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  1. R

    20, 24, and 28

    A local fella is the best smoothbore round ball shooter I’ve ever seen, and shoots a .54 caliber. If round ball shooting is the main priority, I’d go with the smaller gauges. If turkey is the main priority, without any choke, I’d not go below 20 gauge. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Because...
  2. R

    Screwdriver to fit Italian muzzleloader

    Grind a large screwdriver or enlarge the slot. I’d make a new one but I’ve got experience in forging and heat treating. Option 2, see if the back of a hacksaw blade fits. If so break off a 2” piece and use that.
  3. R

    Rca 19 pattern?

    Regarding starting from a blank and a pile of parts and some pictures- that’s how I started in 1979. Most of the flintlock guns built this way in the 1970s and 80s look like they were built in that era. Information and accessibility and classes were limited. I’m guessing that 10% of long rifles...
  4. R

    Good 1st-time flint smmothbore?

    It’s an addiction!
  5. R

    Kicks like a MULE

    Most originals of this style weighed 10 pounds and were small caliber. Some folks shoulders are different than others, too.
  6. R

    Rifling questions

    This doesn’t appear to be targets from the above barrel. Kibler guns I’ve seen have narrow lands and wide grooves. I’m totally confused now. Over and out.
  7. R

    Rifling questions

    I understand how rifling works, and have found that all my rifles shoot best with ball/patch combinations that result in the weave of the cloth imprinting on the ball. In other words, tight enough to deform the ball as it is loaded. If this is a .29 caliber, it appears the grooves are quite...
  8. R

    Rifling questions

    Good point. With a .100 ball it would go pretty easy. Just kidding! I was thinking “load and get acceptable accuracy”. My concern is getting no engraving of those incredibly wide lands on the patched ball. I can’t see how to get the ball to spin.
  9. R

    Rifling questions

    That would be tough to load with a patched ball.
  10. R

    Kempton Gun Makers fair

    I’ll be there with Susan my much better half.
  11. R

    How did the bore diameters like say .54 become established ?

    Many orders for trade rifles specified the balls per pound. Including 28 balls per pound. For Trade and Treaty is a good resource. But of course, speculation is fun too.
  12. R

    Frizzen sole material

    Agree on the saw blades; these are great steel.
  13. R

    Need help identifying this lock

    You stated “It seems to be well made and functions smoothly and throws good sparks.” It doesn’t need to be this or that lock made by so and so if it’s functioning well. Consider when the barrel was made; there were a bunch of lock makers back then that are now gone.
  14. R

    Need help identifying this lock

    It looks Siler-ish with these differences. The frizzen on a Siler is thicker front to back and none have that divot in the underside of the pan cover. The pan looks different to me. It has a slight waterproof feature - could have been filed. The bridle shape is different. The sear arm sits too high.
  15. R

    How did the bore diameters like say .54 become established ?

    I think you’re assuming they WERE established at some point. The question is when, and whether you mean “established” or that certain sizes were common. If talking trade rifles, yes, orders specified this or that balls to the pound. Same with any military “model”. But for one-off custom long...
  16. R

    Let's Talk Tuning

    Polishing parts held together by spring force is always advantageous in my view. This is because polishing will not cause a loss of precise part-to-part fit. So, the top of a frizzen spring and the toe of the frizzen can be polished to a high polish to benefit. But how long will it last, being...
  17. R

    How did the bore diameters like say .54 become established ?

    Of course, but modern breechplugs are often much bigger than bore diameter. So, a .50 with a 5/8” plug could go all the way to a .58 without issue with the breechplug. If the barrel itself would be considered safe at whatever bore is desired.
  18. R

    How did the bore diameters like say .54 become established ?

    Freshing seldom increases calibers more than 2 calibers, like .50 to .51. It would take me more than 2 full days to fresh a barrel and increase the bore by 2 calibers. Many originals have breechplugs not much bigger than bore diameter. For example a .50 might have a plug not much bigger than...
  19. R

    Let's Talk Tuning

    I don’t tune a lock that works well. If it’s not working well, lube it and try again. If it’s still not working well then the problems must be diagnosed. It’s like going to the doctor because you feel sick. The doc will want to know symptoms and run some tests or at least do an exam. Explaining...
  20. R

    Why is this John Manton frizzen/pan designed with this V?

    I think the question is about the V, not the waterproof design which was around for quite a while. Top makers were trying many innovations to give customers the pride of having the latest thing. It’s possible that such a V design, as mentioned above, allowed ignition with a very scant amount of...
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