What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

[Omahkapi'si]

Out this morning ringing steel with my Frontier .50 cal. Nice day, very windy but temps in the low 40's.

 

[Psycho Mike]

The last 24 hrs have been busy for me. I have a bunch of pins done now, so other than the nose cap, my Colonial is really starting to look like it is supposed to. I did have a hiccup in pinning the ramrod (I need a wider range drill bit card for the next one...my next size up was a bit big for the nail ), but it's not insurmountable.

I think I have a dye / finish picked too

 

[Eterry]

Reading Walter Cline's "The Muzzleloading Rifle, Then and Now", again. Maybe the 4th time.
Cline was born in 1873, his book was published posthumously in 1941.

So when he says " Now" in the title he means 85 years ago.

There are so many wonderful pictures and info about how he learned to shoot muzzleloaders from men who knew NO other gun.
For instance, for target work they recommend using 2/5 weight of the ball for a beginning powder load.

If you get to thinking you've reached the pinnacle of bench rest muzzleloading look at this facsimile from the book.
Btw, they measured groups much differently than today. Each bullet strike was measured from the bullseye and added to every round fired.
Example: 5 shots all striking 2 inches from the bullseye is a Ten Inch Group.

 

[SwampBilly]

Stained this plain pine box that my girlfriend gave me. First I sanded it and then burnt with a torch. I'm going to take some polyurethane and put maybe two pieces of reproduction Confederate money on it and use it for a presentation case for my 1863.

Anyone have any ideas for any sort of foam or such to put in the bottom?

 

[deerstalkert]

got this in the mail last Thursday. just finished. Almost, thinking of just leaving the barrel in the white.
may also blue it and knock it back to gray.
replaced every screw that it came with. made, polished, and fire blued all the screw heads.
CVA Frontier. trigger plate inlet was 3/16" to deep so i filled it back to where the trigger/lock works perfect. butt plate was hammered into contour so i had to draw file the marks out and polish. had to fill 5-6 screw holes in the butt stock and put new ones in straight. Aqua fortis then LMF cherry stain. 7 coats of BC Tru-oil.
put a Christy's gold bead front sight on just for giggles. never been fired. may shoot it tomorrow for the giggles. if it stops raining.
may put it up for sale, then again I may keep it.
forgot about filling the tooth marks around the lock plate.

 

[Banjoman]

Reading Walter Cline's "The Muzzleloading Rifle, Then and Now", again. Maybe the 4th time.
Cline was born in 1873, his book was published posthumously in 1941.

So when he says " Now" in the title he means 85 years ago.

There are so many wonderful pictures and info about how he learned to shoot muzzleloaders from men who knew NO other gun.
For instance, for target work they recommend using 2/5 weight of the ball for a beginning powder load.

If you get to thinking you've reached the pinnacle of bench rest muzzleloading look at this facsimile from the book.
Btw, they measured groups much differently than today. Each bullet strike was measured from the bullseye and added to every round fired.
Example: 5 shots all striking 2 inches from the bullseye is a Ten Inch Group.


View attachment 302873

Interesting! If my hillbilly math is still good, a beginning powder load for a 177 grain, .490 round ball should be about 70.8 grains.

And it looks like this target was shot at about 220 yards. Is this correct?

I believe we/I should learn more from the ‘men who knew NO other gun’.

 

[flatcreek]

Interesting! If my hillbilly math is still good, a beginning powder load for a 177 grain, .490 round ball should be about 70.8 grains.

That's just about what I shoot in my rifles, 40 gr 3f in my 40 cal and 65 or 70 gr 2f in my 50 cal depending. Guess the guys new what they were doing, not that I do. Always thought the powder should be in relation to ball weight and not size. How does that work for you guys shooting 54s and 58s?

 

[smo]

While I was home last time my granddaughter and I shoot her Traditions Deerhunter, she did well. After we cleaned it I just wasn’t happy with the nipple to thread fit on the drum. This was a new, correct nipple that didn’t give me cause for concern when I first installed it, but this time it did. Closer inspection showed little remaining of the drum threads. So I ordered and oversized nipple, tap, and drill bits from TOW. The box is waiting for me at home now. So this afternoon I removed the drum so I can get it repaired when I come back. And the gouges on the drum aren’t all mine! Somebody buggered it up before me. If I can’t get it fixed properly I’ll try again to find a new drum or replacement barrel. I’ve had no luck locating a new drum, if anybody knows a source please let me know.

