New Shooter/First Flintlock

[Le Grand]

Patch those .490s with an .018" lubed patch and they'll do just fine. Have you loaded a patched round ball before?

 

[sffar]

Never in a rifled barrell. I've got a T/C Hawken caplock smoothbore and that's pretty much the extent of my BP long gun experience. I suppose there needs to be some room for the patch between the ball and the lands, and plenty of patch and lube to fill the grooves as much as possible?

 

[RC]

or you could try a simple spit patch for the range..try the 490,with a heavy patch,see how it loads,,you can always go to 495's,but imho, a thicker patch is better,,,course imho so is spit...fer the range :wink:

 

[sffar]

Thanks RC,
I won't be afraid to try spit, and I'll see what I've got for old jeans that might make a decent patch. Got some bore butter. Some olive oil. Got some good bacon, too, and I suppose I could cut a little fat off it :haha: . I do have some .010 and .015 lubed patches I was thinking I might stack if I need to to see what works. No ffff, so I'll use fff in the pan and ff or fff for the charge. Hopefully I'll get some shots off and get the gun empty before I leave the range!

 

[Le Grand]

It sounds like you've got everything you'll need. But, how about a short starter? One of those really helps to get the patched ball started at the muzzle before using your ramrod. And try the .015" patches first. Stacking patches can get too thick in a hurry.

 

[RC]

well, speakin from expierence,,,don't go hammerin the blue jeans down first,,they're a **** to get out in theys too tight! jus make sure barrel is clean an dry before you load yer first round......I'd try 60 gr. 3f w/ .015 patch (I'd do spit but if ya got prelube it'll work) 3f prime an shoot! :grin: ,,,ya ain't workin fer accuracy...yer workin fer confidence, once ya get her goin off consistant, then play cloverleaf! :thumbsup:

 

[sffar]

Thanks RC and Le Grand. I did buy a shot starter a couple of months back. Thought I could do without it, but the.56 cal. T/C is wicked tight”“really, that one could use .005 patches”“and I finally split the ramrod. Should've listened to advice I got to begin with and got the starter at the outset. So I'll follow the tips you guys have given me, go with about sixty grains and an .015 patch and let 'er rip and not worry too much about groups beyond seeing if the sights are in the ballpark. Just get used to the flash and so forth and have some fun. :hatsoff:
And if the spark's a problem I'll stick a cigarette in the jaws if I have to!!

 

[RC]

if yer lookin..an aimin down the sights to the target.....you'll never see the flash :wink: good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[Joel/Calgary]

My barrel measures .490/.522 at the muzzle.

Hi, Sam,
That is some seriously deep rifling - it may be a challenge to seal that well. If your patches suggest that you may be getting blow-by, you might try something under your patched ball to help the gas seal. A felt or cushion wad of suitable greater-than-groove diameter, a second patch seated on top of the powder before you load the patch and ball, or a filler like paper wasp nest, corn meal, cream of wheat, etc. - there are a variety of possibilities. The idea is to have something the powder gas will jam into the periphery around/under the patched ball. I use the extra patch when I think it might be useful. Paul V.'s done a fair bit of work with these techniques, especially the filers.

Good luck with finding a combination your firelock likes,
Joel

 

[sffar]

Well I shot my rifle yesterday. Except for a few flashes and a blocked flashhole the gun seemed to shoot great. My first three shots offhand at about 50 yards grouped at 2"! All the rest were right in there as well. Only shot eight rounds or so, as I managed to split the ramrod a little even with the ball starter. The rifling didn't seem to be an issue”“used .020 lubed patches and they seemed pretty snug. Maybe too snug. 50 gr. fff on the first shot and 60 on the rest and not much unburned powder. Bought some ffff for the pan.
I do thing the lock needs some tuning, whether new flint, hardening or whatever I'm not sure. It was a lot of fun, though, and I believe with some load development and bench rested shooting it'll be very accurate!
Thanks to all for your advice on the past posts! I'm getting hooked on these old style guns. :thumbsup:

 

[RC]

:thumbsup: yer hooked! :blah:

 

[ebiggs1]

I am new to this "sport" too. It is addicting.
Anyway I got a brass ramrod that has a 'T' handle on it and I use it while I am just shooting. I almost got the wooden one stuck one time. They can be difficult to remove.

 

[Zoar]

Congrats!

Yes it sounds like that rifle shoots fine. I prefer thinner patches and not having to work too hard to force the ball and patch down the barrel. Breaking or threatening to break a ramrod just seems so unnecessary to me.

Flintlocks are addicting. I bet that might be in part why---as a technology---they ruled the arms industry for 200 years (1600-1800ish). How many technologies have done that?

Good shooting!

 

[sffar]

I am hooked. I like the looks and I like the pace of shooting these old style guns. Don't like cleaning them, though.
It is amazing flints ruled for so long”“you've got to wonder whether metallic cartridges will be around so long before they're replaced by caseless ammo, electronic ignition or some such thing.
Good idea on the ramrod. I think when I order a new wood one I'll get another made of metal or zytel just to use at the range. Both BP guns I have with wooden rods have broken wooden rods!

 

[Zoar]

Broken rods indicates to me that the wad is too thick and a bit too much focus on "worrying", worrying about accuracy and thinking it will be coming from too big of a round ball or too much patch. :grin: My 54 cal flinter makes ragged holes at 50 yards and I do not threaten to break any ramrods when I shoot this gun.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

If I can't thumb start the ball/patch combination, then I go to a thinner patch or down size the ball. I don't have any accuracy problems and I don't break rammers, either.

 

[sffar]

Perhaps I should try a thinner patch. No way I was going to get it started with my thumb! I was wiping between shots, too. But the Colerain barrel does have deep grooves and I was worried about a good seal. Next time I'll give .018 or .015 patches a try.
It did seem accurate, though, and that long barrel really gives a nice sight picture.
Anyway, I did order a new wood rod and also a stainless one (w/guide) as well for range use. The other muzzleloader I have”“a T/C .56 is a very tight fit with .010 patches so I've got some .005 on the way. Live and learn”“and thanks for the observations and advice!
Sam

 

[RC]

try spit... :grin: ...490 balls?

as fer the 56...ever try .535 balls with a thick patch??.. .020?

 

[sffar]

I have not tried .535, as I was told to stick with the T/C caliber and I've since gotten a .550 mold and found a few boxes of ball as well. I do have a box of .535 I got somewhere I'd intended to use, as the .550 ball is (was) a little harder to come by. So if I don't end up with a .54 caliber anytime soon I'll probably try it. If for no other reason than to use up some stuff I'm accumulating in my box!
I like this .50 caliber. I used to think it was a large caliber, and wanted my first flinter in .36 or so for target shooting. I was thinking in terms of bullet weights and not ball weight. But the .50 is pleasant to shoot, seems big enough to hit at some distance and see the hole in the paper. It seems like a nice compromise and an intermediate caliber.
I think I'd still like a .36 Kentucky squirrel rifle, though! :grin:

 

[grampaJ]

My $.02
Brass ramrod is way to go, even if it it heavier to tote and stick with the fifties too. GrampaJ in NC :thumbsup: