Another thing I just noticed is that there is a small chamber at the bottom of the barrel. I only noticed because I pulled the touch hole plug and ran the ram rod down to see if the ram rod was long enough. How do you clean something like that when you can't go down the barrel and access it. Surely do don't clean it through the touch hole plug. This must be a chamber for the powder?
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My first flintlock rifle!
- Thread starter markhait
- Start date
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My answer to your question about how does the flash in the pan light the powder is, when you pour your loose powder down the barrel it will cover the end of the touch hole liner.
When you ram the bullet/patched ball down the bore all of the air under it will be blown out of the touch hole, carrying the loose black powder with it into the liners cavity.
When the powder reaches the smaller, actual vent hole most if not all of it will be blocked by the small size of the hole.
That puts the powder about 1/16 inch from the outside of the barrel.
At that distance, the flash of the priming can't help but light the powder in the vent liner and barrel.
As for cleaning, if your guns barrel is easily removable, take it off of the stock.
Put the breech end in a bucket of water. I like to add a little dishwashing soap so it will wash off any of the patch lube that's in the bore too.
With a cleaning patch on the jag, run it down the barrel to the breech.
When you pull it back up it will suck a LOT of water thru the touch hole into the breech and the bore.
Then, force the patched cleaning jag back down the barrel.
This will create a blast of water thru the area that will totally blow away any fouling that has collected in the guns breech.
After several of these pumping actions, the barrel will be clean and must be dried by running dry patches down the bore.
WD 40 can drive out any extra water down in the breech but I usually hold the breech of my guns barrels over the gas kitchen stove until I hear (and see) the water at the breech boiling off.
Application of a good gun oil to the bore and breech finishes the job.
About scratching your barrel key (wedge): Don't worry about it. It is made to get scratched up when it's doing its job like it should.
Do NOT use plastic wood or anything like it to "fix" your guns stock or the fit of its parts.
That stuff is ugly. It doesn't take a stain and it is too weak to survive the rigors of life on a rifle.
When you ram the bullet/patched ball down the bore all of the air under it will be blown out of the touch hole, carrying the loose black powder with it into the liners cavity.
When the powder reaches the smaller, actual vent hole most if not all of it will be blocked by the small size of the hole.
That puts the powder about 1/16 inch from the outside of the barrel.
At that distance, the flash of the priming can't help but light the powder in the vent liner and barrel.
As for cleaning, if your guns barrel is easily removable, take it off of the stock.
Put the breech end in a bucket of water. I like to add a little dishwashing soap so it will wash off any of the patch lube that's in the bore too.
With a cleaning patch on the jag, run it down the barrel to the breech.
When you pull it back up it will suck a LOT of water thru the touch hole into the breech and the bore.
Then, force the patched cleaning jag back down the barrel.
This will create a blast of water thru the area that will totally blow away any fouling that has collected in the guns breech.
After several of these pumping actions, the barrel will be clean and must be dried by running dry patches down the bore.
WD 40 can drive out any extra water down in the breech but I usually hold the breech of my guns barrels over the gas kitchen stove until I hear (and see) the water at the breech boiling off.
Application of a good gun oil to the bore and breech finishes the job.
About scratching your barrel key (wedge): Don't worry about it. It is made to get scratched up when it's doing its job like it should.
Do NOT use plastic wood or anything like it to "fix" your guns stock or the fit of its parts.
That stuff is ugly. It doesn't take a stain and it is too weak to survive the rigors of life on a rifle.
hanshi
Cannon
Very good advice so far. I suggest leather for flints, 3F for the main charge and 4F for the prime. The vent liner should be drilled out to 1/16" if it is smaller than that. You need take out the liner only once and when you do make sure the inside is coned. If it is not then cone it. Black powder is touchy stuff and you can rest assured that the smidgen of powder in the pan set fire the main charge as long as the hole is not clogged. Clean it well, dry it thoroughly and oil. When you're ready to fire dry out the bore and run a pipe cleaner in the vent hole. Make sure you get down in the little hole at the breech end.
Mark-555 said:
If you try to make a trail of powder you essentially get a "slow" fuse... that is not what you want. As Zonie said, the loading of the main charge places your powder right up to the inside edge of the touch hole very close the the outside edge of the barrel.
Your powder in the pan should not touch or trail into the touch hole. Some people even make sure the pan powder is actually on the far side of the pan away from the barrel. Upon ignition in the pan, the heat of the flash instantly ignites the powder just inside the touch hole which, of course, causes the burn of the main charge. This is virtually instantaneous.
