New to Muzzleloaders, so many questions.

[RaVeX]

Hello,

I acquired a Kentuckian from Armi Sport from a neighbor whose husband passed. She said he won it MANY years ago and thought it might only be decoration, but was not sure. Since I am new to muzzleloaders and rifles of the such. Im not sure what to look for to see if it indeed is a real/replica firearm capable of actually firing...or if it is indeed for display only. It does say on the barrel "Black Powder Only Cal .45", but again, not 100% if thats just to make it look real or if it is real.

So my questions are:

~How can I tell if it will actually fire?
~Are there websites or registries that I can look up a serial number?
~IF it is able to fire, what items would I need to get it up and running?

Thank you for any help on this subject.

 

[Kansas Jake]

It is likely a safe modern made muzzleloader. I picture or two would help to identify it and we could provide other information. Welcome.

Others here may have better information but the Armi Sport Kentuckian was likely made in the 1970s-80s. As a .45 .440 caliber round ball would be a likely size of ball to use with between 40-60 grains of real FFF black powder. FF would also work.

It should be shootable. Is it flintlock or percussion.

 

[tenngun]

You need to do several test first.
Most important is it loaded
Run the ramrod or just a dowel from the hard ware store down the bore. Mark it then lay it on the barrel, does it go all the way to the cap nipple or touchhole
Get a can of compressed air
Put it on the cap hole and blow. Does air move freely through?
Armi sport was inexpensive guns but made to shoot
If it’s clear and unloaded you want to look in the bore and make sure it’s not rusted. It will then need be cleaned.
Then shoot away

 

[Hermit Tim]

Good advice from both those guys. I've got one of those and it is a shooter. I call mine the canoe gun because it came with a bit shorter barrel at only 28 inches. Once you are sure it is clear and clean, and are ready to try it out, I would recommend a light load of 30 to 35 grains under a patched round ball for the first couple shots to get used to it. Whatever you do make sure you are using real black powder or black powder substitute ONLY. DO NOT USE MODERN POWDER. Black or black substitute only. If it is a flintlock you will need some real black powder (3F or 4F) in the pan. Substitute powders do not work well for priming. These guns are lightweight and fun to shoot and hunt with. When you are ready to gather your stuff and start working on it come back and let us know as we will be glad to help. And we love gun pictures...

 

[RaVeX]

It is likely a safe modern made muzzleloader. I picture or two would help to identify it and we could provide other information. Welcome.

Others here may have better information but the Armi Sport Kentuckian was likely made in the 1970s-80s. As a .45 .440 caliber round ball would be a likely size of ball to use with between 40-60 grains of real FFF black powder. FF would also work.

It should be shootable. Is it flintlock or percussion.

 

[RaVeX]

Thank you all for the information. I will try all those things to make sure it will work. I have already run the ramrod down the bore and it does go all the way, flush with the end of the barrel.

Is there a good website to purchase all the things necessary for it to fully function?

I am quite familiar with modern firearms but all of this stuff is new to me so Im learning on the fly.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Tending to some ribs and wings right now but if nobody chimes in I'll post some info later. No worries, learning the basics is simple. And this is a bunch of fun. You'll be building your own custom in no time. Warning: this game is addictive.

 

[RaVeX]

Tending to some ribs and wings right now but if nobody chimes in I'll post some info later. No worries, learning the basics is simple. And this is a bunch of fun. You'll be building your own custom in no time. Warning: this game is addictive.

Haha my wife has already warned me not to go down this rabbit hole.....as my collection of modern firearms has already put her on the edge haha.

 

[Kansas Jake]

You have a flintlock so you will need real black powder such as Goex, Schuetzen, Swiss. You will not be likely to find it at a regular gun shop or sporting goods store. Just starting out your best option might be finding someone close to you who would share. You will also need flints for the lock. I suggest you go to the flintlock section on this forum and start reading some of the threads. My first rifle was a flintlock back in the middle 1970s and information was scarce.

Black powder can be ordered from venders such as Grafs, Powder Inc. etc.

Have fun.

 

[Two Feathers]

Hey RaVeX:
That's one beautiful lookin' piece. The guys here know their stuff. You can trust ANYTHING they tell you.
When you decide to "get into" this game for real, come see us, we can set you up with all the accoutrements you need.
God shootin'.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[brushblind]

Thank you all for the information. I will try all those things to make sure it will work. I have already run the ramrod down the bore and it does go all the way, flush with the end of the barrel.

