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The main spring broke on the Pedersoli trade gun so I welded it.
With some fiddling I got it sparking good again so I needed a test and what better way than via a rabbit hunt.

Well the rabbits were thin on the ground and it being a very damp day guess what happened when I did get a shot? Nothing!
I saw a spark but no fire.
After cleaning and freshening the pan a rare occasion occurred! I spied a fox working my way in some thick nettles.
I got low and readied the gun confidence draining away as I looked again at the pan and closed the frizzen.
The fox got to about 30yds turned side on perfectly, I aimed, reminded myself to follow through, saw the flash, waited for the recoil........nothing🤣
The fox jumped and wondered " what the heck...." and trotted off!
I carried on hunting and bumped into it hunting rabbits, it gave one a good chase.
Jess, my dog was going nuts! She turns into a monster if she can get on a fox!
Anyway, this fox was onto us and slipped away denying me another chance.
Fair play. I smiled, it's not everyday nowadays a fox witnesses a flash in the pan is it?
Well I never got my rabbit but did shoot the gun off.
It was a successful test. I will get a rabbit but I should really stop using flintlocks in foul damp conditions!
 
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Remember this?
View attachment 111397
The main spring broke on the Pedersoli trade gun so I welded it.
With some fiddling I got it sparking good again so I needed a test and what better way than via a rabbit hunt.

Well the rabbits were thin on the ground and it being a very damp day guess what happened when I did get a shot? Nothing!
I saw a spark but no fire.
After cleaning and freshening the pan a rare occasion occurred! I spied a fox working my way in some thick nettles.
I got low and readied the gun confidence draining away as I looked again at the pan and closed the frizzen.
The fox got to about 30yds turned side on perfectly, I aimed, reminded myself to follow through, saw the flash, waited for the recoil........nothing🤣
The fox jumped and wondered " what the heck...." and trotted off!
I carried on hunting and bumped into it hunting rabbits, it gave one a good chase.
Jess, my dog was going nuts! She turns into a monster if she can get on a fox!
Anyway, this fox was onto us and slipped away denying me another chance.
Fair play. I smiled, it's not everyday nowadays a fox witnesses a flash in the pan is it?
Well I never got my rabbit but did shoot the gun off.
It was a successful test. I will get a rabbit but I should really stop using flintlocks in foul damp conditions!
View attachment 111400
Still a nice outing it looks like.
I know that you’re fond of 4F. Maybe a coarser grade wouldn’t be so hydroscopic on those damp days?
 
Steve Rinelli on his show Meat Eater this season had an episode based in Pennsylvania during the flintlock season. It was quite a bit of fun. His entire hunt went pretty much like yours (or mine). It is a fun watch.
 
Lucky fox! Sounds like a good day. +1 on trying some 3f for the pan on those damp days. Nice repair job. Tig?
 
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You welded a mainspring and it didn't break??? Amazing, sir.
Yes.
Hmm, I could of done it better though..
I knew the heat would soften it making it less brittle. It softened it a little to much.
I could of or should of re heated and quenched it then polished it and drew it back.
In the end I packed the V and assembled the lock. I then had to fit a new frizzen spring. The original busted years ago so I made one. The factory replacement I ordered sat in the draw for about near a decade.
Once that was fitted it was offering to much resistance on the compromised main spring so I gently warmed the new frizzen spring until the two were balanced.
We'll see how it goes.....
 
thank you for the picture & reply. so it can be done with out loosing all of the temper? where there is a will there is a way!
 
thank you for the picture & reply. so it can be done with out loosing all of the temper? where there is a will there is a way!
Well yes and no.
I should of suspended the sring in water to stop the heat transfer. As it was the vee collapsed reducing its overall V. So I had to open it up and fit shim in the V to keep it wide enough to put adequate pre load on the tumbler.
I honestly am not very impressed with Pedersoli springs. They are not drawn back enough and not polished enough.
 
Do you think it would have done the job at 30 yards? Only reason I ask is twice now I've dropped the hammer on a fox at around 25 yards with old Gerty and the fox has disappeared with nary a trace,even rabbits on the 25-30m mark can be hit and miss as to whether they drop or run. I'm using 2¼ drams of 2f and 1½ oz of size 4 or size 2 shot. Its what it patterns best with so far but I find the pattern is still a bit too open at 30m
 
