u/FitzyOhoulihan

2024 Python. Mainly practice with .357 between 25-50 yards because it’s a good challenge to get resetting between shots down really well when doing rapid fire practice. It makes shooting .38spl or +P especially during a match feel like a dream because you can be so much more relaxed and just enjoy the buttery smoothness. Also share the .357 with a Marlin 1894 so it just makes it easy.

I put these Altamont grips on a month or so ago and they’re excellent. Absolutely perfect fit so super happy with that. The original ones are identical to these except they’re a darker walnut instead of cherry colored rosewood, have slightly different checkering, and these have that second golden Colt horse inlay which looked cool to me.

Hope everyone is having a nice day today.

Was in the LGS and saw the rifle in the consignment section. Had been wanting a period correct rifle from the around French and Indian War trough American Revolution period. I’m not 100% sure if this is a Virginia or Tennessee but either way there was no way it wasn’t coming home.

Whoever put it on consignment included a matching percussion lock that is quick to swap in, the leather case, really nice leather side bag with everything like flints, bone knife, sharpener, balls, caps, patches, bone razor, ball starters, etc.

Was thrilled to have found it. I tried it with .44 cal balls and .010 patch and it was nearly impossible to load so yesterday I tried .433 w/ same patch and it was night and day difference. Made shooting it about 1000x more enjoyable and accuracy was excellent. We have black powder matches once a month at the club so I can’t wait to use this next time. Included some chrono data:
50 grains Shutzen 3f: 1501 fps
60 grains Shutzen 3f: 1698fps

Only small downside is this rifle fouls extremely quickly, I tried 3f Swiss the first time with the .44 balls and after the first shot even doing multiple patches in between it was honestly almost impossible to load. With .433 I was able to do 3 shots and needed 2 dry patches to keep it nice and easy to load.

Love this rifle, 1st AK for me. Have done a few official CMP/NRA 200 yard matches with it so far and performance is excellent. The Texas Weapons dust cover has held zero with no issues through use and cleanings. I have a new full set of wood furniture and wood stock coming in about a month from Combloc Customs in that nice dark red color so excited for that since it should look nice and match the cerakote.

The plastic or whatever it is doesn’t get hot at all though even in the slightest so I hope the wood doesn’t get hot too quickly.

The previous owner did the dust cover, side scope mount (I don’t think these were imported with those from the factory but could be wrong), cerkote, and I’m guessing the plastic furniture also. Been using a Romeo dot w/ 3x magnifier or Tango MSR 1-6x w/ a BDC for 7.62x39 drop.

If anyone has recommendations for a good set of rear irons that can go on the rail or work with this dust cover since this rifle did not come with them I would definitely appreciate any direction there.

This is a custom build Virginia Rifle that was made using only 1700’s traditional methods of construction by a master smith. In terms of historical accuracy it’s about 99% accurate for an example of what made its way up here with ~1,500 of Washington’s men during the siege of Boston. A real example is worth about $75,000-$150,000 at least. Probably more now with the 250th anniversary coming because they are super rare and so few rifles used in the revolutionary war exist today. They were rare back then too.

The 1% I am not certain of is whether a flaring on part of the trigger guard should be straight instead of slightly curved. The stock is a very nice curly (flamed/tiger stripe) maple. The barrel is .45 calibers in diameter and 42" long. This rifle has a very light trigger pull and came with an L&R Classic flint lock, a double set trigger and three thimbles to hold the ramrod. The hardware and patch box have been not been intricately carved or engraved as that was more of the ornate Pennsylvania style and a rifle like this would have been used on what was considered the southern frontier and was much more of a survival tool.

It’s similar to the American Mountain Rifle that I put a bid up before but that would come 30-40 years after, the main difference on that rifle (the 1810’s -1830’s Mtn rifle) being an increase in caliber to at least 50, increase in length to 44” long, and less of a tapering or pairing down on the wood as you go towards the muzzle. Basically they built a more beefed up version of version of this to stand up to harsher environments and then swapped over to percussion caps once those became readily available.