Info on a Pedersoli - loads?

[captdan]

Bought a “Kentucky” by Pedersoli you may have seen on Track of the Wolf. My idea is to get some practice on a flinter while I await the delivery of my Baker later this year ( or next or the year after”¦) anyway, it came to me that perhaps I can gain some valuable experience. Never shot a flint, have done percussion cap before.
Any one have some info on a load for the .50 Pedersoli? I bought the patch and balls. Don’t have any powder yet. Thought I’d check with the local experts on what is best to buy and where to get it. Also, on the flints do I charge the pan with the same powder used down the barrel? (seems like a dumb question. But I have seen here others using something else for the prime ).
Any info would be great.. Would also like to hear from others with the same or similar gun and what luck ( groups) problems they may have had with the gun”¦.

Dan

 

[hornetk4]

You'll get a lot of different opinions here but usually you use one grain size smaller in the flash pan than so if you'r using 2f for the main load you would use 3f for the pan or if you'r using 3f for the main charge you'll use 4f in the pan now thats what the book says but it's not written in stone I think I'm just the first one to respond good luck and be careful.

 

[davy]

You'll get a lot of different opinions here but usually you use one grain size smaller in the flash pan than so if you'r using 2f for the main load you would use 3f for the pan or if you'r using 3f for the main charge you'll use 4f in the pan now thats what the book says but it's not written in stone I think I'm just the first one to respond good luck and be careful.

Well I am certainly no expert by any stretch, but I have a Ped Frontier flinter in 45 cal, I use 3f for the load and 4f for priming. I was told, and my own experiences thus far have shown, that using a larger grain size such as 3f for priming or so ... will slow slightly the flash response. It may not be much .. but from what I have seen from my own use it is there. I have tried 7f, 4f, 3f, and 2f powders for priming, and the finer the grain powders (7f,..4f) show a speedier combustion rate.

That being said .. if used for hunting I am told that the smaller grain powder used for priming will cake up, or turn quicker to mush in foul weather, I dunno cuz I have not tried that yet.

So in the end I would probably use the 3f or 4f for priming (4f is more difficult to find ... 7f really hard to get aholt of, as I tried an experienced friends supply).

BTW I use 3f in my 50 cal percussion TC Renegade for loads, and I like it fine. I would start with a 60 grain load and work up from there. IMHO you will not know what works best for your weapon short of trying it in your personal weapon .. they tend to vary between guns and preferences.

Hope this helps .. as I am still learnin myself!

Davy

 

[captdan]

Well, thanks for being brave”¦ I don’t want to open a large can of worms here. But why would I use 2F ”“ 3F , 3F ”“ 4F”¦ what would be the dif between them?? Good info and thanks for being the first responder!

 

It's not a general rule of thumb that your prime be one size smaller than your main charge. Basically, you can prime your pan with any grain size you wish... but you may get different results with different sizes.

The finer the grain size, the faster and easier the powder will ignite, but the faster it will cake up in damp weather too. I shoot FFg as the main charge usually, with a FFFFg prime, and it works great. However, if I were hunting in foul weather, I might prime with FFFg to help with the prime not turning into mush... my ignition might be slightly slower as a result.

You're going to have to play with it when you get your rifle and see what you like best.

 

[Legionair]

The main difference between 2F and 3F for your main charge will be burn time in the barrel. Thus you'll get different velocities, altering your accuracy.

If your just trying to get the ball moving, any grain would work for main charge.

I have a .50 flint, and main charge/ prime with 3F so I don't have to switch powder while loading. However, some people swear by using 4F for prime. Depends on your rifle.

I run a 68 grain load in mine, and she shoots good enough for what I'm trying to hit.

Experiment with it slowly, and you'll find what works...

