Greenhorn questions

[Ricky Bobby]

I have a Lyman .54 cal flintlock GPR headed my way and I have never owned or used anything with black powder or have experienced a firearm that loads from the muzzle so to say I’ve got a lot to learn would be an understatement! I do have considerable experience shooting and handling firearms and reloading for the ones I have so I’m hoping this black powder adventure I’m about to go on is something that helps get me excited again about my shooting & hunting career that honestly I was starting to get somewhat bored with after 47yrs of age and doing it my entire life. Anyhow, I’m just going to ask a few questions right here right now to get them out of the way and some of you all might laugh but they are honest questions I have and since I have no one to mentor me on these things I’m sorta leaning on you all to explain some of it to me. So here we go.

1st off, I’m a hunter and definitely plan on hunting with this flintlock rifle. I’m curious since black powder is highly corrosive how long I can safely leave my rifle loaded with a charge and no harm be done. I can easily find myself wanting to leave it loaded between hunts from a.m. to p.m. or from an evening hunt to overnight for a hunt the next morning. Is this something I can safely do? Or am I better off to discharge the gun when my hunt is over?

2nd, without the rifle in my hands yet, I’m curious about type and size of flints that are required or that you all think I’d have my best luck with? Seller states the lock has been swapped out to a L&R lock. Not sure if that changes anything? I’m currently trying to put together a list of supplies I’d like to have on hand and extra flints are high on that list. Just have no idea where to start with size & type?

Third, I have been researching here a lot since I joined and seeing where lots of folks seem to be using 3f for both their main charge and priming the pan. I really like the idea of doing that to keep things simple using a single powder. If you were starting out in the dark like myself, is it as simple as just figuring out the size of round ball and thickness of my patch my rifle likes, then deciding on what size charge of 3f my rifle likes? Or is there a chance my rifle just may not like 3f? Is that possible? I just don’t want to get hung up on trying to make something work if every situation is completely different. I guess what I’m asking is what is the likelihood a 70gr or 80gr charge of 3f will work in my rifle?

Lastly, I’m curious if there are any shooting accessories or must haves that I might be overlooking that you instantly think I need to make sure I have. I need to obtain a fair amount of supplies yet to get me going. Ball starter, ramrod, patches, lube, flash hole pick, etc. I’ve been over on the TOTW website checking things out. They seem to have about everything I will need I think.

Apologize for the long post. I’m currently full of all kinds of questions. My brain is spinning a 100mph right now. I’m more excited than I ever have been in a long time so I think this is going to be good for me! Appreciate anyone’s thoughts and comments. Good day!

 

[French Colonial]

Others will chime in here with additional information, I will start.

1st off, I’m a hunter and definitely plan on hunting with this flintlock rifle. I’m curious since black powder is highly corrosive how long I can safely leave my rifle loaded with a charge and no harm be done. I can easily find myself wanting to leave it loaded between hunts from a.m. to p.m. or from an evening hunt to overnight for a hunt the next morning. Is this something I can safely do? Or am I better off to discharge the gun when my hunt is over?

There is a thread on this site regarding this if you do a search (upper right hand corner) some guys leave the gun loaded for an entire season with no issues as long is was clean prior to loading.
BP gets corrosive after firing and then not as bad as some make it out to be, after firing, clean it in some reasonable time frame, I have through necessity left mine for 3-4 days with no ill effects.

Flints, I don't know.

Third, I have been researching here a lot since I joined and seeing where lots of folks seem to be using 3f for both their main charge and priming the pan. I really like the idea of doing that to keep things simple using a single powder. If you were starting out in the dark like myself, is it as simple as just figuring out the size of round ball and thickness of my patch my rifle likes, then deciding on what size charge of 3f my rifle likes? Or is there a chance my rifle just may not like 3f? Is that possible? I just don’t want to get hung up on trying to make something work if every situation is completely different. I guess what I’m asking is what is the likelihood a 70gr or 80gr charge of 3f will work in my rifle?

3F will be fine, yes, use it in both the barrel and the priming pan, others will say different but for me... NEVER use substitute powders, only real BP.

Lastly, I’m curious if there are any shooting accessories or must haves that I might be overlooking that you instantly think I need to make sure I have. I need to obtain a fair amount of supplies yet to get me going. Ball starter, ramrod, patches, lube, flash hole pick, etc

A powder horn and an adjustable measure to start (never load from the horn) after you find your best powder charge you can then make or buy a fixed powder measure if you want. Everything else on your list looks like a good start.

Have Fun!

 

[French Colonial]

By the way, Southern Illinois, how close to Fort de Chartres are you?
Lots of friendly shooters there who like flintlocks.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

By the way, Southern Illinois, how close to Fort de Chartres are you?
Lots of friendly shooters there who like flintlocks.

I’m literally about 15 minutes away. My wife is actually from Prairie DuRocher where the fort is just outside of town in the bottoms.

 

[French Colonial]

If your wife is from Rocher have her get in touch with Dave Horne who lives there, he is active in several of the Forts organizations and can help you on your Journey.

