• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

First Flintlock Tom

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
You did really well.

Say, have you ever just tried a few over shot cards for a wad instead of the thick wad you are using?
Yep. Works okay for lead but lead free is a whole different beast. I know some people say that bismuth shot shoots the same as lead but it doesn't ever pattern as well for me. The best patterns came from using a thick felt OP wad, 1.5 oz #6 Bi shot, cornmeal buffer settled into the shot, thin card OS. Tried the Skychief method a few times & didn't find that particularly better either.

My theory is that because the Bi shot is brittle, it is deforming & even shattering some when it is blasted out. So anything that can slow that acceleration down reduces the deformation and, therefore, tightens the pattern. Slower powder, thicker wads, buffers, etc. -- all aimed at slowing the acceleration. It's just a theory though. But that's my guess as to why the the thick wad helps a little.
 
I'm hoping to drop a bird with my flintlock. I've killed deer with my flintlock rifles, but so far have not taken a turkey with my smoothbore flintlock. Have had the hammer (cock) back on a few but never got the chance to pull the trigger. Hoping this year is different.
I had the cock back on a bird last year & failed to ignite the prime.
 
Back
Top