Legion

 

[captdan]

How about making some black powder? Here is a webpage that sells the kits.
[url] http://www.burnpowders.com/[/url]

Anyone shoot Pyrodex or Triple 7? I have yet to locate anyone in my area that sells black powder

 

[Twisted_1in66]

**SNIP **
Anyone shoot Pyrodex or Triple 7? I have yet to locate anyone in my area that sells black powder

Don't throw your money away with Pyrodex, Triple 7, or any of those substitutes. Although they work fine with a percussion, it takes a lot hotter spark to ignite them than real black powder, and they are unreliable at best in a flinter. I still have some of both if you're interested...

By the way, I use 3Fg for both the main charge and the prime in my .50 cal. Traditionas PA longrifle. Just fill the outside half of the pan level with powder and ignition is virtually instantaneous. Doesn't take much of a charge to get it to go and ½ a pan works much better than a full pan. Full pan (or an overfilled pan) will give the dreaded fuse effect - PHSSSSSST...bang.

---------------------------------------------
Twisted_1in66

 

[keethb]

Sir,

My first flintlock was a Pedersoli Kentucky .50 caliber. With my rifle, I've had great success with a .490 roundball, .15-.18 patch, and a 70 grain load of Goex FFFg blackpowder. I prime with about 2 grains of Goex FFFFg. This load gives me nice tight groups at 50 yards off a rest. The lock on the Pedersoli Kentucky likes smaller flints--about 5/8 by 5/8 inch. Good luck with your new flintlock.

Best Regards,

Sky-Dogg

 

FYI - Making black powder is against the law, and there are rules on the forum that forbid discussion of it. I know you meant no harm, but just wanted to let you know. The BATFE really doesn't like it when folks make their own explosives... :nono:

 

[captdan]

FYI - Making black powder is against the law, and there are rules on the forum that forbid discussion of it. I know you meant no harm, but just wanted to let you know. The BATFE really doesn't like it when folks make their own explosives... :nono:

Thanks for the heads up... forget I said anything :redface:

 

[marwat06]

why don't you order real BP online. Look in the links section of this forum. I have ordered from Graf & Sons ... ordering 5 lbs with the Hazmat Fee and shipping I am still paying less than what Wal-mart sells BP Subs for.

 

[paulvallandigham]

To be making powder, you usually have to have an explosives manufacturing license, from both the state and federal governments. The requirements for safety are many,( and should be), and the cost is prohibitive. Just because you can find a kit to make it does not mean it is safe to do so. Many years ago, the GOEX at Moosik, PA had an explosion that killed a couple of men, and closed the plant for some time. That spurred the states to look at their licensing requirements, and many states updated their requirements. The 1968 Gun Control Act, that was amended on the floor of the Senate to add controls on Black Powder, after erroneous reports came out that black powder was the explosive used to blow up a Lab in Madison, Wisconsin, that killed some late night researcher, caused all the federal regulations, and many of the states followed with tightening their requirements. In reality the bomb was a car bomb, using Fertilizer, and fuel oil, with a kitchen timer and igniter used to set the explosion off. Someone was finally arrested on that case about 20 years later, and went to prison.

Current commercially made Black Powder is coated in Graphite, to make it less susceptible to ignition through static electricity. The one pound cans it is sold in are rated for interstate transportation, and the powder is very safe to handle. Home make black powder has none of those safeguards unless you have very expensive equipment. I don't know how you could justify the expense if you were only trying to make powder for your own use.

Spend $80 on a Chronograph, and then shoot the same load of BP over the screens out of the same gun using the same patch and ball, to see the diferrence the various sizes make in velocities. That will give you some idea of the changes in chamber pressure of the various grades. FFFFg and finer grades should never be used in the barrel as a main charge, as they burn so fast the pressure curve could damage the gun and the shooter. This is priming powder ONLY.

