beginner shopping list???

[sawandhammer]

first of all, thanks to everyone who helped me in my decision making process of choosing between the deerstalker and the great plains hunter. boy i sure have learned alot and learning more everyday. i would like to pick your brains to help me with the essentials for shooting and enjoying my new toy. by the way, if your reading this and don't know i am the proud new owner of a .50 cal deerstalker. it's a really nice looking rifle. anyway here is what i have acquired so far
1. goex ffg (but have been told to use 777)
2. hornady .490 round balls
3. cva prelubed .015 patches
4. cci no.11 percussion caps
5. cva 4 in 1 t-loader (powder measure tool)
6. cva ramrod accessories (bronze brush, cleaning jag, cotton bore swab
7. tc bore butter
i was told to buy:
1) a brass rod for shooting at the range
2) .30 brush to reach deep in the back of the barrel (not sure what that is called-breech plug maybe?)
3) package of pipe cleaners
4)butch's black powder solvent (not sure why?)

i was told to pull the nipple to clean out the plug after time at the range. is there a certain size nipple wrench that i could buy to make my life easier. it looks like it will be very hard to take the nipple off with a common wrench. i also have read this "One more BTW- The Lyman nipples don't fit CCI caps 100% right, being slightly too large or too tapered. They're fine for Remingtons and RWS, but if you're going to shoot CCI go ahead and get some replacement nipples. I'm really fond of Ampco bronze nipples." i have also read where people suggest " hot shot nipples ". another thing is do you need to put a little grease or something on the threads of the nipple to ease the removal after heating up and shooting? maybe since i am down in sw florida where we have 4 season's-- summer, summer, summer, summer. the humidity may be an issue? anyway thanks in advance. i am looking forward to reading everbody's replies...

 

[Billnpatti]

Be sure to use only a nipple wrench to remove your nipples. If you have musket nipples, you need a musket nipple wrench. If your nipple is a standard #11 rifle nipple, you will need a #11 nipple wrench. These are the only nipple wrenches you will need unless you buy a revolver and then you will need a special revolver nipple wrench for the specific revolver that you have. If you attempt to use a standard wrench from your tool cabinet to remove a rifle or musket nipple, you will find that it is very difficult to do and you are likely to damage your rifle in the process. Go to the Track of The Wolf website and find the wrench that you need.

 

[vthunter52]

I think that your list is quite compleat. I personally prefer the RWS #11 caps as I have found them the most reliable, but they are harder to find. Eventually you will also want to experiment with different patch thickness, eventually punching and lubing your own. Now get to the range and shoot. The whiff of the black powder will only fuel more shooting!

 

[cynthialee]

I'd add on a can of 3Fg black powder. The 3F works better than the 2F in my .50's, I use the 2Fg powder in my .54 (and in any other gun close at hand when I forget to grab the can of 3F) :wink:

 

[William O.]

Since your patches are pre-lubed you won't need the Bore Butter until you run out of shooting patches. One thing I didn't see if cleaning patches, which can be store bought (expensive) or you can makes them. Old t-shirts work okay but the best material I have found to cut into cleaning patches is cotton flannel. You may also want to swab the bore in between shots or every 2-3 shots with a cleaning patch that has been dampened with 91% rubbing alcohol while you are working up an accurate load. Stick with Goex, there's no reason to load with Triple 7 at this point. As for the BP solvent, you don't need it. 2-3 drops of dish soap in water is all you need for cleaning. Lastly, I didn't see any rust preventative for storing your rifle after cleaning. Everyone has their favorite and I'm going to recommend Birchwood-Casey Barricade in the 4.5 ounce can because you can dispense one drop at a time and get it only where you need it. After cleaning and the bore is dry, 3 drops on a cleaning patch down the barrel a few times and you're good to go.

 

[ebiggs1]

On the powder issue, GOEX and Pyrodex is the best. 777 does nothing better than either of these and costs more, so why? I suggest you use 3F as the powder chamber in your rifle is smaller and the smaller 3F will flow into it better. But 2F will work.
Replace the Lyman nipple right now. They aren't anywhere near the best nipple.
Although you bought pre-lubed patches, they may be a little dry so having extra Bore Butter is good. Wetter more than dryer!

 

[sawandhammer]

ebiggs,
would you go with the ampco bronze nipple or the hot shot? remember i am in humid sw. florida.. or is there some other brand nipple that you would go with?

 

[ebiggs1]

Virtually any nipple you buy will be better than Lyman's, so the choice is yours. Most, if not all, the fancy stuff isn't necessary but it sells nipples. :grin:


(Except Pedersoli's, :td: they are the absolute worst.)

 

[necchi]

Unless your going to use real Black Powder all the time, get the Hot Shot.
The Ampco have a smaller discharge hole that doesn't serve the Faux powders well.
(experiance)
Replacing nipples as they wear is part of the cap lock game, but factory nipples are a bain from the get-go.

 

[smo]

To bad you're on the West Coast of Fl ,I know a small group of Guys on the East Coast that are a hoot to shoot with. They shoot at the Trail Glades Range out by the casino just West of Miami. Some good shooters in the bunch too. :thumbsup:

 

[Mad Professor]

Besides what has been mentioned add a ball puller and small safety pin as a nipple pick.

 

[George T.]

Your going to miss all of the fun being so organized. I might suggest a delron rod from Dixie instead of a brass range rod. Also try Dutch's program to speed up your development.
I use pre cut and lubed patches but I am trying to quit. I know that I get occasional fliers due to the patch not being centered well! Geo. T.

 

[cruiser96]

from someone that has just started out. i would suggest a ball mold. cheap at cabelas. picked 1 up saturday and fired the balls i made sunday. what a blast.

 

[cruiser96]

i agree. get you a delron rod. i got mine from dixie. use it all the time. have my wood one that came with my rifle with the gun for show only. i dont want to break it.

 

[William O.]

Personally I would spend the extra dollar or so and get the AMPCO bronze nipple as in my experience they last much longer than even the stainless examples. Lyman factory nipples are junk but good to keep in your tool kit just on case. My tool kit is an old Altoids tin that I burned the paint off of that I keep in my shooting bag. Inside there are my cleaning jags, ball puller/screw, extra nipples, extra wedge key, stuff like that. This was before Altoids started stamping their logo onto the lid but you can still get the same size tin without the stamping by getting Fisherman's Friend brand cough drops. It's just a handy way to keep small items together but not neccessary. I also use empty cap tins to store lube in, then when I need to grease a shooting patch I just rub one side in the lube and load with the lube side down. Of course, you can store pre-lubed patches inside empty cap tins just as easily as they are the perfect size up to around .54 caliber.

 

[Col. Batguano]

You could add a CO2 discharge unit to this too. But, with a percussion gun, you can usually fish some 4F in to the drum when you eventually do like all of us do, and dry ball it, and shoot it out.

And add a tackle box or something like to to tote all this stuff around in.

 

[cynthialee]

Seriously! Get a tackle box. You will need it for all the things, do-dads and whosits you are going to acumulate.

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks for the altoids idea, the dry balling it lesson, and of course the tacklebox. i think the only thing everybody forgot was to drag the couch out to the garage so i have a place to sleep.... seriously though, thanks everybody you will have me at least looking like i know what i am doing....