What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

[JimFlint]

Started to work on a flintlock rifle project again, its one I started back in the late 70's. I have a 42" Green Mountain .40 barrel and a Siler lock. The stock is curly maple, I was re-inspired by the Kibler kits.

 

[PathfinderNC]

@oldschoolhunter55 Rio is my little buddy. Here’s a pic of one of her retrieves today.
View attachment 278501
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So wonderful!

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

We all loved my sons white mouse, went through college in his top top pocket , it slept on his pillow. He came down crying he had rolled over and crushed it, now we were all in tears, My young pet crow broke its leg, he loved me so much, during flying lessons he fracture his leg. , without asking the vet just killed my crow, I cried and cried for ages, it’s just life, one gets too attached, I accidentally shot my pet pigeon , I did not cry he went straight in the oven, tasted great. Ha ha. Such is life.

aww dang

 

[The Black Tyrone]

Took my .54 Colonial to the range for the first time yesterday. Promptly got my tapered tapered ramrod stick in the thimbles because I loaded my first shot and then put it back it in backwards. Super stuck, could NOT get it out, not even with the help of a another shooter there. Also forgot my shooting bag with all my .54 stuff. Ended up breaking the tip of the rod pulling on it with a pair of borrowed channel locks. Shot that first weak load out and came home. Didn't get to try my new gun out. A worse than wasted 45 minute one way trip.
At home I put the broken end of the ramrod in a vice and pulled on the gun. My extremely large and heavy work bench began to move toward me. Still a stuck rod. I drilled a small diameter hole in the sticking out part of the rod and screwed in what I call an eye screw, one of those screws made with an eye at one end. Now I needed something to place the loop of the eye over that wouldn't move. Got a nail and hammer, went outside to the deck. Drove the nail deep into the deck, placed the eye screw over the nail, pulled on the gun. With great tugging and jerking on the gun, the rod came out. No damage to the rifle. Cleaned the gun with my range rod. I have a new hickory rod on the way from TOW. Meanwhile, my Colonial is back over the fireplace with a too short Hawken ramrod in it to make it look right. Vanity.
Update: went to Lowes and bought a poplar wood dowel that was supposed to be .50 in diameter. Found out at home it was not. Way into the night I spent shaving and sanding until it fit. Drilled and cut out a "cup" shape on one end to fit over a round ball. Super glued a leather handle on the other end for a comfy grip. Stained the wood, then sealed it with poly. Result is a loading rod to push the prb down.
So, now I have a loading rod and a range rod and won't even need to use the new hickory rod except when hunting.
All is right with the world now, but lordy what a fiasco my trials and tribulations of yesterday were.

I've had that happen a time or two, I usually put the rod in a a door and have the wife put pressure on it while I pull the rifle. Works so far.

 

[LANEY REECE]

BUD, that sounds like me when trying to do anything. Something going to happen.

 

[Terrier]

Why is it that people that fish from the banks try to cast out to the middle and people that fish from boats cast near the shore?

I’ve often wondered that myself.

 

[Terrier]

Started to work on a flintlock rifle project again, its one I started back in the late 70's. I have a 42" Green Mountain .40 barrel and a Siler lock. The stock is curly maple, I was re-inspired by the Kibler kits.

Another thing I wonder about….

As often as the subject comes up, it would seem that if everyone that had a
“Project gun” hanging around undone actually finished them, it could arm the whole of the nation…every man, woman and child, with a front stuffer.

Wouldn’t that be a marvelous thing?

 

[RobertIN]

I guess failing to bring home venison wasn't the only thing I did yesterday. Put my bags and horn on to go into the woods earlier, noticed my grandfather's (whom I'm named after and looked up to more than any other) knife is missing from its sheath.

Now I'm wet, sitting in my blind on a cold rainy afternoon with a broken heart, barely stocked freezer, and a yucky folding knife to cut a patch if I need to. What a freaking bummer this season has been.

Edit: I couldn't stand it, left the blind and went looking for it. Fell down a hill and luckily didn't get mud in my barrel, guess what? At the bottom of the hill I FOUND IT

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Been reading the Fall 2023 issue of Tomahawk & Long Rifle that came in the mail.

 

[WALT53]

Been reading the Fall 2023 issue of Tomahawk & Long Rifle that came in the mail.

The chief gave me an old sheet ,so I’m slowly cutting and ripping cleaning patches for the smooth bores with it as they seam to work just as good as the boughten ones at 25$ for a 100 .

 

[son of rooster]

Oiled them down

 

[DrLaw]

Helped friend who never shot a muzzle loading gun before learn how to load and shoot a gun he was evaluating for purchase. The gun shot pretty well, too, but did have some issues. The bore was really rough. I wonder if it was properly cleaned (if at all) the last time it was shot.
Nice to have brought somebody to the addiction.

The Doc is out now.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

After a long absence, I'm back with the muzzle loaders. My big deal of the day was finding two full cans of Goex FFFg powder here. Black powder is all but unavailable locally, Also, still reeling from sticker shock on cost of flints. I'm getting resources together to get a Tennessee Gunsmiths 45. caliber caplock Tennessee rifle going. A bunch of catching up to do here on the hill.

