Well i finally made the jump to black powder. I ordered a tradition Hawken woodsman flintlock yesterday. Now, I've been doing some reading but i still have a few question. Like what to use for patches, do i buy dedicated patches or just grab an old t-shirt and make my own? I'm only gonna shoot target. And why do i have to lube the patches??? Finally, when you buy a flintlock do you get a basic starter kit with it????? ANy insight will be greatly appreciated.
now a member of the BP family!! need info
- Thread starter gaudzy
- Start date
Use a micrometer and buy your patches at the local fabric store. You will have to try a few different thicknesses to find the ball and patch combination that suits your gun and once you find it, buy a couple of meters at a time of 100% cotton.
the lube is partly to make it easier/possible to get the patch down the barrel and partly to keep the patch from burning. For target shooting, using something watery such as water soluable cutting oil and water say 15% oil the rest water. Nessy likes to add some Murphy's Oil Soap to that. For hunting use an oil or a grease of some kind so that it does not dry out. The coarser the powder and the thicker the lube, the more fouling you are going to get.
Final thought is put a mark on your ramrod where a load comes to; the only thing that will blow your gun up is not having the ball seated on the powder.
cheers mooncoon
the lube is partly to make it easier/possible to get the patch down the barrel and partly to keep the patch from burning. For target shooting, using something watery such as water soluable cutting oil and water say 15% oil the rest water. Nessy likes to add some Murphy's Oil Soap to that. For hunting use an oil or a grease of some kind so that it does not dry out. The coarser the powder and the thicker the lube, the more fouling you are going to get.
Final thought is put a mark on your ramrod where a load comes to; the only thing that will blow your gun up is not having the ball seated on the powder.
cheers mooncoon
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
Lube to prevent leading
buy what you need through research, powder flask, primer flask, ball starter, lubed patches, ramrod(an extra rod longer than the one that comes with is often used by bp folks)
#13 lube to clean between shots
powder to match cal used , 4f for the pan.
buy what you need through research, powder flask, primer flask, ball starter, lubed patches, ramrod(an extra rod longer than the one that comes with is often used by bp folks)
#13 lube to clean between shots
powder to match cal used , 4f for the pan.
juanvaldez
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, Ontario
With a PRB?Levi Garrett said:
Get out with someone who knows what they are doing if possible. Read about cleaning, there are a hundred different ways...just make sure you do it. You can ruin a gun in a couple days or so if you leave it dirty. You will likely not get any starter kit with it.
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An extra ramrod (range rod) for sure. Great for swabbing between shots, and overall cleaning at the end of the day. Plus, if you break one, you have a spare.
A lot of us use pillow ticking for patches. As stated above, you have to find the ball dia. and ticking thickness that best suits your rifle. Or you can just say "screw it" and buy prelubed & cut patches or varying thickness.
I have seen a lot of personal formulas for patch lube. I have tried a few of them, too.
What I use now is commerical stuff from Hornady (Great Plains). I cut my own patches from pillow ticking, saturated them with lube, and seal them in an airtight container.
What I found handy about this lube is that if you also reload, its great for lubing brass for resizing (sparingly, or course).
A lot of us use pillow ticking for patches. As stated above, you have to find the ball dia. and ticking thickness that best suits your rifle. Or you can just say "screw it" and buy prelubed & cut patches or varying thickness.
I have seen a lot of personal formulas for patch lube. I have tried a few of them, too.
What I use now is commerical stuff from Hornady (Great Plains). I cut my own patches from pillow ticking, saturated them with lube, and seal them in an airtight container.
What I found handy about this lube is that if you also reload, its great for lubing brass for resizing (sparingly, or course).
- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
Wow, you are a brave fellow to dive into a flinter for your first BP. If you have trouble finding 4F use 3F powder for priming. I use 3F for main charge and priming. Get a good vent pick and carry a strip of clean cloth. Use the cloth to wipe the frizzen and occasionally the pan. To save yourself grief find an experienced flint lock shooter to go to the range with, probably someone on here, it will be soo much easier to have someone show you what to do. Good luck and be warned they are addictive.
