What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

[buckleymarka56]

what the SWMBO doesn't know, doesn't hurt me

She didn't see it, you didn't do it. Lol
Kinda like the cops. They don't see you , you didn't do it. Lol

 

[chorizo]

what the SWMBO doesn't know, doesn't hurt me

Oh, they know, they know. They are just waiting to trot it out when it best suits them.

 

[flconch53]

Looks like a piece of stainless shim stock will fix it. I would start with about .01 thick. You stated that you removed the drum when you clean. I would guess loosening and tighting over time has stretched the threads

 

[chorizo]

Continuing to right size my ramrods, put on quality 10/32 threaded end caps and then pin them.

Doesn't sound like much to do, if you don't take into account that I recently cleaned my gun room and bench, it took me lots more time to FIND the end caps than it took to do the job. The shop was cold when I started this morning, but after digging around and cussing, I heated up the room just fine.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Took delivery of a very nice smoothbore flinter from a fellow forum member. Possibly an early Jackie Brown Carolina gun in .54ish caliber. Reads .563 at the muzzle with dial calipers. Need to dig out the hole gauges.
--Edit-- After a more accurate measure, it reads .562 at a depth of 4"--

My first shot, offhand, hit a 9" plate @ 60 yards! Total luck, but I'll take it as a good omen!

Here's dad shooting a smoothbore for his first time..."Where's the rear sight?!"

 

[BS]

I made 3 round ball cutters with a 'Spin Index' and a surface grinder.

I had to make the holder and stop. The last one I did like this was in the mid 80s.

I cut test holes in aluminum to make sure the worked OK.

They are made from old junk end mills.

 

[pacanis]

I found my 1/2" flints this morning.
It was bound to happen. I ordered more last night.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Digging through boxes in my gun work/storage area I consolidated most of the unopened packages of caps. Looks like I have around 1500 not counting what are in shooting bags and range boxes. I guess I’m set for a while. Most are #11 CCI. I would like some #10 Remingtons but haven’t seen those since the great Covid drought and Remington bankruptcy sale.

 

[Beaver Trapper]

Yesterday I shot a snowshoe hare with my 62

 

[64Springer]

View attachment 198217
Yesterday I shot a snowshoe hare with my 62

This post should be in the What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Yesterday thread.

But I'll accept it.

Looks like a big, tasty rabbit. Enjoy!

 

[Mike in FL]

Made a cow's knee and re-arranged possibles bag, eliminating stuff I never use in the field.
Made a hair-on sheath to hold and disguise my Latherman tool. Goes on my waist belt that holds my hatchet and keeps my possible bag in place.
Melted some bees wax with Crisco, let it harden in a brass container much like a percussion cap tin except much heavier and larger. The Crisco makes the wax softer; I use it to waterproof around the flintlock.

 

[TDM]

Finally working on my woods walk. Cut some targets out with my old plasma cutter. Had this 3/8” sheet that had already been butchered up, so it’s an ugly combination of shapes and sizes. Tomorrow I’ll cut some chain lengths up and weld them on. After they’re painted and hung they should be ok. I’ve got more scrap metal that dig through, hopefully end up with 12 targets for the course.

 

[Vtmountaindeerhunter]

Did some thumping today with the .54 gpp 30 grn fff 777 .530 ball .15 patch. With 50 grn 777 it is real punishment . I usually stick with 25 or 30 fff 777. With black I like 40 fff

 

[pacanis]

I took my Peder KY 32 out back to a real bench where I could sit down and shoot it.
I shot three shots. then swabbed with alcohol, then three more. Weird. Two really nice groups, lol.

But that amounts to a 2" group at 50yds, so I'm happy with it. I just don't understand the change. Is it my eyes or the gun? I think next outing, more likely tomorrow, I'll try a thicker patch and see if that affects anything. It's almost like I was using two different charges.

Oh. And I had my first dryball.

I was going to change up to a spit patch and got the ball started with the short starter before my brain started working again.
I tried every tip in the kit I bought for my compressor and couldn't get the ball to move. So I dribbled in 4F, which wasn't that hard to do.
Click/Pfff/Nothing.

Then I dribbled in some more 4F and after 3-4 times with the brass push primer, I tipped the muzzle down and tapped the stock so the powder would move up in the Patent breech, then repeated that a couple more times. That did it.

I didn't see the ball come out or the grass move, but I had a nice cloud of smoke come out of the muzzle and knew it was out. I verified with the gun's ramrod.

I hope that never happens again.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Shot a few "fun" targets,,, among them a bread roll that was suitable only for use as a hockey puck. Then spread out all the stuff I keep in my possibles bag these days on the kitchen table. Descriptions under photograph.

Generally L - R and T - B. 1. Possibles bag with belt knife sheath on front of carry strap. 2. Powder horn with 3f Pyrodex. 3. T/C Seneca .36. 4. Shooter's "necklace" with T/C Shoot-N-See snail drum capper, home-made .32/.36 short starter and 15/20 grain deer antler powder measure. 5. Reader's glasses in case. 6. Tin with .350 round balls and pre-lubed patches. 7. Victorinox Swiss Army Knife (Explorer?). 8. Boker single-blade Barlow. 9. Honing oil. 10. Pocket Washita stones in fine and medium. 11. Custom knife with Damascus blade gifted to me by a customer. 12. Pocket compass (not pictured)

Items get swapped out depending upon the TO&E/mission statement.

Yeah, I know; too many knives?

 

[TDM]

Nice groups @pacanis, I have the same problems with groups shifting. I think it’s us.

 

[Muley Gil]

A few years back, I put together a Damascus bladed knife. It has a brass hilt and a stag handle.

Today, I made a sheath for it to carry with my Confederate gear while shooting N-SSA matches.

I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.

 

[pacanis]

Nice groups @pacanis, I have the same problems with groups shifting. I think it’s us.

Thanks. And thanks.
Painting the blade white certainly helped get rid of the fuzziness, but now the rear sight is harder to see
I imagine it's me.

And the trigger broke in at a nice 5 to 5.5lbs. I checked it when I got back.

@Dale Allen Raby , you should throw a worm and some tow in your tin just in case you want a quick swab. And to keep things from rattling. Or not. Just a suggestion.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Shooting some steel this afternoon for a future fun video project.

 

[aussie pete]

View attachment 198217
Yesterday I shot a snowshoe hare with my 62

Nice work! Now there's something I will never do in my neck of the woods. A snowshoe rabbit taken by a fellow wearing snowshoes - tell me I'm dreaming.

Pete