New Crocket .32-Questions

[Steve in Maine]

Having heard such good things about the Crocket .32, I picked one up from Auctionarms for 250.00, including UPS shipping. I have some questions about it, as it is my first sidelock muzzleloader:

-The aluminum ramrod disappears completely inside of the barrel. Is there enough ramrod with the factory supplied rod to seat the load all the way??

-It looks like I must remove the tang screw each time I remove the barrel. Will the wood under the screw hold up to the repeated removal of the screw?

-What is the best tool to punch out the barrel wedge?

-I have some Goex 3f, some .310 roundballs, and some #1 buckshot to try. Any advice?

Many thanks,

Steve in Maine

 

[Rebel]

Steve, how far below the muzzle does the ramrod go in an empty barrel? If it is just below, then yes it will be long enough, although i would prefer a little extra rod. You can get a solid brass rod that is threaded for 10-32 accesories from www.rmcsports.com. That is what i used with my Crocketts. They will make one any length you want, but have on just for the Crockett. Mine were extremely accurate shooters. I used a .311 ball, pillow ticking patched over 20-40 grs of Pyrodex P. 3f Goex should work fine with the same loads, although fouling might get to be an issue with the heavier loads using BP. You can also get a wedge puller and jag from RMV Sports. Yes you have to remove the tang screw to remove the barrel. I got to where i just left the barrel in the stock. Good luck, and have fun.

 

[walruskid1]

if you keep removing the screw, the wood will fail to hold eventually. best way to clean it is to get one of the plastic tube set ups that screws in the nipple threads. i only remove the barrel if i get caught in the rain while hunting. or maybe once a year for a good scrubbing. the factory rod is ok for hunting, but for range or bench work i second the opinion of a brass range rod with a t handle. great for a stuck patch or (heaven forbid!) a dry ball. remember, powder first. :imo:

 

[harryo]

if you keep removing the screw, the wood will fail to hold eventually. best way to clean it is to get one of the plastic tube set ups that screws in the nipple threads. i only remove the barrel if i get caught in the rain while hunting. or maybe once a year for a good scrubbing.

This is not a problem on the Crockett. The tang screw is not a wood screw and doesn't screw into the stock. It is a metal screw that passes through the stock and screws into a threaded hole in the trigger plate. You can remove and replace the tang screw all you want and will have no problems unless you over tighten it and strip the threads of the screw or in the trigger plate.

I always remove the barrel from mine for cleaning. It only takes a few seconds to remove the screw and a few more to replace it. Much easier and faster than messing around with a flushing tube, IMO.

 

[ChickasawHun1er]

I recently got a Crockett and was a little suprised to find they didn't include a jag. I live in Denver an had to search quite a bit to find a .32 jag. In order to shoot mine I turned down a .40 cal. jag and used it on the alum. ramrod. I ordered a hickory ramrod from Dixie, the first one was cracked so I finally got a hickory 5/16 rod on the second try. Dixie customer service was exactly what you would want from them. My first experience with it resulted in several stuck patches, that alum ramrod is impossible to tie off too. I finally made it work by putting a .54 cal. jag on the exposed end where the cordage could get a grip. So necessity being a mother, I made a ball starter that could be converted to a T handle in the field. I agree about a good range rod with a T handle, but they're not practical for me to take in the field. So I built the long leg of the ball starter exactly like the end of my ramrod. When I have a problem I can screw out the long leg and screw the body of the starter onto the ramrod and have a T handle. This requires your ramrod to have a threaded tip on each end. The alum. rod does, if you get a hickory rod like I did you'll have to put tips on both ends. I really like the looks of the candy striped hickory rod on the Crockett and last trip to the range I forgot the range rod and the hickory worked just fine. Presently, I'm shooting 20 gr. of 3F goex and haven't had to touch the sights. Pillow ticking shoots a tigher group than pre-lubed factory patches. Very fun gun to shoot. I want to try some 3F swiss when I can find some. Good luck, but what I learned is that when you buy a Crockett and you have it in hand you're still a ways from being able to shoot. You need a good jag and will probably want a new ramrod, and I didn't have a single nipple wrench that would fit (I probably have 5-6), so I had to turn an old one down to use until I found the Tradidtions brand nipple wrench and then it even needed to be turned town a little so it wouldn't bind on the back of the snail. Still a good gun for the money. :m2c:

 

[Rebel]

I got the solid brass ramrod as a replacement rod, and carried it under the barrel. It added a little weight, but the Crockett is light enough so that it wasn't a problem, and the brass went well with the rest of the brass on the gun. :m2c:

 

[Steve in Maine]

Thanks folks for all of your help! Much appreciated. Mine came with the Aluminum ramrod,and I ordered a jag and several ramrod tip acc. from Traditions in .32 cal.

