Since I HAVE a Lyman trade in.50, here's what you need:
.015 patch
.490 ball
The bore is slightly oversize, The above combo is just right.
60-70 gr ffg for the range. The gun is good to 110gr on the hunt, but a warning - hang on to it if you're up around 100...
(You'll understand when you try it at about 80...)
The lock is quite happy with cut flints - works more reliably than stone flints, but quality flints are always best. Make sure you've got good spark before you load up the gun.
Pick up a long fibreglas or metal cleaning rod that will take a screw fitting and has good PINNED handle and if fibreglas, a PINNED fitting. Getting a ball out can be a pain. Getting a ball out with steel screw and a brass fitting screwed into it is ... there are no words to describe....)- you WILL want to pull a ball some day... The supplied rod is fine for loading and swabbing, but might not be strong enough if you need to pull a ball.
FFFFG powder for the pan. A push type 3gr dispenser is invaluable. Forget what the books say about putting the powder in the far end of the pan. Put one or two pushes of powder from the dispenser in the pan and tap it level adjacent to the hole. There shouldn't be so much powder as to fill the pan, only about a half to two-thirds.
Before loading the pan and gun, snap the lock to make sure you got a good spark. Adjust the flint if you don't and don't load till you do. If you can get some lead foil, its better than leather for wrapping and clamping the flint. Don't use too thick of leather to clamp the flint, the flints like to move in the leather from hitting the frizzen and your next shot might not spark well. Thinner leather (or foil) holds the flint in position better. The trade shoots very consistently once you work out its basics. You can get English flints from track of the wolf too.
Get a tool kit with a hole prick, brush and flint key. The brush is important if you're shooting on damp days - spent carbon on the pan soaks up water like crazy. I keep a small bottle of methyl hydrate in my BP kit box to dry out the frizzen from time to time if its a damp day. The brush helps to keep the gunk from building up around pan and touch hole.
Run a couple of dry patches down the bore at the start of a shooting day to take any oil out of the breech before you powder up.
If you have to swab the bore because of fouling, make sure you dry it out down the breech well.
Learn to "squeeze, flash!, hold...,Bang!..."
.015 patch
.490 ball
The bore is slightly oversize, The above combo is just right.
60-70 gr ffg for the range. The gun is good to 110gr on the hunt, but a warning - hang on to it if you're up around 100...
(You'll understand when you try it at about 80...)The lock is quite happy with cut flints - works more reliably than stone flints, but quality flints are always best. Make sure you've got good spark before you load up the gun.
Pick up a long fibreglas or metal cleaning rod that will take a screw fitting and has good PINNED handle and if fibreglas, a PINNED fitting. Getting a ball out can be a pain. Getting a ball out with steel screw and a brass fitting screwed into it is ... there are no words to describe....)- you WILL want to pull a ball some day... The supplied rod is fine for loading and swabbing, but might not be strong enough if you need to pull a ball.
FFFFG powder for the pan. A push type 3gr dispenser is invaluable. Forget what the books say about putting the powder in the far end of the pan. Put one or two pushes of powder from the dispenser in the pan and tap it level adjacent to the hole. There shouldn't be so much powder as to fill the pan, only about a half to two-thirds.
Before loading the pan and gun, snap the lock to make sure you got a good spark. Adjust the flint if you don't and don't load till you do. If you can get some lead foil, its better than leather for wrapping and clamping the flint. Don't use too thick of leather to clamp the flint, the flints like to move in the leather from hitting the frizzen and your next shot might not spark well. Thinner leather (or foil) holds the flint in position better. The trade shoots very consistently once you work out its basics. You can get English flints from track of the wolf too.
Get a tool kit with a hole prick, brush and flint key. The brush is important if you're shooting on damp days - spent carbon on the pan soaks up water like crazy. I keep a small bottle of methyl hydrate in my BP kit box to dry out the frizzen from time to time if its a damp day. The brush helps to keep the gunk from building up around pan and touch hole.
Run a couple of dry patches down the bore at the start of a shooting day to take any oil out of the breech before you powder up.
If you have to swab the bore because of fouling, make sure you dry it out down the breech well.
Learn to "squeeze, flash!, hold...,Bang!..."
