1847 Reilly 16 bore SxS - Need a barrel expert

[theoldredneck]

Look up the Skychiefs load, it really works great

 

[Gene Williams]

Just read up on Skychief's load...very interesting and it makes sense, especially out of my old bores. I'll try it.
-- 68 grains of FFg powder (pyrodex FS equivalent since I have no idea what is the old powder in my powder flask)
-- 1/8" card
-- 1 oz 7.5 lead shot
-- 1 overshot card
-- Fiber wad rolled in canola oil. (in cooking it's known that olive oil heated to more than 380 degrees F turns rancid. Probably doesn't mean diddly to the shot slurping it up but Canola oil does stay better at higher temps.)
Thanks...exactly the info I was looking for. I'll experiment with other shot sizes later....I just happened to have a few ounces of 7.5 in the house for some reason.

 

[rdane]

I’ve never liked cushion wads. I use two cards over powder with good results. If there’s pitting, you may need a cushion. Should be a good load.

 

[theoldredneck]

I just followed his instructions, olive oil worked fine. Was surprised at how well his load works when loaded as per instructions. Also noticed that the ones that were less than satisfied had usually changed something. LOL. Try it with whatever oil you have.

 

[Rudyard]

The thick felt wads are later thinking in flintlock days a thin 'Paste board' card as over powder was thought OK, But so was picked oakam or a ball of newspaper .' Wilkinsons ellastic wadding' rings a bell .I have a booklet about it . A slightly under 3/8" felt wad was what I used, or the thicker Eley' Kleena' wad with a slice split off to do for top wad. Colonel Hawker writes of a thin card being used for main wad .I better look these worthies up. But at the end of the day what works for you go with that ,Ide say 3/8" waxed felt myself. More anon don't want to disturb the dogs this early Regards Rudyard

 

[theoldredneck]

I'm not knocking using the 3/8" felt wads or 1/2" felt if that is what a person wants to load. There is a difference in the weight of a "soaked" 1/2" fiber wad and felt. Soaked fiber being heavier and giving the tighter patterns when loaded as he suggested, I do not get the same results using felt out of any gauge. With his load as has been mentioned holding a rag around muzzle when loading the soaked fiber wad to catch oil being squeezed out cuts down on mess. I wouldn't try it at all if not willing to load as he suggested. You are making a mess for nothing gained, just load as you would normally. To me the difference in patterns is more than worth the extra effort.

 

[Feltwad]

Use whatever type of loading suits you if you want to use a oiled felt wad and it works ok then fine . I personally use two 1/8 card over the powder then the shot followed by a 1/16 card over the shot , I never swab out the barrel I have found that a coked barrel shoots stronger and if the wads become difficult to ram home a bit of spittle in the bore helps a lot . Most of my black powder shooting is from a hide on pest control for pigeons and crows which on a good day can average a hundred shots and more .
Feltwad

 

[Gene Williams]

I am still alive.... Shot about 12 rounds through the barrels today...starting with 55 grains, 3/4 oz, 60 grains 7/8 oz and ending with 68 grains 1 oz for several shots. No problems. I didn't hit many clays but wasn't really trying - concentrating more on the mechanism of shooting a muzzleloader. I tried a couple of different loads including the Skychief load. Without patterning the gun though, I can't tell the difference. Great fun and great experience. The gun is alive again. Thank you guys for the help.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I'd recommend Steve Hutton at Brittania Sporting Arms in Portsmouth, NH to assess your barrels.

 

[Heelerau]

Gene, good to see another old fowler woken up after a big sleep !!

 

[Gene Williams]

I asked the barrel guy to correct the loose left hammer. He did not. I'm "disappointed." Here is the problem.

1). I tighten the split screw before cocking. Hammer is tight.


2). Cock hammer - hammer is tight.


3) pull trigger - screw rotates with the hammer loosening it.


What to do?

 

[hawkeye2]

Loctite

 

[Heelerau]

If the hammer is loose on the square, use a fine chisel to upset the material around the square in the hammer itself, on the side of the hammer that faces the lock plate. You may have to press the hammer back on in a vice, but that will be ok as the hammers need to be tight.That may be why your bun nut is coming loose.

