lock screw head on the port side. I took it to the range, and the doubleset triggers didn't work, no matter what the screw setting. i finally got off one shot , with 45 lbs. of pull! Back she went. What bugs me, is it appears that no one actually looked at the stock or tested the triggers before putting it in the box. After calling, they said they'd replace, but they were out of stocks.
I'll give them one more chance, because the look and feel of the piece is great, good length of pull. But I think they should do things like be more proactive about repair status notification, and rewrite the owner's manual , which is 90% lawyer crap. and not much good product info.
Jaeger

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Snowshoe · « **Reply #6 on:** May 08, 2006, 01:57:59 PM »

I found this info when I first got my flinter http://www.ninety-eight.net/ibha/flint1.htm#top

I agree Hunter neal, they should be better at letting customers know how the repair work is progressing. I have no idea when my rifle will be sent back to me. I will give them a little longer, but the way things are looking, I will be going back to the Lyman rifles.

astrix · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2006, 02:19:42 PM »

Here is my current experience with an A&H mountain
rifle in caplock.I ordered one through one of their dealers.
The gun that arrived had horrible fit and finish and the
barrel sat twisted in the stock so the hammer did not
hit the nipple square.The barrel had really bad black
streaks on the muzzle end and the wood itself was
pretty poor.This rifle was returned for replacement at
my expense($24).The second rifle arrives and the
hammer/nipple situation is as bad as the first one.
The barrel on this one is good and the wood is nice as
well,but there is a space between the top of the butt
plate and the stock big enough to look through.I have
been trying to contact A&H for two weeks to get my
money back,but they don't seem to want to respond.
If on the rack and it looks good,go for it,but if
ordering sight unseen,beware.Also on both rifles,
the top of the locks were dented as if someone was
dropping the hammer without the barrel installed.
I hope you guys(and gals) have better luck with
them than I have so far.
Also,both rifles weighed 9 pounds.

KING · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2006, 04:42:41 PM »

:evil: Other than these complaints I also have observed three that were new inna box with the same lock problems...............kinda makes you wonder about quality control a little......stay safe....King

dodd3 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 09, 2006, 01:37:48 AM »

i love the look of these guns, but if that is the way they come out of the factory i would give them a miss and get the lyman great plains rifle instead.
pitty they do look nice.
bernie :-)

astrix · « **Reply #10 on:** May 15, 2006, 05:54:50 AM »

An update on my situation:
They are refunding my money.
Too bad they weren't able to provide
me with a good quality rifle.I'll look
elsewhere.Their customer service
has been very slow and time
consuming to deal with.Glad it
will finally be over.
Gary

dodd3 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 15, 2006, 11:00:49 PM »

astrix if you are going to shoot patch ball, why dont you get the lyman great plains kit gun you then can brown the metal work and give the stock a realy good finish i have seen two done this way and they are miles ahead of the factory finish if they are done properly.just a thought.
bernie

captchee · « **Reply #12 on:** May 16, 2006, 03:55:31 AM »

Doegirl
IMO if you were able to hold the rifle , look it over and were satisfied then you should be in good shape
How ever if ordering sight unseen I would I think be a little leery.

Over all I think A&H are fairly good rifles . Shooting wise I think right up their with a lyman for a first time flinter .
Do yourself a favor and if you can find someone local to help you through the learning curve of a flintlock you will enjoy it much more .
If you cant find someone then dont despair as there are many folks here or on the other muzzle loading forums that specialize in just flintlocks when it comes to shooting .
Your in good hands .
A good flintlock will dispel most all the stories you here . The ignitions are fast , they dont fuse burn unless improperly loaded or set up . Once you get used to shooting one you will find a quality flintlock to be very accurate .
Best wishes to you and let us know how your doing

simonkenton · « **Reply #13 on:** May 16, 2006, 08:36:54 AM »

I am sure sorry to hear these bad reports about quality control at Austin and Halleck. They sure do make beautiful rifles.
Don't expel me for mentioning this, but they make the only inline with a beautiful wooden stock. In fact, they are about the only inline maker who uses a wooden stock. Damn that wood is beautiful, and those rifles are accurate, too.

astrix · « **Reply #14 on:** May 17, 2006, 06:23:18 PM »

dodd3,that's exactly what I'm going to do :-)
Will order the kit and finishing supplies as soon
as A&H sends me my money.1,500 roundballs
and 10 lbs. of Goex sitting here waiting for a
gun to shoot :cry:
simonkenton,I agree,the 420's are beautiful rifles.
Unfortunately,they don't seem to put as much effort
into the mountain rifles,some are good and some are
junk.My local gun shop won't even order them for
anyone any more.I didn't order mine through them,
but apparantly they had problems with them as well.

