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Hello from down south

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Bald Baron

36 Cal.
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
78
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Well group I'am back into hunting again. I purchased my first ML back in the late 70's, a T/C with the kit for about $200. I am now attempting to put a Mountain Rifle together. Its been on and off again for about a year and hunting season is getting close. I would like to finish it and hunt with a flintlock. I don't have any hunting friends that use ML, only bows and modern rifles. I joined a hunting club that should be very good. Down here in Alabama most of the hunting is on club property, there is public land and management property, but dates and people get in the way. We have a very good season on deer. Most of the state is one a day from Nov 15 to the end of Jan. Buck or doe some places one of each. I have really never hunted with my ML but would shoot it every once in a while.
Back to the rifle, since this will be my first flintlock, I ordered the flints, pick and primer. I still need FFFFG, that's hard to find. Well I'll be reading and trying to learn more about Flintlocks.
smile.gif
 
hey there bald baron,
we are in similar situations. i started my flintlock 13 years ago from ordered parts. finished it about a month ago. this fall will be my first season and the way it is shooting i am very encouraged. advice given to me by much older and wiser ones was to forego the ffff and use the same powder for main charge and primer. for my .45 i use fff for both and have had zero problems (and that is from one who has zero experience with flintlocks until now. that same person also mentioned that in the old days priming horns were rare. sure makes the gear more simple and direct when the same powder and the same horn are used.
anyway, good luck!!!!!!!!!
daniel
 
I second DJNYE on use of FFFF in the priming pan.
I have used FFF sucessfully with no problem, and read that the original users in the 1700's never used finer powder in the pans either.

If you really wanted to, I read someplace that you can take FFF, put a small amount in a spoon, put another spoon on top of that, gently crush it into a finer grain product, but I never tried it, and, as we both stated, its not necesssary anyway.

In the Armies of the 1700's troops used the same powder in the cartridge to prime the pan, and I believe it was FF in the .75 and .69 British and French muskets.
 
I have used FFg in the priming pan of my brown bess, it worked OK...
I was hunting one wet winter's day in Ohio and I reloaded after a missed shot,
rolleyes.gif
I searched for my small priming flask and I couldn't fine it.

I back tracked and found it in the creek that I crossed a ways back.
frown.gif


Well, to make a short story long, I had two choises, use FFg or quit hunting for the day.

The FFg worked.
grin.gif
 
Well group I'am back into hunting again. I purchased my first ML back in the late 70's, a T/C with the kit for about $200. I am now attempting to put a Mountain Rifle together. Its been on and off again for about a year and hunting season is getting close. I would like to finish it and hunt with a flintlock. I don't have any hunting friends that use ML, only bows and modern rifles. I joined a hunting club that should be very good. Down here in Alabama most of the hunting is on club property, there is public land and management property, but dates and people get in the way. We have a very good season on deer. Most of the state is one a day from Nov 15 to the end of Jan. Buck or doe some places one of each. I have really never hunted with my ML but would shoot it every once in a while.
Back to the rifle, since this will be my first flintlock, I ordered the flints, pick and primer. I still need FFFFG, that's hard to find. Well I'll be reading and trying to learn more about Flintlocks.
smile.gif
There was an old time song that started, "Way down South in Alabam, etc." I'll bet Alabamians love to hunt and shoot! Good luck!
 
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