Florida Jim said:
Thank you so much. That's the information I was looking for.
I'm looking forward to getting this rifle. It'll be my first flintlock. It's going to be an adventure.
I ordered some flints, and some leather from Dixie.
I currently have a left hand Lyman GPR in 50 cal. It shoots best with 3F, .490 RB, and a .015" patch. I plan on trying about the same load.
I read that 3F was ok for priming. Is this true?
(emphasis added)
yes, you can use 3F for prime. after using up the last of my 4F, I tried my usual 3F (which goes into everything I shoot, except the .62 smoothie, which is still in the project stage)
while enough ink has been spent to refloat the Bismark on this subject, and there is a strongly held opinion that 4F is very much faster, it is my
personal experience that if you use whatever you have as a powder in your horn for both charge and prime, you won't see an
appreciable difference in performance.
The best advice I can offer is for you to try to get a small amount of some 4F and give it a try. see for yourself if it makes a difference in your rig, with your set- up, shooting whatever charge you shoot. The proof is not in some theoretical treatise with charts and arrows and glossy photographs, but in the strike of the ball where you want it to go.
In theory, it does work better, but in actual practice, it makes no difference for me. Try it for yourself, and see what works best for you, and go with that.
(this isn't to say that 4F shooters are 'doing it wrong.' ... if you like doing it that way, and like carrying the extra gadgetry, by all means go for it)
as a side note, check out Dutch Shoultz' method ... this will improve you accuracy better than a zillion theoretical musings on the relative merits of 4F
vs. 3F.
Good luck with your project, and
Make Good Smoke!