Snowshoe · « **Reply #15 on:** May 26, 2006, 05:42:46 PM »

Update on my Mountain Rifle. I just got it back the other day, and it looks better than the last one. This is a new rifle with a great looking stock. It almost looks too good to shoot, and get all dirty.

KING · « **Reply #16 on:** May 27, 2006, 06:12:04 AM »

but.............you have to remember...........getting em dirty is the fun part.................stay safe....King

Plink · « **Reply #17 on:** June 01, 2006, 12:07:11 AM »

Wow, that's a shame about A&H letting their quality control slip that much. They used to be a really good, accurate gun for a fair price. More accurate than my TC and Lyman either. I hope they get it together soon. I'd had to see them go out of the market.

Snowshoe · « **Reply #18 on:** June 01, 2006, 04:52:12 PM »

I think Austin and Halleck is trying to get it right. I just got an email from them and they wish to send me a gift pack from their accessories page to offset the shipping cost I had to come up with. The new rifle they sent is the best looking rifle I have ever held, and if it shoots as well as the old one, I will be a happy camper. I would deal with them again.

astrix · « **Reply #19 on:** June 02, 2006, 02:07:36 AM »

I was offered the same accessory pack to offset
the shipping on returning the first rifle and guess
what?Never was shipped.As of today,they're still
leaving me hanging for my refund.By far the
worst customer service of any company I've
ever dealt with and I've been nothing but patient
and curteous when dealing with them.I'm glad for
those who have good luck with them,but I will
never do business with them again.

Snowshoe · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2006, 09:36:10 AM »

Just thought I would give a progress report. I finaly had time to clean and realy check over my Mountain rifle. It is a great looker, but it stops there. The barrel to stock fit was very poor, the hammer is at such a poor angle it will hardly spark at all, and the barrel was so dirty it took 4 hours of hard scrubbing to get it clean. It still had the tooling, and a film of rust through it. I have spent at least 8 hours on this rifle and it still is not ready to shoot. I will need to heat and bend the hammer, so it will spark. The accessory package that was to be sent out has not come, and I don't think it will. I will tell all who will listen to avoid Austin and Halleck, and go with Lyman. I should have gone with the Lyman Trade rifle that I was looking at.

simonkenton · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2006, 10:53:44 AM »

Sorry to hear that Snowshoe.
Ah well, they are hecho in Espana.

astrix · « **Reply #22 on:** June 21, 2006, 06:32:59 AM »

An update:
Finally received a check from A&H for a full
refund for the rifle and shipping the first
rifle back.They had UPS pick up this rifle
and I'm finally done dealing with this.This
was by far the most frustrating experience
I've had with any company's customer
service and I was dealing with the top guy.
Glad it's over,never again,terrible company
to deal with.

dodd3 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 21, 2006, 10:37:59 PM »

astrix glad to no it turnd out ok for you,hello layman lol .
bernie

smokepolehall · « **Reply #24 on:** August 05, 2006, 02:42:17 AM »

Its very sad to read all of the trouble y'all are having with A&H. I would pick out a Lyman ML or a T/C cap or flint. If you have some extra cash, TVA over in Corinth Ms. makes some of the best old time ML's you can get. Price around $800-850.

lostid · « **Reply #25 on:** August 05, 2006, 07:21:12 PM »

Quote from: astrix on May 08, 2006, 02:19:42 PM

I ordered one through one of their dealers.The gun that arrived had horrible fit and finish

that's why", I have always said,,GO to a dealer and try fit-n-feel.

duh, read advise. take advise or don't. it's simple,,the archives here go back for years

Snowshoe · « **Reply #26 on:** August 09, 2006, 02:04:07 PM »

Well they sent me a powder flask and measure for my troubles, and today I got to shoot this fine looking rifle. It has taken a lot of fooling with it, but after tuning the lock, and drilling out the touch hole to 5/64, it went boom. The ignition is very fast, and it went off every time I pulled the trigger. I was using 75g of 3f, and 3g of 4f for a primer. Initial accuracy is real good, but I want to get out again and try some other patches and lubes. This rifle is a keeper, and is going Whitetail hunting with me this year.