Taking the Plunge
 

In an effort to circumvent our silly Canadian firearms laws and to seek a further challenge in ML, I've taken the plunge and ordered up a Lyman's .50 Cal DeerStalker.
Lefthanded of course.
The catch is, it's a Flinter and I know absolutely nadda about them.
So help is the order of the day.
I do have an Omega, Lightning E-Bolt and a Renegade, so I'm not totally lost. Just never shot or owned a Flintlock before
I'll be trying several different projectiles ranging from; Speer .490 balls w/ .015 pre-lubed patches, 240 grn XTP's, 250 & 300 grn Noslers, 340 gr DC's, 355 gr Maxi-Hunters, 240 gr Powerbelts and if none of them fly well, I'll probably order up some other lead conicals I've heard talk of here.
Deer are on the menu and possibly black bear if one was to present itself.
Powder, should Iusereal Black Powder (Brand?)and avoid Pyrodex and T7?
Load with, and prime with what FF?
How much do you prime with?
And the list goes on, n' on, n' on.
Any and tips and hints would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
HuntAway

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

I own a deerstalker along with 3 other lymans, and all left handed by the way. two flint and two percussion.
I like the Hornady PA conicals and buffalo ballets the best, they are around 240 gr i think and shoot real well and great on deer. plus they are reasonably priced.
Use real black, dont bother with the other powders, save that for your inlines. flints just wont set them off reliably. a lot of people use 2f as the main charge and 4f in the pan. i like to simplify things and use 3f for both, dont see any difference in lock time.
the less powder you use in the pan the quicker the big bang. practice practice.
my deerstalker likes 65 gr of 3f with a 240 gr conical, killed many a deer. i dont hunt bear so someone else will be able to help you with that.

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

Thanks Tioqaflinter,
Bear would be an incidental thing, not purposely hunted. I support my government with a just in case tag for bear.
How much powder goes in the pan? Is Goex or AP blackpowder?

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

Since it is a .50 caliber use Goex 3f. This will work as the main charge and the pan flash. They sell special pan primer flasks. I would suggest getting one. The amount they put in is very small. I am not sure of the exact amount, just one press into the pan. Don't bother withsubstitute powders other then real black powders.

Also on my Lyman Trade Rifle I get the fastest ignition if I put the primer charge to the outside edge of the pan. It should not be right in front of the vent hole liner and never deep enough to reach the vent hole liner. You want a flash, not a fuse. Be sure and pick your vent liner before you fire. Some people use a feather, I use a vent pick.

Pay special attention to the flint or agate that comes with the rifle. Set it so the leading edge of the flint is about 1/16 - 1/8th inch from the frizzen. Put your rifle in half cock and then close the frizzen over the pan. Then you can see the gap you need.

The twist of the rifle will dictate the kind of projectile it will shoot best. Usually roundball work real good. Some people like .490 in their Lyman's others like the .495. You will have to try and see what your rifle likes best.

Good luck with your rifle.

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

cayugad,i started shooting muzz in 1971.t/c hawkins .50cal. 1-48 twist.question, why do you suggest 3 f geox in barrel.we always used 2f.and always 4f in pan.i never heard of putting powder to the far side of pan.we always put it close to the touch hole.we replaced our touch holes with larger ones from RMCand push powder into hole.i use 370 gr MAXI-BALL,80-85 grs of 2f geoxand 4f in pan.thanks.

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

Thanks Cayugad,
Goex 3F it is then and I'll order a pan flask. Does 3F burns faster than 2F? If so, would Ihave to lower my charge for my load?
i.e. If I were to use 2F 100 gr, I would go to 3F at 80 gr or something along those lines?
I'm pretty sure it's 1:48 twist. I'll start with the .490 ball first as that is what I have now.
I've ordered on of those Flintlock tool rings from Cabellas.They have a vent pick, pan brush, screwdriver and a few other things on it.
How long will a flint last?
Thanks,
HuntAway

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

the frizzens on most flintlocks from factory are not hardened too good.the lyman frizzens are better.on my tc hawkins .50cal, i bet i have gone thru 3 frizzens from factory.thompson warranty covers it but i dont suggest you get one .go to RMC SPORTS and they have a extra hard frizzens or you can use the lyman ones but you may have to take dremel tool and grind the edge a little to make work .i will post the rmc sports info.cayugad most likely can help more on this,only my 2 cents.take care

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

[hr]
www.rmcsports.com

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

I also use 4f in the pan when on the target range. Although 3f seems to work just as good. If a person wants to buy the selection of powders out there, then I would have a couple pounds of each (which I do).

