Today i Tried out my Flint lock

[Ol' Flinter]

I'm still a greenhorn. I've been shooting .440 balls with an .015 patch. Even with that it leaves almost no pattern at all when it's slugged. But it won't load at all with two .010 patches.

Ordered some .445 balls, then should be able to slug it and get a pattern. Probably will need .010 patches then. Am getting better and faster with it, though.

Mike:
Realize that "0.15" patch thickness" is really meaningless: what matters is the COMPRESSED thickness that could vary by several thou, depending on the nature of the material. Squish it in a micrometer - that's the measure that really matters. I like 8 oz (.006" compressed) and 10 oz (.008" compressed) twice-washed new denim, depending on the depth of rifling in the barrel and ball diameter. Denim is cheap, readily available and tough.

if you can set the ball in the muzzle with your thumb, the fit is too loose - it should be tight enough that hitting the starter 20 or 30 times in a range session makes your hand sore: I use a small rubber mallet with my short starter at the range. The .445" ball and .015 patch should improve accuracy; and try different patch lubes like Moose Milk - none that are really slippery/greasy.
Good luck.

 

[Waterloomike]

Mike:
Realize that "0.15" patch thickness" is really meaningless: what matters is the COMPRESSED thickness that could vary by several thou, depending on the nature of the material. Squish it in a micrometer - that's the measure that really matters. I like 8 oz (.006" compressed) and 10 oz (.008" compressed) twice-washed new denim, depending on the depth of rifling in the barrel and ball diameter. Denim is cheap, readily available and tough.

if you can set the ball in the muzzle with your thumb, the fit is too loose - it should be tight enough that hitting the starter 20 or 30 times in a range session makes your hand sore: I use a small rubber mallet with my short starter at the range. The .445" ball and .015 patch should improve accuracy; and try different patch lubes like Moose Milk - none that are really slippery/greasy.
Good luck.

The .440 goes in quite easy even when I've got a lot of fouling. Now I have found, that after cleaning, I can get grouping with rounds 3,4 and 5. But it still goes in too easy, I'm pretty sure. It's never very difficult to get the round to load. Certainly not like you're describing. and my hand is never sore.

None of the locals carry .445, so I've contacted a shop about an hour away to order some in for me.

But haven't heard back from them. there's a distributor about an hour away that will sell to the general public and it looks like I'll have to make a run.

Thanks for the patch tips.