• Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

Search results

L & R
the hawken shop
Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
  1. H

    Smoothbore Loads

    As I'm sure you know, individual guns will handle the same load differently. Have fun testing.
  2. H

    Smoothbore Loads

    Yes. I found such little difference that I didn't think more testing was warranted. But you might give it a try. I've attached the appendices to the article that are on the Muzzleloader website.
  3. H

    Smoothbore Loads

    I used a patch lubricated with Wonder Lube. I believe the thickness was 0.010. The same thickness was used for all types of ball.
  4. H

    Smoothbore Loads

    Several years ago a friend and I tested smooth and roughed balls to determine if there was a difference in accuracy. We published the results in Muzzleloader, "Do Dimples Make a Difference?". I've attached the article.
  5. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Gentlemen, I end my participation on this thread with photos of several of my pattern welded guns: 1863 Purdey, 1866 Boss, 1850 Westley Richards, 1814 Joseph Manton, and circa 1826-1830 Westley Richard. I hunt with them all. I've provided documentation for my prior comments for each contributor...
  6. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    I need to make a clarification. The first mandrel used in the process of making a dasmascus barrel is full length The dasmascus ribbon is twisted around the full length of the barrel. A thin layer of tin is first wrapped around the mandrel, which apparently allows for the mandrel to be easily...
  7. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Feltwad, After posting my reply I went back and read the chapter on barrel forging in "An essay on shooting. Containing the various methods of forging, boring, and dressing gun barrels, ..." published in 1789 by Magne de Marolles. I think this clarifies and reconciles your citation of the Board...
  8. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Feltwad, Did you look at the damascus barrel site http://www.damascus-barrels.com/index.html? It clearly explains the process. I highly recommend that you buy the DVD, which documents making damascus barrels in the early 20thcentury – the process is essentially identical to that of the 18th...
  9. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Gentleman, When properly welded damascus or twisted steel barrels (pattern welded barrels) are a contiguous piece of metal. The barrels are forge welded. Forge welding is a form of diffusion welding; adjoining pieces of metal molecularly bond. There is nothing to unravel. The pattern, which is...
  10. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Beautiful! I found a period case in England and had it fitted out here for my Westley Richards. I recently purchased a Westley Richards percussion gun made 1850.
  11. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    There's just something about a Boss -- it's intangible, but it just handles differently. My Boss is cased. Is there a personal messaging function? If so, I'll send photos. I also have a Purdey made in 1863 cased.
  12. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Richard, Guns like it are treasures and will never be made again. I see myself as a steward of it and the others in my collection. It was my favorite upland gun until I got a Thomas Boss hammer gun made in 1866 for the Lord Chancellor of England. Cheers, Herman
  13. H

    Damascus (Twist) Barrels- Who shoots them?

    Well stated and informative. I have several 19thcentury English side-by-side muzzle loading and hammer cartridge guns with damascus barrels all in excellent condition. My Westley Richards flintlock was made circa 1826-1830 and my Joseph Manton was made in 1814 as a flintlock and converted to...
  14. H

    Ferguson rifle

    One more thought -- it's most important to know what you don't know and to be humble in what you do know.
  15. H

    Ferguson rifle

    Thanks for reading the articles. I grew up on the “damascus barrel myth.” Here’s my essay on it: https://www.scribd.com/document/333570380/Damascus-Barrel-Myth. My favorite upland shotguns were made in the 19th century and all have damascus barrels in excellent condition made by the best makers...
  16. H

    Ferguson rifle

    Your comments are well taken. For clarification: A friend pointed me to this thread not because of the Ferguson rifle, but because of comments on mixed powder charges. I have recently completed an experiment that compares the strength of 18th century gunpowder to contemporary black powder (see...
  17. H

    Ferguson rifle

    Amen! I'm a retired scientist also with many peer-reviewed papers over four decades.
  18. H

    Matchlock Range test

    The Exercise of Armes by Jacob de Gheyn is very much worth reading with regard to handling a matchlock. I was impressed by the emphasis on safety. The illustrations clearly show how the match was held and set in the cock.
  19. H

    Matchlock Range test

    I finished building a Leonard Day matchlock kit about a month ago. I only test fired it twice so far. I hit a 16" steel target at 40 yards both times. I found the action smooth and the ignition very quick with no noticeable delay. In my experience when a flintlock is tuned properly the...
  20. H

    Smoothbore ball velocity

    Calculating drag is complex. My first question is how does Sewell know that spin decreases velocity? How much does it decrease velocity -- 1%, 0.1%, 10%, etc.? What factual information can he cite. I'm not questioning that it might be the case. I do want to see documentation. My view is that...
Back
Top