If you create a "fuse" you get whooooosh....bang instead.
Paul V wrote an excellent article in this Forum on shooting a flintlock. It's worth the read:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/222420/
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Do you have to remove the barrel lug at the back of the barrel to get access to clean the chamber that holds the powder? I was a little surprised to see that chamber at the bottom of the barrel because I always thought that the wad and ball sat directly on the powder charge.
Mark 555
Don't remove your breach plug. Unlike the modern muzzleloaders where one removes the plug to clean (heck, they even twist out by hand now, as I understand it) you do not remove the breach plug on a traditional muzzleloader.
Your patched ball is sitting on the powder. Those chambers are very small, so any reasonable amount of powder is going to fill that chamber and more. You would never want your projectile to be off the powder charge.
As far a cleaning, if your gun has a barrel that is easily removed (not pinned) then just take it off, stick the breach end in a bucket of hot water, and run in patches with your cleaning rod/jag which will pull water in and push it out again as you run the rod up and down. So much suction is created in the process it flushes crud out of the chamber.
If your gun does not have a barrel that easily removes, you can get little devices that clamp on the barrel and cover the flash hole, or there are special cleaning nipples if a caplock, and have/attach a little hose you can stick in a bucket of hot water. Does the same thing as above method without removing the barrel. Here's a link to ToW's page that has that kind of stuff so you can look at it.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/578/1
I also have 32 caliber bore mops that I run down the barrel that usually fit into that chamber for cleaning/drying it. Some people use the little CO2 dischargers to blow the excess water out after flushing. I also squirt a little RemOil right into the touch hole to make sure it's oiled up as the last step.
Don't remove your breach plug. Unlike the modern muzzleloaders where one removes the plug to clean (heck, they even twist out by hand now, as I understand it) you do not remove the breach plug on a traditional muzzleloader.
Your patched ball is sitting on the powder. Those chambers are very small, so any reasonable amount of powder is going to fill that chamber and more. You would never want your projectile to be off the powder charge.
As far a cleaning, if your gun has a barrel that is easily removed (not pinned) then just take it off, stick the breach end in a bucket of hot water, and run in patches with your cleaning rod/jag which will pull water in and push it out again as you run the rod up and down. So much suction is created in the process it flushes crud out of the chamber.
If your gun does not have a barrel that easily removes, you can get little devices that clamp on the barrel and cover the flash hole, or there are special cleaning nipples if a caplock, and have/attach a little hose you can stick in a bucket of hot water. Does the same thing as above method without removing the barrel. Here's a link to ToW's page that has that kind of stuff so you can look at it.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/578/1
I also have 32 caliber bore mops that I run down the barrel that usually fit into that chamber for cleaning/drying it. Some people use the little CO2 dischargers to blow the excess water out after flushing. I also squirt a little RemOil right into the touch hole to make sure it's oiled up as the last step.
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I did'nt read all the replys but it seems you got some great advice. My brother in law has this same gun and he could'nt get it to shoot well. Some proper cleaning and 70gr of 3F and I was getting shots touching at 50Y and decent hunting groups at 100Y.
If there is any advice I will give you it's to get a range rod!!!! Only use your rifles ram rod for loading in the field. This is why I'm looking for a replacement barrel for my BIL's rifle. He managed to get a cleaning jag stuck (common with these rifles) and tried to pull it out. The ramrod tip that is just glued on pulled off. He tried to JB weld it back on and used the other end with a ball puller and pulled that off too.
Get a solid rod for cleaning!!!
If there is any advice I will give you it's to get a range rod!!!! Only use your rifles ram rod for loading in the field. This is why I'm looking for a replacement barrel for my BIL's rifle. He managed to get a cleaning jag stuck (common with these rifles) and tried to pull it out. The ramrod tip that is just glued on pulled off. He tried to JB weld it back on and used the other end with a ball puller and pulled that off too.
Get a solid rod for cleaning!!!
I had a jag come off my range rod (hadn't looked before, but it was apparantly just glued and not pinned...but it is now!) I just used my CO2 discharger, aimed the barrel at a big, thick piece of foam cushion, and blew it out.
I would not be without one of those handy little dischargers. Has saved me from a couple of dryballs :redface: and the disconnected jag. Don't need it often, but when I have, it's well worth it.
I would not be without one of those handy little dischargers. Has saved me from a couple of dryballs :redface: and the disconnected jag. Don't need it often, but when I have, it's well worth it.
