Starter list of gear

[warhawk77]

Ok so I am starting out and I see there is a list of tools and extras I have to have before I can shoot. I will be shooting a 50 cal rifle and 44 cal revolver so it would be great if some items will work for both. Am I missing anything from this list?

Black Powder (FFg for rifle/??? for pistol)
Lead balls (.490-.495 rifle/ .451 for pistol)
Caps #10 (both)
Patches (rifle)
Ball starter (rifle)
Powder flask (both)
Powder Measure (both) http://www.cabelas.com/product/Sho...BC%3BMMcat104792580;cat104701680;cat104436180
Bore Grease (pistol) http://www.cabelas.com/product/Sho...BC%3BMMcat104792580;cat104701680;cat104491980

I know it would be nice to get a range rod, ball puller and some other stuff but I'm talking just basics so I can shoot day one.

What am I missing?

 

[warhawk77]

Looking some more I think will need a Powder flask with the 30 grain built in measure for the pistol and the powder measure will be used for the rifle. But do I need another flask so I'm not poring right from the powder bottle?

 

[Billnpatti]

3f black powder will work in both your pistol and your rifle. No need to buy any 2f to start with. Later, you may want to experiment with some to see if it helps your rifle shoot any better but for now, 3f is great for both your pistol and your rifle.

You will need to get #10 caps for your pistol and #11 for your rifle. They almost always have two different size nipples. Pistols have #10 nipples and rifles have #11 nipples. You will need the correct size for each.

You will need to get a cleaning jag and a patch worm. A range rod is a very valuable thing to have. If you don't know what you are doing and the correct technique for using a wooden rod to load your rifle, you stand a good chance of breaking your rod and running the broken end through your hand. Many a man has done just that. Play it safe and get a good brass or steel range rod with a muzzle protector. The muzzle protector is absolutely necessary to protect your bore from wear which will destroy your accuracy.

You don't need a ball puller. In my humble opinion, they are not worth a damn. If you get a ball stuck or dry ball your rifle. just remove your nipple and pour in a small amount of powder. Then seat your ball on top of the powder. This is absolutely necessary or you could do serious damage to your barrel. Replace your nipple and cap it, point down range and shoot out your ball. No ball puller needed and no one will be standing in front of a possibly loaded rifle as you would if you were trying to pull a stuck ball with a bullet puller.

Oh, and unless you will be using the same grease for your patches as you use for your pistol, you will need some patch grease. if you can find it, I recommend straight Ballistol for your patch lube. Another good patch lube is pure Jojoba oil. Look for it in a health food store or vitamin store but be sure it is pure Jojoba oil with nothing added. It is what some places sell at elevated prices as substitute whale oil. Jojoba oil is the closest thing to real whale oil (which is now illegal to sell) and is a very good patch lube.

 

[Billnpatti]

You will need a powder measure for your rifle. Get one of the adjustable brass measures with the built in funnel. That way, you can adjust your powder charge up or down to find your best load. You can fill your powder measure from your flask. You are right to never load directly from your flask into your rifle. That is extremely dangerous. For only a few bucks, you can buy a valve cap that will screw directly onto your powder can where your cap screws on and you can fill your powder measure directly from your can with no need for a separate container for your powder for your rifle. Just unscrew the cap from your powder can and screw on the filler spout with the built in safety valve. When you are done, unscrew it and replace your can cap. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/70/1/POWDER-CAP-F

 

[warhawk77]

Thanks for the info. I have my list typed out with some prices and I'm going to check locally before I order online.

Only buying 3f powder will make it easy starting. I don't have to worry about mixing them up and using the wrong stuff.

Good to know about the caps I thought they would use both. Better to find out now then at the range.

Does the range rod need to be one piece or can I use the 3 part ones? CVA makes a 3 part brass one for $25

Good to know on the ball puller.

 

[FishDFly]

You might consider .454 balls for the pistol.

Buy a 0 to 30 grain pistol powder measure for the pistol, loading directly from a flask is not recommended and not allowed at some places.

Range rod, one piece is the standard with line shooters.

 

[warhawk77]

I saw Gander mountain has the one piece for $30 locally so that isn't bad.

