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  1. Rat

    Best bet for a first smooth bore

    I know the Brown Bess "carbine" is historically incorrect for a trade gun, but mine has a persona, even though I don't. She was captured with a damaged muzzle, and then cut down to carbine length by a German gunsmith. Then traded to an Indian who spruced it up with brass nails and a serpent side...
  2. Rat

    Nessler Balle cartridges, getting ready to try them out

    By the way, to control the thickness of the layer of wax when dipping, the warmer the bullet is, the thinner the layer of wax will be. But again, any excess will shave off when loading, and the force required to ram the bullet down seems to stay about the same. (little force required) And also...
  3. Rat

    Nessler Balle cartridges, getting ready to try them out

    Instead of lube, try dipping your bullets in hot, pure bee's wax. I've had good luck with that, (although with an entirely different type of bullet, and caliber) as it seems to take up the windage when the bore is clean, and then as the bore is fouled, it just shaves off the excess wax. The pure...
  4. Rat

    big mama came back home,,,,,,,,,,

    Very much looks like my .62 Jeager, but mine being much more plain-jane, no patch box or engraving. Otherwise very much the same in form. Nice rifle. I do like the horn tip on your ram-rod, and may have to copy that. :) Mine is my #1 hunting rifle, although I do fall back on a cap-gun if the...
  5. Rat

    Condition of shooting patches

    Be aware that sometimes when patches seem to be cut by a sharp muzzle or lands, it's not always so. Just a FYI when reading patches. Sometimes it is so, to be sure, but I've found a way to test that out. Not too long ago I discovered that with one wad under the ball, my Jeager would produce a...
  6. Rat

    Tried Some 1Fg on Wednesday

    I use Goex 1fg in my Bess "carbine" and have come to like it. I'm sure it does work better in a longer barrel though. It does seem to like a heavy charge, my Bess really knocks the turkeys dead using about 110-120 grains under 1&3/4 ounce of shot. I use 140 grains under a patched ball. She...
  7. Rat

    Revolver lead ball

    I have an old, original rifle that is somewhere around .40", shoots my Remington Navy .375" balls real well. So in that case, there's no difference. !!! :)
  8. Rat

    Flint position

    I like "bevel up", but if I thought "bevel down" worked better that's what I would do. Or in other words, try both. Also, positioning the flint forward or back in the jaws needs to be experimented with. Don't assume "way back" is the correct position. Getting the flint close to the pan works...
  9. Rat

    Plain's Pistol .50 ready to ROCK for hunting season.

    Hey, who's to say some old timer, back in the day, didn't wrap some leather around the handle of his pistol? Could happen.
  10. Rat

    Choke for turkey hunting

    I stand corrected!
  11. Rat

    .69 Bore Paper Cartridges

    A cartridge holding only the powder, and then a loading block with patched balls in it makes for a fast accurate reload. I often do that when hunting with my Bess, and my rifle. You can then use the paper for an under-ball wad in that case, if the woods are not too dry. But back to cartridges...
  12. Rat

    Plain's Pistol .50 ready to ROCK for hunting season.

    Right...it stays put.
  13. Rat

    .69 Bore Paper Cartridges

    For pure at-the-range, shooting off the bench, maybe not. For hunting, hiking, exploring, great to have. They can eliminate packing around a powder horn, patches, measure, other possibles etc. On accuracy, it all depends on the individual gun. Some are about as accurate with a cartridge, as...
  14. Rat

    Plain's Pistol .50 ready to ROCK for hunting season.

    Northeast corner of Washington State. Where the reintroduction of wolves have wiped out the last remaining caribou herd in the lower 48. How's that for a claim to fame? Thanks, I plan to hunt hard, and stay long.
  15. Rat

    Plain's Pistol .50 ready to ROCK for hunting season.

    Thanks for the comments. I'm pumped, ready to head up North for Elk, Deer, Cougar or Bear, whichever gets in front of my sights first. !!! Pistol was last on my list of "make sure it's shooting right and reliable". ! Spent the last few weeks making sure the 1861 was shooting the way I wanted...
  16. Rat

    Plain's Pistol .50 ready to ROCK for hunting season.

    It is bow-handle wrap, which could be about the same thing as golf-handle wrap. ? But I think it's different. Anyways, Three Rivers Archery, really indestructable stuff. Cartridges are just sammich bag paper, with just the ball and powder. Ball end dipped in hot pure bee's wax. Tear/bite off...
  17. Rat

    Plain's Pistol .50 ready to ROCK for hunting season.

    She'll be my sidearm for deer and elk. Gave her a work out the other day, this thing just puts them where you aim. Shoots ball and slug to the same POA. Made a bunch of ball "cartridges" for when I get attacked by that pack of rabid wolves. They shoot almost as accurately as a patched ball...
  18. Rat

    Shooting Round Balls Without Patches

    Wow, I really love that '42. About the coolest gun ever. Seriously. No offense to anyone, but why are you guys shooting at 25 yards? Seems like you could load a smoothbore with rocks and get a group at that range. I think 50 yards is the true test of a smoothie. ? Just wondering. ?? Always...
  19. Rat

    Choke for turkey hunting

    I'd jug-choke before I'd set it up for tubes. Seems like a screw in choke tube would just be plain weird on a ML. If you don't have a problem with putting tubes on a muzzle loader, you might want to just consider using plastic shot cups and buffered shot, both being non-"PC" or "HC". One just...
  20. Rat

    Free TC Hawken.

    Hey thanks for the quick responses. I was confused as I was under the impression that the 15/16's barrel was safe to .54", but I did some quick reading of old threads saying no....but I was probably seeing something about 13/16" barrels. Anyhow, this is just your average 15/16" standard TC...
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