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Killed a couple of does on a stand I have set up for bow hunting. No luck with the bow, but thanks to my flintrock GPR .54 I won't starve. Jerky anyone? Did have some action though with my longbow one afternoon. Climbing up my stand I lost an arrow from my quiver, no big deal I still had two, all you need right? Doe comes out just at dark and I take a shot at 20yds, I don't see the arrow but the deer took a jump and return to feeding, providing a better shot. Next shot, the arrow went right over the deer's back, and the deer ran under my stand. Since I was out of arrows I threw my bow at her, almost hit her too.   | ||
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Larry, congrats on the fresh venison.. My kid brother up in Michigan killed a four point whitetail this morning.. my son killed a five point bull elk this morning and I had to work.. nice Hawken.. Put a spear point on end of your longbow for desperation shots like that.. Les | |||
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Hey Les, thanks for your remarks. Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of life. As for attaching a knife to the longbow...maybe I'll trade it in for my compound arrow launching device, seems I've had more success with it in the past. | |||
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I see steaks, roasts, a lil burger and little jerky there. You are two ahead of me for the season, congratulations! No, I have tried Flinchlock and am not a good enough shooter touse one. Use caps for the holy black and RBs. Don't limit your challenges . . . Challenge your limits | |||
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Thanks Louis, I hope you catch up soon with a couple of those big Tenn. whitetails. Good Luck, especially if you're using a rocklock. Regards, Larry | |||
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Hey bow-thrower, what was your load in the GPR? Good work! There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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Unless I get the sights sorted out on my Tulle Fusil de Chasse 20 bore I'll be using my Lyman GPR 54 caliber flintlock next weekend for northern Minnesota whitetails. I run a .530 ball, a 0.010 wonderlube patch, and 90 grains of 3f. It's easy loading for a second shot but I like to wipe the bore between shots with wonderlubed patch. It'll be my son's first muzzleloader hunt so he'll bring his cousin's Encore wearing my 209x50 front end to keep things simple. The go to load for that one is two 777 pellets and a Hornady Great Plains 385 gr conical. | |||
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I'm using 90 gr. 3f and a patched roundball, with a little crisco on the patch. Many thanks, Larry | |||
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Carried my Tulle Fusil de Chasse into the woods for my last hunt of the 2009 season which ended last evening. The bucks did not cooperate but it was fun carrying a gun I assembled myself from Track's finest components. Mine looks a lot like this http://www.trackofthewolf.com/...CHASSE-42-PARTS-LIST except mine is stocked in walnut finished very dark and I've added a rear sight. I load it with a .600 ball and 0.010 wonderlubed patch over 70 grains of 3f. Good luck to those of you still at it. | |||
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The guys I shoot with who use .54's never have to wipe the bore for an entire day's shooting (up to 85 shots), using TOTW mink oil, 110gr. 2f and a .535" along with a .020" to .022" denim patch. One must use a short starter and have a proper smoothed crown on the muzzle. No rifle from a manufacturer has a proper crown that will allow a good combination- ie; easy loading and no cutting - unlimited shooting without wiping. Daryl S. | |||
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I imagine that's the result of the smaller ball and thicker patch. Well worth a try. Thanks Daryl. | |||
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I think I now understand your gun is a smooth rifle - sorry my mistake - ie: a smoothbore, with both rifle sights. Smoothbores need to use a smaller ball than same calibre rifles, as they don't have the grooves to collect and hold the patch, thus, the ball needs to be smaller. We always use a heavier patch, to hold more lube, but, we also keep the ball size as large as possible, as those give the best accuracy, especially in a rifle. I use a .600" ball in my 20 bore, with the same .0215" denim patch I use in rifles with a .005" undersized (smaller than bore) ball. I have never had anything buy poor luck with any patch of less thickness than .018", and that one I use in a .40 cal. rifle with a ball that's .002" larger than the bore. The thin patches don't hold enough lube and are poor at sealing the gasses and pressure behind them. Since they don't hold enough lube to coat the bore, the fouling gets dry and hard, making you have to wipe the bore. I am currently experimenting with good results so far, with a .595" ball in my 20 bore (.620" bore) and use a .022" ticking patch. It's working quite well. The mould is a Jeff Tanner mould form England. Some 20's are only .615", which is nominal size for a modern 20 bore. I would suggest not going smaller than .595", as a .590" requires an even heaver patch. My bro tried that in his Pennsylvania fowler last Sunday, and didn't like them at all as he's usually deadly with that pelter, yet missed 1/2 the targets, from 10 yards to 110yards. With a .600" ball, he misses very few. Daryl S. | |||
