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What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

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Took the '64 Zoli Zouave to the range. Using #11 CCI Magnum caps because the mainspring was too weak to set off musket caps. Caps went pop but rifle no boom.

Went home and preloaded the mainspring. Now musket caps go bang every time.

If anyone knows of a source for stronger reproduction Zouave mainsprings, please chime in. Thanks.
 
Grinding and filing the sights on a pedersoli Kentucky pistol, 54 cal. The sights that come with this pistol are so high above the bore as to be ridiculous. Got em down to about half the original height and the sight picture looks good. Now I've got to get out to the range to fine trim.
 
Tightened up the thimble from the other day so it's nice and tight now and inlet the butt plate for the Kibler SMR and also filed smooth the casting sprues on the butt plate. Put a little wax on the screws and installed the butt plate to make sure everything fits well without any gaps. The next step is to inlet a toe plate, cut the plate down a smidge and get started on the patch box and side plate. I'm going to be awhile on this one from the way it looks.
 

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Eric Krewson said:
I went out to start sighing in the rifles I couldn't before I had cataract surgery, they are both tight bore .54s, then I remembered I had shot my last .530 ball several months ago. I fired up the Coleman stove and cast about 75 balls for today.

I decided to start with the GM drop in barrel, it shot a foot to the left and a foot low starting out. I shot a few times and started having inconsistent ignition, sometimes it took a dribble of 4F under the nipple to get the gun go off. I have never had that problem with percussion. When I cleaned the gun, I think I found the problem; it appears they didn't drill the flash hole deep enough.

I will give GM a call tomorrow.

View attachment 172280
Click to expand...

Any news from GM?
 
I repinned the trigger pivot on my smoothbore to reduce the pull weight and while I was at it I broke down the lock and polished several surfaces that just didn’t seem right to me when I built it but I ignored it at the time. Now it is a much nicer trigger pull and the lock is slicker’er. Will hit the range this weekend if all goes well.
 
On the GM barrel, I asked this same question the percussion forum. A guy with two GM drop-in barrels said this was normal and the way they are made.

Mine won't be made this way long, I am going to notch the un-cut area under the nipple to contact the flash channel.
 
Beautiful day in north Carolina to be at the range. Started out with a fouling shot top of target right. Then 4 shot 2" group with 40gr. Went to 37gr with a shotgun group. Settled in with a 5 shot 35gr 1 1/2" group. 2" high and slight left. Thought it would settle on bull at 100yd. Ended up shotguning the 100yd bull. I am going to chalk that up to being tired.
 

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loaded up my just completed fowler with 50gfff under a cardboard wad and 50g volume #7.5 shot, then a cardboard overshot wad.
50g volume of shot is about 64+/- pellets.
shot it at 20 yards and got 56 pellets in a 24 inch circle. minute of grouse!
then i loaded a .600 ball with a .010 lubed patch. no sights on the fowler so just sighting down the barrel and the tang screw.
elevation was perfect but the ball impacted 6 inches left. show's promise.
i just drilled a 1/16th vent/flash hole and had some flash in the pans.
probably install a vent liner when i am stronger.
1667513736688.jpeg
 
Well I WAS looking forward to an early end of the work day to maybe get out to the range with my flintlocks, but again it's dry as a bone and 40+ mph wind gusts. We're supposed to get rain tonight and through the weekend, wish us luck.
 
jaholder said:
Well I WAS looking forward to an early end of the work day to maybe get out to the range with my flintlocks, but again it's dry as a bone and 40+ mph wind gusts. We're supposed to get rain tonight and through the weekend, wish us luck.
Click to expand...
Good luck with the weather. Its been pretty dry here in VA also.
 
I got my first experience with a jeweler's saw today using it to slot the barrel tenons which was very interesting. If someone would have told me that those tiny thin blades would cut steel like they do I wouldn't have believed them. I also made a poor attempt at a steel toe plate for the Kibler SMR.
 

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