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RBK

36 Cal.
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
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Hello folks. Here is an old rifle that my father obtained about 50 years ago. Barrel is 44", hex and 1" across the flats. Muzzle measures .350".
I have been shooting .315 ball with wet patch on top of 30 grn. FFFG. CCI #11 caps work but, only on the second strike for some reason.
Should I use a larger ball perhaps? What is the nominal caliber....36[?]
The only maker's mark is "THE BOWMAN" which is stamped onto a copper washer that a bolt goes thru to hold the lock in place. All metal is brown except brass parts.
Any tips or insight is appreciated.
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Your cap is not seated down compleatly on the nipple! I've never had any problems w/CCI caps but I read some of the guys do. Try #11 Remington caps and see how they work or put the nipple you have in your drill chuck and with a fine file remove a LITTLE metal from the side of the nipple. Just a couple turns at a time with the file and then check for fit. What do you mean by wet patch?
 
Take the lock out,, clean and lube the parts inside.

Many times what people think is the hammer pushing down the cap with the first drop is the fly jamming the tumbler sear into half-cock, the hammer isn't even reaching the cap.
 
What they said about the cap situation. If you get good accuracy with a .315 patched ball then you have a .32. If the combo is very loose it should be slugged to determined if .36 or other. That looks like an original rifle. Very nice.
 
Yes, I sanded the nipple some and, got reliable shooting of the cap. So next, I will try a .320 ball since the .315 goes down real easy. The brass is taking a shine real easy with Mothers Mag polish. Wow, what a gun, the set trigger works really well.
Can anybody shed some light as to who was the maker of this gun? I took it to a gunshow in Knoxville years ago and, the best advise I got was that local makers bought parts and, made guns locally with their name on them.
Makes sense to me.
 
Yes, by wet patch, I mean, a .010 patch that has been soaked in bore solvent....[water, alcohol, soap, etc.] a mix I derived years ago. I always heard that a wet patch will keep the fouling away.
Works for me.
 
Hanshi, I am still working on the accuracy part of it. Heck, standing, I can barely hold this thing! It is extremely heavy [recall, 1" thick barrel] so, I will try shooting off the bench.
But, while shooting offhand, I could hit a playing card at 25 yards. I know, I know, not too good but, good enough to have fun with.
 
Your rifle appears to be an original or, in the worst case, restocked original parts.

One thing that leads me to think the barrel is an old original is its size and bore. More importantly, the very low front sight is a feature rarely seen on barrels made in the 20th century. The old timers referred to it as a "keen" sight.

If it is original and I had to guess at a rough date of when it was made I would put it into the mid 1850's.
I've seen quite a few guns that used these heavy barrels with small caliber bores. Apparently folks weren't overly concerned about weight back in those days.


"THE BOWMAN" could be anything from the original builder or owner to the name of someones shop where work on the gun had been done.

If the bore measures at .350 across the unrifled surfaces it would be a .350 caliber.
While this is not a common caliber today it isn't unusual to see calibers like this on old guns.

As a side note, an old rule of thumb is the correct ball size to shoot in a muzzleloader is about .010 smaller than the bore with the patch taking up the difference between the ball size and the bore size.
Using this "rule", the correct ball size would be a .340 diameter ball and perhaps as a coincidence(?), a #00 Buckshot measures .340 diameter.

As another side note, on a true antique gun it is a bad idea to try to "clean it up".
Removing the patina and any existing stock finish will decrease its value both as a collectible and as a piece of our history.
 
Zonie, your reply is outstanding. Sheds more light on a subject that has been of interest to us all of these years.
Nope, not gonna remove any browning or finish. The stock is really dry and cracking. I feed it a little polish sometimes.
You just gotta wonder, how these people held this rifle up to their shoulder to fire it. Really heavy.
 
Although I'll get a bunch of static about what I'm going to say here I suggest that you buy some boiled linseed oil for your stock.

