Newb Here

[tenngun]

I would disagree, even though I started with cap poppers. After shooting my first rock in the lock I was hooked. Forty years ago you need books or mentors to teach. Now we have you tube with Still Water woods craft, Mike Belavue Duelist 54, Black powder Tv and the Black Powder Maniac. And forums like this.
No dark arcane knowledge to learn in secret gatherings.

 

[oldwood]

Hey guys...........One more way to quickly clean a muzzleloader. What you need...Hardware store has clear plastic tubing , and garden hose fitting to fit. Auto parts store has hose clamps and a piece of metal brake fluid tubing in different sizes to fit the barrel length to the breech. Ideally the next thing needed is a laundry sink to screw the water hose fitting onto .
Hook the device up , plug the touch hole w/ thumb and turn on the hot water. Make sure muzzle is over the laundry sink so water and black gunk goes down the drain. When the barrel is hot to the touch turn off the water and put the device away. Before barrel cools , Run some patches down the bore w/ the 3rd one having a little spray lube on it. Run patches down until clean. Don't forget to clean and lube your lock. oldwood

 

[Patrick Thomas]

To the OP. Have you gotten your rifle yet?

 

[flntlokr]

I agree with many above; start with percussion, and make all of your beginner mistakes before you invest in your 'keepers', be they flint or perc. Try to shoot as many different guns as your friends will allow you to in order to find what suits you best; I once fell in love with a long rifle, which I bought because it was pretty; I sold it within a couple of months because after shooting it a while, I found it just didn't fit me; too much drop at the wrist, and I couldn't hold it properly because of a mild disability. I have since replaced it with a long gun of a different school, that fits perfectly. So try a bunch before jumping in.

 

[oldwood]

It's unusual how folks get started in the m/l disease. Back in 1970', , on a used gun rack in a sporting goods store I found an almost new looking Spanish made FIE percussion .45 cal. longrifle. I stuck the ramrod down the bore ..It only went down about 2/3's of the bore and came back out w/ black goo on the tip. I surmised the previous owner of this orphaned rifle had fired salutes w/it until she wouldn't go off any more. The $35 price tag was ok , but wiped out my lunch money for a week.
An over night soak w/ WD40 and water cleared the goo out of the shiny bore. I had some FFG powder and begged some .440 balls somewhere , and off to the range .
I fired a couple shots @ 25 yds. , and about then I spotted a stationary , at rest, running deer target one range about 100 yds. , above the one i was on. The range was empty , and my spotting scope said the r/d target had no holes in it. I took a rest and shot not expecting even a hit. Target examination clearly showed a hit right through the deer's boiler room. I stepped back in total amazement , and said to myself , I think this m/l stuff is something I can do. Hooked for life , just that quick. All it took for the disease to set in was one shot .
The FIE went away , but it was a start of a life long second occupation.
oldwood

 

[Maelin Sav]

Been away for a while. Had to deal with some pretty serious medical issues. But, now that things are clearing up, Im getting back in the saddle. Unfortunately, the blue ridge, was out of stock everywhere I looked. Sad times. So I spent a little extra money and purchased the Pedersoli Pennsylvania rifle kit in .50 cal. It should be here in a few days. Im excited to finally get my hands on one of these, and assembling it should give me something fun to do while I am stuck in quarantine. I have heard that the lock is a little on the smaller side, so im thinking about upgrading it in the future, if thats possible.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Have fun with the kit and even more when it is done.

 

[Maelin Sav]

The rifle came apart nice and easy, some of the pins were a little tight, but not overly so. I disassembled the rifle completely, and stored each piece in its own little ziplock bag, along with any associated pins or screws so nothing gets lost or mixed up; I tend to be very methodical about these kind of things. I then spent about 3 hours sanding the stock, being careful not to round over any of the edges of the detail work. I started with 200 grit sandpaper and worked my way up to 400, sanding WITH the grain only. I also took the time to make sure the brass fittings were flush with the edges. Out of the box there were quite a few places where the wood didn't meet the brass very nicely, particularly in the butt of the gun, lots of wood overhang. Its extremely smooth now. I intend to do an oil hand finish on it, with a beeswax top coat for protection. Putting that first coat of linseed oil on wood is always so satisfying, as you get to see the wood's color for the first time. Put the first coat of linseed on, sanded it once more with 400, so now its gotta sit and dry for the next 2-3 days. In between coats I intend to turn my attention to the brass fittings. There are quite a few burrs, and sharp edges on them that need to come down, after removing those I will hand polishing them up to make them look nice.

 

[oldwood]

Maelin..........Some cheap recommended reading........$22.00...The Art of building the Pa. Longrifle. This is the best book for constructing a rifle of any type. So many others have you spending lotsa time building dies and jigs, the original builders would have no facility to use. The book is geared to simplicity and easy to understand. Even if you never build a rifle from scratch and only own a b/p rifle, it's a good resource to know the "why" of all things longrifle. Dixon's m/l Shop , Kempton , Pa.. Most parts dealers sell this book........oldwood

 

[Maelin Sav]

Maelin..........Some cheap recommended reading........$22.00...The Art of building the Pa. Longrifle. This is the best book for constructing a rifle of any type. So many others have you spending lotsa time building dies and jigs, the original builders would have no facility to use. The book is geared to simplicity and easy to understand. Even if you never build a rifle from scratch and only own a b/p rifle, it's a good resource to know the "why" of all things longrifle. Dixon's m/l Shop , Kempton , Pa.. Most parts dealers sell this book........oldwood

Thanks man ill check it out