TVM ?

[rjpalmer]

I recently purchased an unfired TVM  .40 caliber flintlock rifle signed by Jack Garner. I am not sure if it is a Tennessee style or Southern Mountain style rifle. It has all iron furniture including toe plate, side plate, butt plate and entry thimble. My question concerns which size Siler lock it has. I need to purchase proper sized flints to fit the rifle and d not know which size to buy. TVM, both companies are very sparse in providing  details and descriptions of their rifles on their websites. I am rather new to all of this and don't know anyone in my area that could help with my questions.
Thank you to anyone that could provide me with any help.

[Scott Bumpus]

Measure the length of the lock.  small siler is 4 3/4"  uses 3/4 x 5/8 flint     large siler is 5 1/4"  uses 7/8 x 3/4 flint.

[rjpalmer]

Thank you, that's the exact information I was hoping to find.

[gizamo]

Jack used late English Manton locks by L&R on most of those stlye guns.... Least the ones I have seen and own.  Can you post pics of your lock?

[rjpalmer]

Thanks for the help.
       My lock is a small Siler.  I have compared it to the locks shown on Davis's and L&R's web pages, including its measurements. I'll try to get a few digital pictures of my rifle in the next day or so. I hope I can figure out how to post them. Along with not knowing too much about my rifle, I know even less about computers.
       I bought this rifle over 10 years ago from an aquaintance. It has never been fired. It was still in the shipping crate when I received it. In all the years that I have owned it, I have never fired it. I have to be honest and say that I hate cleaning the !@*%&@ things.
       I have ordered and received the proper sized flints from TOW and will be shooting it soon!

[Don Getz]

If you are planning to shoot that gun, make sure you have a cleaning rod and proper sized jag to clean it.   If you don't
have this stuff, it will soon become a wall hanger.........Don

[elk killer]

not to turn this into a cleaning thread,,
but cleaning is simple as can be,,
take the lock out, clean it with a tooth brush and warm water,,
put a tooth pick in the touch hole, pour some warm water down the barrel..let set 5 minutes, or so..
dump water out of barrel,,i run 3 to 5 clean patches down the barrel,,until they come out clean,,
wipe lock dry and give a few drops oil, run the same patch down the barrel, put lock back on and your done,,
takes 10 mintes,,maybe..

[rjpalmer]

       I have the proper sized range rod, brushes,mop,scraper, jags and ball puller. I usually use a few drops of Dawn or Murphy's oil soap and Ballistol. I usually shoot my 36 Caliber Hatfield percussion rifle and although it's not historically correct in many ways, it is easy to disassemble for cleaning.
       A friend had a disaster with his Austin & Halleck 54 percussion rifle when a bronze brush pulled the ferrule and all off when fully seated against the breech plug. Trickling powder through the nipple hole and touching off a cap failed to budge the brush. We even tried a grease gun with a zerk fitting threaded to the nipple hole. The grease just
pushed through and around the brush. He had to remove the breech plug which damaged the tang. This was a messy costly mistake for him. This taught me to only use a bronze brush one caliber smaller, if ever. I drilled and used a brass pin on both ferrules on all of my ram rods.
        Cleaning always remains to be a nervous process for me. always check for rust for days after cleaning.

[doulos]

Ive heard a method to try to remove a stuck brush is to try to get some smaller tubing over it to compress the brush. In this case 1/2 inch copper would have been worth a try.  Don't know if it would of worked and I cant remember where I read a fella was successful doing that with a stuck brush in a .54 cal.

[Kermit]

Why do people insist on making cleaning such a hocus-pocus filled event? Listen to Elk Killer.

[rjpalmer]

I think most people are afraid of rust, corrosion and the damaging effects of black powder. After making a sizeable investment in the firearm I suppose most worry about what's going on down inside that long, dark tube after firng. Imagine all of the little gremlins quickly working in that dark tunnel trying their best to destroy "ol Betsy"!

[Dphariss]

I think most people are afraid of rust, corrosion and the damaging effects of black powder. After making a sizeable investment in the firearm I suppose most worry about what's going on down inside that long, dark tube after firng. Imagine all of the little gremlins quickly working in that dark tunnel trying their best to destroy "ol Betsy"!

Blackpowder is actually fairly benign if the user does not leave the gun uncleaned for long periods or wets the bore then leaves the fouling in place. Most rusted MLs are the result of neglect or the use of corrosive substitute powder.

Dan

[nosrettap1958]

The cleaning is part of the whole experience and is relatively easy and cheap.  Soapy water cleans them up real nice, but the thing is you have to clean it. Looking forward is different then looking back.  Just wait until you get your first deer or whatever with it and the feeling whether it be of accomplishment or whatever but your feelings towards cleaning YOUR rifle will change.  Also, TVM’s are real nice rifles and for that level of muzzleloader I would by a bore light one that is designed for a muzzleloader and can be dropped into the barrel. 

[Chris Treichel]

              A friend had a disaster with his Austin & Halleck 54 percussion rifle when a bronze brush pulled the ferrule and all off when fully seated against the breech plug. Trickling powder through the nipple hole and touching off a cap failed to budge the brush. We even tried a grease gun with a zerk fitting threaded to the nipple hole.

This happened to me a while ago... apparently I had made a new ramrod and made the stupid error of not putting a pin through the ram tod tip to hold it on to the ramrod.  After a bunch of headscratching on what to do finally grabbed some two part epoxie applied it to the ram rod... insserted it into the ram rod tip (at the bottom end of a 42 inch barrel) let it sit overnight and pulled the lot out reall easy like.