Is more needed?

[mike tumlin]

After reading the numerous posts on this forum I have learned a great deal about flintlocks and with the purchase of my first flinter I set before you the following list.
Blue Ridge in .36
xtra flints
powder horn
pan primer
2 lbs. Goex 3f
8 oz Goex 4f
vent pick and panbrush
3 xtra hickory ramrods
ball starter
500 Hornady .350 balls
200 pillow ticking shooting patches
3 8oz. bottles of Lehigh Valley
jag
scrapper
patch worm
ball puller
xtra rod tips
knapping hammer
and about 1000 cleaning patches
If I need something else please let me know.
Thanks Mike

 

[Legionair]

Well, you will need a powder measure for sure. You won't want to pour from the horn into a freshly fired barrel (think hand grenade). :shocked2:

I started with lots of stuff too, but you might want selectively pare down depending on the days events.

For instance, when I hunt I go out with the following:
- Rifle
- Ball block (5 lubed PRB)
- 12 wiping patches
- 2 flints
- powder flask
- sm. bottle olive oil
- Combo tool
- ball puller (never know)

Notice I leave the powder horn home -- too bulky for stalking deer, the flask will go in my pouch.

You might go heavier packed for a weekend rondy, or lighter for an afternoon walk in the woods.

After shooting and carrying your gear for awhile, you might consider what you really use and what you can live without. Shooting bags can get mighty heavy.

I'm sure others have an opinion...

Good luck and let us see your rig when get going...
:thumbsup:
Legion

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Palmettorifle,
You will be needing a cushion between the hammer jaws for the flint. Either leather or sheet lead. I like leather.
What are you going to put your patches in? I use a patch box of brass and have the precut patches coated with black solve.
What are you going to cary all your shootin supplies in? How about a huntin pouch or a shootin box or both. You will aways need a scredriver and pliers, WD40, oil too.
There will be more from the other fellas, but that came to mind pretty quick.
Flintlocks Forever
Lar :thumbsup:

 

[boar]

When I carry a flinter, I like a small flint wallet to carry my flints. You might want to make a flint napping rod. I took one of those old flat nails and cut a notch on the end to napp. They had posts on here on how to do them, not hard. Looks like your good to go. Dilly

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu don't need the 4Fg priming powder if you are shooting FFFg powder. Use the same powder to prime. You will not notice any difference. Do Carry an adjustable powder measure, at least until you have worked up a hunting load for that rifle, and can then make a fixed powder measure out of antler, or horn, or wood, or whatever. Some guys use Brass cartridge casings as their powder measures. Dixie Gun Works Catalog even has a table in back that give you the amount of powder a large number of pistol and rifle cartridges will hold. Or, you can leave the powder horn and flask home, and just carry tubes with pre-measured( at home ) powder charges in a pocket. They are truly light weight, and can take care of most hunts. I used these on my first Wild Boar hunt, as it was raining and drizzling all morning and it just didn't make any sense to carry my powder horn out there, even it it would be covered by my poncho. I had my possibles bag, but had cleared it of most of the stuff it tends to have when I am at the range. It weighed less than 1/3 its normal weight when I entered the woods looking for boar. The second time I hunted boar, I left even the bag at my car, and carried what I needed in pockets.

Experience will add to, and subtract from what you carry, and how you carry it. There is no one LIST of things you have to have. I don't carry a flint knapper, either, because you can knap your flint better, faster, and easier by using the bottom edge of the frizzen to do that. Since I check all screws before I take a gun out of the house, I don't need pliers, or screwdrivers on a hunt. They do stay in my range box in the car, tho', but I have used by tools more often to help another hunter, than on my own guns, ever.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

A bore brush will be handy, brushing the bore then wrapping a patch around it and dipping in windsheild wiper fluid will bring out a lot of crud after you flush the bore with hot water or hot w.w. fluid. (which is what I use)

 

[MSW]

i think paul is right. probably what you want to do is put it all in a tackle box (at least initially) and take the rifle to the range to see where the lead lands.

work up the load which will get you the tightest shot groups at the range. this will not only get the rifle sighted in, but it will act as a sort of 'shakedown cruise' for your gun. then you'll know what you need and what you can afford to leave in the trunk of your car. (by the way, i think you'll need a screwdriver and flintleather)

once you're comfortable at the range, take the whole rig out on a woods walk, and take note of what you use and what you don't, then you'll be all set.

