Does anyone shoot a Thompson Center "Firestorm" Flintlock?
Maybe you could share a preferred load of powder and if you use a roundball what type along with the patch? I have heard pillow ticking works well.
Trying to get the gun ready for the late season here in PA after Christmas. I'm just not happy with what I was getting at the range with 100 grains of 2F Goex powder and the Powerbelts. Also tired of paying out the nose for them when I can get 100 roundballs for $14.00.
There are a bunch of conicals you can try to see if they work - maxi balls, maxi hunters, PA conicals, etc. and patch and ball. I don't recall the twist rate of the Firestorm but if its faster than 1:48 you may have accuracy problems with the RB.
By the way, how is the trigger on your Firestorm. I know a guy who got one and had a heavy trigger. He tried to weigh the trigger pull and it bottomed out his scale.
ps: be careful you don't fall out there on the ice. I'll be hunting PA too. I might just see if I can find some ice cleats for my boots this weekend. And I think I will hunt the bottom of the mountains cause that is where I think the deer will be either by choice or that's where they ended up from sliding down.
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I bought my gun used from an old guy. He could never get it to shoot accuratly. I Tried maxi balls, shockwave, and the hornady bullet. THepowerbelts(Balistic tipped)with 100 grains of pyrodex shot the best. Shockwave shot well too. THE biggest thing is to remember to shoot these loads dry..dont lube the barrel. HE must have had problems because he had a boxed filled with different bullets, he lubed the barrel. I made out bigtime. I got the stainless steel, with a strap, ffff and pyrodex powder, at least 125 bullets, cleaning supply and a bunch of other stuff for 300 bucks.
When you load them make sure you crunch down the pellets and dont lube. i was extremely impressed with my shooting. the fiber optic sights suck...im thinking about getting a peep sight...What is your opinion of the tang peep sight? I hear it helps your accuracy
with 100 grains of goex, you're blowing out the center skirt thats attached to the base of the bullet. I tried 100 grains of fffg goex before and my accuracy was still good but no where near as great. I'd go with 80 grains Goex and see how that does.
Forget the pellets and sub powders. You have a flintlock so think like a flintlock. Get some Goex. Some 2f should do you well although you can shoot 3f and use it as a pan primer if you have to as well. Also why not try shooting roundball. A .490 roundball is deadly placed in the right place. With a .018 patch of pillow tick, I would start my loads with 70 grains and work up from there.
All too often people have a 1-48 twist and they think, powerbelts, conicals, or what ever. Many rifles with that twist still shoot roundball excellent. All you have to do is work up a good load and perhaps limit your shots to 75 yards. Place that roundball and you will eat venison.
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CAYUGAD WAKE UP!!! the muzzleloader has made great advances for the better.......THink about it...DO YOU STILL WATCH A BLACK AND WHITE TV?
A flintlock is still a flintlock, and despite the idea that the Firestorm's breechplug is built to permit the use of pelleted Pyrodex, many Firestorms have givenpoor (or no) ignition with ANYTHING BUT real black powder. The Firestorm has not proven to be one of these "great leaps forward".
However,I think your accuracy problem may be coming from using the wrong bullet. IF yourtwist rate will permit it, do try a patched round ball with it. IF you can get acceptable accuracy using 60-70 grains of FFg or 50-60 grains of FFFg with a PRB, it will kill deer......
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I think you're on the right track. Start w/80g Goex and work up. Buy you some PRBs and 018 ticking and I can almost bet you'll be pleasantly surprised. As cayugad said, a PRB is very effective when used within its means. Most 1/48 twist guns shoot a roundball just fine.
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CAYUGAD WAKE UP!!! the muzzleloader has made great advances for the better.......THink about it...DO YOU STILL WATCH A BLACK AND WHITE TV?
I am awake I believe...
While the Firestorm, PA Pellet, and the RMC AccurSport are all said to be able to shoot pellets, I have talked to a lot of owners of these rifles. Almost all of them either duplex the pellet with 10 grains ofblack powder, or they shoot straight black powder. So this great advance in flintlock technology just does not impress me all that much. I do like the idea of the breech plug being able to be removed as that would be nice for cleaning.
Now if you shoot your Flintlock Firestorm using pellets with consistent success, I am happy for you. I have to be very careful with all the things I do, just to make my flintlocks consistent.Its not rocket science, its just the way things work for me. Pellets in this case would just send up a red flag to me when someone wants accuracy.
The trouble with a flintlock is your hopinga small amount of spark from the pan explosion will enter your vent hole, and strike powder in the breech which you hope will cause a flash in the breech. Pellets often times just will not do that consistently by themselves from what I was told. Black Powder is still your best bet. And in a hunting situation where you might run into moisture, and whatnots.. I would not trust my hunting odds to anything but black powder with a flintlock.
Also fastflight was asking for suggestions on a patched roundball load. His rifle has a 1-48 twist. While a 1-48 twist is a do all twist, many of them do not shoot powerbelts or conicals well. Most of them shoot roundball very well. Also if you want to work a load up fast, a roundball load is the fastest load I know of to work up into a hunting load. I would go to guess his rifle will tune in at 90 grains of Goex 2f loose powder and a .018 pillow tick patch with a .490 ball. It should give him acceptable hunting accuracy for moderate distances quickly. And a roundball is deadly. That point I will argue with anyone. I've killed too many deer with the simple roundball to believe anything else.
And as for your TV inquiry..Both of them are color TVs. And maybe Santa might get me a Plasma Big screen for the main room this year after the Christmas rush and they come down in price...
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
TC "Firestorm" Flintlock
