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what should i get?

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schlarmanm1

32 Cal.
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While i'm not new to guns/shooting. I am new to black powder and more importantly flint lock rifles. I recently put together a KY long rifle kit that is mainly going to be man cave decor, however i do plan to shoot it and maybe hunt with it. My question is what all should i get. What i mean is what patches, powder, lube, pan primers, powder measures, horns/flasks, and even field tools at the best reasonable price? Now I dont want junk but i dont want to over pay and i dont need the top dollar items either. I dont need the best of the best, as i wont shoot or even hunt with this rifle much. Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Michael.
 
Howdy first off real black for flinlock
For suppplies plenty of vendors or online auctions look around buy what fits oh dont forget the ads here
Do it simple all you need is flints powder a cleaning jag and cleaning patchs and balls if the bug takes then skys the limit
 
Lyman's GPR is a fine rifle for the money. Shopping the for sell area here and sites like Gun Broker can save you money. Geo. T.
 
I think he said he already has a rifle so getting down to the nitty gritty here's my suggestion.

As buzz said, not a whole lot is actually required to shoot and take care of a flintlock.
I don't see the caliber of the gun listed so the first thing is ball size.

Muzzleloading rifles shoot patched balls so the ball is smaller than the bore.

Take the bore size and subtract ten thousandths from it.
If it is a .50 caliber gun, .500-.010=.490, so use a .490 diameter lead ball.

Because it is a flintlock, buy a flint that is about the same width as the locks frizzen.
Get a piece of leather about 1/16" thick that is long enough to cover the bottom, the rear and the top of the flint.
If you can find them, real flint is favored. The saw cut stones may not work very well.
With the flint wrapped, clamp it in the cocks jaws so its sharp edge is just about to hit the closed frizzen when the cock is at half cock.

Your powder MUST be real black powder.
Buy some 2Fg or 3Fg granulation size. These will work for a main powder charge and for priming the pan. Do not buy any 4F powder. It is not needed.
The various powder brands are GOEX, KIK, Schuetzen, Diamond, Swiss and a few others.

Do NOT buy any synthetic powder like Pyrodex, Seven6seven etc. It works poorly or not at all in a flintlock.

You'll need a volume type measure to measure out the powder. Get one that can be adjusted between 30 and 100 grains.
Your patches should be a tight weave pure cotton.
Anything from .010 to .020 thick will work. Some better than others.
For right now you should look for the store bought dry patches (not the pre-lubed ones).

You'll need a cleaning jag. It's a grooved brass plug that fits the cleaning rod or ramrod and it is available in specific calibers.

Most folks buy or make their own cleaning patches. I use the store bought ones made for a .45 cal handgun. They work fine for cleaning anything from .45 to 58 caliber.

You'll need a patch lube.
You can buy the store bought stuff like Bore Butter or you can save a lot of money by using vegetable oil or Olive oil.
You only need enough to dampen the patch, not make it wet.

Cleaning is done with plain water and a few drops of dishwashing soap. The soap is to cut the patch lube and the water will take care of everything else.
You do NOT need any of the fancy store bought cleaners.

A good rust preventative like Birchwood Casey Barricade will keep your metal parts from rusting.

Have fun.
 
what Zonie said ... but i wouldn't restrict yourself to only cotton patches - linen is OK, too - just don't use anything with a synthetic fiber (i.e. poly/cotton blend, nylon, rayon etc.) because it will melt as it goes down the bore when you fire, leaving a terrible mess (please don't ask how i know)

:redface: :redface: :redface:

you'll need something to transfer the powder from the can to the measuring device. this little gadget from Track of the Wolf may prove useful: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/70/1/POWDER-CAP-B

you don't actually need something like a powder horn (forgive me, oh keeper-of-gadgets), but they are convenient and they look cool. I use this measure, which is adjustable: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/85/1/MAS-120

whatever you do, don't pour from the flask or horn directly into the barrel ... even the smallest ember can set off the charge, which will then set off the contents of the container, which is very close to your hands, eyes, and other of you favorite body parts. not trying to sound like a downer, but you're supposed to have fun, not get hurt.

