What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

[SgtMaj65]

OK, it’s 9 degrees outside and -13 wind chill in Northern Oklahoma on my first Saturday off work in 21 years. I won’t be hauling out my .50 GPR and heading to the range to keep testing BP loads, various patch materials or several different lubes. I need to make smoke and I can’t. It’s just too darned cold to feel my fingers and my face. That’s the muzzleloading stuff I DIDN’T do today. Where is spring?? … I’m waiting, but not patiently!!

 

[longcruise]

Got out the banjo and picked a little’Cumberland Gap’ before I checked the flint and wiped down my Fusil de Chasse.

Also wondering if anybody on here besides me knows the meaning of the name on the butt plate. If you do, we may have something in common.

View attachment 284918View attachment 284919

Something to do with a rabbit ?

 

[Banjoman]

You’re very close Longcruise

 

[longcruise]

You’re very close Longcruise

"C'mon man" you're holding out on us.

 

[Banjoman]

Yeah

 

[Coldfingers]

Practicing my wire inlay in preparation for doing the same on my stock.

My wife laughed so hard when she saw this hammer, said why? You will never need that tiny thing. HA! The perfect thing for .025 wire, I'll show her!

 

[TDM]

Love the inlay and the hammer @Coldfingers!

 

[TDM]

Something to do with a rabbit ?

You’re very close Longcruise

Well, I have to admit my mind was in the gutter. My first thought was “*** ::: Bar.

 

[deerstalkert]

So me and the fusil are out for the last weekend of the season. Rain stopped, Temps soaring to 45 degrees...but I'm being accosted, harassed even, by bushy tails. On my stand! 3 feet above me in the tree! Staring me down from the side of the tree next to me!
They don't know I can drop the ball, load some shot, and have at them.

this is why i carry a pistol loaded with shot. i have had a war going with generations of the red squirrels we have here. only way to shut them up is a load of 7.5's

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Yesterday I cross-pinned the tips on the OEM ramrod that came with my Investarm Gemmer Hawken, as well as the Delrin replacement I bought from Track of the Wolf.

I also drilled and tapped the flared end of the OEM rod 10-32 in my minilathe, and used a new lathe spider that I recently got.

I just use the lathe as a tapping guide, rotating the chuck by hand. (The brown stuff on the chuck isn't rust, it's oil to keep it from rusting in my workshop, which is a non-climate controlled shed.)

Close up of the spider which helps support long workpieces. It's the unfinished steel part screwed onto the end of the spindle. The 4 screws are what contact the workpiece to hold it in place.

I'd love to have a larger lathe but this little 7x14 minilathe has been very useful for a variety of small projects.

 

[TDM]

Very nice lathe @Dave Markowitz.

 

[LonestarShootR]

Good job.

Another way to thread with a tap in a lathe is to use a good tap handle with a center in the back of it. Use the tailstock quill with a live center in it to center and keep the tap straight. Turn the tap handle and not the chuck while applying a little pressure from the tailstock until the threads are started. The chuck will need to be a low gear to prevent it from turning.

The chuck key left in the chuck scares the hell out of me. It's not a good habit to get into.

 

[Dutch7]

Today was my last day for deer hunting this season, have to work Monday for the official last day. This afternoon was time to start laying out a few gun projects I had to shelve for remodeling projects last year. Winter is here, time to get a couple done before spring projects take over!

 

[Flint.]

My table at the Alabama Longrifle Show. I wound up trading the walnut woodsrunner that I got from Ralph for the cherry one in the photo.

 

[garypl]

3D printed a block to hold caps while filling them with PrimeAll mixture - came out great except the holes are too small for the homemade caps! My buddy made the file and used OD of factory caps for the holes - no good. I drilled them out larger and they worked pretty well, but I m going to print a new block to hold the homemade caps.

Mixed one small batch of priming powder and made 50 caps. Touched two off and they sound a lot louder than the factory caps! Sealed them with a mixture of acetone & 700X powder.

 

[RRidgely52]

I took delivery of 1000 #11 percussion caps...

 

[RRidgely52]

And finished another diplay case for my Griswold & Gunnison. 36 cal...

 

[Loja man]

View attachment 284994
More plunder from the show today. Patch knife by Kyle Willard (wallet for scale).

Got to visit with Eric and had great conversation about gun building and such.

Kyle makes such graceful knives!! I hope to see him at the Cumberland show!

 

[ajbennettnc]

Piddled with my Jukar Kentucky rifle some. That's the kind with a two piece stock. Disassembled it and tried making a wooden piece to replace the brass plate joining the rear and fore stocks. Broke the two wooden pieces I made out of some scrap beech(?). Ran out of piddling time before I accomplished anything, but I now intend to just move the forestock back and glue it to the rear stock, replace and repin the barrel lugs, and then move or possibly even replace the nosecap. Problem with moving the nosecap is the thing screws to the barrel. I'll figure something out.
I've rebuilt this old kit gun twice now. It is practice for when I get the money for a Kibler! I feel better about making mistakes on my ol' Junkar to get them out of the way before I try to assemble a Colonial or Woodsrunner.

 

[Flint.]

Kyle makes such graceful knives!! I hope to see him at the Cumberland show!

He said that he will be there. Here's his table at the Alabama show.