D M Doliver smoothy today

[bigted]

So got a day to myself for a change, and having been dreaming of getting the 62 out for an outing. Sunshine, 70'ish degree and getting out in the woods instead of the shooting range made this camper very happy.

Decided to begin ladder shots using Old E 3F beings this is what I have on hand. Usually shot O E in 2 F granulation so thought I would try to discover a load in 3F granulation.

Beginning at 60 grains, I rediscovered disappointment with the flinter. Being unhappy but determined to make smoke today I continued with 70 grains. It also shot patterns not groups.

Previously my best load was 80 grains Old E 2 F powder under my home cast .595 lead balls wrapped in .015 cotton patch greased with my 50/50 bee wax/Vaseline. This load will shoot into 3.5 inch at 40 yards.

Today using the same balls, patch's and lube just changing just the granulation of powder I began my ladder shots in 3 shot groups.

Got to the 80 grain charge it all came together again. At 35 yard ... 35 long steps of my 6 foot 5 inch strides my 80 grain groups were consistently 1.5 to 2 inch. I shot several groups and they stayed in there. Clean shooting and easy loading throughout.

Thinking if this is good, more might just be better. 90 grains held the group and 100 grains stayed in there as well. Beings 80 did as good with less recoil and less powder makes me desire to use the 80 grain charge of 3F Old E powder. Should be plenty of power for our black tail deer and western Oregon elk. Not that I plan on elk hunting by myself at 65 years young, packing them out may be in my past.

Very happy with my good experience shooting my flinter. This gun is just a hoot.

Oh yea ... was going to try 110 grains but having dry balled after changing the flint, decided for me to stop for now and go home.

All in all, great day

 

[The Crisco Kid]

You are doing better than I did with my 62 today. I shot around 8" at 30 yds. I was using a .570 ball and .018 patch and 2 drams of FF. I think I need bigger balls ( no snickering, please ) and maybe FFF powder. The gun is a very trim 5 lbs. and it does tend to buck a bit. I built it with the idea of using shot more than ball but I'll keep at it until I find a decent load for the ball. The 1 oz. #4 shot loads patterned well enough to do in a rabbit at that range.

CK

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

I think I need bigger balls ( no snickering, please )

In the group I run with, you'll get a mountain man name with comments like this.......................

 

[Britsmoothy]

You are doing better than I did with my 62 today. I shot around 8" at 30 yds. I was using a .570 ball and .018 patch and 2 drams of FF. I think I need bigger balls ( no snickering, please ) and maybe FFF powder. The gun is a very trim 5 lbs. and it does tend to buck a bit. I built it with the idea of using shot more than ball but I'll keep at it until I find a decent load for the ball. The 1 oz. #4 shot loads patterned well enough to do in a rabbit at that range.

CK

Try loading two ball.

 

[bigted]

All I know is that with each trigger yank, I get more and more addicted to the flintlock system. At first the flint system had me in total frustration. So much so that I bought a drum and a percusion hammer and began grinding and filing the plate til the pan disappeared and the small U formed up for support of the percusion drum. HOWEVER my experience indicated that no better accuracy developed from the percusion modified system. Feeling that I had somehow missed something, I purchased another flint plate and returned it to being the flintlock 62 that I bought in the first place.

I find that the clack n boom is probably way faster then my mind and ears seem to perceive. When I bench my smoothy, it performs equal to the percusion system. Sooo, I have determined that the flint system just needs to polish me into learning the tiny hints I learn from my smoothy.

My trail with this has been twofold ... first smooth to figure out. First flintlock to figure out.

Gotta say I very much like the smoothbore shooter with its easy loading and versatility to any need. AND I very much like the pomp and circumstance of the flintlock system. All in all this fouler has successfully taken me to school just like I needed to keep my need to be challenged peaked.

I have just began my quest and love the fairly short range and seemingly poor accuracy with ball's ... but even this is improving greatly.

Can not hardly wait to begin shooting shot loads out of her.

