Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Thompson Scout BP Rifle

Looking for a value on this and your opinions. Thanks

I came across a guy that has one of these he's wanting to sell me and a Rem 700ml.
Anyone have any 1st hand experience with one? It's a 50 caliber and looks to be in really good condition. The bore is clean, and
the only thing that "looks" to be in need of attention is a little corrosion on the brass trigger guard housing and the wood stock.
It's not pitted and looks like it can be cleaned with ease.

I don't know what a good/fair buying price would be? He's hem-hawing on a solid price but has been hinting at $500-$600.
I can't blame him for wanting to get the most he can, but I don't want to pay for a cadillac and get a beetle bug.

There's one active auction on GB right now and 3 or 4 listed in the completed auctions. He's more than a little proud compared to the completed auctions. They're not a bad in-line, supposed to mimic a lever action. While no experience with a rifle, I had a 54 cal Scout pistol for some time and really enjoyed it.

They're a little quirky but an okay gun, keep in mind this is an out of production gun with little parts availability. I have one in pistol form and it's fun to play with. I wish it were worth what that fella is asking for his, but he's about double on it and the Remington ML he want's to sell you. Now maybe if he'd take $500-600 for both.........

If you had your choice, would it be the T/C Scout or the Rem 700 ML ?

Only you can decide what either is worth to you. I’d probably prefer the Scout, but I’d check it over very carefully to be certain the bore is good and the nipple not rusted in. The old TC sidelocks have lots of parts available, but those Scouts, who knows? You can buy a pretty decent CVA Optima V2 in SS for about $300. I’d prefer one of those to either the Scout or Remington; in fact I bought one myself, and it’s a good shooter with factory service and aftermarket mounts etc. available.

Would agree with Pappy348, only you can decide. If you're looking for a more oldtime-ish looking percussion cap rifle, the Scout. If you're tastes run toward a modern bolt style that can be upgraded to use primers and BlackHorn 209 powder, or even a smokeless build, the 700ML. At the prices your acquaintance is asking though, neither.

I kinda want them both, but leaning more to the 700ml. With the updated bolt/209 primer kit, it seems to be the better deal. To be honest, I just want it because I've not got one and just found out they even existed. I have the Encore and Prohunter platforms with .50cal bp barrels and some regular rifle barrels. The encore has a millet scope on the muzzleloader barrel and it's been dead on pushing the 20 years I've owned it.
But there's something about that 700ml that I like, maybe because it is an inline?

I bought the rem 700ml. Cheap, but I found out why. The breech plug is stuck/seized in it.
I've got it soaking in transmission fluid and wd40. Hopefully it'll break free after a week or so?
Any ideas on another concoction that'll break it free?

Kroil oil, PB Blaster.
Heat helps !

Soaking it in water will sometimes make the rust active enough to break it free (gunsmith showed me this, didn't believe it till he proved it to me )

brake fluid

After soaking, heat it up with a hair dryer, as hot as you can get it.

I thought about the brake fluid, but my luck, I'd spill it and it may tarnish the finish? Anyway, I did pour some Seafoam down the barrel. It eats hard carbon deposits and varnish build-up in engines, thinking it ought to eat bp carbon residue too? It's about the same type of carbon, so maybe it'll help? I also added some more Free penetrating oil with it. Not going to put any heat on it with that concoction in it, might go off. lol.

I'll let it set for a few days and try it. If it's still stuck, I'll pour that concoction out and try the acetone and tranny fluid, add some heat to it.

Thanks to all for the ideas.

Be careful being a chemist....

Kroil is the real deal !!

A little late for you I suppose, but a good principle for buying used MLs and shotguns with choke tubes is to make the seller pull the threaded stuff for you before you plunk down the cash. Trust, but Verify……..

I didn't have any Kroil, and not sure if my concoction (above) did it or the acetone/tranny fluid? But I'll have to guess it was the latter. Because I tried breaking it free using a 20v impact driver (Dewalt DCF887) after the concoction sat for 3 days in the barrel.
So I poured that stuff out, then poured some cheap tranny fluid and about the same amount in acetone down the barrel, swished it around to mix it, and let it sit for 2 days. I hit it last night with the Dewalt, it grunted a sec, then spun the plug right on out.