euroarms kentuckian rifle

[Robyn]

Hi everyone.
I have just obtained a euroarms 44 cal Kentuckian flintlock rifle. by the proof marks it was built in 1973. does anyone know anything about this flinter, what size flints? what size ball and patch? any information would be great.. and yes it is 44 cal I cant seem to find anything about this rifle...

regrads Robyn from OZ

 

[MikeChapin]

As I remember those .44 used a .429 round ball. You used to be able to find Speer or Horanady balls for it. You should be be able to find cast balls for it at most web BP dealers. Lee makes a .433 RB mold that may work.

As far as flint size, I would guess a 5/8" but it may need a 3/4". Pick up some of each and see what works the best.

 

[rafterob]

I have a .45 Euroarms Kentuckian barrel I built a rifle around. IIRC they were Italian made.I filed all the markings except the proofs off of mine to disguise the "manufactured" look. Very accurate shooter once I sighted it in. 5/8" flints will do ya. I highly recommend spending the time to tune up the lock before you start doing a lot of shooting. You will get more consistent performance that way. It also has a pretty small touch hole and I have found that picking the hole each time before priming helps speed ignition timing.

 

[Zonie]

The .44 cal Kentuckian Flintlock was my first muzzleloading rifle. I bought it in 1972 (give or take a year).

It was a well made Italian rifle and as I recall its lock was a good sparker.

I sold it about 5 years ago to a guy who wanted to hang it on his wall. That's a shame too because it was a good shooting gun.

As for the size of the flint you will need, measure the width of the frizzen. The flint you want will be that size or just a bit larger in width. If you get a wider flint, make sure it isn't going to hit the barrel when it falls by positioning the excess flint towards the outside of the frizzen. A little hanging over the side won't hurt anything.

For hunting, I loaded about 75 grains of DuPont 3Fg powder under a patched .433 diameter Hornady roundball.

 

[tg]

I had a pair of those a cap and a flint, the geometry on the flint needed some work as did the tempering, 5/8 flint .433 ball if I recall, they are a nice slim lined little gun 13/16 barrel I believe and really accurate with the right load, I coned the outside of the vent a bit on mine.

 

[Robyn]

thank you for your replies
I am yet to shoot this rifle but it looks like it will be a good shooter.... if not I will bore it out and make it a smooth bore.

 

[benvenuto]

Hi, I have the .45 kentuckian, shoot .445 ball with a .012 linen patch soaked in 2:1 olive oil to bees wax.

The barrel was rough when I bought it second hand but I lapped it and it is VERY accurate now. I got a bit worried when I stripped it and rebrowned it a couple of years back as it appeared to have a long crack in it but it checks out fine -just skin deep.

My main problems have centred around the lock. I got manure performance until I installed a touchole liner and did some serious tuning on the lock. The original frizzen was very bad until replaced by a properly hardened one, polished everything etc etc. I have had so much frustration with this gun...but on the other hand it was a cheap way to learn a bit of basic gunsmithing.

If I was a beginner again and had the money, I doubt I would go to the trouble. I would go for a late period military style flintlock rifle with a big lock and lots of sparks

 

[Sure Shot Rick]

I had one also. I shot .440 balls. It had a soft frizzen. Back in the day I had it resurfaced with that radioactive stuff that would spark a marble. Decades later I read an article about the facing material and had the frizzen replaced and it sucked again. I sold it on a blanket. It was accurate but uncomfortable to shoulder and sight.