please help 8 Bore Flintlock

[ken.clements]

I found the Proofs...left side just where the wood and the barrel meet.....whats pretty neat about this is all the parts (Hammer,Plate,Barrel, Trigger assembly) are stamped with initials.
They were hidden under 70 or so years of gunk :shake:

 

[Zoar]

Ken --- I use GOEX. It is bountiful here in the USA. I order a case at a time and mix it up in terms of grades of coarseness. 2X up to 4X.

For my four bore I use 2X because that is the coarsest stuff I have. I usually use 140-160 grains of 2X. Then I place a cork wad down the barrel. Then a patched lubed 4 bore lead ball. about 1.015", then an over shot card.

When shooting shot I load about 120 grains of 2X then a cork wad and then a quarter POUND of shot in a paper satchel, then and over shot card. I have used as small as number 8 shot up to 36 caliber round balls. Often I mix it up just to blow the smithereens out of appliance boxes. It sure is a crowd pleaser. seeing that flame come out from all that powder launching 5 to 7 ounces of #8 shot and assorted BUCK SHOT sizes.

But for yours I would start out at 100 grains or even 70 just to get use to it. And load in some BB's or whatever pellets you can buy cheap. When people come over to the house I often let them shoot my 4 bore and I load it with 70-80 grains just so they can say they shot a 4 bore. I have let kids shoot it loaded with 70 grains of black powder and just a cork wad and a few token BB's. They are mighty proud!

You can mold your own lead balls but honestly I would FIRST just buy some off-the-shelf 12 gauge round ball slugs (pumpkins balls we call them here). You can get them from BALLISTIC PRODUCTS online. Cut up an old T-Shirt. Use that as the PATCH for the round balls. Be sure to lube up the patches. I use spit and/or a bit of olive oil.

Also I would not rely on the delivery estimates for the Rifle Shoppe. You can wait years. I would get a ready made lock for it and fit it in. I bet someone here can tell you what chambers lock you could buy now off the shelf that would fit or almost fit in that rifle and with minimal excavation you could be shooting in a week or so. Rifle shoppe is notorious for taking forever. I mean I like their stuff and I like what they are all about but delivery time is their worst offense. I waited about a year for parts that were supposed to be delivered in 8 weeks... So please be warned. :thumbsup:

 

[Zoar]

Or maybe a Siler or Ketland or Queen Ann lock will fit in your existing lock area.

You can get one in days.

 

[aeatwood]

I have an 8-bore percussion trap gun w/ a full choke. You don't have to shoot the big load - mine does WONDERFULLY w/ square loads from 70gr of 2F to 110gr. 110gr volume of shot is a scootch over 1 3/8 oz. I've used #6, 7 1/2, 8, 8 1/2, and 9's. I prefer 7 1/2 or 8's for blowing away the swallows and starlings around my dad's barn.

I uses V.M. Starr's wad column of powder, 1 or 2 .125" card wads, shot, and thin OS card. It will easily knock the birds down to 45-50 yards or so, even with the light loads. My gun weighs around 8 lbs, and has an original barrel mated to a curly maple stock in a takedown configuration built a while back by the late Jim Shaw.

Alan

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Guess you don't have to worry about barrel wall thickness on that behemoth!

What's that girl weigh? And where did you get it, if I may ask?

 

[rickystl]

Hi Ken. Here is a pic of my lock. It's now in working order and sparks OK. Not as good as Chambers or other locks, but it works OK. So your's can probably be made to work if you don't do a lock replacement. JFYI. Rick.

 

[paul McCarthy]

Hello Ken: Your elephant gun looks like mine except for the lock. That is what you have ; these were made for the trade in the Belgian Congo in the colonial days up to the 1950's or so. Black powder muzzle loading was the only firearm allowed to native peoples. Mine was sold by Dixie Gunworks in the late 1970's. Val forget did the importation. My bore measures .919 "(23.34 mm) a mold casting a ball of .875" (22.25 mm) weighing approximately 1000 grains (64 .54 grams) was sold with the gun . The maximum recommended load is 220 gr fg . My gun weighs a scant 10.5 lbs. trust me , start with 50 grains and work up to your comfort level with ffg stop around 180 gr

 

[ken.clements]

Thank you all for your help :grin:
But I'm still not going to shoot a golfball size lead ball out of it :shocked2:
not yet anyway :wink: