Holy Smokes!!! (First shooting/questions)

You should be able to chip the flint with a wee brass rod by pressing the brass at the cutting edge. You can try turning the flint over also.
It has a patent breech. I don't pull the vent plug. I plug my vent. A wet wipe goes down and out. Boiling water in and tipped out. Repeat until clean water comes out and barrel at the breach is to hot to touch. Now I use dry cotton patches to absorb heavy droplets and then let the heat dry the rest.
Whilst still warm I add my bees wax and olive oil grease to the bore and outside.
The Pedersoli has a chrome plated bore.
I forget what pedersoli says about loads.
I don't go heavier than 1&1/4 Oz of shot.
Mine shoots pretty much on target head held up and seeing plenty of round barrel with my eye just off center of the tang screw, left.
Don't abuse the rammer! They tend to have end grain and break easily.
B.

What Brit said x2.

A .22 rifle brush on a longer rod should swab a patch around that smaller than bore size hole in your breach pretty well. That breach design is the only thing I really, really, did not like about the Pedersoli rifle I had. But it is manageable with a little dedication.
Get yourself a range and cleaning rod and save your wood rod for the woods.
I love this one,

Plenty long enough, and then some, and will use standard thread brushes and jags so you can get them almost anywhere, though you probably won't need a brush. They are also available in a metric diameter to match Pedersoli rod thimbles if you so desire.
Now a bunch of guys will come around to tell you the rod needs to be steel, but, also need a muzzle guide/protector, or brass, also needing a guide/protector, and that delrin is too flexible. Then, next month when you ask about what wood to make a replacement rod from, it will be all about that woods flexibility, and grain orientation. I've loaded lots of shots with this too flexible rod, no, as in Zero, issues. Of course you want just ram the ball home by holding the rod at the outside end and shoving it down in one stroke, but that isn't how a wood rod is used either.
I really like mine for cleaning too due to the length, smoothness, and not needing extra guides or muzzle protectors.


Oh, and the ".50 caliber" designation on the tag has nothing to do with the rod. The rod just happened to come with a .50 caliber jag. I use mine on 2 different, 20 gauge flintlock guns, and another one on 3 different SxS cartridge shotguns, and 1 over under, running from 20, to 16, to 12 gauges.

Please, look up the Skycheif Load on this forum. You'll start hitting stuff In a nut shell yer loading backwards

You own a fine factory made smoothbore. Some folks on this site don't like it as it's not perfectly historically/period correct. As for function issues this smoothbore is known for, the lock is a bit hard on flint's and the patent breech does add some difficulties to the cleaning process.

To answer your questions-

1. You can use a tow worm or a patch worm that will loosely fit in the patent chamber to clean it. Just wad up/wind up a patch on the worm and shove it in the breech and swab to your heart's content. It will take some experimenting to find what fits and what doesn't in the patent breech.

2. I use 1" X 1 1/8" English flint's. Yes they will need knapped after 12 to 18 shots. Just the way it is. Multiple ways to knap flint's. The foremensioned brass rod is a good way. Knap until a new sharp edge is produced. Track of the Wolf sells flint's.

3. Assuming the Hoppes you referred to was regular bore solvent, this is the wrong solvent to use. Hoppes does make a black powder solvent. Water, soapy water, any of the various black powder solvents will work. Dry the bore well and use a good gun oil. I use wd40 after warm water cleanup to displace the water. I then use a good gun oil. Track sells a great solvent called Track's Best BlackPowder bore clean. Works well.

3. I don't use the factory liner. I use a berillium bronze liner made by Treso. Pedersoli also sells one. The Possible Shop sells these. I drill the liner out to 1/16". I also lightly cone the outside. Fast ignition this way for me. I use a anti seize on the liner threads.

4. I've never had any trouble with the factory ramrod. Mine has straight grain. However if yours has grain run-out it's easy to make your own from a good hickory rod available from any of the known suppliers.

5. You should have received a couple of disks with your rifle to look at and watch that are full of info. I assume you bought new. This has the load data in it. However Pedersoli load data is as follows- 54 to 80 grains 2f Swiss with a .614" ball and .010" patch OR 70 to 90 grains 2f Swiss and 1 ounce shot with normal wads/cards.

Britsmoothy is an expert to be listened to on the subject of smoothbores, however I differ from him on the subject of chrome plating in the bore. Mine does not have plating of any kind. If he says his does, then it does. Mine does not.

I STRONGLY recommend you shoot yours extensively before taking a file to the front sight. Figure out what works, what's accurate before adjusting POI to POA.

I love mine. I do shoot somewhat heavier loads than what Pedersoli recommends and have had no problems. I recommend you stick with the 'book' unless you are willing to risk life and limb. Search this site for the SkyChief shot load. It works wonders!

Regards the chrome plating. Pedersoli pretty much chrome plated all their smoothbores. If this has stopped then so be it....it's not much use anyway!
It is so thin in some of the guns I have and have had I wondered why they bothered. A good thick plating has advantages but the Pedersolis in my opinion gained nothing from it except an attractive sales gimmick!

Go to track of the wolf for flints, jags, etc. And while your there order a good hickory ram rod, soak it in oil buy the tips for it and epoxyAND pin them on the rod