What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Cool! What rifle are you going to use on the hunt?
Plan A is to take my GPR .54 (PRB) I did pick up a Pedersoli Brown Bess carbine a while back which I have yet to shoot. If I can play with the Bess a bunch this coming summer and happen to get confident enough in my ability to place a ball where I want it, I'm not ruling out hunting with the smoothbore.
 
Cold ,windy, and miserable outside so the projects in the shop today were as follows.
I made some cartridges for the 1859 Sharps carbine and noticed the tube supply was low so ordered 250 more.
Looking for some FFg required sorting and rearranging the powder locker and found an unopened can of GOEX "cartridge" powder which increases my FFg supply by one pound.
Took a nap, made some coffee and wrote this.
All in all a very good day.
Hope you had the same
Bunk
 
I looked at my muzzleloaders today and again debated buying a Allentown-Bethlehem stock from Track to put my Pedersoli hardware and barrel on.
 
Spent the afternoon with my Son and oldest Granddaughter for her first shots with a ML. She has her own youth .22 and is quite a good shot. But at 11 years old she did great smashing 25 yard targets with the little .50 Deerhunter. All shots were with 50 gr. She learned and helped do the entire loading procedure. Most all shots from the bench. She tried a couple offhand but there’s still a little too much barrel weight for her. The only misses she had were the off hand shots.
 

Attachments

  • 2F882D22-4B0F-42F4-B3A6-2F5FD280051A.jpeg
    2F882D22-4B0F-42F4-B3A6-2F5FD280051A.jpeg
    2.2 MB
  • AC4F107C-12B9-42E4-AAB1-03252A225968.jpeg
    AC4F107C-12B9-42E4-AAB1-03252A225968.jpeg
    2.7 MB
  • 68BB61EA-06AF-4C13-9DC5-1E0F35010FB1.jpeg
    68BB61EA-06AF-4C13-9DC5-1E0F35010FB1.jpeg
    3.8 MB
  • 5A4B01D6-6B11-4B3B-AE37-6BA4F1F0017E.jpeg
    5A4B01D6-6B11-4B3B-AE37-6BA4F1F0017E.jpeg
    2.9 MB
  • 5405990D-F3FD-4A83-92AD-EEC87A8C2492.jpeg
    5405990D-F3FD-4A83-92AD-EEC87A8C2492.jpeg
    3.1 MB
thought to shoot my .30 whatzit today. hunted until i found those tiny little balls stashed on the back of a shelf.
so exuberant that i forgot to dry patch the bore. first sign that i was in trouble was the oily black ooze that came out of the vent and almost filled the tiny pan.
looked at the ball screws i have and they are so close the same diameter as the ball, i just dismounted the barrel and removed the breech plug.
the powder came out as a oily plug.
swabbed with 99% alcohol and reinstalled the breech.
tired me out so i took a nap.
nap all done so maybe i will try again.
 
I introduced my son and two of his 15 year old friends to flintlock shooting today. They all managed to put the 45 caliber PRB into the 6 inch target at 30 yards. They all told me that shooting the flintlock was way more cool than shooting the 22 pistol and AR. I gave them the full history from matchlocks up to the modern cartridge. Maybe I gave them a memory that will spark them to pick up this hobby when they get older.
 
Spent the afternoon with my Son and oldest Granddaughter for her first shots with a ML. She has her own youth .22 and is quite a good shot. But at 11 years old she did great smashing 25 yard targets with the little .50 Deerhunter. All shots were with 50 gr. She learned and helped do the entire loading procedure. Most all shots from the bench. She tried a couple offhand but there’s still a little too much barrel weight for her. The only misses she had were the off hand shots.
Wonderful we need young people to carry on for us old grey headed codgers. Not only is she making memories, but starting. with a little help, on a life long hobby Good for you and go for it girl!
excited for you both
Bunk
 
Finally finished my second shoulder pouch, minus strap. I’m starting my first attempt at weaving a strap for it. Not the proper rings, but, it works for me.
 

Attachments

  • 191C578D-0A47-4158-B3BC-AAAB8D8765FE.jpeg
    191C578D-0A47-4158-B3BC-AAAB8D8765FE.jpeg
    5.7 MB
  • 70510F76-3B58-4C9C-86BA-D3A61A8B2570.jpeg
    70510F76-3B58-4C9C-86BA-D3A61A8B2570.jpeg
    3.4 MB
  • AF0DD599-359D-4928-BD87-097273177F3E.jpeg
    AF0DD599-359D-4928-BD87-097273177F3E.jpeg
    3.3 MB
Tried my original Rogers & Spencer with different loads and bullets.

Seems, 15 grain FFFFG Swiss powder (Nr. 1) , 20 grain grease and a .464 roundball are a good starting load for small groups at 25 m.
Flyers are the shooters fault.

The first shots with a clean barrel are not recorded. Seems that the barrel needs some black powder residue to shoot better.

189 20 grain 1,5 FG
190 15 grain FFFFG
191 5 20 grain the outer ones and 10 15 grain FFFFG

20 grain 1,5 FG (Nr. 4) may work too.

The .457 balls may suffice, the LEE conicals are to small as they are .452 or so.

I am running out of .464. balls as the ASP Rogers & Spencer does not need larger bullets tahn .457.
 

Attachments

  • Foto0189.jpg
    Foto0189.jpg
    189.7 KB
  • Foto0190.jpg
    Foto0190.jpg
    190.1 KB
  • Foto0191.jpg
    Foto0191.jpg
    194.9 KB
Last edited:
Since the previous thread was shut down (locked) by our new moderator, I thought I would start one up again, as per the suggestion.
So, let's get this thread going again, and share your muzzleloading related adventures of the day!
Yesterday went to the Conner Long Rifle living history trade fair . It was in Noblesville, Indiana. Great way to spend time and money. Some great people with all kind of great stuff. Found parts for my ML guns, saw a lot of beautiful built guns to dream about. Sad thing was no caps of any kind or powder of any kind.
 
And I thought I was cold today. Drove 50 miles to shoreham south coast club, photo to check on catamaran I built years ago , Bitter cold wind and fine rain. Did sit on beach as it’s 50% flint pebbles I bashed away and made piles of chips and a couple I can use and a tiny arrow head You really need big nodules from the chalk cliffs which are everywhere southern England
I’ve wondered how much trouble it would be and how much it would cost for someone in England to send me a flint nodule.
 
Back
Top