I have acquired my Grandfather's flintlock. Its a Thomspon Center Arms .50 caliber. I have all the materials to go to the range. I remember shooting it with my Grandad when I was young, but he's gone now and I don't remember the amount of charge. I have two cans of black rifle powder,one marked with a sharpie "4" and the other "2". If I remember correctly, the 4 is for the flash pan. The ammo I have is spear round balls. How much powder do I need to charge the bbl to fire the round balls? If the intsruction manual didn't accompany the rifle where can I get this recipe info? I'd like to practice with adequate loads for deer so I can hunt with it next year. I'll allow myself a year to practice. Thanks for any help and info.
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Charge amount, etc...
- Thread starter jeremytl
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Welcome.
You can write T/C and they'll send you an instruction manual.
Thompson/Center Arms Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 5002
Rochester, NH 03866
Or you can call at: 603-332-2333, or fax at: 603-332-5133
As a wide rule of thumb, you can load a sound rifle with the caliber of the ball in grains of powder; .50 cal = .50 gr FFg. That's a low-end load. If the gun is in good order, you can go to 90 gr FFg without too much danger. My favorite round ball load in my T/C .50 is 84 gr FFg and that is plenty for deer.
:thumbsup: Bless you. You are a gentleman and a scholar and are welcome in my hunting camp any time.
I get SOOOO mad at the sporting goods stores that run gun sales two weeks before hunting season. I know they want to move stock, but they should get them in hunter's hands in April for a November season.
You can write T/C and they'll send you an instruction manual.
Thompson/Center Arms Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 5002
Rochester, NH 03866
Or you can call at: 603-332-2333, or fax at: 603-332-5133
As a wide rule of thumb, you can load a sound rifle with the caliber of the ball in grains of powder; .50 cal = .50 gr FFg. That's a low-end load. If the gun is in good order, you can go to 90 gr FFg without too much danger. My favorite round ball load in my T/C .50 is 84 gr FFg and that is plenty for deer.
:thumbsup: Bless you. You are a gentleman and a scholar and are welcome in my hunting camp any time.
I get SOOOO mad at the sporting goods stores that run gun sales two weeks before hunting season. I know they want to move stock, but they should get them in hunter's hands in April for a November season.
Jeremy, yes, only use the 4f in the pan to prime with. As far as a load, you will need to do some shooting to see what load works best in your gun. For hunting a good starting point would be about 70 grs of 2f and work up in 5gr increments until you find the most accurate load. 80 grs is actually plenty of powder for deer under 100 yds., but if your gun shoots accurate with more than that, then that is ok too. Try some 3f powder in it to and see how it shoots with that. Some .50 cal.s prefer it. You can use less powder for the same velocity with 3f, and it burns cleaner with less fouling.
FYI, you can get a free Owner's Manual from TC (1-603-332-2333) and in the meantime, try the following target loads to reacquaint yourself with the rifle:
50-60grns of the 2F powder;
Half a pan of 4F prime (keep level below the touch hole);
.015" or .018" lubricated shooting patches (Oxyoke, TC, etc)
.490 round ball (Hornady, Speer, etc.)
3/4" wide flints (5/8" wide will also work)
These are good middle of the road, nominal size components that should work in any TC muzzleloader.
Ensure it's empty first, clean it THOROUGHLY when you're finished...then lube it heavily.
PS: FYI...TC has significantly redesigned / improved the flint lock mechanism and the vent liner for the barrel...their customer service will make them more reliable by installing the improved parts at no charge.
50-60grns of the 2F powder;
Half a pan of 4F prime (keep level below the touch hole);
.015" or .018" lubricated shooting patches (Oxyoke, TC, etc)
.490 round ball (Hornady, Speer, etc.)
3/4" wide flints (5/8" wide will also work)
These are good middle of the road, nominal size components that should work in any TC muzzleloader.
Ensure it's empty first, clean it THOROUGHLY when you're finished...then lube it heavily.
PS: FYI...TC has significantly redesigned / improved the flint lock mechanism and the vent liner for the barrel...their customer service will make them more reliable by installing the improved parts at no charge.
Assuming the rifle is in good shape, and it's a real good idea not to assume that, old "rules of thumb" are a quarter the weight of the ball or grains equal to the caliber. That would start you at 45-50 grains of 2F. Do not use the 4F to charge the gun, and while you're at it, make sure the powder is as marked. Get someone who knows to look at it or, better yet, just get some new powder. Work up at 5 grain increments to find something accurate. I recall shooting 60 grains in my .50, but I tend to load light. Some folks will go 80-90 grains, or more. Get the breach and barrel checked by someone experienced, as corrosion can weaken these areas without being apparent to the untrained eye.
