RE: Traditins Hawken Woodsman
there are a couple of ways to make moose milk. Its been around for ever it seems and everyone has a little different reciepe. These are the two that I use the most.
#1
A general purpose black powder solvent and liquid patch lube. Shake well before using
Castor Oil 4 oz.
Murphy's Oil Soap 1 oz.
Witch Hazel 4 oz.
Isopropyl Alcohol (91%) 8 oz.
Water (non-chlorinated) 16 oz.
I dip my patching in this twice and let it dry between. Makes a semi-dry patch material that's easy to carry & use. If you don't mind carrying a little bottle it's a GREAT liquid lube as is.
Be sure when making the Moose milk to mix the alcohol and castor oil together first. Then add the witch hazel. Add all of this to the water and shake. Finally after that mixture is all together add the Murphy’s oil soap.
#2
4 ounces NAPA Auto Parts #765-1526 Soluble Cutting & Grinding Oil
1 ounce Murphy's Oil Soap
7 ounces 91% Isopropyl alcohol
16 ounces tap water
I own two Tradition Hawkin Woodsman .50 caliber rifles. One a flintlock and then the other of course a cap lock. Both of them like the same load.. .490 roundball, moose milk lubed .018 100% cotton pillow tick patch material. 90 grains of black powder in 2f. The flintlock does real well with 3f also.
I purchase the material at Wal Mart. It comes in red or blue stripe. Both are .018 in thickness. Was them in the washing machine then LINE DRY.
As for the lube there is two ways to use it. You can saturate a strip of material (it tears real easy.. count out six stripes and tear all the way down the material piece.) ring the excess fluid out of the material, then lay that over an old window screen out in the sun to dry. The oil will stay in the cloth. This is commonly called a dry patch. Or take a bottle, I use an old bug juice bottle with the pump sprayer. Spritz the cloth real good, ring it out or fold the wet cloth against the dry cloth, as you use it up. Then set the ball at the muzzle and cut the strip away.
These rifles will shoot sabots. I was shooting 240 grain .44 caliber XTP's out of mine the other day with pretty good results.
As for conicals, you do not need to patch a conical. I personally shoot very few conicals out of my traditional rifles because my Whites have spoiled me rotten. When I want to throw big lead, I grab a White.
The wads are .510x.125 thickness. Sometimes they help sometimes they don't. You can also make them with a 1/2 or 9/16th in hollow hole punch and some 100% wool felt. The stuff in hardware stores that they tuck around windows work real good.