Kentucky Rifle Questions

[KenB]

Hello,
I'm new to this forum so please let me introduce myself. My name is Ken and I live in Michigan. Up until today I mostly dabbled with curio and relic firearms and didn't do any black powder stuff except for a CVA hunting rifle. At a pawn shop today I picked up a .45 caliber percussion "Kentucky Rifle" for $45. It looks good inside and out but lacks any manufacturer's markings. It has a 39" octagon barrel.
I picked up patches, ball, and lube today and am planning on shooting it tommorow. My questions to you guys are what checks should I do on the rifle before shooting and what type of load would be good to start with?

Thanks,
Ken

 

agood starting powder charge is the caliber ie 45 grains for .45 caliber. if you have a bore light check bre for pitting. check tang for cracks. thats about all i can think of.

 

[graybeard]

Ken: I don't know how much you checked that rifle "inside" but be careful. I'd take it to a gunsmith, ideally one who deals in black powder guns. At the very least, pull the nipple and make sure it and the bolster are solid and in good condition. Shine a light in there and check the inside of the barrel. I assume you are familiar with cleaning techniques for black powder. If the firearm is much good, you may have gotten a bargain. Or, you may have bought a lemon. I'd approach shooting a firearm like that with great caution. Where do you live in Michigan? graybeard

 

[hcook]

Ken, at the very least, check to see if it is loaded.

 

[Zonie]

You didn't say if it was a precussion gun or a flintlock.
Assuming it is a precussion gun, you will also need some #11 precussion caps.

Check to make sure the gun is unloaded. You can do that by running a cleaning patch on a cleaning jag (brass button for the end of the ramrod) down the barrel. You should hear or feel air coming out of the nipple. If it doesn't, there is a chanch the gun has a charge in it. If it does, do not try to fire it. I once bought a muzzleloader which was left loaded with smokeless powder. Had I fired it, I might not be writing this now.

Your gun should have some kind of marking on the barrel rangine from a "Made in Spain" or Italy plus some form of proof mark(s). It's good to know a little about the gun before loading it up and firing it.

Even the custom barrels usually have some marking on them (although most gun builders position them on the bottom of the barrel so they can't be seen unless the barrel is removed.)

Just looking thru some of my old catalogs, the only Kentucky rifle I've found with a 39 inch, .45 caliber barrel is a Pedersoli Frontier Rifle. It may not be marked "Pedersoli" as several companys imported it, but it would have the Italian Proof marks and a little square box with letters inside of it.

If you did buy a Frontier Rifle for $45, you got one Great deal.

 

[pepperbelly]

Welcome Ken. You found a real friendly, knowledgable group here.
Are you the same Ken as on the SKS board?
Jim

 

Hi Ken,

After you first determine that the gun is not loaded, I would run a jag with a patch (you want this kind of tight) down the barrel and make sure that it doesn't get loose at the breech, if it does you should be careful because there is a ring from corrosion and this can be dangerous depending on how deep the ring is, if in doubt.... hang it on the wall, this is easy because you still have all your fingers to hold the hammer and nails...

TheGunCellar

 

[KenB]

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. Yes, it's a percussion model; I got some CCI #11 caps. The nipple and bolster threaded out easily and both look good. The bore does not appear to be rusty or pitted. I ran a patch down it on a jag and it went smoothly and didn't pick up fouling.

I checked all eight sides of the barrel and for the life of me can't find any markings. The only marking I've found on it is "warranted" on the lock plate.

The first time I fire it I plan on sandbagging it and firing with a string.

--KenB from SKS Boards
Macomb County, MI