deerstalker, range report, care and maint

[DanHirschberg]

kodiak I like your post, and as a former professional cook (I hope to never get paid that poorly again) I think seasoning a cast iron skillet is a bit misled. I personally think seasoning a cast iron comes from simply reducing cleaning it to a soft sponge and reduced soap, as opposed to, say, cleaning a teflon skillet with a coarse green-side scrubber and heavy soap...you know...making sure to leave some oil on there when you're done cleaning it. Seasoning, to me, is what one may do with a wok....heating, and rubbing olive oil in with pressure...but anon, we move forward to the rifle barrel. I like your post in that, it makes sense to think that some sort of pre-emption should better the service life of the barrel...which begs to me, the question, how long should an average muzzleloader's barrel last? as a side note, is it just me or do I think AR-15's are barbies for boys, and fantasy football is Dungeons and Dragons for guys who used to beat up guys who played dungeons and dragons?

 

[DanHirschberg]

ok....lanox is marketed as a substitute for WD-40? Or is it just the australian version? BTW I have no issue with australians, I just got my first barmah hat not too long ago...and love it.

 

[54ball]

FIVE HOURS at the range...I intend to modify the comb on this rifle's stock...(my jaw is a bit sore after a five hour session) and I will concur. The guy next to me thought I was pulling, which I also thought

A long range session can be counter productive Think about it. After 5 HOURS of hammering, are you really at your best? I had a real long session this year and honestly I might has well have poured the powder on the ground and threw my roundballs over my shoulder. The next trip I got more accomplished in 45 minutes than that all day powder burn.

I think you need to get some more quality range time before you reshape that stock. You may need to try a different hold, maybe more upright to replicate a offhand/freehand shot. Bottom line, I would not reshape a stock based on one session.

 

[Walks with fire]

I think the cheek rest on my Deerstalker is part of the reason it shoots so darn accurate. I know I wouldn't change it in hopes it would give me a little less cheek slap. Mine doesn't bother me at all for a short range session but then again I seldom shoot more than 20 shots per outing with my full charge of 90 grains Goex 3f; .54 ball.

If I would have bought this rifle first I probably wouldn't have nearly as many as I do. It's handy, accurate and plenty of thump; it doesn't look too bad either. Nice rifle for the money.

 

[robertmcw]

My ex-wife gave me a Thompson Center 54 cal. flintlock in the mid 80’s. The last time I shot it (in the 80’s), I cleaned it with dish soap and hot water, used a brass bore brush to knock off all of the gunpowder and cleaned it again with dish soap and hot water again, used the air compressor to blow the water out and hosed it with WD-40. Then I put it in the safe. I live in the Houston area and I kept in an a/c closet in a safe. Last year I decided to shoot it after shooting it and again using dish soap and hot water and the bore brass brush, I looked down the barrel and the lands and groves look new. The outsides of the bluing does have just a hint of surface rust so I used some 0000 steel wool and CLP to fix that. I now use CLP but the gun looks great. I wished I look that good after thirty years.

 

[awebbersr]

This is my second time using muzzle loaders. The first time I was using Pyrodex and the cleanup was awful. I did use Bore Butter and while others were having to run patches down every third shot I was shooting eight without a need to run a patch. I attributed that to the Bore Butter. :idunno: Now I use Goex 3F and the clean up with hot soapy water and rinse with hot clean water is a snap. I started using Bore Butter again but saw so many nay sayers I switched to MrFlintlock and am just as happy. :hmm:

 

[morehops]

Yes, the Deerstalker is a great rifle for the money. i'll give you my procedure based on experience and reading here for several years.
First, in order to keep my fillings in place, I bought a Lead Sled by Caldwell. It absorbs a great deal of the recoil.
I like the hooked breech so I can take the barrel out to clean. I do not use hot water any more, I use it cold or lukewarm with a touch of liquid laundry soap. I've also used Butch's bore shine with good results. This has eliminated the flashover rust from the hot water. I take the nipple out and let it soak in hot water until I'm ready to re-install it. Dry it good and give it a small shot of compressed air. I also oil the threads lightly by rubbing them with an oily patch so as not to get any oil in the holes.
Once the barrel is clean and dry, I run a clean dry patch to the breech and leave it there with muzzle down for a while. I do this until I can pull a patch that is totally dry.
No need to season a barrel. For short term storage I use a good gun oil. For long term I use a grease. In my very humid neck of the woods I've found it to be the only long-term protection that works for me.
As for tightening longer range groups, I've found the factory front sights on almost ALL of the rifles to be too thick for my taste. I take a file or Dremmel tool (careful there!) and reduce the diameter to my liking. It has helped my old eyes a lot.
When hunting, I put a sling in my pack to I can shoulder the rifle while dragging my deer.
Enjoy that rifle. It's a darned good one. Not perfect but well worth the money.

 

[Dr5x]

Lanolin is an oil derived from wool if I remember correctly.
Australia has a lot more wool than we do here.
As I have said repeatedly,I am not married to WD 40. Anything you can do that eliminates rust coming from your bore is fine with me.
Lanolin would never have occurred to me. But if it works, stick wit it.

Dutch

 

[Dr5x]

I didn't think steel was porous either but I cannot otherwise explain a pair of pliers I have had for about 75 tears that remained oily after many cleaning sessions.
I didn't think that ceramics were porous either but I recently bought some cookware with a ceramic coating that is supposed to be non-stick AFTER seasoning the surface.
Whether steel is porous or not I am not sure, but issuer as heck acts like it is.

Dutch

 

[DanHirschberg]

the hooked barrel breech is nice, but it's a dang tight fit into the stock, and removing the crossmember that holds it in place feels awful dicey. at any rate, you have an older deerstalker I presume, because mine has some fancy fiber optic iron sights. no grinding here.