ORIGINAL: randyh
Finally picked up accessories, bullets/sabots, Pyrodex pellets, etc., etc., so hopefully this weekend I can start to get acquainted with the Traditions Pursuit LT I received from my sons. Now that I have at least what I need to get started, I'm sure there will be a slew of questions, some of which may make longtime BP shooters roll their eyes. I ask their patience. Here are a couple that just came to mine.
Thanks to those who take the time to respond. Probably will send in some more especially re cleaning - seems like pellets, bullets,primers, all had some sort of cleaning instruction, and all were somewhat different.
1) My owner's manual talks about marking/re-marking the ramrod each time you change powder loads and/or bullets. What do you use?
The easy way to mark your ramrod without doing damage to it is after you put the pellets or powder in the barrel and you seat the projectile on top of the powder, rest the ramrod with the loading jag on top of the projectile. Then take a piece of masking tape, even colored scotch tapeand level to the top of the muzzle, wrap that around the ramrod. You can mark it with the amount of powder for instance.. 100 telling you how much powder level is in there. The reason I use masking tape is because it is easy to remove at the end of the day.
2) Also the Pursuit ramrod comes witha reversible cleaning/loading tip. The loading tip is to help with hollowpoints, polymer tips, etc. When you reverse the tip to use the loading surface, the ramrod when repaced on the gun now extends about 3 inches beyond themuzzle. Would you leave it like that after loading for hunting, or reverse the tip after loading?
There is no danger leaving a loading jag on the ramrod even if it extends out past the muzzle as long as it does not block any part of the muzzle when you shoot. I have a T loading handle that folds up and it stays on my ramrod and still extends past the end of the muzzle.
3) What do you use to store your pellets and primers when in the field?
For the primers, I store 10 of the 209 primers in a
DOG BONE primer loader. They are marketed by Thompson Center and are the easy way to get a 209 onto the breech unless you are one of them that has to use a small plastic adapter, then I would keep them in the plastic box with the pellets and a couple spares in a pocket that I could get to in a hurry should a misfire happen. I use loose powder and store it in plastic film containers. They make speed loaders that you can put your pellets and projectile in and carry like you would a shotgun shell.
4) When loading the bullet, I know you should not have space between it and the pellets - is this sort of a matter of feel or ?
Yes the loading pressure you will use is a matter of feel, but also when you load, check your witness mark.. the masking tape on the ramrod. It it is level to the muzzle that should tell you that the projectile is seated properly.