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Recent content by John May

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  1. John May

    time machine

    60’s/70’s for me.
  2. John May

    India Torador Matchlock Wall Gun

    I was told by an armourer at the Enfield armoury that they sometimes used old chopped up cine film as ‘powder’ in these muskets. Apparently cine film used to be made from a form of nitro-cellulose so it was fairly combustible. Whether this was true or not is debatable, but the guy did know his...
  3. John May

    How tight to patch a ball

    To add to the previous post, the rifling is 008” deep according to the original paperwork.
  4. John May

    How tight to patch a ball

    I shoot side by side with an ex International shooter and he firmly believes in the patch being so thick that the ball needs to be pounded down the barrel, me, I like it to be tight but not that tight. I’ve found that my underhammer Ardesa (pistol) prefers a snug patch without pounding! It’s...
  5. John May

    Is this functional model cannon a 6 Pounder??

    It's a beauty, and yes, I would definitely shoot it but that's coming from a man who bought and fired (once!) A matchlock jezail....
  6. John May

    1860 Colt vs. 1858 Remington

    Depends how big your shooting hand is. Remingtons tend to be a ‘smaller’ grip.
  7. John May

    Ballistol

    Amen to that!
  8. John May

    Ballistol

    Here in the UK we have a saying, ‘it’s a bit like Marmite ( a common yeast extract spread), you either love it or you hate it’ I know a fellow shooter who uses it for everything, cleaning, preserving, patch lube, you name it. I have a (virtually) unopened tin that I bought over 3 years ago, one...
  9. John May

    Be careful with Black Powder...You never know!

    Back in the 70’s a friend of mine was priming a full size cannon ready to fire and the second he touched the (copper) flask to the touch-hole there was a terrific flash and he ended up at the local hospital with severe burns to his hand, arm and side of his face, now whether or not this was...
  10. John May

    Hand built vs production

    I remember, many moons ago when 'we' were allowed to own/shoot pistols in the UK a local club member used a very old and tatty Smith & Wesson in .45 auto rim. His average for 10 shots was in the mid to high 90's and regardless of how many times we tried no one could get near him. It was his...
  11. John May

    Hand built vs production

    I was told from a very early age ‘beware the man with only one gun’ That has always rung true whether it was a factory or custom gun!
  12. John May

    Is pure lead really necessary for muzzle loading balls or bullet in rifle or hand gun ?

    I broke the loading lever of a Walker repro using lead balls that were gifted to me (Ha, some gift!). Ever since then, probably 30 years, I have used lead that I knew the origin of, mostly old lead piping. But watch out for spiders, they go Bang with a vengeance!
  13. John May

    Military Heritage India-made Fusil de Chasse

    This reminds me of the 'debate' about patch lube and the myriad of answers, all citing their own particular favourite. I am not telling what I use! From a UK shooters point of view these Indian made guns must be UK proofed before they are available for sale. The numbers that survive this are...
  14. John May

    Military Heritage India-made Fusil de Chasse

    Thanks for the info, very thorough! I am not a particular fan of this weapon, suffice it to say I would hate to carry/shoot it all day! It's only saving grace is it never (so far) fails to go off!
  15. John May

    Military Heritage India-made Fusil de Chasse

    I’m using a very old Coach Harness Brown Bess that looks like it should be real! Reportedly made in the 60/70’s by Kit Ravenshear but I’ve no proof of this other than hearsay from the previous owner. I have a picture of the barrels being ‘proofed’, a long line of them all set off together! I was...
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