 

[jlatz]

I've been using a 15 ga. Belgian percussion double for a while at club events and at Friendship. The load has been 2 1/2 drams of Triple 7, a Mike;s over powder was (these are two overshot wads pasted together, one slightly larger that gives a god seal) and half of a lubed cushion wad. The same shot load from the dipper (one ounce) and an over shot wad. Patterns are good. I find using #7 shot breaks clays quite well at trap from 10 yards from the house. It has around 20 percent more inertia and 7 1/2s. At Friendship two years ago I entered the 10 yard trap small bore event with the 15 ga., anything under 12 ga using no more than an ounce of shot. I broke 25 out of 30, not enough to place. But, I was happy with the results.

 

[Zonie]

Like Hawkeye2 says, use Loctite.
Remove any oil from the threads on the shaft and in the nut. Use the Blue, medium strength Loctite, Never use the Red (permanent) Loctite in this application because some day you might want to remove the hammer.

It doesn't take much. Just a small drop on the external threads, then screw the nut on and fully tighten it.

Loctite isn't an epoxy so it won't harden on the parts until it is squished by tightening the nut. Once the nut is tight, it reacts with the steel and begins to harden.
It sometimes takes a full 24 hours to harden so give it time before you "fire" the lock.

It won't work on stainless steel, rusty steel or iron, or aluminum threads unless they are first coated with "Primer T" but because all of the parts on your guns lock are steel, it will work fine.

 

[Gene Williams]

I've played around with it a bit more. I can't unscrew the split screw off the center pin - nor can I consistently tighten if anymore. I think the thread might be stripped and someone at sometime just hammered the end of the pin to keep the screw/nut from backing off. There are not a lot of muzzle loader specialists in the Washington DC area unfortunately...but I don't think I want to bugger the hammers up trying to figure it out myself. I'll make the rounds of the local gunsmiths to see who might give it a look. Any suggestions?

 

[Zonie]

LocTite makes a type of thread locking compound that is made for cases like yours.
It is very thin and it is designed to penetrate into threads that are assembled. You just put a little of it on the exposed threads where the nut and male thread meets.
Look for LocTite # 290. It does cost a bit more than the regular LocTite's but in cases like yours I'm betting the cost will be a lot less than what you would have to pay for a gunsmith to look at it.

Follow this link to find it

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-492144-Penetrating-Threadlocker-36-Milliliter/dp/B0002KKTRM

 

[Gene Williams]

I keep bothering you guys but am more confused than ever. I asked the barrel guy about the hammer (I thought I told him to fix it). He responded thusly:

"There are several methods that could be used to tighten the left hammer. I would drill out the old stud, either shim the hammer with shim stock or have the square portion of the tumbler built up with micro-weld, then a new screw can be made to fit the tumbler and engraved."

That seems like a lot of work. Can't the action just be taken apart and the stud replaced without drilling? I need a good second opinion.

 

[Gene Williams]

Here's the final chapter of J.C. Reilly 5512. I found a muzzle-loader specialist....he calls himself a "gun restorer" rather than a "gun smith"- he restores guns for a prominent dealer in the area...over in the Shenandoah Valley and took the gun to him to look at the loose left hammer. He took both hammers off and examined them and watching his hands work was like watching skilled tools. The left hammer square slot was now too big for the spindle. Someone at onetime had whacked it with a cold chisel to tighten it up.

Rather than build up the spindle by welding additional material he opted to add a brass shim to the inside of the slot. He added locktite...and voila...a tight and perfectly functioning hammer. He charged a pittance....hard to get a couple of Starbucks for what he charged!!

I stopped by the range on the way home today, a beautiful drive, and shot 10 rounds through each barrel, Fg powder, 70 grains, 1 oz of 7.5 shot on the sporting clays range. I hit 12 out of 20, about equal left and right barrel. I used the "Skychief" load, and hit a couple of clays at 35-40 yards out. More than pleased. The shooting might not have been great but for me it was sheer pleasure on a gorgeous day.

 

[Heelerau]

Good on you Gene, loose hammer can be a pain, I have tightened a few with good success. Nice to see the old girl back in service. I am waking a rifle up today after probably a century or more of sleep.