[Johngoboom]

I was given and old .50 cal side hammer kit muzzel loader...it was in pretty bad shape. I cleaned it best I could short of re-blueing it, and greased everything down with rig. I cleaned out the nipple and the flash hole to the barrel (it was filled with rust and a combination of assorted gunk). I really doubt with the shape the barrel is in it will ever be a good shooter, but I figured it would be a fun gun to shoot once in a while. You have to love the smoke and noise of a muzzel loader.

My questions to you guys are:

1. How many grains of black powder or pyrodex do you load these old kit guns with?

2. With these guns is it ok to use pellets? All I have is pellets for my Rem 700ML, I figured I would have to buy a flask and messure right? Also thinking I will need round balls, patches, lube, and caps too? Anything else?

3. I haven't played with anything but a modern in-line since I was 12, is there anything I should know so I don't blow myself up?

Thanks
-John

 

[deputy125]

congrats on the new addition.........

hard to say without looking at the gun but a favorite starting load for me and mine is around 70 grains of goex 2F or pyrodex RS. I would not exceed 100 grains...........

Never messed with the pellets but from other shooters i hear of tails of difficult ignition even with a #11 magnum cap. I'd use #11 magnum caps anyways as they cost the same.....I might be wrong but i believe the pellets are specifically designed for in-lines so ignition may be a problem for you with a side lock......................

Always use a volume measure with BP or BP substitute. If you are just going to use it at the range, i'd pass on the flask and just get a powder measure and build or buy an appropriate funnel for the powder can/jug to directly fill the measure. A feller can use an empty cartridge case like a .243 or .270 to build a funnel directly into the cap. There are a cpl of outfits out there that make screw-on plastic funnels to fit the pyrodex or goex cans if you prefer for around $5.00.........

Probably a slow rate of twist so i'd try .490 patched round balls. For the range i would not mess with pre-lubed patches. I keep a small squirt bottle of water with a bit of dish washing liquid in it and use it for spit patches.

Clean the he** out of her and flitz the bore real well.....She may shoot just fine accuracy wise with a rough bore but will foul in a hurry. When at the range i use a concoction of a solution that is one part murphy's oil soap, one part rubbing alcohol, and one part hydrogen peroxide------works extremely well for a very fast clean at the range. Back home---warm soapy water followed by ballistol.

Here is a link to the goex chart that might help
http://www.goexpowder.com/load-chart.html

here is a link to pyrodex pellet and powder data---but ya got to check the box and hit the button to open it up in a file page......
http://www.hodgdon.com/ml-warning.html

blow-ups?-------most thing to watch is make sure when you ram the ball home it goes all the way and is resting on top of the powder charge----double and tripple check it. a gap between the powder and ball will cause grief............

and get ready to have lots of fun!!!!

 

[Johngoboom]

Thanks for the info Deputy! The gun is a T/C Heritage.

I just got done firing off a shot and then cleaning her back up...got to love that smell.

I bought a can of Pyrodex RS and a cheap powder measure...it's one of the plastic ones with the graduations on the side...once I got it exactly 70 grains (or close to it ), I took a 7MM Rem mag case and kept fileing the neck down until the 70 grains filled the empty cartridge. I figured this would give me a little bit better chance of dumping the same amount of powder down the barrel every time as I wouldn't be going by the etched marks on the plastic. I picked up one of the funels that screws onto the top of the can...seems to be worth the $4 bucks it cost. Good tip!

I flitz the snot of the barrel like you said...I kept getting RUSTY patches so I took a .50 cal bronze brush, stuck it on the ram rod, and chucked it up in my cordless drill. I gave it a few passes like that spinning away, then flitzed it again really well. When the patch started coming out cleaner I switched to Hoppes 9 and cleaned until the pactches looked good. I then ran a patch covered with bore butter up and down it a few times to help seal the metal.

I also put a new nipple on it. The one that was on it was in pretty bad shape, and for $5 I figured I would put the T.C. number 11 cap nipple made for those magnum caps. That seemed to work very well, and when I set off a cap in the basement seemed to be pretty loud.

After all that I loaded her up with 70 grains, and a .490 round ball (again thanks for the advice). The magnum cap set the charge off well, with barley any perceptable hang fire.

I didn't even have a target setup in the back yard, I just sent the ball into the back field to see how it would shoot. This weekend I'll try to take her to the range to see how she does on a target. Cleaned her back up, coated with some RIG, and all set.

Here's a pic of the gun, and one of my work area / man cave. The room is in my basement and is walled off from the rest of it.

 

[Bountyhunter]

That's a cool looking gun.

 

[XLCH]

Is that a TC Hawken?

 

[Johngoboom]

Nope, it's a TC "New Englander".

 

[tx gun runner]

About 40 Years ago when TC first came out they tryed to blow one up . They
put the barrel half full of 3F and but 3 balls in it tied it to a tire and fired it and came
through without a scrach . The only way they could blow it up was to take a normal
charge and ball and leave a one inch air space between ball and powder and that did it .
1 in 48 twist likes 80 gr of 2F , 1 in 66 or 70 twist 90 to 100 gr of 2F . These loads are
for round ball . And make sure the ball is against powder and mark your stick . The new
England came with both twist and were marked on barrel

 

[Terry_P]

I have a T/C Renegade which is a side lock and looks like that one except the BBL is a little longer. I used it for several years for deer hunting and I used to weigh black powder charges of 100 gr and I used a saboted 245 gr 44 cal pistol bullet and it was an excellent shooter. I am a heretic of sorts as I mounted a scope using Thompsom mounts that fit in the iron sight screw holes. I bought the Knight disk when it came out and have never gotten that to even come close to the accuracy of the T/C with black powder. I used actual black powder because it would ignite better than volume measured loads of BP substitutes with the #11 caps. They are shooters.

 

[Natalie]

Nice John. I get a kick out of you. I have the same high excitement but I'm missing your energy level. Enjoy it, eventually that high energy exits leaving you behind.

 

[tx gun runner]

I have a T/C Renegade which is a side lock and looks like that one except the BBL is a little longer. I used it for several years for deer hunting and I used to weigh black powder charges of 100 gr and I used a saboted 245 gr 44 cal pistol bullet and it was an excellent shooter..

Your the 1st one I heard of to get a saboted to shoot in a 1 in 48 twist , nomally after 50 yds deer are safe , or do you have the TC 1 in 28 barrel in it . What size is your group at 100 yds . The pic below is 1 in 66 or 70 patched round ball .

 

[Johngoboom]

Nice John. I get a kick out of you. I have the same high excitement but I'm missing your energy level. Enjoy it, eventually that high energy exits leaving you behind.

Natalie, I'm truly a gun nut...I get excited about any gun. It doesn't matter if it costs a $1000 or $100. I just love the mechanics behind a firearm. There is something very cool about sending that projectile down range and making it hit what you are aiming at.