 

[Rifleman1776]

since black powder is highly corrosive

BP in it's natural state is not corrosive. Antique firearms and stores of bp have been found that are perfectly good. Loaded into a clean rifle you can leave it that way almost indefinitely without concern. It is the burned residue of fired bp that is corrosive. I won't try to answer all your questions as others have already chimed in. But, one accessory I did not see mentioned was a powder. This is an essential tool for safety and consistent results,

 

[Rancocas]

I have a Lyman .54 cal flintlock GPR headed my way and I have never owned or used anything with black powder or have experienced a firearm that loads from the muzzle so to say I’ve got a lot to learn would be an understatement! I do have considerable experience shooting and handling firearms and reloading for the ones I have so I’m hoping this black powder adventure I’m about to go on is something that helps get me excited again about my shooting & hunting career that honestly I was starting to get somewhat bored with after 47yrs of age and doing it my entire life. Anyhow, I’m just going to ask a few questions right here right now to get them out of the way and some of you all might laugh but they are honest questions I have and since I have no one to mentor me on these things I’m sorta leaning on you all to explain some of it to me. So here we go.

1st off, I’m a hunter and definitely plan on hunting with this flintlock rifle. I’m curious since black powder is highly corrosive how long I can safely leave my rifle loaded with a charge and no harm be done. I can easily find myself wanting to leave it loaded between hunts from a.m. to p.m. or from an evening hunt to overnight for a hunt the next morning. Is this something I can safely do? Or am I better off to discharge the gun when my hunt is over?

2nd, without the rifle in my hands yet, I’m curious about type and size of flints that are required or that you all think I’d have my best luck with? Seller states the lock has been swapped out to a L&R lock. Not sure if that changes anything? I’m currently trying to put together a list of supplies I’d like to have on hand and extra flints are high on that list. Just have no idea where to start with size & type?

Third, I have been researching here a lot since I joined and seeing where lots of folks seem to be using 3f for both their main charge and priming the pan. I really like the idea of doing that to keep things simple using a single powder. If you were starting out in the dark like myself, is it as simple as just figuring out the size of round ball and thickness of my patch my rifle likes, then deciding on what size charge of 3f my rifle likes? Or is there a chance my rifle just may not like 3f? Is that possible? I just don’t want to get hung up on trying to make something work if every situation is completely different. I guess what I’m asking is what is the likelihood a 70gr or 80gr charge of 3f will work in my rifle?

Lastly, I’m curious if there are any shooting accessories or must haves that I might be overlooking that you instantly think I need to make sure I have. I need to obtain a fair amount of supplies yet to get me going. Ball starter, ramrod, patches, lube, flash hole pick, etc. I’ve been over on the TOTW website checking things out. They seem to have about everything I will need I think.

Apologize for the long post. I’m currently full of all kinds of questions. My brain is spinning a 100mph right now. I’m more excited than I ever have been in a long time so I think this is going to be good for me! Appreciate anyone’s thoughts and comments. Good day!

Frenchie has already answered your questions well, but I will throw in my own two cents worth.
This hunting season is my 66th. I, too, was getting bored with the modern stuff, and wanted more of a challenge. I switched to traditional muzzleloaders somewhere around 30 years ago and have been using them ever since.
1. Unfired, you can leave your muzzleloader loaded practically indefinitely - just so long as moisture doesn't get to the powder. Once fired, however, clean it as soon as you can. Not any great rush about it but do it as soon as you can.
2. The flint should be about the same width as the frizzen. As for "type" - who cares as long as they work. You won't know that until you try them.
3. In a .54 rifle either 2F or 3F should work fine. Real black powder, of course. The synthetics don't work well in a flintlock. Personally, I use 3F in both my .50 rifle as well as my .62 smoothbore fowler. I prime with the same 3F directly from my powder horn, rather than bother carrying a special primer. However, of course, others do otherwise. Only you can decide after trying different methods for yourself.
You will need a powder horn or flask. A powder measure (never pour from your horn or flask directly into the rifle bore!!!) You will need a vent pick. (You can buy one, or you can simply straighten out a paper clip and use that, or make a fancier one yourself from whatever you choose. You will need some ramrod attachments; a patch puller (aka worm) a ball puller, and a jag) You could use a pan brush, or do like me and simply use a patch or even your finger. you will probably want a ball bag for carrying a few extra round balls, and maybe a loading block to have a couple of those balls, patched and ready to reload quickly. A patch knife can be anything from a pocketknife to a Bowie. You can buy patches or make your own. Patch thickness? Lots of guys measure their patches. Personally, I think that is anal. I bet old Daniel Boone never measured a patch. Use whatever fits. For cleaning patches, just cut up your old T-shirts, shirts, your wife's old dresses, whatever. Of course you will need a bag to carry it all in.
Caution with your wooden ramrod. When loading grip it only 8 to 10 inches above the rifle bore and push it down. Gripping it higher and forcing it could cause a break. In 30 years the only wood ramrod that I broke, I had laid it on the ground then clumsily stepped on it.
You don't need a short starter, either. Although many guys do use them. I don't. It's just something else that I don't have to carry.
A lot of guys tend to complicate this stuff too much. It is really very simple. Just use common sense.
A lot of things, like powder measures, ball bags, loading blocks, vent picks, even your shot bag and powder horn can be relatively easily made yourself. For me, making as much as I can myself is a vital part of the joy of muzzleloading.

