Flintlock Pistol

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Okay, I've already admitted to being bitten by the b.p. bug. While looking for a new cap and ball, I came across a flintlock .45 pistol for $100. The pirate in me said Arrghh! I'm probably going to get it this weekend. However I know nothing about flintlocks, and so I'm asking advice on a few things. The gun itself I can't give a description other than on the butt of the grip is stamped 02, and on the barrel is Korea. Nothing else is known about it. It feels quite solid, and action is tight, yet smooth. It was tagged at the shop as a .45, will my .451 balls I use for my '58 remmie fit I wonder? How do I know how much powder both for the pan, and the charge should I use? Do I need a wad, felt or otherwise? I can't find FFFFG powder anywhere other than online where do you guys get it? And finally, if I can detach all the wood stock from the metal, can I clean it the same as my remmie? (I'm a follower of the strip it, bake it, and crisco cleaning method.) What impressed me was that when I saw it, and told the salesman, I was interested in learning flintlock he said it would be a good gun for a starter, he had a .50 Harpers Ferry, but it was thrice as much, and he didn't try to push that one on me just to make money.

Thoughts?
 
I'm thinking a patched .440 round ball, and about thirty gr. of 3f.if you pour a half a dixie cup of powder into anther dixie cup slowly, you'll find that there is some finer powder near the bottom of the cup. this will serve aspriming powder, until you find a source of 4f.
 
Okay, now the really dumb question of all. *gulp* a patch is used the same as a wad right? It's basically a round cloth isn't it?
 
Yeah, the patch should ''cup'' the ball about 3/4 of the way to covering it.I pre-cut mine with a patch-cutter my brother bought me from Dixie Gunworks, but for years I just used old bedsheets cut with fingernail sissors.Cover the muzzle, put a dimple in the middle useing your finger, put the ball on, and push in about an inch useing a ball starter, the ram home, useing the ramrod. Moistening the patch can be done with spit, Crisco, mineral oil, olive oil, or Bore Butter.
 
Thanks for the help!!! The worst now is having to wait at least another week to get it and fire! Looking for .440 molds online. I'm going to take a vernier when I get it, and measure the bore to try and figure out for sure the ball size.
 
Good idea. Every ''.45'' I ever bought [of the single shot variety] actually shot a .440 patched RB, but nothing beats actually measuring... be sure to take into account the thickness of the patch you'll be useing. For my double barrel Corsair bedsheet worked best, but for the jukar percussion Kentucky I had, thicker ''pillow ticking'' worked best.
 
It was tagged at the shop as a .45, will my .451 balls I use for my '58 remmie fit I wonder?

Until you know the bore dimensions and configuration there's no way to know what to load it with. However, IF it's truly a .45 caliber rifled barrel, a .440 round ball patched with a 0.015 cotton patch is a good starting guess. You essentially want a ball and patch combination that are about 0.010" to 0.020" thicker than the groove diameter. If it's a smoothbore, use the same criteria based on the bore diameter.

How do I know how much powder both for the pan, and the charge should I use?
A .45 pistol will typically use from 15 to 30 grains of fffg real black powder for the main charge, although you can probably use as little as 10 for close range snakes, etc., and as much as 50 if you're not interested in accuracy. The primer charge should be 2-3 grains of ffffg, but fffg will usually work well. Real black powder is very necessary with a flintlock as the substitutes have much higher ignition temperatures and are notoriously unreliable in flintlocks.

Do I need a wad, felt or otherwise?...a patch is used the same as a wad right? It's basically a round cloth isn't it?
The patch is much bigger than the wad used in a revolver. It serves both as a gas check and to impart the rifling spin to the ball. Use a 1 1/8" diameter round (or 1 1/4" square) 100% cotton close weave fabric between 0.010" and 0.020" thick, the thinner the better when you're just starting out. See above for the relationship of the patch thickness and ball diameter to the bore dimensions. The material is important - do NOT use any synthetic fabric; it will melt and make a mess of the bore. Pillow ticking or denim are the most popular fabric choices.

I can't find FFFFG powder anywhere other than online where do you guys get it?
Fortunately I can still buy ffffg real black powder locally (well, within 60 miles one way). But fffg will work nicely most of the time.

And finally, if I can detach all the wood stock from the metal, can I clean it the same as my remmie?
The one word answer is yes, but you'd be better off using a cleaning patch and jag to pump water through the touch hole and clean the breech face thoroughly.
 
Wonderful advice from all! A million thanks! I'm vibrating with excitement in anticipation! Definitely have the b.p. bug.
 
Do ou know of this pistol actually fires?
It looks a lot like the imports from long ago that were decorators.
They had soft frizzens, frizzen springs that were way too stiff and other issues.
Some people did get them to work, though not real well.
They were large caliber-.60 or more.
Hope I am wrong.
They are fun when they work right.
 
Rocky, you're right on about the one in the picture, [it's mine not the OP's] it's the 1970's ''Ultra-Hi'' Tower Pistol from Japan, as sold in the old days by Dixie Gun works.Supposed to be .69 caliber, but the replica is actually a .62, which caused a lot of confusion. Also the frizzon was soft, this one only lasted for ten or fifteen shots before it quit sparking....but the frizzon has been re-hardened, and the pistol reworked until it is now a reliable pistol.I use it as a muzzle loading shotgun.
 
Holy Crap! I just got it and fired it! You guys were dead on the money with the .440 round ball. It took me an hour or so to figure out how to put the flint in to fire right. But wow what a gun! thanks again for your knowledge. It's dark now so I'll play with getting the load adjusted in the morning. I'll post pics as soon as I can also!
 
Been playing today some and I'm having some trouble with getting the flint to ignite the primer. Any thoughts?
 
You're still using fffg real black powder in the pan, right?

Along the lines of what arcticap was saying...

1. polish the pan until it's a mirror finish, and clean it often to keep it that way

2. open the hammer to full cock and close the frizzen (gun unloaded, pan clean and clear)

3. release the hammer and slowly let it down until the flint edge just touches the frizzen.

4. the point where the flint hits the frizzen should be approximately 1/3 of the way down from the top. Approximately. This is not an exact science. Under no circumstance, however, should it be lower than 1/2 way down.

5. the angle that the flint edge hits the frizzen should be approximately 60 degrees as measured from the top of the frizzen (it should be a 'v' with the opening up. There's that word 'approximately' again.

6. adjust the flint as necessary to achieve 4. and 5. above. You may have to use a new flint. Remember, this is with the frizzen fully closed and the hammer lowered by hand to just contact the frizzen surface. And the word 'approximately' appears a couple of times, strategically placed.
 
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