Anybody here hunt with a flintlock?

[Freezer]

Got mine is a 50 cal

[CPJ 2.0]

You guys have me thinking, The Minié ball was a great improvement in the Springfield rifle during the civil war. The Springfield rifle had a 1:77 twist rate. The CVA has a 1:66. I understand the sabot logic, how about the Minié ball? Has anyone tried it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini%C3%A9_ball

Quote, by me, from page 1:

“Length is the determining factor in twist rate. Minnie balls are as long if not longer than a saboted projectile.
I tried Minnie’s in my BP rifle. (slow twist for round balls) Precision sucked donkey wang.”

[mitdr774]

My .54 cal. Michigan Arms Corp. inline has a slow twist and can only use round balls. I have not shot mine since I was in my teens and it was my grandpas, but seeing as how it has a slower twist rate than my dads (mine was a "prototype" with a slower twist rate than the production), and my dad has never been able to get anything other than a RB to shoot acceptably. He tried some sabots and minnie's and it was not very good.

Im with the traditionalists on this one for practical reasons, just use a round ball.

[Bigslug]

I seem to recall Teach on the old forum saying some CVA and Traditions flintlocks have soft frizzens, making ignition spotty. Lyman... not so much a problem. Most folks don't want to or know how to harden a frizzen, so they buy a less expensive rifle and get discouraged. That's why some folks don't like them. Turns people away from the sport.

Do you think the mountain men ever went in to town for debauchery and said "That really hardens my frizzen!" ?

I wonder if anybody's ever thought to apply modern firestarter tech to BP ignition? Gotta have backup plans for the days of no primers/

[Gene L]

I'm a bit of a purist. I've got two FLs and two cap locks. I think bolt action cap locks are like designer drugs; they're designed to get around drug laws. Modern BL rifles don't appeal to me at all. My rifles have classic lines. I am not into dressing up like a mountain man or a continental soldier, but the classic lines are very important in the BP game. Who can love a modern bolt action flinter or a cap lock? They're deer harvesting machines and if you're into that, fine. But not me. It's not quite hunting, it's "harvesting."

On a less lofty note, the following: you must use BP with a flintlock. FFG or FFFG and you c an use it in the pan. A FL won't detonate phony powder in the pan. And BP for the barrel works, but a sub might work, but I wouldn't trust it. Round balls work fine for several hundred years. CA does have a crappy reputation as stated. They might work when new, but I think they degrade with use.

[CPJ 2.0]

Nice to see a non hunter defining hunting.

[Justsomedude]

I have a little insight.

My dad used to use a Kentucky Long Rifle with Minnie balls and used to take deer with it (quite successfully I might add). Now I'm not sure what twist the barrel was but traditionally they're pretty slow twist.

As for powder charge. Use 3f in the barrel and 4f in the pan. 2f will work as the powder charge but it's harder to ignite the courser it is.

And as a side, it's nearly impossible to blow up modern barrels because the gun will burn what it can use and send the rest out the muzzle, unburned. When I was about 17 I bought a Wally world inline CVA 50. Didn't know shìt about muzzleloaders but two scoops of a tablespoon?... seemed "good enough." It would kick like hell and worked fine. Later found out that was about 250 grains .

I've hardened frizzens for people, and some are SOFT. I use music wire as tig filler, dish out a bit of the frizzen and tig it in with the music wire and regrind to never wear again.

[Justsomedude]

AND as a minor railroad, smokeless can be used in a 1858 Remington with the cylinder reinforced. Fired remotely in my vise while I ducked behind my workbench with a shoestring

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[Justsomedude]

And before you think I’m a fuddy duddy, when I hit the lottery I’ll build a flint lock and stick it in an aluminum chassis complete with AR grip and folding stock with a high power scope and fast twist to shoot sabots.

Because I’m an asshole like that.

For you
https://youtube.com/shorts/V4JXDBUmlNA? ... S1JE4YkWWY

[Varmintmist]

Yes I hunt with a flintlock.

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Your best bet with a 1:66 twist will be patched round ball, the PA conicals MAY fly OK, odds are against sabots. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel and load it with PRB. If you put the PRB in the right place a deer will fall a lot faster than a miss with anything that it wasnt made for. The "purests" are just right.

The hate for Traditions is that they are not normally set up right and the flash from the pan doesnt have a clear path to the main charge. Basically they are Lorcins and a lot of people have had bad experiences with them. Teach had a few posts on the work he had to do to get a Traditions to have a reliable ignition. CVA.. I think the old ones were liked OK.