So I need a measure that will go from 0-120 grains to use with both and a flask to hold powder.

 

[FishDFly]

I use a 0 to 100 gr. for rifles and 0 to 30 grain for pistols. The 0 to 30 grain measure has slash marks in one grain increments. It's handy being small and lots of pistols like small changes in powder.

You will want a small range rod, 1 piece for the pistol. Get a brass brush to clean the forcing cone on the pistol, do not allow the brush around your rifle.

Nipple wrench to fit each one and a nipple pick.

Rubber hammer for the short starter.

Muzzle guards for the range rods.

 

[mooman76]

Some of the nipple wrenches have a nipple pick built in.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The salesmen at the store will be happy to sell you $200 worth of accessories you don't need.

Around here we buy 50 cent crab mallets at seafood shops for ball starters. A regular stainless steel cleaning rod for modern centerfire guns will do for a range rod.

At the hardware store they sell double ended fasteners that have bolt threads on one end and screw threads on the other. Get one that fits the threads of your range rod = ball puller. might be all of 50 cents.

A cheap plastic tool box to hold your "gear" a pair of pliers and screw driver come in handy. If you have one of the plastic boxes that 22 ammo comes in with the sliding top, they make great containers for jags, ball pullers, extra nipples, etc.

A small oil can of good quality machine oil, and even a small container of grease and a few cotton swabs. My oil can is an old singer sewing machine oil can and I have a minute tub of grease that might be a half inch round and half inch high filled with gun grease.

For your revolver, if you grease on top the balls, let me suggest the white lithium grease from the auto store. a few dollars for a pound. Then get a 20 to 25 cc syringe at the farm supply store (you don't need a needle which are usually sold separately) and fill it with grease to dispense to your
cylinder. Or slightly more expensive, a small cake decorator syringe from a cooking/baking supply store.

Our vet accidentally left a box of blood sample vials here. Each has a stopper and holds 30 grains of powder, so I use them to store my premeasured powder for the revolver. Saw a guy once using fired 38 cases with corks to hold his pre-measured revolver powder.

 

[AZbpBurner]

You'll find the best way to dispense powder by just getting out & shooting. I have powder horns for rifles, and often just use the ol'fashun rectangular Pyrodex can with a capped spout for dispensing into the adjustable powder measure for one rifle in particular.

I have a couple of the CVA cylindrical brass flasks for BP & Pyrodex, and some other more traditional flasks to use on other specific revolvers. I've also accumulated a couple of benchtop cylinder loaders for my Remingtons & ROA. One is adjustable for Colts & I use it mainly for the Dragoon - don't worry about anything like this until you shoot a little more & decide if you really want more stuff to lug around or not.

I use a beeswax + tallow mixture for revolver wad & ball lube - it works OK with RB patches, but a little thinner mix is better.

Rods? I've used wooden rods for around 40 years & never really found the need to go buy a pricey metal rod with the necessary muzzle protector.

Most folks settle on a 3/8" range rod. I made a 7/16" range rod for use with both my .50 & .54 cal rifles. Of larger diameter, it is MUCH easier to grip & use than a regl'r 3/8" rod or scrawnier diameter metal rod.

I prefer hickory, but the Ramin (actual name of the wood & not a ramrod function name) from TOTW in the 7/16" is sturdy. Don't flex a wooden rod as you exert downward force while seating a ball and you won't risk breaking it. In my several decades of wooden rod use, I've never cracked, split or broken one.

TOTW has a lot of ramrod ends and I like the brass concave end for ball ramming, and on my 7/16" rod I put a covered ball puller. Unlike others, I've found a larger diameter rod will center a threaded puller & makes for easy removal (only had to use use once & on another shooter's rifle).

You can build range and cleaning rods of first-rate quality by getting hickory or ramin dowels and fitting your own end(s).

Always remember to ensure that every rod you own has the end cross-pinned. My Lyman factory rods are all pinned ... now, after I did it myself.

 

[Many Klatch]

You will need a loading stand for your pistol. That keeps you from waving the barrel all around while loading. You can build it from scrap wood.

Many Klatch