Have you checked with Deer Creek Products?

 

[longcruise]

For instance, for target work they recommend using 2/5 weight of the ball for a beginning powder load

That calculates to some pretty hefty loads. It does land right on what I use for hunting in a 54.

As a "starting" load it would seem that they might move up or down in looking for the best load??

Many current "production" guns don't do well with heavy charges. My own theory is that the quality of the bore on the current crop aren't up to the hefty charges. Those target shooters back then shot with very high quality bores.

 

[Eterry]

Interesting! If my hillbilly math is still good, a beginning powder load for a 177 grain, .490 round ball should be about 70.8 grains.

And it looks like this target was shot at about 220 yards. Is this correct?

I believe we/I should learn more from the ‘men who knew NO other gun’.

I think it's a great book, filled with lots of useful info. He referenced the Conical or Pickett bullet to the early 1700s. I thought it was a much later creation.
Kinda explains why D. Crockett killed bears so easily with his 40 cal flintlock.
The molds came with the purchase BITD.
I currently don't hear of many shoots at 20 or 40 rods. I'm sure there are a few.

 

[Eterry]

That calculates to some pretty hefty loads. It does land right on what I use for hunting in a 54.

As a "starting" load it would seem that they might move up or down in looking for the best load??

Many current "production" guns don't do well with heavy charges. My own theory is that the quality of the bore on the current crop aren't up to the hefty charges. Those target shooters back then shot with very high quality bores.

He talks about the Very Best Barrels being soft enough to cut with a knife. I've heard this before.
Yes, the 2/5 charge was a place to start. Then move up or down from there. He says the 40 rod shoots need much more powder to carry the ball.

 

[longcruise]

He talks about the Very Best Barrels being soft enough to cut with a knife. I've heard this before.
Yes, the 2/5 charge was a place to start. Then move up or down from there. He says the 40 rod shoots need much more powder to carry the ball.

Hmmm, sort of Flys in the face of 12L14 criticism.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

That's a beauty!

Stained this plain pine box that my girlfriend gave me. First I sanded it and then burnt with a torch. I'm going to take some polyurethane and put maybe two pieces of reproduction Confederate money on it and use it for a presentation case for my 1863.

Anyone have any ideas for any sort of foam or such to put in the bottom?

I saw on another site that a fellow used bed foam?

 

[TDM]

Have you checked with Deer Creek Products?

I forgot about Deer Creek but I found one at The Gun Works. It’s a CVA model but the same size/thread. I’ll be working on it later this week. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[wganz]

He talks about the Very Best Barrels being soft enough to cut with a knife. I've heard this before.
Yes, the 2/5 charge was a place to start. Then move up or down from there. He says the 40 rod shoots need much more powder to carry the ball.

In other words, current India muskets are too hardened/strong to be regarded as the”Very Best Barrels”.

[wganz goes running for his foxhole]

 

[TDM]

Well, I just finished an afternoon of downright sloppy shooting. I think it was a combination of things, I slept late, the time change, maybe one too many sips of bourbon last night, who knows. Took my .54 Woodsrunner to the range. I already had it pretty much dialed in with the taller rear sight, just needed to make some minor windage adjustments. My shooting stunk from the get go. I must have shot 50 rounds, I was spilling powder, burned through a whole horn of powder, and still couldn’t get a decent 5 shot group! Was using my standard target load of 60 grs Swiss 3F, .530 RBs, and .018 pillow ticking with mink oil lube. Goex 4F prime. Hate to even show any targets, I changed out a bunch. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow.

 

[longcruise]

In other words, current India muskets are too hardened/strong to be regarded as the”Very Best Barrels”.

[wganz goes running for his foxhole]

Well, I don't know anything about the India made stuff but a few years back Benelli had some Stainless Sako barrels blow up. Turned out that they were too hard and fractured.

 

[wganz]

Well, I don't know anything about the India made stuff but a few years back Benelli had some Stainless Sako barrels blow up. Turned out that they were too hard and fractured.

As long as they didn't fail like this Indian musket did when proofing was attempted.

 

[Walkabout]

Learnt the hard way not to make paper cartridges out of wax paper. Checked the nipple after the third misfire, looked like someone had poured super glue into it. Bad show!

 

[Icemanxxxv]

Did this today. 22-250 soldered to 45-70. Holds 110gr.