Flintlock Help

[Bunda4]

Hello my name is Bill and my cousin passed away & his wife gave me his .44 cal flintlock rifle all is says is made in Italy it has some markings on it(that is all that is stamped on barrel)I took it to a machine shop today he miked the barrel and the bore is .452 I have .45 cal. balls that he gauged to be .442 to .444 they fit easily down barrel(without a wad) can I use them and what type/thickness of wads should I use also I will be new to this kind of shooting which , re loader , starter and powders do I buy (basically everything I would need)I want to use it for deer hunting here in Pa. I do a lot of bow hunting but was hoping to take my cousin hunting again ,it seems like all the old gunsmiths around my area are closed or passed away.
If you can help me that would be great.
Thank you,
Bill

 

[hanshi]

It does sound like you have a .45 rifle. load with (starting) .45 grns of 3F and a lubed .015" patch; ticking works great and spit as a lube works, too. The rifle should shoot well with ball from .440" to .450". Wipe between shots if you feel you have to but you may find that you don't.

 

[bpd303]

Might want to read the flintlock shooting tips thread (at the top) lots of good info there. Welcome to the forum and the most addictive form of shooting I've found. :grin:

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the forum.

The ball size you mentioned is right for the bore of your rifle.

You don't need wads but you will need some cotton patches. Usually a tight weave material about .010 to .018 thick will work nicely.

The patch should be lubricated with either a factory made lube or a vegetable cooking oil or olive oil. Crisco will also work.

Your gun will only shoot reliably with real black powder. The synthetic black powder made for cap lock guns works poorly or not at all.

You should have a round wooden ball with short dowels sticking out of it. This is a short starter and it is used to start the patched ball into the muzzle.

You will also need something to measure out the powder charge.

To load your gun open the frizzen/pan cover on the lock.

Place the lock at "half cock"

Measure from 65 to 80 grains of black powder using a volume type measure and pour it down the bore.

Place the lubricated patch on the muzzle.

Place the ball into the center of the patch.

Use the short starter to start the patch/ball into the barrel. Usually these starters have a short and a long dowel. The short one is to start the ball. The longer one is to drive the ball about 2-3 inches down the bore.

Using the ramrod, grab it about 1 foot above the muzzle and press it down into the barrel.
Repeat this until the ball is seated on the powder.

Remove the ramrod and replace it in the thimbles (guides).

Pour just enough black powder into the pan to totally cover the bottom. Do not cover up the vent hole in the side of the barrel.

Close the frizzen, cock the gun, aim and fire.

Happy shooting.

 

[Bunda4]

Thank you!!! You all have been very helpful I learned a lot today. Should I buy swaged or unswaged balls? & where is a good place to purchase balls, patches, powders, ball starter, re loaders

 

[Drago]

Hi, and welcome. Stonewall creek outfitters , Dixie gun works, Track of the Wolf are good starting places to start. There is a shortage these days of lots of stuff. I use .445 balls in mine using blue stripe pillow ticking from Jo Anns fabric. 65 grains of 3f goex, but I just ordered some 3f Jacks Battle Powder to save some money over local prices. I bought flints from Stonewall Creek. Flint Locks are addictive, I hardly ever pick up a caplock when heading to the range. Do you know what size flints yours uses?

 

[Bunda4]

no sorry?So far I just bought some English flints @ $4.00 a piece I also bought a bullet puller and some barrel butter.

 

[Drago]

There are different size locks that hold different width flints, I am no expert but believe the flint is as wide as the frizzen. I also use a flash pan charger that puts 4 grains of 4f in the pan. The 4f fires a little faster than 3f and with the slight delay in firing, a little is a lot of help getting used to a flintlock. Most of the shooters get used to the delay and don't even notice it when charging with 2f or 3f. One thing to watch is the flash hole sometimes needs to have a pick pushed in to clear the path. I also swab with alcohol and wipe the frizzen and flint before shooting. I am enjoying it but still learn something every time.

 

[Bunda4]

what is swaged balls? & is that what I want to buy?

