ORIGINAL: AFISHN
My wife got me a .50 cal Lyman Deerstalker flintlock rifle for Christmas.
I am going to sight it in tommorow for hunting this week in PA.
I have 2 basic questions.
1)DoI have to use a .490 roundball and cloth patch or canI use a cylindrical .50 calmuzzleloading bullet.
2)she bought me a can of Goex FFg Black rifle powder.Should Iuse this (how many grains for a 365 Gr muzzleloading "bullet")or can I alsouse pyrodex tablets(# of grains?)?
Thanks
Tom
First off.. no pyrodex pellets. The rifle is not made to shoot them. Also since it is a flintlock, I would suggest using only black powder.
Your Lyman Deerstalker has a 1-48 twist. That means it can shoot roundball with a patch or conicals. How well it shoots the conicals, only a trip to the range will tell you. I would start any big conical out with only about 70 grains of 2f (since that is what you have)under it and work up from there.
I have actually gotten 2f to fire the pan, but you would be better off with 3f or 4f as your primers powder. If worse comes to worse and your having problems using the 2f as a pan primer, put a small amount in a plastic cap (away from everyone else and other powders) and with a wooden spoon or stick,crush the granules into a finer grain and use that in the pan.