I have a Navy Arms Pedersoli Kentucky .45 flintlock that my father purchased in 1976 I believe or earlier. I carried it on a DAR float in the Fourth of July parade that Bicentennial year. Mom made frontier outfits for me and my younger sisters. It was only shot a few times. I used it, unsuccessfully, for my first deer hunt in 1989, and it was such a bad experience (poor ignition) that I purchased a TC Hawken kit and shot a buck a month or so later during muzzleloader season. I hunted deer, squirrel and rabbit with that Hawken for years and loved it. I digress. I asked my Mom for the flintlock earlier this year and just shot it twice in the past month. A good flint makes a world of a difference!
A couple observations before I get to the major issues. The first time I shot it a .440 ball with a 0.15 patch went down the bore with little effort, so I purchased a box of .445's and they load fairly easily with the same patch. I'll be trying a thicker one next. The twist rate is fast about 1:30 or 1:32. It shoots 12-14" low at 53 yards with 50 gr. FF. I found a .43 tall sight on ToW that should at least get me a 50 yd zero. The mainspring could be a little stronger. I'd weigh it but it's disassembled right now, but I think the hammer needs a little more speed. It was probably on half cock for decades. The frizzen seems good but the spark is a little lethargic.
The main issue with this rifle is the placement of the vent hole which is actually below the bottom of the pan and it'd huge. The hole accepts a #36 drill (0.165) and will fill the pan with FFF when loaded. The bottom of the pan has a small radius cut in it to join the two. I would like to plug the vent with a 6-32 screw and drill a new vent at the top of the pan. I think I can do this without removing the breech plug by using a camera to verify the screw depth. I am looking for some advice here. Do I locktite, peen and drawfile the screw? The barrel, 11/16, is 0.17 thick, so I will have about 5 1/2 threads with a 6-32 screw. I believe I can plug this and drill up to a 5/32 vent without getting into the threads. Am I on the right track? The yellow dot is where or slightly higher than where I would drill the new vent.
I shot this 40 times or more and when I removed the lock it was FULL of burnt powder residue. Even the trigger will need removed. Once the vent is repaired could the mainspring be re-heat treated to make it a little stronger?
A couple observations before I get to the major issues. The first time I shot it a .440 ball with a 0.15 patch went down the bore with little effort, so I purchased a box of .445's and they load fairly easily with the same patch. I'll be trying a thicker one next. The twist rate is fast about 1:30 or 1:32. It shoots 12-14" low at 53 yards with 50 gr. FF. I found a .43 tall sight on ToW that should at least get me a 50 yd zero. The mainspring could be a little stronger. I'd weigh it but it's disassembled right now, but I think the hammer needs a little more speed. It was probably on half cock for decades. The frizzen seems good but the spark is a little lethargic.
The main issue with this rifle is the placement of the vent hole which is actually below the bottom of the pan and it'd huge. The hole accepts a #36 drill (0.165) and will fill the pan with FFF when loaded. The bottom of the pan has a small radius cut in it to join the two. I would like to plug the vent with a 6-32 screw and drill a new vent at the top of the pan. I think I can do this without removing the breech plug by using a camera to verify the screw depth. I am looking for some advice here. Do I locktite, peen and drawfile the screw? The barrel, 11/16, is 0.17 thick, so I will have about 5 1/2 threads with a 6-32 screw. I believe I can plug this and drill up to a 5/32 vent without getting into the threads. Am I on the right track? The yellow dot is where or slightly higher than where I would drill the new vent.
I shot this 40 times or more and when I removed the lock it was FULL of burnt powder residue. Even the trigger will need removed. Once the vent is repaired could the mainspring be re-heat treated to make it a little stronger?
