B.P shooters, T/C Scout carbine

sakodude

Wondering if anyone has ever had opportunity to play with the Thompson-Center Scout carbine. Inline front stuffer that kind of resembles a lever action.
I find myself needing a muzzle loading firearm and have been searching to see what is out there that is different.
Any opinions on this one, good bad or indifferent?
http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/424344000/424344765/pix615802311.jpg

Sako

DanChamberlain

Never fired one as my tastes run a tad more traditional. Have you done an internet search for "reviews"? I find there are often a ton of reviewers who have shot a particular gun and are willing to share. I do have a ton of experience with TC products, and have never had a bad TC muzzleloader. I'd bet, for a first gun, it would serve just fine.

sakodude

Yep, older discontinued model. Think maybe mid to late 80's. It just caught my eye as something different.
And yes, I have done some web crawling on this model and like most things found good and bad reviews. Was just hoping someone in this collective might have a first hand opinion.


Sako

HAWKEN

sakodude, Inlines are not really muzzleloaders, they are merely clumsy, slow to load single shots. Real muzzleloaders are side locks and are either ignited by a percussion cap or flint and steel. I hope this clears things up for you. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me. Keep yer powder dry........Robin

Teach

Robin, inlines are usually purchased by future real muzzleloader shooters who just don't know any better. Look on the bright side- - - - -if he's getting started with a front-stuffer of any kind, there might be some hope of turning him away from the dark side!
Jerry

U T

A buddy of mine bought one when they first came out and he's been very happy with it. His son now uses it, and likes it too. Now my buddy is using a more modern looking inline Rem 700. I think the Scout Carbine looks cool, and always said that if I had one I would install a lever, since it looks like a lever action without the lever. It's a decent gun, but don't think it's one of the high performance ones like you can get today, which have longer barrels, shotgun primers, magnum load capability, fluted barrels, etc. Pretty cool gun though.

HAWKEN

sakodude, I'll give you this, it does look kind of cool. It looks like it ought to have a lever. What is the ignition source and where do you install it? It might be marginally acceptable as long as you don't try to stuff those awful pellet thingies down the barrel, and you used a patched round ball. BTW, Mike's idea is spot on with the BP powder measure. Black powder and all of the substitutes are measured by volume, not by weight. I got some plastic test tubes, about 3" long, with rubber stoppers, from a vet, (they use them for blood samples). I premeasure my powder and keep 2 or 3 in my shirt pocket, while I am hunting, makes reloading faster. Keep yer powder dry.......Robin

tennmike

Robin, that rifle has a percussion cap in back for the hammer to strike. It's an inline and as it is a percussion cap rifle, it will do best with real BP or Pyrodex. Since it is a T/C product the ignition can be made a bit better by replacing the #11 cap nipple with a musket cap nipple. T/C #11 and musket cap nipples are the same length, and that musket cap nipple will throw a lot more spark into the powder. I use a musket nipple on my T/C Hawken for that reason.

sakodude

Hawken, it is actually percussion cap fired. I like the test tube idea, I can get some from work.
I have played with a T/C Hawken style before and it shot fine, I just find this model intriguing.
sako

gator

I like the test tube idea too, not exactly keeping with the traditional gear but very functional.

tennmike

The plastic centrifuge tubes with screw on caps are right handy for keeping pre measured charges in, too.