First timer.....

[labrat]

New to flintlock / BP shooting. I'm waiting on my flintlock 54cal. kit to come in and very excited to start it. First off I'm no big time shooter or hunter and this rifle will see more conversation and wall time than being shot. Most important I will build this rifle along with my kids and g-kids and show them the fun it is to use your hands instead keyboarding on a computer. Recently I purchased a box of used accoutrements so I have most of the basic things. In the box was a bottle of Hogdon 3 seven fffg muzzle loading powder. I went to their website but doesn't have any loading data for flintlocks. Is this a powder I can use other than Goex fffg ? Also I bought lead balls size .053 with .010 patches.
Thanks for any help.......

 

[Hammond79]

People with MUCH more experience and knowledge will reply. But this I know 777 and other substitute powders have a much higher ignition temperature compared to real black powder and therefore are discouraged for use in flintlocks. If your rifle is .54 the 530 balls should be good. I would lean towards a thicker patch(.015 or .018) but .010 may work. I would seek out real black powder from one of the many mail order providers: 3FG, OR 2FG for the main charge and 3FG or 4FG for the prime (pan). The folks on this forum are a wealth of knowledge and happy to help. Good luck on your build.

 

[ord sgt]

The synthetic powders will not work well in flintlock rifles or pistols. Black powder is needed for both the main charge in the barrel and for the pan of the lock. Hammond79 is right.
You never mentioned which flintlock kit was ordered. The depth of the rifling in the barrel will determine the ball and patch sizes. Shallow rifling will be useable with thin patches, deeper rifling will require a thicker patch. The patches help to seal the bore, containing the fast burn of the powder.

 

[andy52]

Patch and ball size will depend on the rifle itself, my Hatfield .54 likes .535 and .15 patches, my Lyman .54 likes 530 and .15 patches I shoot 3f powder in both at 80 grs. I can't give any advice on synthetic powers because I've never used them but I have heard more then once that they don't work with flinters due to the lower ignition point.

 

[labrat]

My kit is a Kibler colonial 54 cal.

 

[labrat]

Thank You for your help. I figured since there was no flintlock data this probably wasn't the correct powder. Is there another powder I can use besides Goex? Thanks.......

 

[TreeMan]

Thank You for your help. I figured since there was no flintlock data this probably wasn't the correct powder. Is there another powder I can use besides Goex? Thanks.......

You just need real black powder. Goex, Swiss or any other kind. I suggest 3F. Any kind of synthetic/substitute powder will just give you a big fat headache. They simply do not work well or at all in a flintlock.

 

[oldwood]

Be very cautious about allowing children to "help" build your expensive box of parts into a rifle. I try to do " hands on" instruction of adults with minimal skills , and most times end up having to teach folks how to use basic tools instead of how to build a rifle. Go to Chuck Dixon's Muzzleloader shop webstte , call and order his famous book, "The Art of Building The PA. Longrifle. It's got informational text , drawings , and step by step instruction on how to do it.
Oh and loose the 777 powder , and use black FFFg as it is easier to ignite...................oldwood

 

[Grenadier1758]

Thank You for your help. I figured since there was no flintlock data this probably wasn't the correct powder. Is there another powder I can use besides Goex? Thanks.......

There is nothing wrong about the use of GOEX Black Powder. GOEX black powder will work just fine in a flint lock. I use GOEX black powder in my flint locks. The GOEX premium powder, Old Eynsford is also very good and about as good as the Swiss black powder. Other brands to use are Scheutzen, WANO, KIK or Graf's black powder (which is made by GOEX).

There is plenty of evidence to discourage the use of synthetic black powders in a flint lock.

 

[Daveboone]

Goex is kind of the "go to" powder, for availability and quality , but I like Schuetzen (Germany...sic?) alot too. With a flinter you will probably want some four f for priming, but for the rare occ. shooting, will probably do ok with 3 F. I would pick up a dozen extra flints too. There is a learning curve with Flinters as to flint handling and care, and flint life expectancy is highly variable.
Kibler has excellent videos on line detailing the steps and how to. I strongly recommend watching them....Simple things you watch on the video, become more vague as you proceed...until you go back and watch them a second time. At least for me, as a first time builder anyway. I am working on a Colonial in .58.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Is this a powder I can use other than Goex fffg ? Also I bought lead balls size .053 with .010 patches.
Thanks for any help.......

