Reworked the Trade Gun today

[Boerrancher]

I spent about 5 hours reworking the North West trade gun. What I though was going to be a simple installation of a touch hole liner turned out to be an absolute nightmare. I couldn't figure out why after 7 or 8 shots I would have a devil of a time getting it to go off. It would flash the pan and that was it. I was constantly having to clean the pan and touch hole area. I figured it had something to do with the touch hole so I thought installing a liner would help. The touch hole was starting to get quite large anyway.

To make a long story short, the touch hole was too close to the breach plug, so as the fouling would build up on the breach plug it would not go bang like it should. After hours of working to reset the barrel farther back in the stock so I could move the touch hole forward and get it away from the breech plug, I got it all back together and you can't even tell that any changes were made to it, other than the shiny touch hole liner.

After the work was complete I had to try it out, so I grabbed my gear and headed out to the front porch, where I spent the next couple hours busting rocks up on the hill side. I fired 30 rounds total with out having to clean the pan or touch hole. I had one misfire and that was because I broke a flint and didn't know it. Now I know the gun is ready for the match coming up Next month. I just need to shoot a bunch more to get better at shooting it. You fellas have no idea how elated I am to have my favorite gun up and running like it was new again. Tomorrow it is back to the front porch to bust a few more rocks.

Best wishes,

Joe

[DIRT Farmer]

Glad to hear you found a liner Joe, I had no idea I had so many nipples, but no liners.

[waksupi]

Sure wish you would have asked me before you went to all that trouble. Fouling on the breechplug is common, and needs scraped every 15-20 shots. You can tell it is getting funky, if you start getting misfires, or accuracy goes south. The vent should skim into the breech plug and cut a channel part way across the face. Moving it ahead of the breech plug causes it to foul more.

[Boerrancher]

Ric,

I used the original vent hole, I just had to use the edge of it to make it skim across the face of the breech plug. The way the gun was put together there was a small divot ground out of the edge of the breach plug, so the spark had to make a 90 degree turn. I guess I didn't clarify enough when I was "making my long story short." By using the outer edge of the original touch hole closest to the breech plug as the outer edge of my vent liner hole and by letting the drill nip into the breech plug a bit I think I have it lined up pretty well. It sure is shooting a great deal longer with out misfires, and accuracy got a lot better, also I don't need as much powder in the pan now that the flash can go in and have a straight shot to the powder. The lock time was pretty good before, as you have seen in a couple of the videos I posted this past summer, but now it is even faster. My favorite gun has just become my even more favorite gun. I am looking forward to the sun rise so I can start shooting again.

Best wishes,

Joe

[x101airborne]

That is great Joe. I also love my trade rifle and it is my favorite smoothbore for squirrels. I am using a peppy load of #6 shot for bushy tails and a .62 round ball for deer and hogs. What load (if you don't mind me asking) worked best for you with the round ball loads? I am using FFg and filling my pan with FFFg. Works great as long as I carry an alcohol pad in my pocket in the morning to wipe the dew off the plate and flint before firing. A DANG good squirrel gun, for sure...

[Boerrancher]

That is great Joe. I also love my trade rifle and it is my favorite smoothbore for squirrels. I am using a peppy load of #6 shot for bushy tails and a .62 round ball for deer and hogs. What load (if you don't mind me asking) worked best for you with the round ball loads? I am using FFg and filling my pan with FFFg. Works great as long as I carry an alcohol pad in my pocket in the morning to wipe the dew off the plate and flint before firing. A DANG good squirrel gun, for sure...

Trey,

I found that my trade gun shoots the best with a .60 dia ball and a .015 patch with either 70 grains of goex 3f, or 90 grains of Wano 2F. I use 4F in the pan and only fill it about a third full. Both loads shoot about the same, but the 90 grain load is a bit more accurate. For a shot load I use 50 grains of the Wano 2F and put 3 wads cut form a standard cardboard box over the powder(think Med and large flat rate box material) then I dump in 1 1/8 ounces of #5 shot with some lube, and then a single card wad over the top of the shot. If I hold directly on a squirrel I can dang near knock all the fur off of him at 30 yards, so I generally when they are cutting hickory nuts try to get a couple of them close together and shoot between them so I get 2 for 1. Back in early August I was averaging 1.5 squirrels per shot fired with the trade gun. After the hickory trees dried up I quit squirrel hunting with the trade gun and went back to using the 32cal.

Best wishes,

Joe

[x101airborne]

Dang man, that is awesome. I love that puff of smoke when it goes off. Usually if I hit the squirrel, I can watch it fall under the puff of smoke, but cant see the shot hit. Everyone laughs that I am going to set the woods on fire with that thing. It is great.

[waksupi]

Well, you CAN start fires with them. We have had it happen a couple times on our ranges. Of course it gets terribly dry here in the summer, and the place is a tinder box. Some days we have closed the range at noon, because of the added danger. The fires usually become apparent some time after the shooting, as a patch can smoulder for quite awhile, if it gets down in the duff. We keep an eye on unknown shooters, and if their patches tend to smoulder, we tell them to change their lube.

[DIRT Farmer]

I have noticed that on the shotgun line waksupi, it seems that the shooters that use water and detergent have smodering wads. That is why I started working with bees wax and oil mixes. To this point I have not found any of my wads smoking after the shot. It gets dry in Southern Indiana in the Fall also

[x101airborne]

Well, you CAN start fires with them. We have had it happen a couple times on our ranges. Of course it gets terribly dry here in the summer, and the place is a tinder box. Some days we have closed the range at noon, because of the added danger. The fires usually become apparent some time after the shooting, as a patch can smoulder for quite awhile, if it gets down in the duff. We keep an eye on unknown shooters, and if their patches tend to smoulder, we tell them to change their lube.

Please tell me more. We have very dry seasons here and I did not realize that the patch would smolder for any amount of time. How could I reduce this danger? Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Last thing I want is to set the woods on fire. Dang neighbors would gripe for a long time. LOL.
Really, how can I prevent this?

[waksupi]

Please tell me more. We have very dry seasons here and I did not realize that the patch would smolder for any amount of time. How could I reduce this danger? Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Last thing I want is to set the woods on fire. Dang neighbors would gripe for a long time. LOL.
Really, how can I prevent this?
For shot, stick with the card wad loading method. No problem there. For round ball, I use Moose Milk on the range. I've never seen one of them smoulder. During hunting season, it is generally wet enough to not worry about it. When it's REAL dry, I put away the ML's, and shoot cartridge guns.

[Boerrancher]

When it's REAL dry, I put away the ML's, and shoot cartridge guns.

Very sound advise. Two seasons ago I didn't hunt with a ML for that reason. Too much open timber with a foot of dry leaves on the ground. Granted Oak is not as bad as Pine to go up, but a small leaf and brush fire can burn thousands of square miles before it is stopped the natural boundaries of rivers and streams. The trees themselves may not burn but the underbrush will and that is where all of the critters that I have to have to feed my family live.

Best wishes,

Joe