hello all, i been wantin a flint gun and bought a used .45 cal cva kentucky type rifle. my question, {please be advised i havent shot a black powder gun since the 70`s and never a flint} what basic supplies do i need to get started shooting it. we have a gander mountian at bowling green, would they have everything? what F# powder will i need? ball diameter? what would you suggest for a starting load for casual plinking? thanks for any help.
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
what do i need to start
- Thread starter icdux1
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
rfdr
.54 or bust
many things to consider ...
make sure the rifle is in good working order, and the barrel is both unloaded and clean of any oil, and the touch hole is clear and clean. have it checked out by someone who really knows what they're doing, or visit a gunsmith.
check the function of the lock, clean pan, good flint well held in the cock jaws with lead or leather and tested to spark well on the frizzen. adjust or knap the flint for best reliable spark.
2F or 3F down the barrel and 4F or 3F in the pan, for starters, then experiment what works best with your rifle. keep the touch hole open with a toothpick and don't let the pan powder cover that touch hole. some locks work better with the pan powder further away from the touch hole.
then there's the combination of ball diameter and patch thickness. more experimentation needed, but in a pinch a .440 ball and .010 or .015 or .018 lubed (spit or some other concoction) should get the job done. a ball starter helps. push, don't bang, the ball down to the breech and seat firmly. there must be no air space between the powder and patched ball, and the entire load needs to be seated at the breech.
i have a .45 pedersoli kentucky flintlock and i use 2F down the barrel and 4F in the pan - that works best for me, though i have tried 3F down the barrel and 3F in the pan as well. i've used as little as 50 grains of 2F down the barrel, but currently using 70 grains.
ASAP after shooting, the barrel and lock MUST be cleaned of powder residue or the metal WILL rust and pit. there are a myriad of good methods for doing this, search this website's forums.
have lotsa fun but most important, be SAFE. there are more than a few online flintlock "manuals" to download and all will have safe loading and shooting info, as well as cleaning procedures.
getting a local mentor for one-on-one mentoring would be best.
make sure the rifle is in good working order, and the barrel is both unloaded and clean of any oil, and the touch hole is clear and clean. have it checked out by someone who really knows what they're doing, or visit a gunsmith.
check the function of the lock, clean pan, good flint well held in the cock jaws with lead or leather and tested to spark well on the frizzen. adjust or knap the flint for best reliable spark.
2F or 3F down the barrel and 4F or 3F in the pan, for starters, then experiment what works best with your rifle. keep the touch hole open with a toothpick and don't let the pan powder cover that touch hole. some locks work better with the pan powder further away from the touch hole.
then there's the combination of ball diameter and patch thickness. more experimentation needed, but in a pinch a .440 ball and .010 or .015 or .018 lubed (spit or some other concoction) should get the job done. a ball starter helps. push, don't bang, the ball down to the breech and seat firmly. there must be no air space between the powder and patched ball, and the entire load needs to be seated at the breech.
i have a .45 pedersoli kentucky flintlock and i use 2F down the barrel and 4F in the pan - that works best for me, though i have tried 3F down the barrel and 3F in the pan as well. i've used as little as 50 grains of 2F down the barrel, but currently using 70 grains.
ASAP after shooting, the barrel and lock MUST be cleaned of powder residue or the metal WILL rust and pit. there are a myriad of good methods for doing this, search this website's forums.
have lotsa fun but most important, be SAFE. there are more than a few online flintlock "manuals" to download and all will have safe loading and shooting info, as well as cleaning procedures.
getting a local mentor for one-on-one mentoring would be best.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2005
- Messages
- 8,014
- Reaction score
- 1,021
good advice.
if you have already purchased a can of 4F, no harm done, but if you haven't, you can use the same powder for the pan that you use for the charge. there is some discussion about how much faster 4F detonates and so on, but it has been my experience that, as a pratical matter, the difference makes no effect on how well the gun shoots. If you were going for world cup targets, it would be worth the trouble, but for us casual shooters, i don't think it's all that big a deal.
as far as a 'starting load,' i would try about half again the caliber in grains ... about 65 grains for a .45 caliber. (remember that these aren't weight grains, as in the grains used in centerfire handloading 7000 to the pound; these are volume grains) i assume that you have an adjustable measuring gadget like this one: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/85/1/MAS-120
if you don't, you should get one; they're about 15 bucks, and it will last you forever. (DON'T pour from the horn or the can into the barrel- the best case is that you're kicked off the range, but if there's an ember in the barrel and that new charge hits it, this will set off the contents of the can or horn, and you'll see the inside of an ambulance)
you might want to get a 'range rod' ... i like the delrin ones, also available from track and several other sources (don't know if Cabellas carries them or not) ... these come with a jagged tip already installed http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/833/1/RAMROD-S-6-8-B
some folks use a metal rod with a guide bushing; this will keep the rod from wearing away at the edge of the rifling at the muzzle.
