Mauser06,

That's right, you get yourself a pack or two of those plastic speedloaders, usually Butler Creek, Traditions, CVA, and T/C makes them. You premeasure your loose powder charges into the one end, cap it off and place the projectile in the other end. Forget all that pellet nonsense, flintlock is for blackpowder use only if you want ignition each and every time. Use English flints, they spark every time.

I use 80gr of 2F behind a .50 cal 320gr REAL maxi and it is plenty for under 75 yard open sight shooting. There is a point of diminishing return you get when you pack in too much powder, more recoil from the added weight of powder with no or even less increase in velocity.

As for sabots, most flintlocks out there have a 1:48 rifle twist, this dictates use of roundball or maxi ball for best accuracy. If you find one with something like a 1:28, then only the powerbelts or sabot loads are best. Longer projectiles stabilize better with fast rifling, shorter projectiles need slower rifling.

mauser, All you need is a volume measure, they have the grain weights marked on the side, just set the measure to the charge you would like, pour powder into measure til level, then dump in barrel.As for speed loaders ,by all means use them, I do, I carry a half dozen of them when hunting rather than carry a powder flask and patches and balls. If you use patched rb you'll need the speedloaders that are open all the way thru, if you shoot conicals than you can use the ones with separate compartments. Of course you can use the open ones for conicals too. good luck

thanx guys...i was ready to give up on it before i started..i hate having to measure crap and would hate to have to do it under the pressure of say a deer runs after the shot fall and is trying to get up and im standing there helpless fumbling with powder and crap...with conicals do you need a patch or is it basically like a sabot without the sabot and you just put it in how it is..? my friend uses powerbelts them are conicals arent they?? he uses them in a tradition deer hunter..one of the guns i was looking at and he says they are pretty accurate and he took a doe this year and it worked good...
thanx alot guys...

No patch is used with conicals. They are slightly larger than true bore size (land to land),. Maxis are lubed and pushed into the barrel with a ball starter, the rifling engraves into the soft pure lead bullet as it's firmly seated onto the powder. Don't pound 'em down, as it deforms the bullet nose.

If i was shooting a flintlock i would definetly use black powder. I dont know what twist you have in your guns barrel but i like to shoot patch and ball with a 1-66 twist...

most of the rifles ive been looking at have 1-48" twists...can i use conicals in them if i were to get one of them??? now that you guys informed me i will us black powder..im not one that likes blowing a shot at deer...i want my gun reliable as possible so at the moment of truth i bag my game or it was my fault i didnt..not the guns...thanx...

You can shoot conicals in a 1-48 but i would recomend a faster twist like a 1-32. Me personally i like sabots with jacketed pistol bullet. They shoot great and dont leave any lead in you barrel.

Good luck on your quest to shoot black powder







Edited by - Mr. Longbeard on 12/25/2002 06:06:47