I'm making the switch

[Lawdwaz]

4 hours ago, dbHunterNY said:

  i haven't taken a deer with a flintlock or xbow... i have neither.  flintlock would be cool though.

With real blackpowder, a yank of the trigger yields this: ffffttttttttBOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM usually.

Sometimes it's fffffffffffffttttttttSSSSSSSHHHHHHHIIIIIITTTTTTT

Edited March 3, 2017 by Lawdwaz

[Buckmaster7600]

My 1 in 48 TC Hawken shoots both conicals and round balls quite well...Certainly good enough for hunting accuracy at open sight ranges..
If it were my rifle I would try a proven conical like the Lyman Great Plains bullet first, just for simplicity...Just lube it,, load it and shoot it..After that I'd try the PRB...
Don't bother with those silly expensive semi-sabots like powerbelts.. The PRB or a simple conical will do everything you need, and at ML velocities, lead projectiles expand and work just fine.

Have no fear in me using a power belt anything! Been there tried that and won't ever have them around again!

I'm hoping the regular old Great Plains will shoot well enough for my likings.


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[sbuff]

What ever you shoot don't use a power belt, I'd still look into using bull shops or no excuses bullets, nothing like a big chunk of lead to harvest a deer 

[Pygmy]

11 hours ago, sbuff said:

What ever you shoot don't use a power belt, I'd still look into using bull shops or no excuses bullets, nothing like a big chunk of lead to harvest a deer 

I am a fan of no excusues myself.....They are reasonably priced, very accurate in my rifle, load easily and they sure do thump the game.....I use the 460 grain  in my old T/C Hawken .50 cal.   Last  time I bought them they were about 50 cents apiece plus shipping, but I admit it has been awhile since I bought any.

[dbHunterNY]

What ever you shoot don't use a power belt, I'd still look into using bull shops or no excuses bullets, nothing like a big chunk of lead to harvest a deer 

Curmudgeon and some others just died inside. Can't believe you'd say such a thing.

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[wildcat junkie]

On 2/26/2017 at 8:03 PM, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

My commitment to killing a buck this year with my longbow has sparked a new interest. I know have a Flintlock on the way. If I can get it shooting acceptably I will use it for the entire season "excluding crappy weather."

I am having so much fun with the longbow and can't wait to stick a wood chicken with it in a couple months that I think the Flintlock will add to the fun of the regular season and muzzleloader season.

Anyone on here have any advice on where to start with the flintlock? It's a 50cal left hand Lyman deerstalker, the carbine of flintlocks.

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Use genuine Black powder fffg (3f)for the main charge, ffffg (4f) for the priming. DO NOT cover the touch ghole with your priming, it will cause a lag as it burns through the powder that is clogging the touch hole. You want a flash that has a clear opening to the main charge. Try to find some good gray/black English flints. Learn how to knap your flint to create tiny conchoidal chips that will slice minute metal pieces from the frizzen making your sparks nearly white hot.

 

Your rate of twist will determine what sort of projectile will work best. With a 1-48 twist, I would recommend a .490/.495 patched round ball with about 90-100gr of 3f GOEX powder. At 100yds or less it will have ample penetration and a RB will impart more shock due to rapid energy transfer than a conical that will over penetrate.

 

From 1983 through the mid 1990s, I hunted deer exclusively during both the general firearms as well as muzzle loader seasons in Southern Indiana and seldom failed to take at least 1 deer and often took 2.

 

My weapon of choice was a .54 flintlock (unless it was a downpour) shooting .535 patched round balls. I used 120gr fffg in the flint, 100gr fffg in the cap gun. Barrels were 1-70 twist with .015" deep rifling.

Edited March 7, 2017 by wildcat junkie

[wildcat junkie]

On 3/3/2017 at 6:42 PM, Lawdwaz said:

With real blackpowder, a yank of the trigger yields this: ffffttttttttBOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM usually.

Sometimes it's fffffffffffffttttttttSSSSSSSHHHHHHHIIIIIITTTTTTT

I've never had a hang fire or misfire with my flintlocks while hunting. But then I use the proper powder.

 

I've taken 2 deer on a full run (at less than 40 yds) with my .54 flintlock. One was hgit through the base of the neck, the other through the top of the shoulders requiring a finishing shot.

Edited March 7, 2017 by wildcat junkie

[Lawdwaz]

1 hour ago, wildcat junkie said:

I've never had a hang fire or misfire with my flintlocks while hunting. But then I use the proper powder.

 

 

Trust me, the powder was correct.  That said, you obviously don't hunt in inclement weather. 

Keeping pan powder dry isn't always the easiest thing to do in a season that opens the day after Christmas in Pennsylvania.

