Been wanting a BP rifle for years. Finally bought one. A Traditions percussion, probably not a good choice for a BP novice due to it likely needing some tinkering to make it right, but I like to tinker. Will try to make some smoke tomorrow. :grin:
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Finally bought a BP rifle.
- Thread starter JimG
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You might just be pleasantly surprised, at how accurate it will be. I have some CVA rifles and they all shoot well.
Your headed in the right direction
Your headed in the right direction
Pittsburghunter
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I think it is a great rifle for a beginner. Traditions make fine inexpensive guns. They also make a few higher end guns as well not in the DP league but good nuff for some fine shooting and hunting.
Actually they don't make the guns anyway they just import them. Their selection of caplocks is larger than other companies right now in fact if you go to CVA's website they don't even sell any caplocks anymore
Actually they don't make the guns anyway they just import them. Their selection of caplocks is larger than other companies right now in fact if you go to CVA's website they don't even sell any caplocks anymore
I also managed to find most of the needed accessories that go along with a BP rifle. Nipple prick, powder measure, patches, etc. The only thing I'm lacking now is a flask or horn and a possibles bag. This was a real chore as the only BP fired around here is through an inline useing Pyrodex pellets and sabots. That also brings me to the fact that I can't find a single grain of real BP anywhere. I did buy one pound of Pyrodex RS. I'll have to make it work till I can buy/order some of the real stuff.
Get ready for lotsa fun. :thumbsup:
[url] www.grafs.com[/url] sells real BP in small lots. You have to pay the hazardous material fee, but it's still as cheap as Pyro if you buy 5 lbs.
What caliber/model Traditions did you get?
[url] www.grafs.com[/url] sells real BP in small lots. You have to pay the hazardous material fee, but it's still as cheap as Pyro if you buy 5 lbs.
What caliber/model Traditions did you get?
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The Pyrodex RS will work fine in your caplock.
Real black powder is often hard to find because it is classified as an exploseve.
The dealers have to have a special license for that and their insurance premiums go thru the roof.
Pyrodex and 777 on the other hand are classified the same as smokeless (because of it's high ignition temperature) so dealers can carry it without the hassels.
If you find some Pyrodex P, it too will work in your rifle but it is recommended that you reduce the load about 15% if you use it.
Real black powder is often hard to find because it is classified as an exploseve.
The dealers have to have a special license for that and their insurance premiums go thru the roof.
Pyrodex and 777 on the other hand are classified the same as smokeless (because of it's high ignition temperature) so dealers can carry it without the hassels.
If you find some Pyrodex P, it too will work in your rifle but it is recommended that you reduce the load about 15% if you use it.
Gametracker
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JimG, do you happen to be located around the southern end of IL? I can help you locate BP in these parts :thumbsup:
Sham66
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Howdy!
I just placed an order with GRAFS so let's see how they do. I purchased 4 cans, 2 Goex 3F, 1 Swiss 3F and a Goex 4f for priming. There is that darned HazMat fee, but Grafs does not charge shipping. Plus, living in Dallas, real BP is getting hard to find. Last time I had to drive to the country to get it. This should keep me going for a long time. Thanks for the recommendation.
James
I just placed an order with GRAFS so let's see how they do. I purchased 4 cans, 2 Goex 3F, 1 Swiss 3F and a Goex 4f for priming. There is that darned HazMat fee, but Grafs does not charge shipping. Plus, living in Dallas, real BP is getting hard to find. Last time I had to drive to the country to get it. This should keep me going for a long time. Thanks for the recommendation.