 

[French Colonial]

Caution with your wooden ramrod. When loading grip it only 8 to 10 inches above the rifle bore and push it down. Gripping it higher and forcing it could cause a break. In 30 years the only wood ramrod that I broke, I had laid it on the ground then clumsily stepped on it.

++++++++
Did I say Plus...PLUS!

 

[Daveboone]

Pretty much what every one has said....I will add .....Before you shoot....get a good ball puller and range rod with a T handle, with the puller sized to your bore! Then do a search on this site about pulling a stuck ball/ loading without powder. You will do it....sooner or later, I did it. Everyone does it...then after it is stuck, they get on the site here to find out how to pull it!

 

[Daryl Crawford]

All good stuff here, just a couple comments. Once you find a flint that is sized well to your lock (width and length are good) trace it on a 3x5 card. If you go somewhere that has flints to sort through, you'll have a good reference.
My experience on 3f vs 2f powder in my .54 is that I typically shoot about 10 grains less of 3f.
Last, looking up folks in your area who can personally mentor you is invaluable. It saves you a lot of time and small mistakes.
Enjoy the journey. You don't yet know how addictive this can be, but you're about to find out.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Most of @Ricky Bobby's questions can best be answered when the rifle is in his hands to make measurements to have the correct parts on hand. It's well and good to want to be prepared. Most of the answers I would give would be based on speculation. I much prefer to answer based on specific responses. Based on the statement that this is a Lyman GPR, I have to tell Ricky that his 45 years of shooting will not prepare him for that crescent butt plate. That rifle requires a different shooting position with the crescent butt plate resting on the pocket between his shoulder and bicep. The rifle is positioned across and touching the chest. The supporting arm can be held against the side of the chest to support a relatively heavy rifle. It's worth looking through the search results for crescent butt plate to learn how to hold and shoot this rifle.

As stated above, only use real black powder. GOEX or Schuetzen 3Fg will be good for the charge and the pan. A screw on pouring top will suffice to make that can of powder a suitable flask to load the rifle. An adjustable volumetric powder measure is needed to transfer powder from the powder container to the rifle. Never load from the powder container. It is easier to prime the pan from a priming charger, but most of the pan chargers work best with 4F powder and we want to keep using the same powder as the main charge. Track of the Wolf has a nice little pan charger that I use for some of my flint locks. (https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/83/1/flask-pp-ff)

I strongly recommend that a sturdy working rod is needed for loading at the target range, cleaning, ball pulling and those tasks too strenuous for the wooden rod that comes with the rifle. Get two jags. Leave one full sized for cleaning and one to be turned down for loading at the range and simple wiping to clean out fouling. The turned down jag when patched with a damp patch should slide down a clean barrel with the weight of the rod. Being undersized the patch will not push a lot of powder fouling into the breech but will bunch up with the jag to pull fouling out. Patches for cleaning should be relatively absorbent and made of 100% cotton is best. Shooting patches to start with should be 100% cotton. The unlubricated striped pillow ticking is good to start with at a thickness of 0.015". Go ahead and use a mix of liquid dish washing soap and water for a starting lube. Spit works too. The ball of 0.530 or 0.535 are good starts. Begin with a smaller ball as that will be easier to load.

Flints for the L&R are going to be speculative. Use the 3/4" black English flint. A leather wrap is needed to hold the flint in the jaws.

Start with a load of 60 grains measured in the volumetric measure.

Enjoy your first rifle and an entirely new shooting experience.

 

[Rudyard]

I have very often hunted for days I didnt fire off or unload. I simpley cleaned the bore on top of the load then gave it the light run of oily rag . I generally kept a vent size quill / bird feather of suitable size as in the often wet conditions of NZ forest habitat any prime by its salt like nature, imbibes moisture. That said I once barrelled a Ferol goat both of us wet sodden in sileing rain ,Not sure who was the dimmer for that but I got it to fire & had goat stew that nights camp.( Never pick an old he goat they get a bit rank But better if twice boiled ) .One long trip in BC I used my rifle as a probe to ensure there was a ledge footing in a swollen creak .I look after them at home but in such remote weeds it's just stiff bics for the gun. I trap a piece of rubber onto the the nipple held by the hammer that saves spoilation of the charge in cap locks on such trips .
Rudyard.s notions re loads afield

 

[Rudyard]

Still no' like 'button must be still in poop? R

 

[LSLibelo]

1st: Welcome to the Forum from California.

2nd: Thank you for asking. These questions are held by many when they start who just don't ask.

3rd: To all who've responded Thank You for giving me faith in quality of the people on this Forum.

 

[longcruise]

Still no' like 'button must be still in poop? R

What did you do!?

 

[Rudyard]

What did you do!?

Just diffoolgaties renewing subs I think its in hand Me & E gajets are not on good terms. Ime more Steam age Rudyard

 

[LANEY REECE]

Still no' like 'button must be still in poop? R

THERE, look up.