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, Lawdwaz said:

Trust me, the powder was correct.  That said, you obviously don't hunt in inclement weather. 

Keeping pan powder dry isn't always the easiest thing to do in a season that opens the day after Christmas in Pennsylvania.

You didn't read my 1st post. Unless in a downpour means that I hunted with my flintlock in rain and snow. In drizzle I just kept the lock upside down under my arm. Steady light rain, I wore a poncho and kept the weapon under it. Snow was seldom a problem. I never would unloaded my weapon at the end of the day unless the conditions were "inclement".  I normally kept my rifle hidden behind the seat of my truck in a gun rack if I didn't encounter rain or wet snow during the day afield. On more than one rainy day hunting I would take the rifle out of the truck when I got home and "unload" it by shooting down the pasture. It always went off promptly except on one occasion when I got caught in a downpour. I remember when I finally gave up because my priming looked like grease. I had to reprime & fire the rifle about 3-4 times before it went off.

 

Lock design, or more specifically, "pan" design had a lot to do with it. All of the rifles I built used so called "waterproof" pan design. While not really "waterproof", the design had did have channels around the pan to route water away.

 

Unless you had the muzzle pointed upwards, allowing water to run down the exterior of the barrel into the lock area, Carryig the gun upside down under the arm with the muzzle pointed down helped a lot.

Edited March 7, 2017 by wildcat junkie

[Lawdwaz]

1 hour ago, wildcat junkie said:

You didn't read my 1st post. Unless in a downpour means that I hunted with my flintlock in rain and snow. In drizzle I just kept the lock upside down under my arm. Steady light rain, I wore a poncho and kept the weapon under it. Snow was seldom a problem. I never would unloaded my weapon at the end of the day unless the conditions were "inclement".  I normally kept my rifle hidden behind the seat of my truck in a gun rack if I didn't encounter rain or wet snow during the day afield. On more than one rainy day hunting I would take the rifle out of the truck when I got home and "unload" it by shooting down the pasture. It always went off promptly except on one occasion when I got caught in a downpour. I remember when I finally gave up because my priming looked like grease. I had to reprime & fire the rifle about 3-4 times before it went off.

 

Lock design, or more specifically, "pan" design had a lot to do with it. All of the rifles I built used so called "waterproof" pan design. While not really "waterproof", the design had did have channels around the pan to route water away.

 

Unless you had the muzzle pointed upwards, allowing water to run down the exterior of the barrel into the lock area, Carryig the gun upside down under the arm with the muzzle pointed down helped a lot.

I just read the post you made where you quoted my post. 

If I carried a flintlock under a poncho or rain coat it'd be soaked from perspiration within 30 minutes as stand hunting wasn't how we did it in PA.  On our feet still hunting like D. Boone.............miles from the truck dressed for the day.

[Buckmaster7600]

Luckily I won't have to worry about this as I'm doing it as something fun and if it's crappy out I'll carry a rifle or an inline.


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[The_Real_TCIII]

My dad bought me a CVA percussion rifle a long time ago. I never killed a deer with it but this thread has me wanting to try next year.

[wildcat junkie]

13 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Luckily I won't have to worry about this as I'm doing it as something fun and if it's crappy out I'll carry a rifle or an inline.


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My percussion rifles with tightly fitting patched round balls were just about impervious to the weather once I applied the cap to the nipple and coated the edge of the cap with clear fingernail polish.

[wildcat junkie]

Anyone using a conical should try the "bump test". Mark your ramrod with the conical seated on the charge, then bump the muzzle on a soft wooden block and check the mark again. Chances are the bullet will move.

I started out using TC "Maxi Balls" in 1978. One day, while hinting in brush coated with wet snow, I checked the muzzle to find the maxi ball had slid down to the muzzle. If I had tried to fire it I would have had a pipe bomb in my hands. The lead is scraped from the bullet by the lands as it slides down the bore leaving a loose fit by the time it reaches the breech.

 

That is when I stated using the "bump test'. The only way it would pass was to foul the bore before ramming the conical home. Of course that led to all sorts of potential problems including the charge absorbing moisture, bore corrosion and the need to fire the weapon and clean it after every day afield. I started building round ball rifles in 1983 and never looked back. A .535 RB will completely penetrate a deer broadside at any iron sight ranges.

[wildcat junkie]

9 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

My dad bought me a CVA percussion rifle a long time ago. I never killed a deer with it but this thread has me wanting to try next year.

The CVA "Mountain Rifle" was one of the best RB rifle ever made, The "Big Bore Mountain Rifle" in 54 or 58 caliber was even better.