James
Their private lable balk is made by Wano, and works pretty good in my Spanish rifle. My underhammer don't much care for it though, so I'll need to try somethin' else for the corner shoot. I found some left over Pyro P from my youngest son's Remington .44 replica days. :hmm:
I live in east central IL. About 20 miles east of Champaign/Urbana out in a little sleepy town called Fairmount. No real BP around here at all. Black Mag(I think that's what it's called), Pyrodex "P" and "RS" and "RS Select" and the "pellets", and Triple 7 are the only choices for me here. The Pyro I bought was the "RS Select". As for the model name, it's (I think) an older version (like new though and likely unfired) of the Traditions "Deerhunter". It does not have the fiber optic sights as the new ones do as shown on their website. It has a front blade and a rear buckhorn. I tried 'er out yesterday. Not knowing what to expect I only used 50 grain charges. I used my own cast .490 balls. I've had the mold for years and have cast balls for others. The caps I used were CCI #11's. They seemed waayyyy too loose on the nipple. If I turned the gun upside down they will readily fall off on there own. Is this right? Seems loose. I screwed up when I bought the patches. I thought I grabbed the right ones but ended up with .018" 54 cal to 58 cal patches. The ball won't fit down the bore with them patches! So I thought well I've heard of paper patched ball and conicals sooooo.... I grabbed some paper napkins that were in the truck. I experimented with the number of individual sheets to use to get a snug but not tight fit. It worked. I was actually surprised that the rifle actually fired everytime. I also was surprised of the accuracy. Cloverleafs at 25 yards with an occasional flier. Trigger pull was horrid. When I got home I did a complete disassembly. Cleaned the barrel. Pulled the nipple and cleanout screw. Pulled the lock, trigger assembly, etc. I gave the trigger a look and managed to get the pull down to something resembling decent, yet safe. Cleaned up the lock. Hard waxed the stock. Re-assembled everything with more care than the factory probably did. I am happy and a little surprised with what I eneded up with. If I could do it all over again I would probably buy a T/C Hawken or a Lyman, but then again this one is not so bad. The wedge is not as tight as I think it should be however I don't know how tight it should be.
Pittsburghunter
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I would be happy to add one of them to my stable. Trigger pulls on most factory rifles now get bad marks even if you are talking .22s. My Bobcat has a pretty mean pull but I bet if you were shooting at a deer you would never feel it.
IMO, the only thing really wrong with the patches you bought is they are a little large in diameter.
This won't have much of an effect on the accuracy so go ahead and use them.
You mention that they won't fit down the bore which makes me wonder if your using a "short starter"?
A "short starter" usually looks like a wooden sphere with a short dowel sticking out of one side and a 3-4 ich dowel sticking out another side.
To use this, place the greased patch on the muzzle with the ball slightly started into the bore.
Place the short dowel on the starter on the ball and give the ball a mild to medium rap with your hand. This will compress the patch and start the ball into the bore.
Now place the longer dowel on the ball and again drive the ball/dowel/ball/patch down the bore about 3-4 inches.
Then use your ramrod in 8-13 inch strokes to run the ball/patch down to the powder.
Some folks say the old timers never used a short starter, and they may be right but most "traditional" shooters today wouldn't be without it.
This won't have much of an effect on the accuracy so go ahead and use them.
You mention that they won't fit down the bore which makes me wonder if your using a "short starter"?
A "short starter" usually looks like a wooden sphere with a short dowel sticking out of one side and a 3-4 ich dowel sticking out another side.
To use this, place the greased patch on the muzzle with the ball slightly started into the bore.
Place the short dowel on the starter on the ball and give the ball a mild to medium rap with your hand. This will compress the patch and start the ball into the bore.
Now place the longer dowel on the ball and again drive the ball/dowel/ball/patch down the bore about 3-4 inches.
Then use your ramrod in 8-13 inch strokes to run the ball/patch down to the powder.
Some folks say the old timers never used a short starter, and they may be right but most "traditional" shooters today wouldn't be without it.
I have two rifles, one a .54 and one a .40. I've used the .50-.59 patches in my .40 with no problem. When wrestling with a tight fit, more important than the diameter is the thickness. Drop down to .015" or .010" with the next batch and you'll be in business (I like the .015 for both my guns, using .530 balls in the .54 and .395 in the .40).JimG said:
JimG said:
I live about 20 miles west of Champaign/Urbana, just north of Farmer City. I order blackpowder from Powder Inc, by the case. I can help you out with a couple of lbs right now and can let you know when I order again, so we could combine an order. I'd also be happy to get together for an afternoon of shooting and show you whatever I know.
Sabinajiles, I may take you up on your offer. As for using a short starter, I do have one. The .490 balls will not fit in my bore when trying to use the .018 patches I mistakenly bought. There is no reasonable amount of force that will force the ball in. I'm going to pick up some thinner patches in a day or two. I need to cast some more balls as well. I have a mold that will cast some very nice conicals. The mold says .44 WCF. It is an older cast iron single cavity mold. I was wondering if these would fit in some of those plastic sabots sold for modern .50 inlines? I know this flys in the face of traditional muzzleloading, but I would like to try it for laughs and giggles. I will likely stick to the round ball for most shooting though.
