Traditions Kentucky Flintlock Rifle

[Rebel]

With the first shot from a clean barrel you shouldn't have any problem seating the ball. You will feel it hit the powder charge and start to crunch the powder. You don't want to crush the powder, just seat the ball firmly on top of it. After loading the first rd. it is a good idea to take a piece of electrical tape and run it around the ramrod flush with the muzzle. This will let you know that you have the ball all the way down for the next loading. Of course if you change the amount of powder the mark will be in a different location. Once you have worked up the load you plan to stick with, you can scribe a shallow mark around the rod with a sharp knife.

 

[AZ-Robert]

Just a million thanks for taking the time to do this detail.

You're welcome, Sam. Click on that flashing envelope up near the top left of the page to get a PM I sent you.

So basically you just pour a measure of blackpowder down the barrel, put a patch and a ball and ram it down. Of course, how do you know it's all the way down. Then put some powder in the flash pan and fire away. Sounds easy enough.

Yep - but take it slow the first couple of times to make sure you don't skip any steps ::

Before you load it for the first time, lay the ram rod alongside the barrel while you line up the end of the rod with the line where the breech plug meets the back end of the barrel. Take note of how far past the open end of the barrel the rod protrudes. It shouldn't be much. Now drop your ram rod down the bore and again take note of how much is sticking out the end of the barrel. It should be about the same as before, but if you have a patent breech or something like that there might be a difference. The amount of rod sticking out the end of the barrel is your reference point for knowing when the rifle is completely empty, in case you ever have to check.

EDIT: I see Rebel beat me to the rest of it... But instead of cutting on the rod you might want to use a permanent marker or a spot of paint. And you always want to make sure the ball is seated all the way down or you will have some real serious problems.

 

[Gaze]

Why do they put those patchboxes on?

Dern good question. It would make more sense to keep the patches in your bag or pocket. Does anyone here regularly one? They were around for along time; so the pioneers must have used them for something; I don

 

[adbranaman]

Patch boxes their pretty much optional.I think their for looks mostly.They use em for patches, caps, etc..I put two paper cartridges(and caps) in mine.Easy acess if your bags to far away.

 

[ssamac]

HI
so where does that patch go?
thanks again, Sam

 

[ssamac]

Like rolling out of the barrel???? Still can't figure how it stays in

LIke the Lady who went back to the pharmacist saying her birth control pills didn't work-- they kept falling out
Thanks
Sam

 

[ssamac]

Hey I like GAbby Hayes. Long time since I've seen a pic of ol Gabby. It would make sense to keep the patches with the balls.

thanks
sam

 

[adbranaman]

1) Put the powder down the barrel and give it a small tap.
2)Place the lubed patch on top of the barrel covering the hole..
3)Place a ball on top of the patch and push down untill ball is even with the muzzle,then cut off excess patch. You want the patch to incircle the ball.
4)Use rod to push the ball all the way down untill it is firmly seated against the powder.
5)Place hammer on half-cock and put a cap on,OR prime your pan. It is now loaded
6)To fire, pull hammer all the way back and squeeze trigger.
Hope this helps. :hatsoff:
If you use mini balls you don't need a patch, but you should learn to use round balls first. :front:

 

[Rebel]

Sam, ya lost me, what patch? I was talking about seating the ball and marking your ramrod so you know the next rounds are seated all the way.

 

[AZ-Robert]

Like rolling out of the barrel???? Still can't figure how it stays in

Friction, my man, friction. Yeah, that .490 ball in a 50 cal is undersize by a hundreth of an inch, but the patch and the extra thickness the lubing gives it is just enough to give you a snug fit. After the first couple of shots, fouling from the powder will make it even snugger.

The tighter the fit, the tougher to load (obvious) and the better the accuracy. You get the compromise you want (don't want loading to be big chore) and vary that tightness a little by switching patch thicknesses until you get one you like. If you've gone to thickest patch you can get and you are still not happy, then you go up to a .495 ball and go back to a thin patch and start over experimenting with your patch thickness.

 

[Gaze]

Like rolling out of the barrel???? Still can't figure how it stays in

Friction, my man, friction.

The battle cry usually is "take the high ground." But if the balls rolled out, the guys charging up hill would always win. And Picket would have been president instead of Grant.

Seriously: Maybe some of you that have extracted many balls can testify how much they varied in the amount of effort it took to pull them. Were any so easy that you could pull the ball out with a couple ounces of pressure?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Were any so easy that you could pull the ball out with a couple ounces of pressure?

Not the way I patch 'em. Even my smoothies get a tight patch (cloth or paper wrapped cartridge). In all cases they are a little easier to pull out than they were to push in (especially if you drip a bit of liquid lube/powder solvent down the bore first). Once the patch is compressed and the ball is deformed. Sometimes it's hard to pull a ball in a smoothbore because it spins within the patch and the screw threads won't start.

I've never had, or heard of, a tightly patched ball working forward on it's own in either a rifle or smoothbore. Conicals yes, PRB no.

Even the fiber and cardboard Circle-Fly wads take maybe half-a-pound of pressure to draw back out when pulling a charge. I'd say my rifles vary between ten and twenty pounds of pressure needed to extract a ball. That's estimating what I would have to tie to the upside down rammer to get it to pull down with the ball attached as I lifted the rifle. Not something that would happen "accidentally", even with my baby-cheek smooth, carbide swaged L.C. Rice rifle barrel. These with an 0.010" under bore sized ball and a 0.015 to 0.020" patch If you're worried about dropping the ball you can put an over-shot card on it. (Notched to let the air escape. I've had these "Pop" out after the rammer was pulled from the compressed air trapped behind them). I've missed a couple grouse because my shot charge was trailed along behind me like Hansel & Gretel's bread crumbs. Now I notch the card and have a deep "X" filed across the button tip of my single barrel 12 ga. to let the air escape when loading.

 

[Gaze]

Thanks Stumpkiller :hatsoff:

You gave me a lot of info. More than I asked for; but I needed it all. :thanks: --Gabby

 

[ssamac]

Thanks Bluebuck. It does it exactly. Now I think I can load the thing anyway.

What's the max charge a .50 flintlock can take on the average??

Sam

 

[ssamac]

The patch you put around the ball. I think I got it now
thanks
sam

 

[ssamac]

Makes more sense with each answer I get. Thanks guys!
sam

 

[ssamac]

Neat. I like this stuff. Thanks

 

[ssamac]

So here's a new one. Anyone here hear of a Hopkins and Allen "Minuteman" rifle? One was offered to me. 15 years old working well with a stiff trigger. 50 cal. Good starting gun?

What do you think? Or stick to the Traditions 50 cal Tenessee rifle?

sam

 

[jim gray]

What's the max charge a .50 flintlock can take on the average??

All of the manuals that I've seen from manufacturers list the maximum load for a .50 caliber at 90 or 100 grains of 2Fg. 90 grains should be a safe load for any production .50 caliber rifle and behind a roundball will yield more than enough power for any game up to a large whitetail.

When you start working up a load for the rifle, you should start with 50 grains of either 2Fg or 3Fg and gradually increase your load until you find out what is best for your gun. Remember that if you choose to go with 3Fg you should reduce the maximum loads by at least 10%. Most ML shooters find that 3Fg is cleaner.

 

[ssamac]

No flash in the pan by any means. Thank you
sam