Had to get a .32 short starter from Track of the Wolf. Still waiting for everything to get here, so I haven't shot her yet. MUCH relieved to find out I can remove the tang screw without worry!

What can I shoot for roundballs aside from .310's? Also, I can see going broke buying cleaning patches. Any idea's for bulk patches for cleaning.

Thanks again,

Steve in Maine

 

[Gordon Horn]

For cleaning patches, I go t Wally-World fabric section and buy a couple of yards of White Cotton Flannel and cut up my own. If a cleaning patch for a .32 is about 1"X 1" a yard of flannel should yield about 1,300 cleaning patches. :front:

 

[Rebel]

That is what i use for cleaning too. As for the balls, there is a size of Buckshot that is supposed to work in a .32 cal. I think it is #1 buck.

 

[Regulis7]

.32cal factory balls from Hornady and Speer come in .310dia and .315dia while hand cast balls are listed at .311dia.

Hornady and Speer #1 swagged buckshot is listed at .300dia and can be found in 5 pound bulk bags for and will cost about $10-$11 before shipping.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000036411

A box of factory .310 balls cost anywhere from $6-$9 per 100 before shipping, so the #1 buck looks more economical provided accuracy still holds up.

Regulis7

 

[BrownBear]

There's sometimes a fair bit of variation in the diameter of the buck shot. I spent a while with a micrometer and sorted it into three batches. Well worth the little bit of time and effort for the difference it made.

 

[ChickasawHun1er]

Steve, I recently read a post by Birdog 6, I think he posts here as well as a couple of other boards. He's the man because he offered this advice. I used to go to the fabric store and buy cotton flannel and spend a little quality time in front of the tube armed wiith sissors making patches. They didn't turn out too pretty or too uniform but that system will work and worked for me for years. The cheap cotton flannel from the fabric stores makes great cleaning patches for both ML and modern firearms. But Birddog 6's wife like mine quilts and they have a cutting wheel and cutting board. With this gizmo you can cut thousands of patches (perfect uniform patches) in minutes. The cutting board just lays out on a table and has a grid printed on it. This outfit also has a long straight edge ruler with it. You just lay out the straight edge on the grid lines over several thickness of your flannel and roll the cutter. When you're done with the first step you've got a bunch of long flannel strips. Now you just do the same thing to cross cut. I had a 1 gallon ziplock bag stuffed full of patches cut out in about 20 minutes. That's setup time and cleanup time. I did do .32 patches in 1X1 squares and they work just fine, but might make them a little bit bigger next time, of course I've got a few thousand of them to use up first. So now I've got patches made up in three basic sizes that work on everything I own both ML and cartridge guns. So you may want to ask around to folks (usually the more genteel set) who sew and find someone who has a cutting/wheel/board and see if you can use it for a few minutes. Birddog 6 sez he can cut 8 thickness of flannel at a time, I tried it. It workded, but I'll probably do a few less layers next session. BTW this system also works on cutting shooting patches too. You can just cut the strips or you can cut squares. I prefer the strips and either cut them off to a loading block or just load at the muzzle. For a guy who mostly lurks around here I've gone on way too long. Hope this little tip helps some of you. If you must be PC then use the sissors, cuz Ol'Gabe's squaw didn't have no cutting wheel I'm certain. CH :front:

 

[arcticap]

I'm not sure how wide the wedge pin is on the Crockett, but I never use a wedge puller on any of my wedges even though I have one so that I can avoid creating any marring of wood or burring of metal. I use either a Popsical or craft stick, or the narrow end of the single side of a clothspin and tap the wedge out gently with a light mallet. These can also be easily narrowed to fit if necessary. In a pinch one has to use whatever's available, but I usually try to avoid "accidental" & unnecessary damage whenever possible. ::

 

[ric]

steve, while you are at wal-mart or where ever picking out ticking and flannel for patching, ask for a lingerie bag. its a mesh bag with a zip closure and for cheap. put your dirty cleaning patches in there and run them through the washer and dryer. they'll be crumpled and stained but clean,reusable and free.

 

[Steve in Maine]

Thanks again everyone for the great and timely advice. Seems like I now have a lot of information to work with. I will get back with a report on how it all works out.

Thanks again,

Steve

 

[BrownBear]

Speaking of wedges, there is one annoying problem with the Crockett but it's an easy fix.

The wedge is right at the balance point under your hand as you carry it, but the end is sharp and square. I spent a few minutes rounding mine with a file, then buffed it smooth. Ten seconds with touchup blue got rid of the shiny steel. If yours is sharp, do yourself a small favor and retouch it!

It may not seem like a big deal till you carry the Crockett for hours on end, as you surely will once you shoot it a bit. There isn't much more fun in the world than wandering the hills with such an accurate, well balanced little gem.