[buymore]

My wife and I are 4-H Shooting Sports advisors in NE Ohio. I recently picked up a sidelock percussion rifle made by Armi Sports in Italy. I was trying to find some info on it, but it appears to be an older model no longer made. It looks similar to a Hawken, but only one trigger with half cock safety. Has brass fancy trigger guard, case colored side plate on right side, brass rod holders under the barrel and high gloss bluing. The sights are very nice....rear sight is a very nice buckhorn style and front is beaded blade that fits perfectly into the buckhorn. It has a very nice piece of walnut and the butt has a rounded right hand cheek weld on it. Buttplate is more of a modern style, dosn't look like the traditional more like a TC Renegade style buttplate. I only paid $80 for it and it is in very good condition, fairly decent bore, some very minor corrosion, may shoot out fine. Need to know if anyone knows what nipple size it takes? I need to have a spare and I need to pick up some essentials I know longer have since I switched over to inlines for hunting YEARS ago!!! I'm going to have to scour the fleamarkets.....nipple wrench, patch puller, bullet puller, etc.....! Why did I give all that stuff away?

I have a minor concern though........after purchased and home forty miles away from purchase at fleamarket, I found I had purchased a loaded rifle!!!! I went to inspect the barrel for a detailed cleaning and found it loaded with a granular powder substitute and a patched round ball. It had been loaded clean and left. Not shot an reloaded. The powder was dry and loose so I got stupidly brave and capped it and shot it out! It wasn't a heavy charge and didn't have hardly any smoke? I'm thinking maybe Pioneer powder? I did a thorough cleaning and I cannot see any signs of corrosion in the breech end and my patches run freely over that area, no snagging at all. Absolutely no sulphur smell while cleaning either. He said it was just used this January. Is there anyway to check this barrel for corrosion other than dropping a light down in? If no snagging on tight patches and no visual sign of corrosion, is it safe to try it?