Got me a new flintlock rifle...

[DKW]

Had it built up. +++fancy maple, .50 cal, Green Mountain barrel, German silver patchbox and accents. Looks sharp. Haven't fired it yet, looking for any general help/advice. Been interested in getting into blackpowder for some time, finally took the plunge and I'm STOKED!
Regards,
DKW

[gunmart]

great news.what kit did you start out with and why?

did you go with a penn,virginia, tn?

give us more details i am dying to hear.

i rather like the tvm line of flinters.they use the siler locks standard and green mouintain barrels.

i hear great things about the jim chambers kits but they are alomst twice as much.i can get a compleate gun built at tvm for what a kit cost there.tvm will subsitute (for a additional cost)the chambers lock.i hear its the cats moew for faster locktime and ignition.

[4V50 Gary]

Congratulations on your first flintlock. Now you're ready to fight off the lobsterbacks and save your cabin, womenfolk, livestock and farm.

It's a tricky thing about black powder. You have to find the right patch and ball combination which will perform accurately in your rifle. This entails a lot of work and patience. Some buckskinners (or longhunters) just go to the fabric store and buy linen for patches. If you go this route, try at least three different ball sizes, and scrub out your bore between groups. You also want to try varying charges of powder to see what works most accurately in your rifle. Once you've determined the best powder/patch/ball combination, then you shoot to determine the trajectory of your gun at varying distances. That's the joy of blackpowder (pre-Civil War) rifles which shoot the patched round ball.

Contact the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association and find a Rendezvous near you. You can learn a lot from talking to those guys.

[4V50 Gary]

I cheat when I clean mine. After a few runs with the brush to break up the bulk of the fouling, I use the CVA PUMP which pumps the water into soapy water into the barrel.

[gunmart]

"I put the breech in a bucket of hot soapy water and "pump" a jag/patch up and
down the bore, sucking the water from the bucket. Change the water a few times
and then move on to clear hot water. Formula 409 gets the residue out of the bore."

just for your info the flintlocks we are talking about dont come out of the stock ever unless special needs such as stock replacement or barrel replacement needs to be done.

[Keiller TN]

4V50 Gary, what is a CVA pump?

[gunmart]

a cva pump is neat little invention that is like a waterbed pump.(they really never caught on)A hose goes down the barrel and another one goes on the nipple area.it allows a continues flow of hot soapy water to flush the barrell.it works but by the time I set it up and fotch with it I can be done the traditional way.

I think flintlocks are the easiest of all muzzleloaders to clean.

here is what i reccomend.

insert a tooth pick in the flash hole and pour hot soapy water down the barrel and cork it.let it sit and flush it out of the flash hole when you remove the tooth pick and repeat several times.brush and use patches for a while and
fill the barrel back up with hot soapy water and work it back and forth and flush some more.then when dry oil it....

I personally like tc bore butter.i have had great results with it but you will get conflicting info on the whole oil vs paste deal so I wont even go there.

[Keiller TN]

Thanks, Gunmart for the info on a CVA pump.

[gunmart]

aris are you talking about on all of the tvm and semi custom fliners out there?

i did not know that!!!!

i have just always been carefull when cleaning it.i do remove the lock so it wont get down in there..

[4V50 Gary]

In removing the non-hooked breach barrel from the stock, don't peel the barrel off from the muzzle end. You can damage the stock that way. Here's how I was taught to do it for a non-hooked breach barrel:

Remove barrel pins/wedges and tang screw. You may also have to remove a cross bolt which attaches to the lock (some long guns have a sideplate screw which goes from the sideplate, through part of the stock, into the tang (which is integral with the chamber plug), through the rest of the stock and into the lock). Now, flip the gun upside down such that the heel of the butt touches the ground and the muzzle is at about a 45 degree angle up. Rap (against a paded surface or block of wood) the heel lightly and keep your hands in place to catch the barrel when it comes out.

[Two Wounds]

Another thing you may want to do is to try different thicknesses of patch material when working-up your load.

I also wanted to address an issue concerning Jim Chambers guns. Yes, they cost substantially more for the kits. However, I do believe that there's a vast overall quality difference between the components of TVM's kits and Chambers' kits. For instance, a Getz barrel is a much better barrel than Green Mountain.

[gunmart]

two wounds,

i am going to order my tvm with the chambers large face lock.

i hear nothing but good things about getz.what makes them so much better that they are worth another $200?

[Two Wounds]

I'm not an expert in the subject, by a long shot. To my knowledge, one thing that I know to be a fact is the Getz barrels are cut rifling while the Green Mountain barrels are button rifled. Here's a link that explains different barrel cutting techniques:
http://www.xtremeaccuracy.com/Rifle_Barrel.htm

[Two Wounds]

gunmart, I have several friends who've been shooting and building black powder firearms for many years. They know and can explain the differences between a decent gun kit and a great gun kit. I understand some of the terminologies, but can't explain them worth a hoot.

[gunmart]

if you would have them email me thanks.

[email protected]

[Two Wounds]

gunmart,

I'm sending you and someone more experienced with black powder firearms an e-mail regarding your questions. He stated he would be glad to help you. Hope this provides what you need.

[gunmart]

thanks.got it tonight