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  1. C

    Ballistics data needed for Lyman GP Hunter, .54 cal flintlock

    Looks like I was able to answer my question with a quick search for Thompson-Center Maxi-Ball ballistics, and it appears I was slightly over maximum according to T/C's stats. Muzzle velocity for 150 gr 2F is 1576 fps, 2400 ft. lbs muzzle energy. I was 5.25 gr over that amount. That load made...
  2. C

    Ballistics data needed for Lyman GP Hunter, .54 cal flintlock

    I have an extra barrel for my Lyman Great Plains Rifle in the "Hunter" series having the 1-32 in rifling for conicals. My 13 yr old son and I recently paid a visit to my father-in-law in Arkansas who had the foresight to install a shooting range in his back yard back when he built his house...
  3. C

    Cotton for wads anyone?

    I've done it before. Hadn't thought much about till you mentioned it; it was just the handiest thing I had on hand to demonstrate to friends about muzzleloaders. It worked just as you stated.
  4. C

    Rate of twist for 36 cal conical?

    Just to contest this a little, my father-in-law, no friend to traditional rifles or hunting, hunts with nothing but maxi-balls during the muzzleloading only deer hunts in Arkansas. He only uses Pyrodex or Triple 7 too in an old Thompson/Center percussion rifle in .45 caliber. He has taken many...
  5. C

    great plains rifle

    I have one in .54 flintlock, and to answer your question, the Hawken brothers did make flintlock rifles in the plains-type style in their early years. The chief difference is the pistol grip-style trigger guard is flatter against the stock than those known from the later, percussion rifles. And...
  6. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    You're right. I can't see myself doing that to good whiskey.
  7. C

    Rate of twist for 36 cal conical?

    I must admit that I have never done it much, shooting conicals, that is. Long ago I took a liking to shooting the PRB, and did so in my 1:48 twist percussion T/C Renegade in .54 cal. Got me started on rifles of the Rocky Mtn fur trapping era. Took my first deer, a doe, at 60 paces: shot her in...
  8. C

    Rate of twist for 36 cal conical?

    Checked out that chart--thanks for posting that link, btw--and true enough there is only one rate of twist for 36 cal bullets, presumably for either PRB or conical. I will need to call T/C to verify if that is their recommendation for a 36 cal barrel. I am no gunsmith or professional...
  9. C

    Rate of twist for 36 cal conical?

    First, what is the rate of twist for a 36 cal conical barrel? I have read that a 36 cal PRB barrel tends to be 1:48, so a conical is likely a good deal faster than that, and since the Lyman GP Hunter barrel in .54 comes in 1:32, then a 36 cal barrel for conicals is going to be faster than that...
  10. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    I think I'll emend my range practices with the following: 1)Use the vent pick or tooth pick to plug the TH when swabbing the barrel; 2)Use saliva or alcohol (maybe, whiskey?) to dampen the swabbing patches. Somehow I think whiskey is more "period correct" than rubbing alcohol, but that's just...
  11. C

    .36 caliber squirrel rifle?

    Well, I have this .36 cal Maxi ball mould and I need a rifle in which to shoot the bullets I'll make from it. I see that a 1:48 twist is probably just right for PRB in .36, but likely too slow for a conical. Anyone know of a 36 cal flintlock with a barrel that has a fast twist, say roughly 1:28...
  12. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    So you flush with water, then what? Oil? What kind? I've read that in the 18th & 19th centuries black powder rifles were routinely loaded with a standard load after cleaning "just in case" and the rifles routinely fired when asked to do so. I would like to be able to clean and load with...
  13. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    So each shot produces gum in this area. Is that due to the design of the Lyman GPR breech or is that not common with the breech areas of all muzzleloaders?
  14. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    So you're a paying customer to Dutch Schooltz and blackpoweraccuracy.com? I like the idea of swabbing with a damp patch between shots. If I'm not mistaken, other techniques include precise weight of lead round balls, precise thickness of wadding and patch material.
  15. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    You guys have gotten me thinking about what I did that was so different as to foul my attempt at a consecutive shot after swabbing the barrel, when before I didn't have much trouble with this. It *has* been a few months since I shot my flinter, a blued Lyman GPR in .54 cal. When I swabbed it, I...
  16. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    Guess I should add that my load consisted of 90 grains of Goex FF behind a patched .530 Hornady round ball. Any recommendations for a good tool to remove a patch stuck in the breech? :redface:
  17. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    What are these "cushion wads?" I read over at chuckhawk on the flintlocks page that a sealing wad was always used over the powder charge and backing up patch & powder. Aside from my cleaning issue, I probably need to adjust my loading procedure too.
  18. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    Ok, so a bore brush or bore swab is better than a patch, but after how many shots is that technique necessary? Last time at the range I gave it three shots, then wet a patch with bore shine and swabbed the barrel a little. I obviously used too much. :cursing:
  19. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    I should add that I use Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine, and last time I used it after about the 4th or 5th shot to remove fouling. My technique wasn't so good because I couldn't fire my rifle afterwards.
  20. C

    Loading the flintlock so it will fire after the first shot

    I've been able to do this before, but I have lost my touch. What is the technique many or most are using to be able to fire your flintlock after loading it for a 2d or follow up shot? My performance at the range last week re-taught me a couple of things: first, don't ram a dry patch down the...
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