ORIGINAL: Semisane
Also a small powder pan flask is a real handy thing.
Hey
cayugad (and others). I've found two styles of pan flasks- a 4 grain one and a free flowing one.
Which one do you recommend?
I use the top one. The nose on mine is 3 grains. I think I bought it from October Country I believe it was. I push it down once and lift it, and leave it fill the
outside of the pan away from the vent hole. Actually sometimes you can tap the nose against the pan and it will put powder in a little at a time. Now I know some people load up to the vent hole but I get a fuse effect when I do that. I get a very long Pfffffst Boom! When I load away from the vent, its almost instant.
It does not take a lot of powder to set mine off. And remember that, these things can go off without powder in the pan. For that reason, get a frizzen cover. It is a leather sleeve that slides over the frizzen and keeps it safe and no spark. Make a good safety feature if you have to climb a tree stand.If I have to transport the rifle, in Wisconsin all we need do is blow the powder out of the frizzen. It is then considered unloaded. But it could still go off if by some fluke, the flint was able to move along the frizzen.
Something else handy is;
http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/dremel-diamond-wheel-1/BDL34 which is a diamond wheel. They fit in your Dremel tool. They come in real handy for hump back flints. Some of the flints you purchase are too fat! They have a hump in the center and it makes it hard for the jaws to grab it. With this wheel you can trim them down to fit the jaws.
The rest of it you will find is trial and error if like me, you have no one to teach you. I am sure you will find this rifle one of your favorite rifles real fast. In my Trade Rifle, I casted some .535 ball and they do fit very well. Although I get better accuracy with the .530 ball. And as said, these rifles are powder hogs. I am still experimenting with mine and have had it two years now. I am constantly learning from it.
Go to the dollar store and pick up some of them individual packets of isopropyl alcohol swab tissues. You can carry them in your pocket and use them to wipe the pan and flints off when hunting. You can swab the barrel with them but you have to be careful as they tear easy.