as an aside, i have made a practice to have a set of 'gear' for each of my muzzleloaders. so, if you have six BP rifles, you should have six tackle boxes ( i mark mine, but it's not like someone's going to come into your house and check). this might sound a bit silly, but it's certianly no more silly than getting to the range with one rifle only to find you have the wrong size ball, or your flint conks out and you haven't any more, or (as i've seen many other guys at the range) it takes two men and a boy to lift the range box in question because it's full of stuff you don't need but are carrying around anyway. two of my rifles have their own pouches, rather than tackle boxes.

my two cents.

msw

 

[Fullstock58]

You need a Range bag/box and then when hunting you need to carry your gear in whatever is comfortable, I use a Turkey vest, while deer hunting,I do a lot of still hunting and sneaking it's got the seat, and plenty of quite storage for everything and I don't overload. One of the great things about blackpowder is you can make a lot of what you need, For my powder I use a 4oz shampoo bottle with the fold down spout, It's quite to use when priming the pan, waterproof, and almost indestructible I have some that are 20 years old now. I keep several patches, balls and spare flints in 35mm film containers. powder measures I make from centerfire shell casings, I find one that holds slightly more powder, I remove the spent primer and drill the primer hole big enough to allow me to put a leather strap through the hole, then I tie a knot in the strap leaving some tag end on the strap, (the knot and tag end is in the shell casing) at that point I adjust the powder volume with the tag end by cutting it off as needed, then I knot the outside strap so it will not come out of the shell casing and I can tie the measure to a horn, a bag or just leave it as is. I do write on the casing with a electric etcher what size powder and amount, as I know I will never remember it.

In the range box I always have a bottle of 90% rubbing alcohol to swab my barrel and clean my frizzen,pan and flint. Plus I always carry a piece of leather straping just in case I need to tie it to the Ram Rod for pullin a stuck ball, even with a perfect fitting patch/ball combo sometimes its hard to get a grip on the short rod to get and keep the ball moving out of the barrel.

 

[jmplsnt]

Good luck on your purchase! I almost purchased that gun but as all my friends already had the exact same model I purchased the closely-related Perdersoli Pennsylvania kit. Might I also reccomend a bullet mold? In the long run it will pay for itself and to me the freedom from the gun shop and not having to worry about running out of ammunition is quite liberating. Again, good luck and enjoy!

 

[cptleo1]

The range box makes life a lot easier.

Pliers, screwdrivers, staplegun, tape, Range rod, small bottle for Ballistrol/water, scissors, brass hammer, small file set, all stuff you will need at the range.

All the acessories you mentioned are/will be needed at some time or another.

That being said, I am always looking for ways to cut down on the amount of stuff I take to the field.

When it comes to hunting, I try to realize how many shots I am likley to shoot in a day afield.

DEER= 3 shots
SQUIRREL 6 shots
BUNNIES 8 shots
BIRDS 8-10 shots
TURKEY 3 shots

These are just guide lines for my style of hunting

What I have found out is less is better in the field.

I have tried all manner of bags and have pretty much found them all lacking. The one possible exception is the Haversack - simplicity rules here

As someone mentioned above - The Turkey vest -

This rascal is truely the finest hunting acessory
ever made - room for everything you will ever need, that neat foam pad, no straps to get in the way - "Cat's meow - any way you put it.

Cats Meow YES - PC not exactly -

I really enjoy hunting in PC dress and the Turkey vest is a strech ,BUT, I do use it for all day hunts where I need to carry extra food and gear.

Normally I go hunting for several days at a time,
week ends - vacations - and such.

The range box goes every where.

In the woods this is about all I take.

Small pistol flask
Priming Flask with attached pick and brush
Loading block
2 Extra flints with extra flint leather
Tow with Jag
Small bag (10 extra balls & patches)
Ball puller
Powder measure (Antler tip)
Short starter
Patch knife
Shot (Premeasured vials with wads)
TP

All this fits in a very small pouch/bag and will get you thru most any hunting day.

Of course you have your range box in the truck for un-forseen problems.

BP shooting is a lot like fishing - There is no limit to the amount of GIZMOS that you will gather up. At the time of purchase they ALL seemed like a good idea @ the time.

