Hawken St. Louis model from DGW arrived yesyerday. It's a kit and I've got some work to do on it....brown the barrel, sand and stain the stock, clean up the brass castings. The lock uses a coil spring for the hammer. Is this good? My caplock uses a flat spring folded in half for the hammer. Is one better than the other? Should be up and running in a week or so, got a relative bringing me some FFFFg from "another state" for the pan. Will this stuff set off Pyrodex RS, or should I stick with the real stuff in the barrel? Or is that a trial and error thing? :RO:
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New Hawken's here
- Thread starter bdarin
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Pyrodex works very poorly in flintlocks.
The ignition point of Pyrodex is somewhere in the 700 degree F range while Black Powder is down around 400 degrees F.
If you use the Pyrodex, expect it not to fire after 5 or more pan loadings, or it might fire on the first shot. You never can tell. That's why most folks here recommend using Black Powder only to load a flintlock with.
If your friend is bringing only FFFFg (4Fg), IMO it is much too fine grained to use as the main charge in anything bigger than a .31 cal pistol load.
If all you have is the 4F and Pyrodex RS you could try loading about 10-15 grains of the 4F first and then 50 grains of Pyro in the barrel.
The 4F will be at the touch hole to ignite easily, and it will set off the Pyro.
Note, some people do not endorse the idea of using a duplex load like this as they feel it can create too much breech pressure.
You really need to load with FFg (2Fg) or FFFg (3Fg).
The ignition point of Pyrodex is somewhere in the 700 degree F range while Black Powder is down around 400 degrees F.
If you use the Pyrodex, expect it not to fire after 5 or more pan loadings, or it might fire on the first shot. You never can tell. That's why most folks here recommend using Black Powder only to load a flintlock with.
If your friend is bringing only FFFFg (4Fg), IMO it is much too fine grained to use as the main charge in anything bigger than a .31 cal pistol load.
If all you have is the 4F and Pyrodex RS you could try loading about 10-15 grains of the 4F first and then 50 grains of Pyro in the barrel.
The 4F will be at the touch hole to ignite easily, and it will set off the Pyro.
Note, some people do not endorse the idea of using a duplex load like this as they feel it can create too much breech pressure.
You really need to load with FFg (2Fg) or FFFg (3Fg).
Sorry.....my friend's also bringing 2 cans of FFg and one of FFFg. Shoulda mentioned that right off. I should have enough powder for a coupla months of shooting enjoyment before I have to drive to PA to get more. Those hazmat fees are ridiculous, been hesitant to have it shipped cuz of that. :thumbsup:
The coil spring is a modern variation on the traditional lock. It is better, in that it is easier to make on a low-skill assembly line and oven temper at the factory. It has the advantage that a low quality one still has less chance of failing than a low quality flat spring. A flat spring can last your lifetime if it's properly made and tempered, but it requires knowledge and skillful technique to produce one, and it's also easy to break one if improperly handled in assembling or disassembling the lock.
A coil spring can work as well as a flat spring if the lock is designed correctly.
All of the modern guns I know of use coil springs, so there is no doubt that they can do a fine job.
The only real advantage that comes to mind is a coil spring is CHEAP to buy.
A good flat spring can cost $10-$30. A good coil spring can cost $.50
All of the modern guns I know of use coil springs, so there is no doubt that they can do a fine job.
The only real advantage that comes to mind is a coil spring is CHEAP to buy.
A good flat spring can cost $10-$30. A good coil spring can cost $.50
