Went to get some supplies at the local muzzle loader shop, and because I want to see this shop stay in business I had to buy a new gun. That's the kind of giving person I am. 
It's a brand new Traditions flintlock Mountain rifle .50, and it's the first new ML I've ever bought. Every ML I bought was used, until today. First thing I did was take it apart to clean, like I do with new unmentionables.
There were two things that surprised me. First, there was not any grease in the lock or trigger system. Second, the barrel seemed to be very dirty. It looked like the gun had been fired, but not cleaned afterward. Is this normal? Was the black stuff that came out on the cleaning patches not BP residue? Was it just grease? The frizzed was unmarked, so I'm assuming it was never fired unless it was part of the proofing process.
I fitted a flint and hope to go to the range tomorrow morning.
It's a brand new Traditions flintlock Mountain rifle .50, and it's the first new ML I've ever bought. Every ML I bought was used, until today. First thing I did was take it apart to clean, like I do with new unmentionables. There were two things that surprised me. First, there was not any grease in the lock or trigger system. Second, the barrel seemed to be very dirty. It looked like the gun had been fired, but not cleaned afterward. Is this normal? Was the black stuff that came out on the cleaning patches not BP residue? Was it just grease? The frizzed was unmarked, so I'm assuming it was never fired unless it was part of the proofing process.
I fitted a flint and hope to go to the range tomorrow morning.