So 3F as the main charge is OK, 2F is good also and both ignite just fine if you get fire to them. If you have BP revolvers, just roll with the 3F you have. If you can only find 2F, then use that, you will have no problems. 50 gr up to probably a max of 70gr of 3F I would think will be enough to carry to 100 yards. After that a 50RB will drop off fast. Search Lyman Users Guide. It is a PDF for their rifles and describes patches, balls, and loads.

For accuracy, patch to ball sizing is the thing. A .490rb with a .018 patch will be .526 and probably be tight but will fill the grooves. You have to mess with the sizes until you find a combo your rifle likes. Not sure if traditions cuts them deep, but lyman does.

For ignition, 4F in the pan. Just enough to put a line in the bottom. Pick your vent EVERY time. DO NOT fill the vent with BP, you are building a fuse and it will be the click, fzzzzzzzzzzz, boom of a poor ignition as the powder burns down the hole.

[CPJ 2.0]

I REALLY wish this rifle was mine. Such a neat gun to shoot. And Rich (Woodsrunner) was such a damn good dude.

[Varmintmist]

I am using 70gr of 2F and it has pushed the ball through the deer I have shot with it in this 54 cal barn gun. The Lyman great plains rifle (1:60) 50 cal I had ramped up to 90 3F because it liked it and it also pushed the ball through both sides.

[breamfisher]

I REALLY wish this rifle was mine. Such a neat gun to shoot. And Rich (Woodsrunner) was such a damn good dude.

I regret I only got to eat lunch with him. Wish I had morectime.

[breamfisher]

I REALLY wish this rifle was mine. Such a neat gun to shoot. And Rich (Woodsrunner) was such a damn good dude.

I regret I only got to eat lunch with him. Wish I had more time.

[mitdr774]

The load recipe I was given for my .54 cal inline is a .458WM case full of 3F, .535" RB, 0.015" patch, and I seem to have lost the correct 209 primer I need for it. Per my dad's instructions, do not use the substitutes in it as they won't perform well. Real black powder only.

[Freezer]

Gentleman, thank you. I have no idea why I went to another forum for answers to my quest. My humble apologizes. My hunting partner swears by sabots in his T/C Hawken, but I could not take one man's opinion, as I said before I'm "former military". After I finished building this rifle, I will start a RB load work up, starting with 50 gr of fffg going up until the accuracy suffers or doesn't improve. I watched a number of beginners videos and learned a lot, but it fell short of what you told me.

I'm a tinkerer, I salvage guns from the scrap pin or that have suffered at the hands of abuse, neglect or the USMC's Pvt 1st class Stush Bubba. The Marine Corp's very own Polish redneck mill hunky.(Sorry guys, I'm a Corpsman, 1/2 Marine) These last two Ml builds have sparked a fire in me for a slow spot and stock hunt when most folks are sitting in their beds or at work after I retire this year.

I started adjusting the wood to metal alignment this evening only to discover the wood in letting on this gun sucks! It will take a lot of bedding compound to make this a tight rifle. After spending 80 hours on a T/C, I had to do some bedding on that one but, I'm afraid I'll be disappointed with this late 70's CVA, but I'll give it my best shot, time will tell. I will have pics on the other post I started. I may just make this period almost correct, sell it and buy a Traditions Deer hunter synthetic and tinker with that, especially if it has a different twist rate. Time will tell. This ugly duckling may be a swan! I'm just not into dressing up like Jerahis Johnson or a mall ninja in a tine warp, I want to hunt.

BTW they make a ML inline that fits the AR Platform, just not FL yet!

Thanks again guys, I' be referring back to this post a lot.

[Diver43]

I REALLY wish this rifle was mine. Such a neat gun to shoot. And Rich (Woodsrunner) was such a damn good dude.

Darn fine fella.
The only front stuffer I ever shot was his

[Gene L]

I use FFFFG in my pan, but those on the Muzzle loaders Forum say it's not necessary. I think I can tell a nanosecond in difference, but I'm told FFFFG offers no advantage.

[Varmintmist]

I use FFFFG in my pan, but those on the Muzzle loaders Forum say it's not necessary. I think I can tell a nanosecond in difference, but I'm told FFFFG offers no advantage.

With a good flint, frizzen and architecture, 2F works in the pan. He doesnt have a Siler.

[Varmintmist]

Gentleman, thank you. I have no idea why I went to another forum for answers to my quest. My humble apologizes. My hunting partner swears by sabots in his T/C Hawken, but I could not take one man's opinion, as I said before I'm "former military". After I finished building this rifle, I will start a RB load work up, starting with 50 gr of fffg going up until the accuracy suffers or doesn't improve. I watched a number of beginners videos and learned a lot, but it fell short of what you told me.