As has been discussed, you can use FFFg or FFg powder to prime with, and there are humidity conditions that can justify doing so. There is a very slight difference in how fast these powders burn, but it is measured in millionths of a second, and is barely noticed by even the most exprienced shooters. We use the coarser grains for priming because they are handy, and they absorb moisture from the air slower( Hygroscopic) than FFFg will. Remember the history lesson you probably slept through that told you that in 17th and 18th century battle, a " Time out " was called by both sides when it rained, because neither side's powder would ignite reliably, if at all.

 

[DrTimboone]

I have a Pedersoli Kentucky .50 that was my first flinter. shoots more accurate than me with 75 grains of fffg as barrelload and splash for prime. I tried the fffg prime and found no improvement in speed so it is just easier to carry one horn. I also use the .490 ball and .18 lubed patches. Took a deer at 90 yards on its first trip to the woods a few years ago.

have fun. the biggest challenge I had was getting the little flints to spark well until I tried lots of different adjustments of it. it is not a very forgiving lock.

Tim

 

[captdan]

I went to Graf and Sons webpage and located: Black powder 3F 25/CS. Is this the powder we are talking about that will work??

You'll get a lot of different opinions here but usually you use one grain size smaller in the flash pan than so if you'r using 2f for the main load you would use 3f for the pan or if you'r using 3f for the main charge you'll use 4f in the pan now thats what the book says but it's not written in stone I think I'm just the first one to respond good luck and be careful.

Well I am certainly no expert by any stretch, but I have a Ped Frontier flinter in 45 cal, I use 3f for the load and 4f for priming. I was told, and my own experiences thus far have shown, that using a larger grain size such as 3f for priming or so ... will slow slightly the flash response. It may not be much .. but from what I have seen from my own use it is there. I have tried 7f, 4f, 3f, and 2f powders for priming, and the finer the grain powders (7f,..4f) show a speedier combustion rate.

That being said .. if used for hunting I am told that the smaller grain powder used for priming will cake up, or turn quicker to mush in foul weather, I dunno cuz I have not tried that yet.

So in the end I would probably use the 3f or 4f for priming (4f is more difficult to find ... 7f really hard to get aholt of, as I tried an experienced friends supply).

BTW I use 3f in my 50 cal percussion TC Renegade for loads, and I like it fine. I would start with a 60 grain load and work up from there. IMHO you will not know what works best for your weapon short of trying it in your personal weapon .. they tend to vary between guns and preferences.

Hope this helps .. as I am still learnin myself!

Davy

 

[Rebel]

Yes it will work as long as it is REAL black powder and not a substitute or Elephant. Elephant is real black powder, but hard to ignite and DIRTY. Try some Goex, Schuetzin(sp) or the Graf name brand. Or if you don't mind spending more, get some Swiss.

 

[captdan]

ok, so for poweder. The choices are ( from teh Graf and sons web page):
Graf black powder 3f 25/cs
goex black powder 3f (pistol) 25/cs

I would opt for the goex as the choice, but the term "Pistol" throws me off. Seems that it is 3f and what we have been talking about, but I don't want to order something I cannot use for my first flint adventure to the range...
comments?

 

[Rebel]

For years 3f was the reccomended powder for pistol and small bore rifles. Now days a lot of people, myself included, use it for larger bores too. I use it in .50 cal, .54 cal, and the .62 cal smoothbore. Some people even use it in there .12 ga. You use a bit less of it per charge than 2f, and you get less fouling because you use less powder.

 

[John Wasmuth]

I have a Pedersoli Kentucky .50 cal. I use 90 to 95 grains of FFg Goex, a .015 wonderlube patch, and hornady .490 round ball. It kills critters grave yard dead and is pretty accurate. I can hit a 16 oz coke bottle at 100 yards with that load. But the bore is real snug and fouls quick so I have to swab after every 2 shots. I love that rifle, shoots great and looks good, can never thank my lovely bride for gettin it for my retirement present! Great luck with it!

 

[John Wasmuth]

Sorry, I forgot to add that I prime with FFFFg Goex. I tried FFFg however it does not set of as fast. Good luck and have fun with it!