New to Muzzleloaders

[DonP]

I've been shooting for over 50 years and this past weekend I developed a new bad habit. Muzzleloading. (At least my wife can't complain about another set of reloading dies cluttering up the spare bedroom!)

I was at a gun shop this weekend and I spotted a Traditions Kentucky Rifle kit in an old torn sleeve with an old price tag on it in the cage under the shotgun display and picked it up as my "do it yourself" Father's day present to me (for well under 2 bills). I think they were just glad to have the space and to finally get rid of it.

Shrink wrap sealed kit with unfinished wood and metal, .50 cal., 1 in 66 twist, full length stock and semi-rough brass castings.

The assembly and finishing instructiona are a single crappy page with really generic instructions, as in; "fit metal sidelock and trim stock if needed with a sharp chisel or wood carving knife".

I know it will shoot patched balls and it's designed and rated to work with Pyrodex too. Don't know much beyond that but I have plenty of time to learn.

Any suggestions on links to go to with discussions of finishing alternatives? Browning or Bluing, best wood finishes, assembly tips and tricks?

Oh, it will be used at the range only, I'm not a hunter so this is a "for the fun of it" project and maybe a nice display in the off season for over the fireplace.

 

[Oldnamvet]

One thing you can do is to join www.muzzleloadingforum.com. They have links to complete instructions for browning a barrel, inletting a stock, etc. even a special sub-forum for "builders". I can't think of a question on traditional muzzleloaders that hasn't been answered or won't be answered on that forum. Joining is free as well.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well if it's a flintlock forget the pyrodex. As the man said you can try that link. You might also try the Traditional Muzzleloading Association for insight, and maybe somebody near to you who you could meet with and pick their brains??

http://www.traditionalmuzzleloadingassociation.com/

LD

 

[RoaringBull]

Welcome to the worst habit a man can get, muzzleloaders! I am a member of the Traditional Muzzleloader Association, but am not a builder. There are many great builders on that site, though.
I shoot Triple 7 in my flintlock, and use real bp to charge the pan. Mine is also a Kentucky, but by Pedersoli. With a .49 round ball and a .018 pillowtick patch over 90 grains of ffg, its a real tack driver at 75 yards.

 

[mykeal]

I'll add my welcome to the dark side.

There is a great deal of satisfaction in building your own rifle. I started 35 years ago with the old CVA kits, and I still shoot them today. In fact, I just recently rebuilt my Kentucky pistol last week to clean up some corrosion under the barrel. Last month I completed a Lyman Great Plains Rifle flintlock in .54 cal.

I'll second the recommendation about www.muzzleloadingforum.com. They have a subforum called the Gun Builder's Bench where there are tutorials about almost every part of building a kit or building from scratch. And a great group of folks who have done everything there is to do, sometimes several times, and will gladly help you make choices and guide you through the process.

Good luck, and enjoy!

 

[Pancho]

Regarding Pyrodex in flintlocks, It has been my long past experience that it doesn't work well. It would shoot but the ignition was slow. To my surprise Sam Fadala in his latest book "Blackpowder Handbook 5th edition" says that Pyrodex was reformulated sometime in the past and now can be used in flintlocks. I haven't tried it yet but if Fadala can be considered an authority it is worth a try.

 

[sundance44s]

Welcome Donp Sounds like you got a nice deal ..I think browning would look nice since it`s a round ball shooter ..if you`ve never done any browning ..just let us know ..it`s not that hard at all ..
Good to see someone else that took the spare bedroom and made a reloading room out of it , I moved mine to the spare room last year , sure is nice to have good central heat and AC while reloading ..left the shop open for woodworking when the weather is nice too.

 

[[email protected]]

when shooting bp substitutes in a flint, i have put a bp charge of about 3 grns of priming powder down the barrel first. i just use my spring loaded pan charger. just started this, so not sure if its worth the trouble or not.

 

[DonP]

Thanks for the welcome and the web sites.

That's just what I was looking for.

The kit is a "Made in Spain" percussion model Traditions Kentucky Rifle, made in Spain, which I guess is where they made the older CVA kits too before they went all In-Line. I would have preferred a flintlock, and a left handed one at that, but bargain hunters can't be too choosy.

The paperwork says that it was specifically designed to handle Pyrodex pellets or black powder but I have lots of time to figure that out while I build it. No real hurry to get it put together so I'll find a nice spot in the house where I can set up shop and work on it, take my time fitting the pieces very carefully and not have to pack it away every time I'm done.

I may even break down and pop for a new file or two to clean up the brass fitiings before I go to work with the emery clost and wet or dry paper.

Yup, my reloading room was moved from the front bedroom to the one over the garage last year when it was determined that we needed two guest bedrooms, one for the grandkids, complete with bunk beds, and another for the kids when they visit "so they didn't have to all cram into one room".

 

[scrat]

Only thing im going to tell you is that it is very addictive. Shooting black powder is a whole another world. Once you get into it your going to get hooked then you goind to want it more and more. Then your going to get a revolver and you probably will be spending less and less time even looking at your smokeless guns.