Of course 2f Goex will work fine as a main charge. I use 2f as a main charge in my Trade Rifle which is .54 caliber.4f will work in the pan excellent. but so will 3f. Yet. if a person want to just get started and go shoot, then 3f Goex is the way I wouldgo. I load 3f Goex in three of my Hawkins rifles as a main chargeand get much better accuracy then with 2f. Also 3f will work fine as a pan powder. In fact in damp weather such as when hunting 3f will be more moisture resistant then 4f IMO and gives just as fast of ignition as the 4f. At least I'd hate to live on the difference. This way you carry one powder for everything. A lot of people shoot 3f powder in .50 caibers. I even shoot it in some of my .54 caliber cap locks.

I also replaced my liner with the RMC and they work excellent. They are a great product. As for filling the pan on the outside edge, (actually away from the vent liner) I get faster ignition in my rifles. When I put the powder too close to the vent hole, I have had it happen where the flint hits the frizzen, sets a spark and you get a fuse. Granted it will still fire, but away from the vent liner just seems to be faster in my rifles. I guess all rifles are different and they will have to experiment.

For instance, I put my vent pick in the vent liner and close the frizzen holding the vent pick in the liner, then load the rifle. When I open the frizzen to prime the pan,I drag the vent pick out. Now I know there is an open spot in the charge and a light trail leading to the edge of the vent hole liner. One small spark in that vent hole and the ignition seems as fast as many of my percussion rifles even.

In my Thompson Center .50 caliber Hawkins I shoot 90 grains of Goex 3f and a moosemilk patched roundball that I cast at home here. In my other Hawkins I shoot the same load. In my Trade Rifle which is a .54 caliber, I load 90 grains of Goex 2f and a patched roundball or a number of different conicals...

Do you pull the vent liner when you clean your rifle? Some do, some don't. I do. Then I like to put a little anti seize on the threads. I also pull the locks when I clean and wash behind them too..

RE: Taking the Plunge
 

As Sproulman pointed out, 4f works great as a pan powder in case you want to try some of that. A pound of 4f powder lasts a long time. Believe me, I bought two pounds of it and am still on the first pound after a lot of shooting. I do use 3f in the pan when hunting. It just seems to hang in there longer.

The ring tool from Cabela's is great. That's what I use as well.

A flint last sometimes for 10 shots and I have had them last for 40 shots. Also you have to keep the edge of the flint sharp. Don't ask me how to knapp as I am terrible at it. Sometimes I get lucky and get a good edge on them other times I shatter them. I was using a muzzy wheel to shape them then burned out the dremel tool so I am back to knapping.

The best "flint" I ever had was an agate that came in my Trade Rifle. If I could get agate's like that again, I'd never shoot another Tom Fuller Black English Flint again, but the next agate I bought was very poor. That first agate I swear got over 60 shots on it and I never had to touch it. Then I turned it over and shot off it for a while more.

I shoot Tom Fuller Black English flints now. The French Amber flints work real good, but are expensive and I am not sure it they are worth the extra price.

Start your loads out at 75 grains of Goex 3f and start shooting groups. As you move up, keep at it until your groups fall apart. Also if your placing an order, get a thing of wonder wads. I like to have them around the house and use them from time to time with different loads, especially if your rifle likes to eat patches.

In my T/C Hawkins I do not go over 100 grains of 3f for the main charge. How hard you are willing to push your rifle will depend on the rifle. Follow the manual and stick with those charges.

In all fairness to sproulman.. if you are at a place where you can buy black powder, or you buy powder by the case as I do, where the haz mat fee does not hurt as bad, it does not hurt to get some 2f, 3f and even 4f powder. You never know what kind of powder will give you the best accuracy. Just because my rifles do best with 3f is no guarantee that the same will hold true in your rifle. When I list a load I use, it is only a suggestion. A starting place if you will. What works in your rifle could be very different.

Good luck with your rock lock!!