• 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

Load for an 18th Century Jaeger Rifle

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

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

Crane Senior

40 Cal
Joined
Mar 29, 2019
Messages
197
Reaction score
57
Location
San Diego, CA
I watched a video last night by a guy who can be found on capandball.com. He's from Hungary and was hunting wild boar with an original Jaeger (16mm) that had been converted in the 19th century to percussion. It was his load that interested me in that he used 70gr 2F powder followed by 30gr of a filler and then finished with the patch and round ball. He said it's to improve the load but in all the videos and shooting I've been around, this is a first. By the way, the rifle looked outstanding for an almost 300 year old firearm being used in the field. Any comments or information about why using a filler will be appreciated, thanks.
 
Maybe it was like using a backer patch or fiber wad to keep the powder burn off the patch around the ball. I've never heard of or seen anyone do that. Dan.
 
I have heard of people doing that, using corn meal or corn flour. I have not heard of anyone doing it in the last twenty years or so though.
What was the video?
Robby
 
Thanks, gentlemen.
I wouldn’t exactly call it a kit. All the wood removal, inletting, drilling and tapping holes etc etc. It was and still would be above my skill level. A prime example of turning a $900 kit into a 6th grade art project. But I still love it and it’s more accurate than I am.
 
I have used malto meal as a filler when shooting a light rabbit load with my 50 cal. It removes the air space from the breech plug to the ball. It's 25 grains of 2f and 25 grains of malto meal. Works great at rabbits. I have also used malto meal to raise the volume up so that the ball sits in good rifling in a old pitted barrel I bought.
 
I have used malto meal as a filler when shooting a light rabbit load with my 50 cal. It removes the air space from the breech plug to the ball. It's 25 grains of 2f and 25 grains of malto meal. Works great at rabbits. I have also used malto meal to raise the volume up so that the ball sits in good rifling in a old pitted barrel I bought.
Congratulations. :)
I knew that sooner or later, someone would come up with a good use for Malt O Meal.

It only took 102 years after it was invented.
 
Getting the ball further up bore into the ‘cleaner area’ was pretty common with guys I knew that were shooting original guns, particularly with light powder charges. After I got a decent borescope the practice made even more sense. A lot of ugliness down there that only refreshing could possibly clean up.
 
I shoot informal flintlock matches and one of our shooters always loads some cornmeal between powder and ball. Most of the time, he is the guy to beat. Who knew?

ADK Bigfoot
 
I watched a video last night by a guy who can be found on capandball.com. He's from Hungary and was hunting wild boar with an original Jaeger (16mm) that had been converted in the 19th century to percussion. ..., Any comments or information about why using a filler will be appreciated, thanks.

Because he is based IN Hungary, as well as actually being Hungarian, he may not have had access to fiber wads that would completely seal the gaps in the rifling grooves. So..., he opted for an inexpensive, easily found alternative, that absolutely would fill to match the bore.

LD
 
If I understood the reason for the filler was to raise the patched ball above a bad spot in the bore of his gun . One of my original 56 Caliber Jaeger rifles has a decent bore for being made around 1830 but when I first started shooting it working up a load . The best I was getting at 50 Yd. was about a 5 in. group . Tried different patch and powder combo with about the same results . Then decided to try an over powder wad that is just a patch tamped down over powder before the patched round ball . Bingo the old 56 Cal. loaded like that will stack one ball on top of the other . Just have to try different loads until you find what works in your rifle .
 
I use cream of wheat. It seals the gas pressure a bit better,in my opinion, and keeps a thin patch from burning through. I have a new englander that grouped horribly. I was using a thick enough patch that a flat spot was whacked on the ball when loading. Went to a thinner patch. Patch burned up. Found a very old article in muzzle blasts about a cream of wheat fix. Now I can shoot one hole groups at 50 yards , the round ball is still ROUND, and easy loading. Try it! It’s not expensive. It may also scrub the bore a bit cleaner, but I have no proof of that.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top