Oh yes, you'll also need a patch for the balls and a lube for the patches. Good old saliva works for a lube, but there are better. (Especially for a long day at the range, blayuck). After the 20th patch laid on my tongue I'm ready to throw more downrange than lead. I wipe between shots with a spit patch when I'm tryin for accuracy.
T/C's Natural Lube 1000 Plus is widely available and works well. I've got some special secret home brews, but would recommend you worry about the basics first. Plain old Crisco works well enough. You'll want to wipe between shots, for fear that if you don't you could get the ball jammed halfway down. NEVER try to shoot out a ball that's not tight on the powder. Sharp, clean flints and oil-free powder will speed you along your way. Wipe the bore before loading and poke the vent with a pipecleaner or piece of copper wire to verify it is clear (a toothpick is too likely to breakoff inside, but at least it is easy to poke in the rest of the way to clear the vent).
A catalog from Track of the Wolf or Dixie will give you visions of sugar-plums, and some good tips (especially Dixie's). Click on the addresses below:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/
http://www.dixiegun.com/
Feel free to ask any questions here.
T/C's Natural Lube 1000 Plus is widely available and works well. I've got some special secret home brews, but would recommend you worry about the basics first. Plain old Crisco works well enough. You'll want to wipe between shots, for fear that if you don't you could get the ball jammed halfway down. NEVER try to shoot out a ball that's not tight on the powder. Sharp, clean flints and oil-free powder will speed you along your way. Wipe the bore before loading and poke the vent with a pipecleaner or piece of copper wire to verify it is clear (a toothpick is too likely to breakoff inside, but at least it is easy to poke in the rest of the way to clear the vent).
A catalog from Track of the Wolf or Dixie will give you visions of sugar-plums, and some good tips (especially Dixie's). Click on the addresses below:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/
http://www.dixiegun.com/
Feel free to ask any questions here.
Greetings gentlemen, thank you for your kind words and good info. My Grandad's brass field powder measurer has a strip of masking tape on it with ink pen markings with stuff such as: 3 rings equals 82 grains, 4 rings equals 96 grains... etc. and below the writing he has "2F" written. I know he knew his stuff, for I have eaten many deer roasts from deer he has killed with this very gun. he killed many with his other guns but he cherished his flintlock, and yes it is in sound condition. I'll start with the 50 grains of 2f and work my way up. Anyways, I plan on filling my freezer this season with my Super Blackhawk. As far as "allowing myself a year to practice" I too cannot accept someone taking to the field with a weapon they are not familiar with. uuuggghhhh! have as much respect for the deer as you do for the chef! cheers fellas. i'll write TC for the manual. does it have the recipes? thanks for the numbers. also, Ii have a box of what appears to be cast conical bullets that accompanied the gun. they weigh out at 243 grains. what would my Grandpap have used these slugs for? hmmm curiosity kills the cat! wish i could probe him with my questions... RIP
TC's website has the following info:
How can I obtain an Owners Manual for my Thompson/Center gun?
E-mail your request for a manual with Model and Serial Number of your item to [email protected]
Send them a note and they will send the manual. Free, or at least they used to be?
Have fun! Go ahead and try it THIS year!
How can I obtain an Owners Manual for my Thompson/Center gun?
E-mail your request for a manual with Model and Serial Number of your item to [email protected]
Send them a note and they will send the manual. Free, or at least they used to be?
Have fun! Go ahead and try it THIS year!
Welcome Jeremy. Everyones advice is great..I have just one more thing to add since your grandpa used the TC for hunting......MAKE SURE IT'S NOT LOADED!!!! :: Alot of people will put up a gun with a charge in it expecting to go hunting again later that week or sooner and never make it back to the woods. Thus , they end up with a charge in the barrel that they forgot about. Run the ramrod down the bore and mark it even with the muzzle. Then remove the rod and hold it beside the barrel with your mark again even with the muzzle. It should reach from the muzzle to just a tad rear of the touchhole. If it doesn't...it's either loaded or has something down the barrel that needs to be removed! I'm sure you will enjoy the TC, about half the world started off with that being their first gun...it was for me! :thumbsup:
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For a good hunting load 90grs. When you got to the range try a couple of shots with different loads and see what works the best. Also use good prelubed patches, and swab the bore out after each shot with a cleaning patch dampend wiht a bore cleaner. I hope my suggestions help.
wow, humbling! what a cool experience. like I may have mentioned, I tried this flintlock out before, but relatively low key. today I tried it out at a friends range in Mebane, NC. Thanks RJ1 I learned the right way to "flash the barrel" and swab it clean the right way. Thank goodness for those who know. OK, so here's the concensus: It shot two inches right and dead level (vertical perfect) at 50 yards, with a rest. At one hundred yards, it shot two inches low and two inches right with a pretty tight three inch group. Golly, that flash pan flash is a distractant. Thanks for all ya'lls advice and my instruction manual from TC is en route. After all, we're all rifled steel funners right? we know what it does
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