Do you think it would have done the job at 30 yards? Only reason I ask is twice now I've dropped the hammer on a fox at around 25 yards with old Gerty and the fox has disappeared with nary a trace,even rabbits on the 25-30m mark can be hit and miss as to whether they drop or run. I'm using 2¼ drams of 2f and 1½ oz of size 4 or size 2 shot. Its what it patterns best with so far but I find the pattern is still a bit too open at 30m
Hmmm. Pete in all honesty that ain't enough powder!I don't on the whole buy into the mantra less powder and more shot bla bla!
Just seems an excuse to improve patterns but at the expense of power.
I also don't recommend nothing courser than 3f. Only when I'm using finer do I reduce the volume noticably.
So my measure today throws about 1&1/16 #7,1/2. I'm guessing 1oz #4. The powder in the same measure is just below the top of the measure 1/8"
If I was using 2 or 1f I would brim the bast.......thing.
In some of my guns when I tried the courser stuff I would put more powder than shot in to just try and get some useful velocity up!
Why don't I like course powder?
1, the velocity is to low.
2, it's producing pressure to near the muzzle and hence to much gas volume ruining patterns.
3, it's just not efficient.
I load a gun until it kicks me, that way I know I have useful velocity.
I don't shoot at paper because I don't use wads associated with cartridges and so know I'm not getting doughnuts. I've also never seen a gun shoot the same pattern twice. I've seen folk shoot a pattern and call it good with no idea what is happening on the next shot!
That 30yd fox was side on. I would of expected 2-3 #4 in the ribs or more. I also expect them to reach the other side of its chest. It would not of gone far! 30yds is the max for a cylinder bore really. That said being .63 bore the shot is in a way already in a tight 12g full choke. It's not the same no but it is already in a
taller column. I'm also a disbeliever in the mantra that larger the bore the better the pattern.
Best wishes.
 
Hmmm. Pete in all honesty that ain't enough powder!I don't on the whole buy into the mantra less powder and more shot bla bla!
Just seems an excuse to improve patterns but at the expense of power.
I also don't recommend nothing courser than 3f. Only when I'm using finer do I reduce the volume noticably.
So my measure today throws about 1&1/16 #7,1/2. I'm guessing 1oz #4. The powder in the same measure is just below the top of the measure 1/8"
If I was using 2 or 1f I would brim the bast.......thing.
In some of my guns when I tried the courser stuff I would put more powder than shot in to just try and get some useful velocity up!
Why don't I like course powder?
1, the velocity is to low.
2, it's producing pressure to near the muzzle and hence to much gas volume ruining patterns.
3, it's just not efficient.
I load a gun until it kicks me, that way I know I have useful velocity.
I don't shoot at paper because I don't use wads associated with cartridges and so know I'm not getting doughnuts. I've also never seen a gun shoot the same pattern twice. I've seen folk shoot a pattern and call it good with no idea what is happening on the next shot!
That 30yd fox was side on. I would of expected 2-3 #4 in the ribs or more. I also expect them to reach the other side of its chest. It would not of gone far! 30yds is the max for a cylinder bore really. That said being .63 bore the shot is in a way already in a tight 12g full choke. It's not the same no but it is already in a
taller column. I'm also a disbeliever in the mantra that larger the bore the better the pattern.
Best wishes.
There's no way I'm using your powder charges in my 170 year old heirloom gun though lol. I do use 3 drams in my nitro proofed hollis sxs and the same weight of shot and had the same results though,even with the full choked barrel. Mind you,I dont think a modern full choke gun is that much use beyond 40m even with 3" shells,even when shooting shotguns as a living I found that 30m was about right for a dead right there kill.
I have loaded up with 2½ drams of powder before but that didn't seem to kill any better on rabbits and it blew the pattern right out.
Actually part of the reason I'd like a modern muzzleloader shotgun,so I can up the charges and experiment a bit more without risking an heirloom
 
There's no way I'm using your powder charges in my 170 year old heirloom gun though lol. I do use 3 drams in my nitro proofed hollis sxs and the same weight of shot and had the same results though,even with the full choked barrel. Mind you,I dont think a modern full choke gun is that much use beyond 40m even with 3" shells,even when shooting shotguns as a living I found that 30m was about right for a dead right there kill.
I have loaded up with 2½ drams of powder before but that didn't seem to kill any better on rabbits and it blew the pattern right out.
Actually part of the reason I'd like a modern muzzleloader shotgun,so I can up the charges and experiment a bit more without risking an heirloom
Your gun Pete but what makes you think you would damage it?
Can you get finer powder?
Are you using conventional wads?
 
I'd rather not take the risk.
No I don't use regular wads,only leather or card disks.
Its very hard to get ANY blackpowder here. I was lucky enough to be given 3.5kg of 2f a few years ago,so that's what I'm using. It does fine for 90% of what I do
 
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