Linseed drys very slowly and it will water spot if it gets rained on but it is a oil finish that has been around for over 1000 years.

If you apply it to your guns wood do not just slop it on and let it sit.
Rather, use a small cotton rag to apply a small amount and rub it in until it seems to be almost dry. Then let the stock sit for at least a week and repeat the application.

Because you are just adding a bit of oil to the wood and you are not actually trying to refinish the existing finish it is a good idea to lightly wipe any extra linseed off of the existing finish.
Doing this won't devalue the gun and it will help keep the wood from drying out more than it is.
 
Good looking rifle, man, I've always had a weakness for the Southern mountain styled rifles. Hope you meant to say octagon rather than hex barrel :grin:. If the bore is .350, try some .340 RBs (TOW lists them) or some #00 buckshot (.330 diameter) - vary the patch thickness as required. I shoot #000 buckshot (.350 diameter) out of my .36 cal rifle with a .016" +/- patch. The others have chimed in on the other matters and I have nothing to add.
 
Nope, its hex alright, six sides. Measures 1" across the flats.
Thanks folks for your replies. The gun shoots great and, I have a grin every time I shoot it!
 
Do not want to nit-pick, or take "sides" :hmm: :hmm: but... six does not work from the pics :confused:
I agree with Otter...octagonal.
Shreck
 
A very nice rifle with an octagonal (8 sided) barrel. Be careful with the "Mother's", it does a good job but not always appropriate for a 150 year old gun. (But, of course, that is just my opinion.) Zonie's advice on how to use linseed oil for the "dry" stock is good. Light oil on the iron and you are good to go.
 
I STAND CORRECTED GUYS!
Octagonal it is!

Wow, it is amazing how your eyes see one thing and, your brain tells you it is something else.

Good thing I don't fly airplanes, huh?
 
Zonie said:
Although I'll get a bunch of static about what I'm going to say here I suggest that you buy some boiled linseed oil for your stock.

Linseed drys very slowly and it will water spot if it gets rained on but it is a oil finish that has been around for over 1000 years.

If you apply it to your guns wood do not just slop it on and let it sit.
Rather, use a small cotton rag to apply a small amount and rub it in until it seems to be almost dry. Then let the stock sit for at least a week and repeat the application.

Because you are just adding a bit of oil to the wood and you are not actually trying to refinish the existing finish it is a good idea to lightly wipe any extra linseed off of the existing finish.
Doing this won't devalue the gun and it will help keep the wood from drying out more than it is.


I've used boiled linseed oil on old guns but never full strength,it just never seems to dry completely.This is one reason museums have stopped using it to wipe furniture down periodically.One very old recipe is boiled linseed oil,turpentine,and vinegar in equal amounts.I'm not sure what the vinegar does but I do like a 50-50 mix of the other two.I think maybe the vinegar speeds up the drying process and have occasionally added some to the other two ingredients.But as I said I never use linseed oil by itself.For old furniture I don't think you can beat shellac thinned down.For a real hoot {and some good tips}buy a copy of THE FURNITURE DOCTOR by George Grotz, an oldie but a goody.It sells on www.abebooks.com for under $5.00 and well worth it.
Tom Patton
 
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I appreciate your help Okwaho.
The wealth of knowledge on this discussion board is tremendous.
 
Here is a recipe for Linseed Oil for your stock. 3 parts boiled linseed oil, one part turpentine and one part vinegar. This mix needs to be shaken before use. Rub it on with a soft cloth and then rub it in until the wood gets warm. Repeat as needed.

The turpentine and vinegar allow the linseed oil to dry faster and prevents it from being sticky. Be careful of the discarded rags, they can self-ignite since the linseed oil's ignition temperature can be reached in a wadded up rag as a result of the oxidation of the linseed oil. I keep my linseed rags tightly packed with little room for air in a tightly sealed mason jar.

Many Klatch
 
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