Unfortunately the silliness of California, may mean a road trip to Nevada for Black Powder.

LD

 

[oldwood]

.530 RB's w/ compression miked .015 patches work in my Colerain barrel. Also , If using a grease lube , use as thin application of grease on the patch material as possible. Apply the lube so patch is saturated , then rub grease thin on patch , or use a thin liquid type lube instead of grease at the range. You will figure what's best for you. A lot of folks use Mink Oil shoe grease , like from the shoe dept. , Walmart. Liquid lubes for the range are endless in formula , Whatever is a good substitute for spit. Or , if lazy like me , I buy Competition Lube from Log Cabin Sport Shop , Lodi , Ohio. They have a nice catalog w/everything in it.................oldwood

 

[Col. Batguano]

I would suggest watching a host of the "How to Build a ML'er" videos that are on the internet together with your class before you take on each task contemplated. Just one at a time, and for each task. You will be both a student and a teacher at the same time.

Just be careful with kids about overdoing it with the length of your "hands on" sessions with kids. Some tasks (like entry pipe and butt plate inletting) are exceedingly long and tedious, and little guys have notoriously short attention spans. I would suggest involving them at the start of the task, doing the bulk of the "middle part" of the work yourself, and then bringing them in at the very end, for no more than 20-30 minutes each time. That way they'll look forward to it and it will remain "special time" to them.

 

[Woody Morgan]

Unfortunately the silliness of California, may mean a road trip to Nevada for Black Powder.

LD

Nah. I order all of mine online. It gets delivered usually FedEx adult signature. Track of the Wolf, Powder Valley, etc wherever you can find it.

wm

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Nah. I order all of mine online. It gets delivered usually FedEx adult signature. Track of the Wolf, Powder Valley, etc wherever you can find it.

wm

As do I..., but to make the Hazmat and charges livable, a large portion must be ordered from some place like Graf & Son, and to comply with my local laws, several of us have to make a joint order. I hate for a newbie to run afoul of some local ordinance by doing the same, alone.

LD

 

[TreeMan]

Nah. I order all of mine online. It gets delivered usually FedEx adult signature. Track of the Wolf, Powder Valley, etc wherever you can find it.

wm

This poster didn’t say the normal “I can’t find blackpowder in my area” that I see all the time, so I’m not busting his chops. One the other hand it baffles me that people will spend $1000-$2000 on a kit or more for a completed gun and won’t spend a $100 for several pounds of real blackpowder and shipping. You can get approximately 100 shots or more per pound and at least three pounds of powder +shipping for around $100. You’ll not find many shooting sports that you can fire 300 rounds for $100. Sorry for hijacking the thread with a rant.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The mink oil shoe liquid probably doesn't contain any mink oil. Fortunately, patch lubricant can be forgiving, but the Mink Oil sold by Track of the Wolf is far better both for patches and also for shoes. In any event, the TotW Mink Oil is better used for lubricating patches when hunting as it doesn't dry out while protecting the barrel from rust.

 

[Major Tim]

Do more research right here and you'll find everything you need to know.

 

[labrat]

Once again Thank You all for sharing your knowledge and expertise. This is a wonderful forum and is nice to know there is a wealth of good information at my fingertips. Yes I did get rid of the Hogdon powder and I'll be sure to use real black powder as you mentioned . Yes Calif. gun & ammo laws are pretty crazy causing people to horde everything but this is everywhere! O-Yes I will have limited and well supervised tasks for the kids. Last week we built a leather possible bag some small pouches and will soon start on a measuring & powder horn. Already having lots of fun........

 

[ord sgt]

One pound of black powder equals 7000 grains. 100 shots with a 70 grain powder charge equals 7000 grains. It's so easy, even an ord sgt can figure it out.