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  1. O

    trying something totally new to me

    About 25 years ago, a friend purchased parts to make his own rifle. And it then sat collecting dust until now his arthritis makes working on it impossible. Soo I bought the box of parts along with stock and barrel ($300) so I can give the project a try. I have worked on other guns so it is...
  2. O

    BP and substitutes

    For those who can't get real BP or only a small amount, how much BP would you need in a flintlock to reliably set off the main charge of 777 or pyrodex? Naturally the pan is always charged with BP.
  3. O

    Fouling vs. caliber

    Now and then I see statements that the small bores foul faster and worse then the larger bores. Then I'll see others saying there is no difference. Everything is antidotal information. Has anyone ever done a comparison of say a 32 with a 50 as to fouling?
  4. O

    New smoothbore

    I just finished my first pretty much total build. I spent about 2 or 3 months doing it since I decided to use only non-power tools with the exception of my cordless drill. The stock was a rough cut blank that I had the barrel channel cut and ramrod hole. The rest of the shaping was using a...
  5. O

    Bottom pour vs ladle casting

    There are two camps on this and I am in neither one but I did wonder how they compared FOR ME. So I set up my bottom pour pot and after getting temperatures of the lead and mold equilibrated, I would pour two bullets using bottom pour followed by two bullets using the ladle, etc alternating...
  6. O

    Frosty bullets?

    When I use the bottom pour option on my lead pot, the bullets have a faint frosty appearance on one side. Weights are consistent and they shoot fine. If I use the ladle in between using the bottom pour (so I am using the same lead at the same temp with the same mold under the same conditions...
  7. O

    Cylinder fillers

    I have always heard that for best accuracy you should have the ball just seated into the mouth of the cylinder, enough so the cylinder rotates but not way down in there. To do this with target loads, you need a filler to take up the extra space. Cream of Wheat is one I have heard used. What...
  8. O

    Lubing the 40 cal REAL

    Smearing lube into the grooves was messy but a quick method for just a few shots. I now have a less labor intensive procedure that will allow me to spend more time shooting and less time smearing lube onto bullets. Bullets are stood upright in an alltoid tin (all purpose things) with a little...
  9. O

    Sighting in the seneca

    Last year I had the 32 cal barrel on my seneca (wouldn't group at all) rebored to 40 cal. Today I sighted it in with the 200 grain REAL bullet (had a custom mold made by Lee Precision). Maybe I was lucky but this is one of the best groups I have shot with blackpowder. I would have shot more but...
  10. O

    New load for my 40

    After wondering for a loooong time how the REAL bullet would perform in my 40 cal flinter, I finally spent the $$ and had a custom mold made up. Today, I finally got to try them out. Groupings at 50 yds were equivalent to what I get from PRB, just 6" or so lower on the target. but I was using...
  11. O

    .40 cal REAL bullet

    Every now and then someone is looking for a conical, maxi, REAL type bullet for the .40 cal. I considered having a special mold made by Lee Precision but the cost would be around $180. They say they hear no interest in that type of bullet. If everyone who would be interested would send them an...
  12. O

    Cheek rests

    The messed up kit stock for an investarms rifle (water damage) I recently received was never finished -- lots of mill marks, tool chatter, etc. Removing wood to get rid of those also gets rid of most of the water stain. The stock has a large beavertail type cheek rest that is heavily stained in...
  13. O

    Lead whiskers

    My mold for .32 maxi's has lines scored across the mold. I assume that they are to let air escape when pouring but don't really know. But, I do get very fine whiskers on the bullets. They are about like a human hair and I can scrape them off easily but wondered if I am pouring too hot or it...
  14. O

    Seneca rifle

    A friend of mine has a mint condition seneca that he got years ago. He said it is a .32 cal with fast twist so that it wouldn't shoot PRB well but did group will with conicals. I hadn't heard of any seneca rifles in calibers other than 36 and 45. Was this common or a special item?
  15. O

    New handcannon

    A new hand cannon with 12" Colerain barrel in .62 cal smoothbore, L&R lock and a special stock. Since I first wanted to have this gun built, I was concerned about the number of heavy caliber pistol that would crack the stock. So this one has a special stock. It is walnut, for want of a better...
  16. O

    Walker vs. Dragoon

    Trying to decide between getting a Walker vs. one of the dragoon replicas. Trying to get a list together of plus/mius in comparison. I know the walker holds more powder and the dragoons are lighter. What other differences are there?
  17. O

    The Davenport Formula

    This formula had traditionally been used to calculate the most efficient maximum load for a particular barrel based upon caliber and length. Data from Lyman shows that even after you exceed this calculated amount, the velocity continues to increase with increased powder charge. Thinking about...
  18. O

    New rifle - just arrived today

    .40 cal Colerain A weight swamped barrel, siler lock. Custom made to fit me. Rear sight out farther than usual to fit my trifocal eyes. Single trigger. BLO finish.
  19. O

    Lemat coming

    I have a Lemat coming in the next week. What size balls and caps are best? Also, does anyone shoot a large ball in the smoothbore barrel or always a shot load? Any other advice? I am mainly a flint shooter so this will be different.
  20. O

    Cast vs swaged balls

    Finally got to take my refurbished T/C Hawken out with the new GM .54 smoothbore barrel. Best precision I could get was about 3.5" for 5 shots at 50 yds. Used 80 gr. FFFg, overpowder wad, .52 ball with 0.016 patch with wonderlube. The balls were commercial cast from TOTW and had a fairly...
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