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Daryl, Thank you so much for sharing your notes on this subject. My Tulle has the standard .620 smoothbore sold by Track of the Wolf, who provided the rest of the parts for my first build. I had a rear sight installed and fitted a bolder than traditional front sight as I use it primarily with ball rather than shot. With my current .600 ball & .010 patch combination it shoots 3-4 inch groups at 50 yards. Early on I played a little with a .610 ball and card and fiber shotgun wads but accuracy was mighty casual. Coming up with a combination that shoots as well without having to wipe between shots will be a blessing. Does the tight combination you describe load easily enough for use in the cold, or is that primarily a function of the lube used and keeping the fouling soft? Thanks again. Merry Christmas (and Boxing Day?). | |||
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Larry - I am sorry this got carried away. We should have started another thread. Please accept my apologies. The combination of a .600" ball and .010" patch will not press hard enough (or at all) on the walls of the gun to remove fouling when loading, nor will it wet to bore to dampen the fouling left in the bore when shot. 3-4" at 50 yards is very good accuracy for a smoothbore. Consistant accuracy of that level is difficult to achieve with a smoothbore. I have heard of guys who claim 1" groups at 50 yards with smoothbores, with one sight, let alone 2, as well as 3" offhand groups at 50 yards with a smoothbore yet I see very few people able to do that with a rifle and open sights, let alone a smoothbore. Hitting the odd target 3" diameter target offhand at 50 yards does not mean the gun is shooting a 3" group, but then, if it makes them feel better - oh well. My own 20 bore seems capable of 4" to 4 1/2" at 50 yards. Further load development is necessary. An increase in powder charge will redcue that size, I am positive. I am currently shooting 3 drams 2F. The farther you can get the ball out there before it spins off on a tangent, the more accurate it will be. I've watched balls in flight from smoothbores with binocs, as they spin off in the manner of the shape of a trumpet's horn - exponential curve. This is due to the ball taking a spin, then like a thrown curve ball, away it goes. The farther you can get it out there (higher velocity) the longer will be the useable accuracy range. My side by side 12 bore ctg. double gun (smooth) managed 8" groups at 100 meters, shooting rights and lefts, but it took 7 drams of BP to do it - in a 7 1/2 pound gun, it was not fun to shoot. The critical velocity to shoot that well at that range seemed to be 1,550fps. A 20 bore would probably require 110gr. to 120gr. 2f to do that. Some French designs might rear up and smack your cheek bone with those load. Most of the guys I shoot with, use between 65gr. 2F and 86gr. 2F in their 20's, adjusting their loads for the range. I use the same 82gr. (3drams) for most ranges, increasing that to 100gr. 2F for the 100 to 110yard targets on the trail. It is very satisfying to hit a fox, rabbit or turkey at 100 yards with a smoothbore. Even the 65gr. shooter hits the odd one, but his are the balls I watch spinning off 3' to 4' wide at 100 yards when I have the binocs, whereas the 82gr.+ loads appear to go straight. I use even more powder to lower the trajectory, giving me an almost flat sighting along the rear flat of the barrel, for all ranges. I'd be using at least a .015" patch. Store bought patches rarely are as thick as the bag says. I take my micrometer (or calipers) to the sewing shop when buying cloth for patches. The calipers measure material .003" 'thicker' than does the mic. The combination must scrub the bore - be tight enough to impress somewhat on the ball's sides when loaded so it pushes all the 'wetted' fouling from the last shot, down onto the powder. This will actually help insulate the powder from the lube in the patch. The fouling really isn't wet, but is damp from the previous shot. The patch must be thick enough to hold enough lube to do this job as well as lubricate the leaving ball. When I find a patch material that works well, I buy the entire bolt, so I'll have roughly 10 meters of cloth to last for a few years. I've found since the 1970's, that 10oz and 12 oz. denim will work in all my guns, no matter the bore or calibre. Good luck! For me, experimentation with a smokepole is never done. Same with modern rifles, however when I finally get the best from a gun (modern) I become bored with it and sell it. Merry Christmas to you & everyone here. Daryl S. | |||
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Nice!!! | |||
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No apologies necessary! I've enjoyed the back-in-forth between some folks who know more about the subject than I do. Happy New Year to y'all. | |||
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