 

[Terrier]

After a long absence, I'm back with the muzzle loaders. My big deal of the day was finding two full cans of Goex FFFg powder here. Black powder is all but unavailable locally, Also, still reeling from sticker shock on cost of flints. I'm getting resources together to get a Tennessee Gunsmiths 45. caliber caplock Tennessee rifle going. A bunch of catching up to do here on the hill.

You may want to do a little bit more math before you give up on a flintlock. Caps have gotten pretty expensive, too, and at times, very hard to find.

* Flints from Track of the Wolf for my Kibler are going for $28.60 per dozen... Figure you can realistically get 40 shots (or more) from a flint (we'll go low with 40) and that's 480 shots in a dozen flints for a price of .06 per shot.

* Caps are pretty scarce lately. If you're lucky, you found some at Walmart when they had them for $5.62 per tin of 100... that'll barely edge out the TOTW flints cost per shot. But, if you have to buy RWS caps because no one has CCI or Remington, you're looking at $36.99 for a tin of 250 making them almost ,15 cents per shot. With caps online, you're also looking at paying a hazmat fee for the shipment. If they ever get CCI back in stock, those are listing for $120 per 1000, so that's still 12 cents per shot plus whatever the Hazmat cost you.

I haven't figured in shipping, hazmat fees or sales tax for any of these numbers, but just the rough numbers will tell you that, ironically so, going with a flintlock is the wave of the future.

Oh, and it's not out of the question that with just a little effort (that's kinda fun!) you may be able to make your own flints from locally available rocks... FOR FREE. Score another for the Mighty Flintlock!

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Talked back and forth with a "new guy" to the forum looking for a .32 percussion for his Son to start off on.

 

[wiscoaster]

Shot the Colt 1860 New Army today using some paper cartridges made from a new type of paper I've been wanting to try out: nitrated tea filter paper. I don't remember where I learned of this paper, but the results were quite satisfactory. Easy to nitrate, easy to form into sturdy cartridge envelopes, balls were glued in and dip lubed, and I got 100% ignition with little paper residue, no more and probably no less than any other paper paper type.

 

[Dutch7]

Took my .54 Colonial to the range for the first time yesterday. Promptly got my tapered tapered ramrod stick in the thimbles because I loaded my first shot and then put it back it in backwards. Super stuck, could NOT get it out, not even with the help of a another shooter there. Also forgot my shooting bag with all my .54 stuff. Ended up breaking the tip of the rod pulling on it with a pair of borrowed channel locks. Shot that first weak load out and came home. Didn't get to try my new gun out. A worse than wasted 45 minute one way trip.
At home I put the broken end of the ramrod in a vice and pulled on the gun. My extremely large and heavy work bench began to move toward me. Still a stuck rod. I drilled a small diameter hole in the sticking out part of the rod and screwed in what I call an eye screw, one of those screws made with an eye at one end. Now I needed something to place the loop of the eye over that wouldn't move. Got a nail and hammer, went outside to the deck. Drove the nail deep into the deck, placed the eye screw over the nail, pulled on the gun. With great tugging and jerking on the gun, the rod came out. No damage to the rifle. Cleaned the gun with my range rod. I have a new hickory rod on the way from TOW. Meanwhile, my Colonial is back over the fireplace with a too short Hawken ramrod in it to make it look right. Vanity.
Update: went to Lowes and bought a poplar wood dowel that was supposed to be .50 in diameter. Found out at home it was not. Way into the night I spent shaving and sanding until it fit. Drilled and cut out a "cup" shape on one end to fit over a round ball. Super glued a leather handle on the other end for a comfy grip. Stained the wood, then sealed it with poly. Result is a loading rod to push the prb down.
So, now I have a loading rod and a range rod and won't even need to use the new hickory rod except when hunting.
All is right with the world now, but lordy what a fiasco my trials and tribulations of yesterday were.

@Mike in FL “Update: went to Lowes and bought a poplar wood dowel”
I am not sure the intended purpose of this poplar dowel, but I would not trust it to load a PRB. You have a range rod use that in practice and use your new hickory rod while hunting.
There is too much risk of puncturing yourself with a weak dowel.

 

[ash1055]

finally have the 1851 Navy zeroed to make the POA where it hits. An inch or so high ta few too many hits with the file but I can live with that.
Now on to the next project the Pedersoli Sharps sporting rifle.
Never a dull moment
Bunk

I know this is an old post but you have the same rifle and pistol I have. May I ask your procedure for zeroing your Navy 1851?
What is your project with your Sharps? I just purchased a new Pedersoli Sharps Sporting rifle. I have yet to fire it. Plan on trying to work on the barrel.

 

[The Black Tyrone]

I picked this up today it needs trigger work as the double set trigger will not release the hammer.

I got the trigger working, I thought it was a double set however the rear trigger sets the front trigger and allows the hammer to cock. Something I did not know was a thing.

 

[longcruise]

Fell down a hill and luckily didn't get mud in my barrel, guess what? At the bottom of the hill I FOUND IT

Grandpa tripped you!