I'm a tinkerer, I salvage guns from the scrap pin or that have suffered at the hands of abuse, neglect or the USMC's Pvt 1st class Stush Bubba. The Marine Corp's very own Polish redneck mill hunky.(Sorry guys, I'm a Corpsman, 1/2 Marine) These last two Ml builds have sparked a fire in me for a slow spot and stock hunt when most folks are sitting in their beds or at work after I retire this year.

I started adjusting the wood to metal alignment this evening only to discover the wood in letting on this gun sucks! It will take a lot of bedding compound to make this a tight rifle. After spending 80 hours on a T/C, I had to do some bedding on that one but, I'm afraid I'll be disappointed with this late 70's CVA, but I'll give it my best shot, time will tell. I will have pics on the other post I started. I may just make this period almost correct, sell it and buy a Traditions Deer hunter synthetic and tinker with that, especially if it has a different twist rate. Time will tell. This ugly duckling may be a swan! I'm just not into dressing up like Jerahis Johnson or a mall ninja in a tine warp, I want to hunt.

BTW they make a ML inline that fits the AR Platform, just not FL yet!

Thanks again guys, I' be referring back to this post a lot.

His Hawken is probably a 1:48 twist

You can drift the sight, you add elevation by adding powder.

If you like to tinker and inlet. Make your next one a kit from a reputable maker. There really isnt much better than a 44 inch swamped bbl in wood. After you drop a few deer with roundballs, you will get the hang of newer might be better, but not enough to matter and a well balanced nice rifle with roundballs will do everything you want. I hunt traditional. I traditionally wear Sorels, carhartts, white or green camo on top and a mad bomber bunny fur hat. That is one of the most important pieces because a possibles bag is just a murse if you dont have a dead animal on your head.

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[mitdr774]

I traditionally wear Sorels, carhartts, white or green camo on top and a mad bomber bunny fur hat. That is one of the most important pieces because a possibles bag is just a murse if you dont have a dead animal on your head.
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Wise bit of advice there.

[Varmintmist]

Freezer.

You NEED to go the the 18century artisans show. This years is past but Feb of next year, make a day. Used to be held in Lewisburg, looks like it went to Carlisle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z44ZlJRlscE

[Freezer]

Freezer.

You NEED to go the the 18century artisans show. This years is past but Feb of next year, make a day. Used to be held in Lewisburg, looks like it went to Carlisle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z44ZlJRlscE

You're right, I would like that! I went to the gun show not so much to buy, but to look for interesting things.

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, just learn as much as I can. I've never owned or shot a flintlock. I just want the wisdom of those who have, so I can develop the best hunting load for this rifle without wasting time and money trying to figure it out myself. Like I said before, this will expand my hunting opportunities.

I made a scalper knife from a saw blade for the coworker I made the Hawken for. It was a very nice sharp knife with walnut grips, brass pins and a stained poplar case with a leather belt loop. It's the one on the right. I also gave him a leather fringed jacket and leather fringed case for it. He's young enough that he and his kids might enjoy that kind of stuff. Me, a nice slow quiet walk hunting in the woods will suit me just fine.

[Justsomedude]

I dont mean to derail this thread, but I learned some pertinent information today. Got an email that my triple 7 powder was ready for pickup from the new Bass Pro. Went and picked it up and got back to the shop for testing.

First off, I will never fire any BP or substitute again. This stuff is very clean and leaves no sulfur smell. Warm water washes away the white residue that it leaves. Supposedly isn't corrosive either.

Second, I ran it through the chronograph with the same charge that I was using. I was getting about 520ish fps with 30 grains and my 5.5" bbl. 30 grains with the triple 7 and I got 761 (highest.)

I'll be making a bunch of paper cartridges with this stuff. I like it. To hell with sticking to tradition when there's easier and better ways to do things.

[sakodude]

I dont mean to derail this thread, but I learned some pertinent information today. Got an email that my triple 7 powder was ready for pickup from the new Bass Pro. Went and picked it up and got back to the shop for testing.

First off, I will never fire any BP or substitute again. This stuff is very clean and leaves no sulfur smell. Warm water washes away the white residue that it leaves. Supposedly isn't corrosive either.

Second, I ran it through the chronograph with the same charge that I was using. I was getting about 520ish fps with 30 grains and my 5.5" bbl. 30 grains with the triple 7 and I got 761 (highest.)

I'll be making a bunch of paper cartridges with this stuff. I like it. To hell with sticking to tradition when there's easier and better ways to do things.

Thus, the metallic cartridge