[wildcat junkie]

On 3/3/2017 at 5:47 PM, sbuff said:

 1 in 48 is a compromise twist, supposedly to handle both patched roundballs and conicals . The groove depth shallow or deep matters to. I'm betting it will shoot conicals better then prb!!!

don't rule out sabots unless your wanting to keep it traditional.

Steve 

Shallow 1-48 twist rifling will work OK with round balls as long as the charge is kept moderate and no more than a few shots are taken without cleaning between. 90gr of 3f is about the max for a 50, about 70gr for a 45.

[The_Real_TCIII]

The CVA "Mountain Rifle" was one of the best RB rifle ever made, The "Big Bore Mountain Rifle" in 54 or 58 caliber was even better.

How can I check the breech to make sure there isn't rust? I always tried to keep it clean but now it's been in a safe for 10+ years

[sbuff]

 

52 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

Shallow 1-48 twist rifling will work OK with round balls as long as the charge is kept moderate and no more than a few shots are taken without cleaning between. 90gr of 3f is about the max for a 50, about 70gr for a 45.

That's why I said depth matters 

Edited March 8, 2017 by sbuff

[Doewhacker]

Speaking from experience with a Lyman, it will shoot conicals better than PRB. Way better.

[beachpeaz]

I commend you in your switch.  I hunted exclusively with my bow last year, even during gun season.  Nowhere near your commitment, but a big switch for me.  The lazy culture bred by our NYS DEC "kill 'em all" strategy is disgusting.  The sport has been removed from hunting and now its a contest of who can shoot farthest with their .300 ultra mag or cross bow.....and then people are somehow proud of their "accomplishment."  SMH.  

[wildcat junkie]

53 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

How can I check the breech to make sure there isn't rust? I always tried to keep it clean but now it's been in a safe for 10+ years

What kind of powder did you use? If you used any of the 1st few generations of "substitute powder", it is probably rusted.

I use this stuff. It was designed to protect machinery and such in mines.

 

Usually you can shine a small flashlight down the bore as you look past it.

[wildcat junkie]

20 minutes ago, Doewhacker said:

Speaking from experience with a Lyman, it will shoot conicals better than PRB. Way better.

Unless you have experience with loading RBs accuracy can be elusive. The 1-48 twists are not really optimum for either R or conicals.

 

The only muzzle loaders I like a 1-48 twist in is 36 caliber and smaller. The fast twist allows sub sonic accuracy for squirrel hunting. My 36 cal flintlock sounds like a 22 Lr with SV ammo.

 

For 54 caliber I prefer 1-70" or slower. That allows me to load up some pretty stout loads, 120gr of 3f in my flintlock. The hotter I load it, the tighter it groups. It will shoot sub 1" (C-C) groups at 50 yds from a rest. That is pretty damned good for open iron sights.

[wildcat junkie]

25 minutes ago, beachpeaz said:

I commend you in your switch.  I hunted exclusively with my bow last year, even during gun season.  Nowhere near your commitment, but a big switch for me.  The lazy culture bred by our NYS DEC "kill 'em all" strategy is disgusting.  The sport has been removed from hunting and now its a contest of who can shoot farthest with their .300 ultra mag or cross bow.....and then people are somehow proud of their "accomplishment."  SMH.  

Muzzleloader seasons were originally enacted to allow those that wanted to take the time to learn the craft opportunities to hunt unpressured game with out a lot of competition from modern fire arms. Sadly, that is no longer the case.I no longer bother. 16 years ago we couldn't shoot bucks in the early season here. Now we can't shoot does! I put away my muzzle loaders after the 2001 season.

 

[Doewhacker]

15 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

Unless you have experience with loading RBs accuracy can be elusive. The 1-48 twists are not really optimum for either R or conicals.

 

The only muzzle loaders I like a 1-48 twist in is 36 caliber and smaller. The fast twist allows sub sonic accuracy for squirrel hunting. My 36 cal flintlock sounds like a 22 Lr with SV ammo.

 

For 54 caliber I prefer 1-70" or slower. That allows me to load up some pretty stout loads, 120gr of 3f in my flintlock. The hotter I load it, the tighter it groups. It will shoot sub 1" (C-C) groups at 50 yds from a rest. That is pretty damned good for open iron sights.

Yup, plenty of range time and time with PRB. I wanted it to work but it just wouldn't cut the mustard for me. My father shoots PRB out of his gun (the make escapes me) and gets fantastic accuracy due to the slower twist and longer barrel.

[wildcat junkie]

11 minutes ago, Doewhacker said:

Yup, plenty of range time and time with PRB. I wanted it to work but it just wouldn't cut the mustard for me. My father shoots PRB out of his gun (the make escapes me) and gets fantastic accuracy due to the slower twist and longer barrel.

Is your Lyman 1-48" twist or one of the more modern faster twist versions?