 

[Drago]

Swaged round balls are fine, it is a way they are produced. Probably a faster way for production instead of cast. There will not be a sprue where it was cast. I have bought these and they work fine.

 

[bpd303]

what is swaged balls? & is that what I want to buy?

Swagged are formed by pressing cold lead into a mold as opposed to pouring melted lead into a different style mold. Which ever you chose make sure the lead is pure soft, not a hard alloy like used for cartridges.

 

[Mr.D123]

Hi Bill!

 

[Bunda4]

Hello everyone. Thank you for all the info everyone is so helpful I cant wait to shoot this thing I hope I get addicted lol

 

[Dphar]

Thank you!!! You all have been very helpful I learned a lot today. Should I buy swaged or unswaged balls? & where is a good place to purchase balls, patches, powders, ball starter, re loaders

You can likely find everything but the powder at a major sporting goods retailer or a ML specialty shop.
Dixon's ML Shop in Kempton PA can give you everything you need and some good advice if they are within range.
The patch around the ball is what engages the rifling. Wads are for shotguns.
You can also look for a Lyman's Blackpowder Handbook. Its pretty good and will give the basics. http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Black-Powder-Handbook-Edition/dp/B0000C6I4U

Again if its possible to get there Dixon's would be a great resource. http://www.dixonmuzzleloading.com/

You need REAL blackpowder. Pyrodex, Triple 7 and the other "replica" powders simply do not work well if at all with a FL. They are designed for percussion cap or shotgun primer ignition.

Dan

 

[Zonie]

It really doesn't matter whether the lead balls are cast or swaged.
The swaged Hornady or Speer brand balls will probably be the easiest to find.
You will want to buy .440 diameter balls to start with. If these are unavailable the .445 balls will work.

At this stage of the game I suggest that you forget about buying a pan primer or 4F powder.
Try to buy 3Fg powder which will work nicely for both the main powder charge and for priming the pan.
If 3Fg powder is not available buy 2Fg powder.
It will also work for the main powder charge and priming but it may not fire quite as fast and it will leave a little more fouling in the bore.

4F powder is only suitable for priming the pan so unless you shoot your flintlock a LOT it isn't worth fooling with.

Your flints should be about the same width as the upright frizzen that is attached to the pan cover.
The flint is held in the cocks (hammer) jaws by wrapping a piece of leather around the top, rear and bottom of the flint.

With the cock (hammer) set at half cock the flints sharp edge should be almost touching the closed frizzens face.
After adjusting the flint this way, open the frizzen and slowly lower the cock to the fired position. This is to make sure the flint doesn't crash into the bottom of the pan.
If it doesn't, your about ready to go make some smoke.

 

[Shack56]

Bunda4 If ya want to go for a happy ride that's worth the trip Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop is just outside of Allentown. They have everything you need including real black powder, (sometimes hard to find in Pa.). Good Luck, Steve

 

[rfdr]

be careful with the ball powder charge - it will be different between using 2fg and 3fg.

i'd suggest 65-75 volume grains of 2fg ... or 40-50 grains of 3fg. notice the volume difference for each grain type.

i agree with what other members have stated - 4fg is not mandatory for pan powder, both 3fg and 2fg will work just fine.

in essence, just a pound of any good 3fg black powder will get ya up and running just fine with yer flinter. good luck, be safe, have fun!

 

[Bunda4]

heading to Bloomsburg this weekend for daughter found a store in mifflinville (Curt's gun shop) that sells black powder supplies anybody know much about this store? Don't know if I will be able to stop at Dixons but will try hope to shoot it this weekend

 

[Bunda4]

Thank you all for the big help I took the gun upstate with me turkey hunting and WOW what a rush I shot it about 15 times every shot hitting 4" plate at 25 yards it seems to like about 60 to 70 grains with a .440 ball in a .015 patch I cant wait to shoot it again hopefully it will be big deer down Thanks Again for all the help

 

[AZbpBurner]

NEXT, be sure to ask about proper cleaning procedures, since corrosive black powder residue can severely corrode, pit & DESTROY a barrel.

Water will dissolve black powder residue, and this needs to be done promptly to avoid permanent damage.