Is there a good website to purchase all the things necessary for it to fully function?

I am quite familiar with modern firearms but all of this stuff is new to me so Im learning on the fly.

You'll need real black powder for the flintlock to prime and to charge. BP subs just don't work in flintlocks. Good score by the way! You can prime the pan with the same 3f you charge with and I suggest picking up a BP shooting manual to get good info to start your journey! Proper cleaning and oiling after shooting is very important and can't be put off or you'll end up with a rusty pipe. You will need to wipe the bore oil out before loading and shooting and use a proper patch lube, enjoy!

 

[BillyC]

One more tip, DO NOT DRY FIRE without a piece of wood for a substitute flint, you can do damage to the cock.

 

[IanH]

You'll need leather for the flint, too.

The NRA NMLRA publishes a muzzleloading guide booklet that's a good, illustrated overview.

Basically you need tools to load it and to clean it, real black powder (3Fg granulation), flints and leathers that fit the lock, patches, and balls. For range use, good old spit is the only thing you need for patch lube but you can get as fancy as you want.

 

[Daveboone]

Nice rifle! Order yourself a Dixie Gun Works catalog....black powder shooting It is full of great information and just fun to read even if you dont order. My preferred source is Track of the Wolf. You will need some flints to fit (do you have one, or the owners manual listing one? to shoot, fff powder for the main charge and flash pan. 45 cal. cleaning jag and ball puller (you will need one ) and a patch worm. Balls to fit patch lube (crisco is fine to start) and patches
It is easy to get too detailed with this but you can use the search bar to find answers for any of your questions for more details Have fun

 

[dracer]

welcome to the forum

 

[deerstalkert]

something else that no one has addressed. the size of flint you will need.
to determine the size pull the cock back to the half cock position. the first catch.
close the frizzen on the pan. measure from the cock screw between the jaws to the face of the frizzen. deduct 1/8 inch for clearance between the flint and the frizzen at half cock.
measure the width of the frizzen and that will be optimum with for the flint.
i cut my leathers from the fingers of a worn out glove. the leather needs to wrap around the back of the flint and come just to the front of the cock jaws.
also a notch or cut out needs to be made in the leather where it contacts the screw. this allows the flint to butt up to the screw for a good solid hit when it is dropped against the frizzen.
clear as mud? hope this helps.

 

[IanH]

Track of the Wolf has all the ball pullers, patch worms, ball seating ends, breech scrapers, and flints that you need for $2-3 each. A steel range rod that's long enough to reach the breech plug with the same threads as all the accessories you buy, and a brass cone muzzle protector. Don't bother buying their leathers, they're too thick and too short, do what DS wrote above and strip out leather from a worn out Wells Lamont work glove (I find them all over the highway between home and town).l Get an adjustable powder measure for load workup. You might want to get a powder flask for safety at the range, no open containers around muzzleloaders! One spark in the wrong place and you have a grenade. If you're crafty you can affix a bottleneck cartridge case to the lid of a pound of powder and make a stopper or cap for it. If you get hooked on this you'll be looking for a nice powder horn. For cleanup use plain, room temperature water unless you use a grease/oil patch lube in which case you'll need one drop of dish detergent per cup of water for cleaning. After that, dry, clean, and oil the same way you'd do your other rifles.

For loading you'll need patch material, grab a yard of pillow ticking from wallochinamart or the craft store. Take your calipers, you're looking for something .016-.018" thick when compressed. Wash that ticking in HOT water or boil it in a pot on the stove to shrink and tighten it and remove the sizing compound. A .45 will usually like .445 balls and standard ticking, though some are tight or have shallow grooves and prefer .440 balls. This is something you'll have to work out for yourself. All your other safety rules and the range gear you already have apply, especially eye protection. Have fun!

 

[toot]

Welcome.

 

[LSLibelo]

Welcome from California.

 

[Two Feathers]

RaVeX:
We have some of the best accoutrements makers on the planet, right here on this website.
Please support our own. TOTW and Crazy Crow (just to mention 2 that come to mind) are fine, but they're basically "big box stores" for BP shooters.
Support the true craftsmen on here first. Thank you.
God bless:
Two Feathers