new (used) .54 flintlock

[ffffg]

at the local gunshow i got a very nice used flintlock and the price was very right.., it would have easily cost 2-3 times more at our favorite mail cataloge.... its got a 44 inch swamped barrel, nice lock dont know which one, uses about 5/8 inch wide flints, set trigger, custom made by local gunsmith many years ago, no gaps anywhere, probably 1/60 twist about..probably unfinished and extra wood for owner to finish out.. now the barrel is practically browned but bore is excellent.. now id like your input on some of its points i may want to change or fix.. the lock mainspring is pretty light but no slow fires today with about 6 shots at our portable gong curing a break from hunting. its very fast.. its actually what i guess is a target gun.. it has a set trigger that must be set before you cock it and fires with an 8 ounce trigger pull :shocked2: .. is there any way i can make this into about 1 1/2 pounds?.. the flash hole has a sloted liner that is loose unless i leave it a tiny bit recessed from the lock pan, and must be screwed out about 1/4 turn to meet the pan.. flash hole location is excelent.. the gun is front end heavy total of about 9 1/2 pounds.. is there a big problem of taking it to .58 cal? can the barrelmakers do this without haveing a longer piece to start? i like a sling,, , do i need to go thru a dovetailed lug in the barrel, or can i just put it thru the wood? its got lots of wood up front,all over for that matter, and is curly maple.. has lots of dings, and is quite dark, my son really likes it becouse its colors are woodsy looking and he hunts whitetail.. it shoots on at 50 yards with 80 grains 3fg goex.. this load was used today, becouse the owner said to use 70 grains fffg and that is what i brought, and it shot low at 50 yards so i upped it to 80.. im guessing that is about 1600 feet persecond.. the owner has won several target matches with it at our now defunct local black powder club.. id like to start out with a sling and heavier trigger.. how much of a problem is it to just put in a regular trigger, or can i interchange to a double set trigger, or alter the one i have, if im getting the nomenclature right.. and maybe a white lightning touchhole liner if you guys dont like the loose 1/4 inch .085 flashhole sloted liner.., thanks dave

 

[Birddog6]

now the barrel is practically browned but bore is excellent..

it has a set trigger that must be set before you cock it and fires with an 8 ounce trigger pull :shocked2: .. is there any way i can make this into about 1 1/2 pounds?..

the flash hole has a sloted liner that is loose unless i leave it a tiny bit recessed from the lock pan, and must be screwed out about 1/4 turn to meet the pan..

is there a big problem of taking it to .58 cal? can the barrelmakers do this without haveing a longer piece to start?

i like a sling,, , do i need to go thru a dovetailed lug in the barrel, or can i just put it thru the wood?

thanks dave

Dave, Some of the set triggers are adjustable on the trigger pull in travel but not pull weight on a set trigger. Your is about the correct trigger pull for the type it is. The weight of the pull on a real light trigger nerver has bothered me (being light) as long as I have a little more travel on them & usually this travel is adjustable with the turn on a set screw between the two triggers. You would normally back the screw out to give more travel & lessen the chance of accidental discharge when touching the trigger when hunting.

Another alternative is to replace the trigger with one of a similar size triggerplate. Last one I did I used a Davis DST4 or DST6 and cut the plate to fit the hole, insuring the proper placement of the triggers to engage the sear arm correctly.

The slotted vent line should be screwed into the barrel up just snug whether it has a recess or not. Most likely the pan is sealed below the recess if the liner is centered & as long as you have no flash or powder getting into the lock inlet below it, that is all that matters. You could out a Ampco non-removable liner in it & file it flush & this would most likely take up the gap. And of course you could go to a Chambers vent line but you would have to go to a 5/16" one as it is already threaded 1/4-28 and going to a 1/4-32 is not going to have adequate threads holding it. Were it me I would probably go to the flush Ampco & drill it out to a 5/64" vent hole & very lightly cone the outside edge. (Very lightly)

I would not bore it to .58 cal. You would only make it about .5 oz lighter & it will still be front heavy anyway as this will not change the balance much at all. Plus it would be expensive to do for litle difference.

If I put a sling on a Jaeger rifle I would put a dovetail into the barrel to retain it. However on a rifle with a 44" barrel I would use a loop type sling over the barrrel rather than a swivel in a dovetail because I feel it fits the style of rifle better. Loop over the barrel end & a boot type on the butt end. They cost $ 10-15 for the slings.


Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[ffffg]

birddog, thanks for the boot sling idea.. i had one in the drawer that my oldest son won at a shoot when he was a jr shooter, it fits well, looks right on this old war horse, and fills in some of the cresent buttplate.. the best part about it is it cuts the 9 1/2 pounds down to not a problem carried on the shoulder.. it holds very well with the weight out front using the sling to stablilize her.. it has a siler lock, double trigger single set the one with the round post trigger in front.. ,. the gunsmith said what barrel it was i forgot already, a whitworth? started with a w anyway... used guns are great, already broken in, dont have to worry about scratching it, already has a load, sighted in, and this one has a good shooter reputation, and other history to talk about with the other old codgers around here.. i guess it was used as a cross stick gun and it was always in the running for a blanket prize.. dave..