Loading a Flintlock on Pavement

[jf19451]

I will be going to the range, hopefully next week, to shoot my Flintlock for the first time. The area is paved where you would load up the rifle. My question is this: Do you guys bring something to put the rifle on when loading, so you don't scrape up the Butt Stock? Thanks

 

[Trench]

Yes, I throw down a towel or one of my car mats to rest the butt on. For loading, I'll rest it on that or on the top of my foot.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

A big square of thick leather works. So does resting the butt on the top of your boot.

LD

 

[BrownBear]

...or on the top of my foot.

That's what I'm doing in the field, so that's the way I do it no matter where I'm shooting. Call it one of the "good habits" your mom tried to instill in you. Hopefully your mom had better luck than mine! :rotf:

 

[CrossXstix]

A small square of carpet, or cardboard.

X
David

 

[jf19451]

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[satwel]

I bring a square cut from a carpet tile that fits inside the lid of my range box. If I forget that, I use the rear floor mat from my car.

 

[Nessmuck56]

Yep ..like others above ...an 8x8 piece of carpet is kept in my shooting box

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yep. As said, bring something. A friend of mine goes to carpet shop and gets free old carpet. He cuts into squares and distributes to folks at shoots. His little good deed contribution.

 

[Jumpshot]

I used a folded up towel or set it on my foot.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I am lucky my range has a bunch of carpet cut out for the bench shooters. I use some of the scrap carpet to rest my firelocks on.

 

[Danny Ross]

I carry old rugs. The range I go to has concrete tables also, so I use one one the ground and one to cover the table to lean the gun against. DANNY

 

[buford87]

I use the top of my boot. Since most of my boots are steel toed there is no problem of pushing down too hard on my foot...................watch yer top knot......................

 

[fraungie]

I also rest the but stock on my foot.While I pour the powder down the barrel I tap my foot up and down this allows the powder to get to the bottom of the barrel and into the chamber in the back of the barrel. If your gun has one.

 

[Matt85]

as the others have said, i use my foot.

-matt

 

[Lonegun1894]

Weather at the range or in the field, I load my MLs with the butt resting on my foot. Keeps the buttplate from getting scraped up at the range and keeps the mud and other assorted dirt off my shoulder when the other range I use gets flooded out. So its just become a habit for me.

 

[rfdr]

that's where the top of yer shoe comes in handy. or lay down yer rifle bag.

 

[hanshi]

At the range I use a 3' x 3' piece of puzzle mat; in the woods I use my foot.

 

[M. De Land]

Yup, I also keep a piece of carpet in my shooting box.
Another very useful item probably even more important that the carpet that you will need is a loading fork that clamps unto your bench so your gun won't fall over on the pavement when you reach for something in your box, like mine did. I'll see if I can get a picture up of mine. MD

 

[M. De Land]

This is simply a clamp with a U cut out of a piece of flat bar and welded to the back of the clamp. I added a split piece of plastic tubing super glued to the face of the fork and painted black. MD