Enjoy
Be safe
Shoot as much as you can


:thumbsup:

 

[silverfox]

Among all the stuff listed above I like all the choices but best and not BP related is a small shovel and Toilet Paper. You can get in a (sic) mess without those. The older you get you might even take a walkie talkie or cell phone and first aid kit. Also something to keep bugs off. You can't enjoy your hunt while fighting biting bugs.
Fox :hatsoff:

 

[tg]

The idea about the larger box for everything is a good one, if hunting you can carry anything you need for the gun in a 7"x7" bag under your arm and a single horn to load and prime with, shooting/hunting out of a bag with out a lot of plastic containers and do dads is pretty easy once you get used to it.

 

[Runner]

I carry a bag and a horn most of the time. I am just too used to having the horn under my arm. You want a five pound box of 000 Hornady buckshot.

 

[paulvallandigham]

But you don't want to carry the Five Pound container of 000 buckshot! A ball bag with a few balls for your hunt is all you need. TOTW, LOG CABIN, and other suppliers sell ball bags, and shot pouches very cheap. You can make them yourself, but its almost not worth the bother.

 

[mike tumlin]

Gentleman,
Your advise is most helpful and much appreciated. :bow:
Thanks Mike :hatsoff:

 

[Stumpkiller]

After reading the numerous posts on this forum I have learned a great deal about flintlocks and with the purchase of my first flinter I set before you the following list.
Blue Ridge in .36
xtra flints
powder horn
pan primer
2 lbs. Goex 3f
8 oz Goex 4f
vent pick and panbrush
3 xtra hickory ramrods
ball starter
500 Hornady .350 balls
200 pillow ticking shooting patches
3 8oz. bottles of Lehigh Valley
jag
scrapper
patch worm
ball puller
xtra rod tips
knapping hammer
and about 1000 cleaning patches
If I need something else please let me know.
Thanks Mike

Add my 2¢.

I like to carry my patching in strips. About 1-1/2" x 6 ft. One I soak (twice) ahead of time in lube and dry, then roll it in a waxed deerskin bag. The other I leave dry. That serves as patching, cleaning strips, the end of it eliminates the need of a pan brush and it also wipes the caked on crud off that a pan brush won't.

I carry everything in a 7" x 7" pouch and use 3F for both prime and charge (this in a .54) Simplifies life. I use a little corked brass tube as a priming flask that I refill from the horn as needed.

Good idea to have thee spare hickory rods. I always make extras when I buy a gun and, knock wood, have notbroken one yet. If i didn't have the spares I know I would have snapped many by now.

I use a loading block, or several. I always load from the block. I have a little 1-1/2" stub starter attached to my favorite with a leather thong that I can use, but usually just scooch down on the main rammer to 4 or 5" and start the balls with that. When I shoot the blocks empty I refill them, rather than patching at the muzzle. Just my preference.

I'd recommend a can of Beechwood Casey Sheath. After cleaning it protects the metal very well. I wipe with water, followed by 90% iso alcohol, (dry patches in between) and then the Sheath. I avoid WD-40 for the most part around firearms, though I do use the liquid in a squirt bottle to spritz patches after a hot soapy water cleaning I give my BP firearms a couple times each season. Usually I just tip them muzzle downslope and use soapy patches. I also carry a little brass Ted Cash oiler tube with Sheath on it for oiling and field cleaning. A little forged screwdriver for pulling the lock and tightening the top jaw screw.

I never could get the control I like with a napping hammer when dressing the edge of flints. I have a little steel nibbler I use. Frequently I use just the spine of my belt knife. The nibbler is a rod with the last 1/8" turned down so it has a 1/16" step. The rod is in a wood handle about 1" long and 3/4" around. Set the step on the fling and either just press down or else tap it with the flat of a knife. Much more controlable than the little gaget hammers. I had the blacksmith nip the edge of my forged screwdriver so I could use that for nibbling flints, too. The flint nibbler was a gift, so I have a back-up in the event one is lost.

I carry bag and horn hunting, plinking, target shooting, etc. That's what I'm in this for. Not plastic expedients to make it easier.