you can use the ramrod which came with the rifle, but you might want to consider a 'wiping stick' (also called a range rod) ... this will be longer than the ramrod in the rifle, which makes cleaning easier. it need not be fancy; just make sure you get one of the appropriate diameter ... in the same light, you may want to consider a 'short starter' such as this one: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/118/1/ST-7

don't feel compelled to use track of the wolf for this stuff... there are any one of a number of good suppliers out there- i just use these as an example because Track's photos are very good and their site is easy to navigate.

you don't need FFFFg powder to prime ... this is (in my opinion) something of an urban legend, and has been perpetrated by armchair theoriticians; for now, go with the powder you use for the main charge, and you'll do fine. then, later, if you're curious to the point where you want to spend the money for a can of powdere you may take decades to use up (remember, you only use maybe ten or fifteen grains of powder in the priming pan, and most pan primers throw a three or five grain charge ... seven thousand grains to a pound makes over 450 shots, even if you prime with 15 grains, which is pretty heavy).

hope this helps ... by the way, i wish this forum had been in existence when i started shooting ... woulda save a ton of frustration and time wasted and money i could have spent on other stuff.

good luck with your new rifle, and make good smoke!
 
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Thanks guys. This has been a big help. Any idea on a good reasonable pan primer or is it just not needed?

The rifle is a Kentucky Long rifle kit and is a .45 caliber

What do you all recommend ball or conical? it has a twist of 1 in 48"
 
1:48 MAY shoot a conical ok, and it may not. It for sure will be ok with a PRB.

The list of nik-naks is endless;
start with a general book on BP shooting
tackle box to hold it all
range rod
water bucket for cleaning
cleaning jag
lube
ball extracting screw
patch retrieving / pulling jag
powder holding device (horn)
powder measuring device
funnel
short starter
pad (like leather patches) to hold flints
vent pick
knapping tools
hunting pouch
cross sticks
screwdrivers and punches
patch knife
CO2 discharger

it never ends.
 
The best thing you can get,
Is a comfortable chair, a cup of coffee, and plenty of time to read the vast amount of knowledge that's stored here in the back pages of this forum, :wink:

Every possible question has been answered by many very experienced folks, and when you see that same kind of questions answered in the same kind of way over and over through the years you can bet it's been working for a lot of folks for a long time.
Don't get me wrong, all questions are better asked, but the wealth of knowledge shared in the history of this forum couldn't be put in a single book, it would take volumes.
The deal is with more knowledge gained, more pointed direct questions can be asked. :v
 
schlarmanm1 said:
Any idea on a good reasonable pan primer or is it just not needed?

A pan primer isn't a necessity, but can make it a bit easier to control a small amount of powder for the pan. Below is a link to ToW's page that shows several of the ones they carry. But, if you are using 3F, or especially 2F for the pan, be careful with these as the opening is so small the powder granules may be too big to flow well. They work much better with 4F.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/73/1

I don't think anyone mentioned it yet, and you may already know this, but make sure you completely seat the patch/ball onto the powder charge. Mark your ramrod when you seat the ball the first time so you know for sure how far down you have to go to seat successive rounds. A gap between powder and ball will make it an obstruction and could do damage to your rifle and you.

Good shooting!
 
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Both.
Each rifle (even the same make an model) along with each shooters loading technique create enough variables that the end results for the best ball size isn't really known until both sizes have been experimented with.

Most rifles have a break-in period of 100+ shots before they really begin to dial in to their best groupings. The same 100+ shot's helps the shooter get to know his gun.

For you, just reading what you have posted here, 440 would be a good reliable bet to start with, then some time down the road try some 445.
Good luck with the new rifle an shootin, :v
 
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