Help!-Make this go BANG (new made India B. Bess)
- Thread starter Klunk
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Drill a vent hole, ( you can tap and install a liner as well but not required)
Stick a good sharp piece of flint in the jaw
See how it sparks
Measure bore diameter
Get some balls sized to either work with paper cartridges or patches.
Pour some FFG down the tube, pound a ball on top of it
Prime the pan
Have some fun.
Stick a good sharp piece of flint in the jaw
See how it sparks
Measure bore diameter
Get some balls sized to either work with paper cartridges or patches.
Pour some FFG down the tube, pound a ball on top of it
Prime the pan
Have some fun.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Your hammer has a slot for a flat tipped screwdriver or a hole to tighten your flint in place. IIRC, these brown bess locks take the 1 to 1 1/4 inch flints. Track of the Wolf has these English knapped flints in stock usually. It's really nice to have several as flints will eventually fall apart from the pounding they receive.
You might want to get spare leather to surround the flint too. Buckskin is about perfect for this task.
You need a pin and brush to clean the priming pan and clear the flash-hole, between subsequent shots. Make sure the one you buy is small enough to clear your flash-hole. These are a must have IMO, I prefer the all brass one myself because the pin is small yet flexible for getting into tiny corners and the brass brush is superior to the steel pin & hair brush for removing burnt powder. Both styles I've seen for sale at T of Wolf are joined by a short length of chain.
Also if you are going to hunt your gun, get those 'modern' quickloads, for shot or ball in one side and a premeasured powder charge on the other side. No shotgun slugs, your solid shot has to be made of pure lead or plumber's lead BTW.
Don't forget flinters require two differing powders, one for the main charge, one for priming. A small priming measure is really nice for this job. You might or might not want a brass funnel to load your maincharge down the barrel. Short start ball for the initial loading of solid shot. You can get other powder measures that are adjustable for your maincharge.
Track of the Wolf has all of these BP goodies.
Don't ever pour powder straight from the 1 pound can into your barrel, as burning cinders hiding in the barrel from a previous shot, might ignite the pouring powder and you are suddenly in a cartoon. A very unfunny cartoon ending!
Edit: On a similar note don't ever look directly down the barrel after you've loaded it. Darwin Awards have been issued to those that lit a match to see what is down there. Sorry for the safety nazi stuff, lots to watch out for with these neat old timey tools!
Enjoy yourself buddy.....................
You might want to get spare leather to surround the flint too. Buckskin is about perfect for this task.
You need a pin and brush to clean the priming pan and clear the flash-hole, between subsequent shots. Make sure the one you buy is small enough to clear your flash-hole. These are a must have IMO, I prefer the all brass one myself because the pin is small yet flexible for getting into tiny corners and the brass brush is superior to the steel pin & hair brush for removing burnt powder. Both styles I've seen for sale at T of Wolf are joined by a short length of chain.
Also if you are going to hunt your gun, get those 'modern' quickloads, for shot or ball in one side and a premeasured powder charge on the other side. No shotgun slugs, your solid shot has to be made of pure lead or plumber's lead BTW.
Don't forget flinters require two differing powders, one for the main charge, one for priming. A small priming measure is really nice for this job. You might or might not want a brass funnel to load your maincharge down the barrel. Short start ball for the initial loading of solid shot. You can get other powder measures that are adjustable for your maincharge.
Track of the Wolf has all of these BP goodies.
Don't ever pour powder straight from the 1 pound can into your barrel, as burning cinders hiding in the barrel from a previous shot, might ignite the pouring powder and you are suddenly in a cartoon. A very unfunny cartoon ending!
Edit: On a similar note don't ever look directly down the barrel after you've loaded it. Darwin Awards have been issued to those that lit a match to see what is down there. Sorry for the safety nazi stuff, lots to watch out for with these neat old timey tools!
Enjoy yourself buddy.....................
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The absolute first thing I would do is pull the breechplug, and very carefully inspect the breeching and the barrel.
If this passed my inspection, I would locate, and drill the touch hole. 5/64" or 3/32" would work.
I would then strap the barrel to a board, sandbag it in place and proof test it. Twice. Given that a shotload for a .75 caliber smoothbore might be 1 1/4 oz of shot, and an equal volume of powder, I would test it with one powder charge and a double charge of shot, then again with a double charge of powder and a single load of shot. These loads duplicate possible loading errors.
I would pull the plug, and carefully clean and inspect the barrel and breeching.
If OK, I would turn to the lock. A flint lock that doesn't spark acceptably is an abomination. Try the lock with a sharp flint, if it sparks well, great. If not, find out why not. Frizzen might need casehardening, lock might benefit from smoothing and polishing. Don't try to disassemble the lock without proper spring vises. Vicegrips don't count.
If this passed my inspection, I would locate, and drill the touch hole. 5/64" or 3/32" would work.
I would then strap the barrel to a board, sandbag it in place and proof test it. Twice. Given that a shotload for a .75 caliber smoothbore might be 1 1/4 oz of shot, and an equal volume of powder, I would test it with one powder charge and a double charge of shot, then again with a double charge of powder and a single load of shot. These loads duplicate possible loading errors.
I would pull the plug, and carefully clean and inspect the barrel and breeching.
If OK, I would turn to the lock. A flint lock that doesn't spark acceptably is an abomination. Try the lock with a sharp flint, if it sparks well, great. If not, find out why not. Frizzen might need casehardening, lock might benefit from smoothing and polishing. Don't try to disassemble the lock without proper spring vises. Vicegrips don't count.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I think what has been missed here, is that this older flintlock design, the barrelled action is pinned to the stock. It appears to not be a hook & sliding wedge design, much like the later Hawken rifle was made.
Tang screw, plus some pins through underlugs on the barrel. Be careful tapping the pins out - easy to mark up the stock.
There are different ways to unscrew the breechplug. The barrel can be held in fitted blocks in a vise, or in a barrel vise, and the breech plug lug turned with a wrench. Best if everything fits. Or, the breech plug lug can be held in a vise, and the barrel turned using "the rope trick". A piece of rope is doubled, wrapped around the barrel with a hardwood handle through the loop. Acts as a strap wrench. Tightens on the barrel as pressure is applied to the handle. If there is no index mark, use a chisel and make one on the underside of the lug and barrrel.
The plug probably isn't turned in killer tight, but who knows?
There are different ways to unscrew the breechplug. The barrel can be held in fitted blocks in a vise, or in a barrel vise, and the breech plug lug turned with a wrench. Best if everything fits. Or, the breech plug lug can be held in a vise, and the barrel turned using "the rope trick". A piece of rope is doubled, wrapped around the barrel with a hardwood handle through the loop. Acts as a strap wrench. Tightens on the barrel as pressure is applied to the handle. If there is no index mark, use a chisel and make one on the underside of the lug and barrrel.
The plug probably isn't turned in killer tight, but who knows?