I do concede to carrying and wearing Sonic ear protectors when just shooting (as opposed to hunting). Saying "Eh?" to everything once you turn 50 is too period correct for me. my daily prescription lenses are ploycarbonate safety rated, so I've got that covered.

 

[Dphar]

Make sure your primer is not heavy brass, heavy metal powder containers can make a whoosh into a boom. Not good. Whoosh is bad enough. This is why all old flasks are very thin, lighter and safer.
I use 4f to prime. 4f has twice the burn rate of 3f and will light easier. There are pluses and minuses to either but I use 4f.

I use a small horn for my hunting pouch and a smaller horn, mine is antelope with a brass push to dispense primer valve. Too new for some events in the east, but so is my rifle.
I tend to use oiled patches for hunting and don't use a block. Very seldom get a fast second shot with a ML so fast reload is not important.
Patches in a block tend to collect dirt.
I carry a small hunting pouch with a flapped rear and smaller flapped front pockets and a divider in the main pouch. Shop made brass buttons the front and back pockets. Its 8x8" see Track of the Wolf #Bag-Wood-P but mine is smaller.
Horn only holds about 15+ shots for the 54. I hunt places where one might not get out at night if things go bad. Thus I tend to carry a pretty heavy 7" bladed knife as a multi-purpose tool and more powder and lead than I need. Powder can help start fires.
I carry patches oiled with sperm whale oil, now rare, or pure neatsfoot in a metal box (Sucrets box with paint burnt off) a small inner pouch in the main pouch. I carry a jag, a patch puller, ball puller and a small hand forged plier to pull the rod with if needed. Pick and brush that I really never use hunting, 2 bladed vintage type all metal screw driver. Some flints. Some cleaning patches and a few round tooth picks for plugging the touch hole. Seldom used stuff is stored in the front and rear pockets. I carry a few balls ready and some in a bag with an antler nozzle plugged with a stopper of soft wood. If you fall or such the balls can roll out, the shot bag won't or will be easy to find.
Minimalist is a good idea.
But.

Its better to have something you don't need than to need something you don't have. I hunt in places where is possible to get snowed in or have a nasty, say 60+ degree, temperature reduction roll in from the north. So I tend to be prepared to stay out if I go to the mountains. Never happened to me but it only takes once.
About 10 years ago 2 out of state hunters went up behind where a friend lived. Nice day, 40-50 degrees, when they started. Killed an elk IIRC. Both died of hypothermia before reaching the road and they were in pretty open country within a few miles, not a difficult walk, of the road but the temp dropped too far for the clothing they wore. A decent medium weight coat would have probably saved them. Needed, didn't have.
Yeah some of this is pretty extreme but where I live you can get 1-2 miles from the vehicle, 3-5 miles from a house during an afternoon hunt deer hunt. Forest Service land is even bigger.
If I go to some event where there is a "outfit judging" I take a bigger pouch, horn and load like it was the real deal. I used to hunt this way but I am not is as good a shape as I used to be.
My Filson wool coat has a pocket in the back for an extra shirt, a bottle of water, tow rope gloves. I bring a few miniature candy bars in my front pockets with the Bic lighter. Generally carry a handgun when hunting with a ML.
Some of this is useless info in many areas of the US but where I live its important.

Dan

 

[xxgrampa]

greetings palm,

about the only thing i can add to all the fine replies is, before you plunk down all that cash, is to find out what size balls and patches you will need. nothing worse than buying 500 balls then finding out .355 balls work a lot better :grin: same for the patches. get some of each size to try before you load up.

other than that, have fun and

..ttfn..grampa..

 

[oscarb]

What I find handy is a Cabela's Shotshell belt and items such as powder, balls, tips, etc. in No.10 pill containers (don't know if you get it State side) slid into the loops, one loop keeps ball starter. Belt even keeps my pants up!
Oscar

 

[CZMark]

While deer hunting, I try to carry as little as possible--I'm getting older and often hunt a mile or more from the road.

I carry my rifle, a small poke with two flints and leather for wraps, another small poke with extra jag and ball puller, a loading block with three patched round balls, a vent pick, and three plastic tubes containing pre-measured powder charges, and a small priming flask. The block and pick are worn around my neck, everything else goes into my coat pocket.

I can reload very quickly with this setup. I know the plastic powder holders are not pc, but since we must wear blaze orange in Wisconsin, that is out the window anyway.