My question of the day...I'm glad everyone keeps
 

saying "ask away" because I got lots :eek:. At this point I know I need to pick up BP w/flask and measurer,caps/new nipple(s),R-balls,patches or patch material, Ball/bullet starter,jag,ball puller,patch puller, brushand another ram-rod becausesomeone did break the original (obviouslytried the long stroke technique [&o]).

Anything I've forgotten or that someone feels is mandatory or makes life easier please let me know and then jump in with some recommendations regarding the below issues, please!

The 2 major issues I 'm having today, 1.) As for patches, I see lubed/unlubed, dry, pre-saturated, cotton and ticking (what is ticking). 2.) I just got through browsing the "Grafs" website and my head is spinning. As an example: looking in the cleaning section I see under patches (clean, clean and season, clean-saturated, quick clean and rust prevent, etc.).Also under cleaning we've got solvents, sprays,gels, soakers, lubes, rust preventers, etc. . I'm sure you get the point [:o].

Whatdo Itruely NEED to get started, basicinitial cleaning and then maintain the rifle properly until I discover all the latest and greatest on my own?As a kid all I had for the 22 and shotguns was a hops kit with rod, brushes, patch holder, solvent and oil.Is it possible to get close to that easy with the BP? Again, thanks for putting up with me.

RE: My question of the day...I'm glad everyone keeps
 

Pick a Powder

Pyrodex RS (I'd start with this powder personally)
Triple Se7en
Goex
Black Mag3
American Pioneer Powder
loose powder only for your rifle since you have a T/C Hawkins

TOOLS NEEDED


See through powder measure
Cleaning/loading jag
Bore guide (not essential but protect the bore of your rifle)
Cleaning mop
Patch worm
Bore brush
Short starter- wooden ball type suggested
Capper- straight line in your case is fine
Nipple pick

CLEANING SUPPLIES

Isopropyl alcohol 91%
Car windshield washer fluid
Bore butter or lube for conical bullets
Gun Oil – Birchwood Casey Sheath, REM OIL, Breakfree CLP
Q-tip safety swabs
Cleaning Patches - these are dry patches with nothing on them
A range rod is real nice as you will come to learn
Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber


PROJECTILES
Conicals - maxiball, maxihunters, great plains conicals, powerbelts, etc.
Roundball and patch (patches come as pre lubed or dry. Pre lubed already have the lube on them. Dry need to have a lube applied to them. Pillow Tick is a 100% cotton patch. It is sometimes called blue strip also. It can be purchased in dryor pre lubed.

That should pretty well get you started

RE: My question of the day...I'm glad everyone keeps
 

You will noticecayugad, did not mention a flask not many of us use them, since you should not pour powder into the barrel with any thing that exposes more than just the load you are puting in the barrel ,he did mention a powder measure if you get a plastic funnel top that screws on to the can to pour into the powder measure and then into thebarrel with the powder measureit is not only safer it is much cheaper.
For starting out Pyrodex RS and a ticking patch and round ball is hard to beat. And all though I love to play with inlines a 54 cal Hawken with PRB is one of the best hunting guns as far as I am cocerned. Lee

RE: My question of the day...I'm glad everyone keeps
 

Don't forget a nipple wrench.

Hoppe's makes a black powder cleaning kit with a long sectioned cleaning rod that's threaded for 10-32 rod accessories,and which containstheir Number #9 PLUS BP Solvent & Patch Lube.

Bore Butter is athicker patch lube good for warmer temps, and you can lubedry patchesand your bore for storage if you buy some.

RE: My question of the day...I'm glad everyone keeps
 

all that really isn't that head spinning as one might think once you find what your rifle likes to spit out....ticking is cotton cloth that's bout.018 thick that you can get at any sewing center in any store that sells fabric and is the stuff that has red or blue strips like an old pillow, hence "pillow ticking"....if your shooting a flintlock stay away from subs powders and go with real black powder, save yourself some trouble when your just starting out....the fun part bout flintlocks is spending time with them to find what they like....in my .50 T/C hawken flintlockishoot only PRB over 70 grains of goex black powder....one pound of powder has 7000 grains so thats 100 shots, a box of round ball has 100 in it, when i buy prelubed patches they come 100 to a pack....

100 shots of powder 10.00
100 round ball 7.00
100 patches 4.50

so for bout 22.00 i can shot 100 times compaired to an inline of bout maybe 20 times for the same cost....makes for alot more time to find what makes a flintlock shoot the 10 ring......................bob

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