of course, you don't want to make the mistake i made and get a different thread than the cleaning accessories you use. as an aside, i wouldn't bother with a brass or bronze cleaning brush - if you use a bore brush at all, a fiber one will do fine if you go that route at all. i've found that warm (not hot) soapy water is more than enough to get the fouling out of your barrel. i keep a quart container in my collection of junk-i-take-to-the-range, and i try to get as much crud out of the bore as i can as soon as i can after i'm done shooting. if your rifle has a hooked breech, you can just drop it out of the stock, put the breech end into the pail, run a patch into the barrel with the cleaning jag, and pump the water in and out of the touch hole. if not, you might look at one of these: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/158/1/FLUSH-FLINT
(about twenty bucks), or, if you can find one that has the correct threads, a gadget which goes into the threaded hole in the barrel where the touch hole liner goes: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/158/1/FLUSH-RST
(these are cheaper - about five bucks, but you have to supply your own tubing)
hope this helps some. mind you, these are just one guys free opinions ... free and no doubt well worth the money!
make good smoke!
if you have already purchased a can of 4F, no harm done, but if you haven't, you can use the same powder for the pan that you use for the charge. there is some discussion about how much faster 4F detonates and so on, but it has been my experience that, as a pratical matter, the difference makes no effect on how well the gun shoots. If you were going for world cup targets, it would be worth the trouble, but for us casual shooters, i don't think it's all that big a deal.
as far as a 'starting load,' i would try about half again the caliber in grains ... about 65 grains for a .45 caliber. (remember that these aren't weight grains, as in the grains used in centerfire handloading 7000 to the pound; these are volume grains) i assume that you have an adjustable measuring gadget like this one: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/85/1/MAS-120
if you don't, you should get one; they're about 15 bucks, and it will last you forever. (DON'T pour from the horn or the can into the barrel- the best case is that you're kicked off the range, but if there's an ember in the barrel and that new charge hits it, this will set off the contents of the can or horn, and you'll see the inside of an ambulance)
you might want to get a 'range rod' ... i like the delrin ones, also available from track and several other sources (don't know if Cabellas carries them or not) ... these come with a jagged tip already installed http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/833/1/RAMROD-S-6-8-B
some folks use a metal rod with a guide bushing; this will keep the rod from wearing away at the edge of the rifling at the muzzle.
of course, you don't want to make the mistake i made and get a different thread than the cleaning accessories you use. as an aside, i wouldn't bother with a brass or bronze cleaning brush - if you use a bore brush at all, a fiber one will do fine if you go that route at all. i've found that warm (not hot) soapy water is more than enough to get the fouling out of your barrel. i keep a quart container in my collection of junk-i-take-to-the-range, and i try to get as much crud out of the bore as i can as soon as i can after i'm done shooting. if your rifle has a hooked breech, you can just drop it out of the stock, put the breech end into the pail, run a patch into the barrel with the cleaning jag, and pump the water in and out of the touch hole. if not, you might look at one of these: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/158/1/FLUSH-FLINT
(about twenty bucks), or, if you can find one that has the correct threads, a gadget which goes into the threaded hole in the barrel where the touch hole liner goes: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/158/1/FLUSH-RST
(these are cheaper - about five bucks, but you have to supply your own tubing)
hope this helps some. mind you, these are just one guys free opinions ... free and no doubt well worth the money!
make good smoke!
Last edited by a moderator:
I can't emphasize this enough, only use real black powder in a flintlock rifle. Using a substitute may work okay in a cap lock, but you are asking for failure to fire in a flintlock. Use Goex, Scheutzen, Wano or KIK. Goex may be easier to find. Start with 3f for the charge and pan. 4F may be faster, but it takes some precision measuring gear to really tell the difference.
Use a bore protector with any range rod.
Use a powder measure.
Get some small pipe cleaners and a vent pick to keep the touch hole clear.
You will need the correct sized jag that will serve for loading and cleaning.
Use a bore protector with any range rod.
Use a powder measure.
Get some small pipe cleaners and a vent pick to keep the touch hole clear.
You will need the correct sized jag that will serve for loading and cleaning.
Col. Batguano
75 Cal.
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2011
- Messages
- 5,038
- Reaction score
- 1,416
You need a bunch more stuff too.
A tackle box to hold it all for starters.
then a powder measure
powder holding device. (don't charge directly from the can)
method of transferring powder from the holder to measuring device (a funnel works nicely)
range rod and caliber size jags
patches and cleaning patches
short starter
brass hammer for knapping
spare flints
leather or lead to wrap flint in cock
place to shoot
targets
period clothing
beard
can-do attitude
understanding family
A tackle box to hold it all for starters.
then a powder measure
powder holding device. (don't charge directly from the can)
method of transferring powder from the holder to measuring device (a funnel works nicely)
range rod and caliber size jags
patches and cleaning patches
short starter
brass hammer for knapping
spare flints
leather or lead to wrap flint in cock
place to shoot
targets
period clothing
beard
can-do attitude
understanding family
