Took the Hawken out for a hunt.
What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?
- Thread starter PathfinderNC
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Shot again yesterday. About 6 shots. It's been really reliable with the cold dry weather. just realod when I am done and swab with bore butter. A week of rain coming so things might have to change in the cleaning department. If I actually get moved into the new place I will maybe have time for a real cleaning.
Now that is what I want MY wall to look like before I croak! I've got a dozen guns more or less, and it would be SO nice to have a full possibles bag and horn for each one of them. Most likely, it'll just be a bag for each caliber... if even that.
I do a "real" cleaning after every time I shoot. Seen too many rusty guns and heard too many horror stories. Looks like there might be some rain coming here today as well. Hopefully it will melt some of the snow and ice.
Took my T/C White Mountain Carbine .50 out to kill a German juice bottle. 57 grains of powder, fifty yard range, then splat! Damn Nazi juice bottles!
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the weather cooperated and warmed up so it was time to cast 250 Colt Cartridge Works bullets (thanks ERAS GONE) to feed my pair of '51 Navy revolvers to make more paper cartridges.
Finally figured out what I had done wrong with some of the cartridges already made.
Christmas day the gun had to be taken apart three times twice for cartridges that would not seat ad one time for a bad cap.
25 cases were gauged eight were broken down, powder and bullet salvaged and only the little paper tube discarded.
All in all a very good day.
respectfully submitted
Bunk
Finally figured out what I had done wrong with some of the cartridges already made.
Christmas day the gun had to be taken apart three times twice for cartridges that would not seat ad one time for a bad cap.
25 cases were gauged eight were broken down, powder and bullet salvaged and only the little paper tube discarded.
All in all a very good day.
respectfully submitted
Bunk
Took the .50 cal. Hawken out to range to see if my adjustments to the hammer did any good. Yep, 19 out of 19 caps fired off. Trying different loads from 53 to 67 grains. All shoot as good as I can at 50 yards...about a 3' group. Next project is to get this gun to shoot cleaner. Three shots is all I can take without swabbing. And even then, the jag got stuck once and was a big deal for a bit. I'm shooting Schuetzen FFFg with a durofelt wad over powder with a .490 ball and a lubed .015 patch under it. The wads have been treated with a 1:1 beeswax/olive oil solution. I think maybe they are over lubed and fouling up the barrel....? IDK. I'll try different methods of loading next time out.
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try a damp cotton mop for the first couple of swabs to soften things up then patches to clean and dry.
Bunk
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started the browning process on my fowler barrel, two swabs so far.
needed a snoot full of smoke so shot my TC Hawken flint lock with the .50 GM barrel. problem is the dang kung fu flu killed my smeller and i can't even smell burnt BP!
.495 hornady swaged ball with .007 patch lubed with bear/bees wax.
upper shots were 70g fff
lower shots were 60g fff.
all shots at 60 yards. i do think these loads have promise.
8x12 plate. dead center POA
tried to shoot the Dec postal match. couldn't hit anything at 25 yards.
needed a snoot full of smoke so shot my TC Hawken flint lock with the .50 GM barrel. problem is the dang kung fu flu killed my smeller and i can't even smell burnt BP!
.495 hornady swaged ball with .007 patch lubed with bear/bees wax.
upper shots were 70g fff
lower shots were 60g fff.
all shots at 60 yards. i do think these loads have promise.
8x12 plate. dead center POA
tried to shoot the Dec postal match. couldn't hit anything at 25 yards.
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Took my .36 out for last hour and a half today for squirrels. Saw one. Couldn’t get a shot. Last hunt of 2022 for me. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow.
rhart
40 Cal
UPS brought me a new Pietta 1860 Army .44 revolver I ordered from Muzzle Loaders .com (site sponsor). Good price and fast delivery! Earlier today I changed out the bolt/trigger spring on a 1971 Colt 1851 Navy .36 revolver - cylinder was over-clocking when I cocked it due to a weak spring (it's all good now).
Shot my Christmas present from my wife, then ordered a loading stand for it.
Need to find a capper that works on it, my straight capper didn't work and my fingers aren't really made to put caps on I found out.
Need to find a capper that works on it, my straight capper didn't work and my fingers aren't really made to put caps on I found out.
rhart
40 Cal
I feel ya! My sniffer is a complete dud as well, but it was mostly gone before the China virus got me to finish it off.
rhart
40 Cal
I bought a Ted Cash universal (snail or teardrop shape) capper that works pretty well on my Navies.
Today was my last hunting day for this deer season. The weather was a balmy 50 degrees and unusual for this time of year. Saw nothing but does. However my Isaac Haines.54 and I had a lovely day in the woods.
I took my younger brother to the range and introduced him to muzzleloading. We got to fire a couple of my percussion pistols at about 20 yards, it was fun and I think he enjoyed the sport.
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Sounds like you went to the Sweet William school of stock shaping.
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