I did dryball her already. And of coarse it had to be a thicker patched load in my experimenting ... sooo ... wound up unbreeching my barrel to remove it. My lessons are many and keep me humble.

Such fun!!!

In my imagination ... I see me hunkered under a cedar with my fouler loaded with shot when I spot a small buck in the distance. I quietly pull my over shot card and empty the shot, replacing it with a patched ball from my ball board ... and as this little buck continues grazing, I stalk to within range with the fouler ... and with the huge gout of smoke ... I have a cleaning task of the fine little buck on my hands. Ahh backstrap n eggs for supper!

 

[Grenadier1758]

I too have noticed that when I let some else shoot my flintlock, it goes off nearly instantly. However when I shot it, I sometimes perceive a delay. I think my senses get heightened when I put the flint lock to my shoulder.

 

[bigted]

Nother thing I may have neglected to mention is the powder granulation I have begun using. This being old E 3F.

I find this to be immensely cleaner and better consistancy then the 2F powder I used before.

Cleanup is a snap using this very clean 3F powder. Plus the economy is grand as well. Gives me 20% more loads over the 2 F powder.

My accuracy with my .595 lead ball in .015 cotton patch lubed with my BP lube has bettered and the resultant fouling is very manageable to boot

Gun wise, I have added a rear sight. This consists of a small thumb screw filed to a lolipop style with a hole bore through ... making a peep sight that is D&T'ed into my breech plug. I found a small square nut to use as a lock which appears "kinda" era correct. Sure makes my trigger time more confident and when n if I decide to delete the peep, all that is required is a slotted plug for the hole in the breech plug and WALLA looks correct except for the extra slotted screw head in the breechplug.

 

[bigted]

 

[bigted]

Thar she is. The beastie!

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Mr Doliver from Shelton Wa?

Built mine in his shop. He is sorely missed.

 

[bigted]

Mr Doliver from Shelton Wa?

Built mine in his shop. He is sorely missed.

Yes I believe so

 

[martin9]

Try a card between powder and patched ball. A thin overshot card or a nitro card. It's tightened my groups up on every smoothbore I have. So much so I normally use one with my .62 rifled Jaeger. Try both kinds of cards. My latest gun prefers the thicker nitro cards I've noticed.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

You are doing better than I did with my 62 today. I shot around 8" at 30 yds. I was using a .570 ball and .018 patch and 2 drams of FF. I think I need bigger balls ( no snickering, please ) and maybe FFF powder. The gun is a very trim 5 lbs. and it does tend to buck a bit. I built it with the idea of using shot more than ball but I'll keep at it until I find a decent load for the ball. The 1 oz. #4 shot loads patterned well enough to do in a rabbit at that range.

CK

Hey Crisco I tried some .575 balls with 2 .015 pillow ticking patches in my .62 smoothie. Never could get them to group. Went back to my .60 balls and everything shrunk back down. Melted the .575's back down and cast more .60's. Good Luck.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Thanks. One of these days I'll find a .600 or .610 mold to try. I have a few that mike about .598 that I need to try.

 

[bigted]

Crisco, determine the diameter of your bore, this takes all the guesswork out of your needs.

My bore is .615, so I took .595 ( .020 less than the bore, and devided this in two then added .005 to come up with the .015 patch thickness ).

I purchased a Lyman .695 ball mold and pure lead off fleabay. Off we go.

I also bought several size balls from TOW way cheaper than getting molds first, to determine the size that works ... then I reverse engineered the reason why it worked.

To begin with I took that .020 windage and simply divided it in half for patch thickness of .010 which loaded way easy but 3.5 to 4.5 inch groups was all that was possible. Then I tried a .015 patch and it all came closer to my expectations.

The math gives me a .0025 crush around the ball which still loads easy and yet clusters my groups when I do my part. This patched ball cleans the bore with every new loading. It scoures the smoothbore clean leaving a mirror bore each shot.

Which brings me to the 3F powder. My luck stands for a clean bore after shooting this stuff. 2F powder is dirtier and requires more cleaning then the 3F does. Also the 3F powder takes less to punch the ball out at the same speed and power.