Thread: Bought a Smokepole. T/C Scout

While hanging out at the OGCA show this weekend I came across a .54 caliber TC Scout rifle. Since here in Ohio you can't use a centerfire rifle for deer I was just starting to research a muzzle loader for deer season this fall. I stumbeld upon this nice little TC Scout. It is about 15-20 years old but barely fired, and it had been well oiled up for long term storage. Its previous owner took very good care of this little carbine.


The rifle is sort of a mix of a traditional and modern muzzel loader. It has an inline ignition but can't take 209 shotshell primers nor be modified for musket caps. Since it relies on #11 percussion caps which have a hard time igniting pellets and the non-corrosive BP substitutes I have to use real FFg Black Powder.

I'm going to leave the crappy Simmons 4x scope on it until I get a load worked up then get rid of the scope and goofy see through mount and use the buckhorn sights.

The sling is juat a thin sued leather and it does not seem very sturdy. I have 9 months to get the rifle ready for deer season, my first mission is to develop a load. I need to see if it preferes sabots, minnie-iball, or patched round ball, with BP, Pyrodex or Triple 7. The barrel has a pretty tight 1-28 twist so I'm guessing PBR won't work to well. Once I find the load the scope goes away and it becomes an open sight rifle. Then I can worry about slings, powder horn, and possibles bag.