New to MLing, and photos of my new toy

[OverMax]

Which powders create the most smoke?
Elephant brand 2-FFg would be my answer.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Thanks for planting THAT seed Eddie.
haha!

OverMax, thank you! I'll look for that. Sounds fun.

[mooman76]

Compressed air works on a dry ball. They also make a thing that used those small compressed air cartridges you can use. I just remove the nipple and put a little powder in and fire it. It is usually enough to launch the ball out. There are a few other methods for real suborn stuck projectiles.

If you are actually in St. Louis I will be moving across the river from you in about 6 months.

[rfd]

i would recommend swiss bp. prolly 2f is a good starter for your t/c. i use 3f in all my flinters - .40 and .54 rifles and a .62 smoothbore. i find swiss to produce less fouling and more consistent "power". as to making smoke, all the brands and sizes will more than please.

with a patent breech chamber, you'll want to add a .32 brush to yer shooting bag to get in there and clean it out, with a draped patch. make SURE to test this out before hitting the range.

since the patent chamber is constricted, the patched ball will never seat on the breech plug itself. this just means that there's a minimum powder charge that must be adhered to else with a less than minimum charge there will be an air space 'tween the powder column and the patched ball. this will not be a good thing for your gun or you. most patent breeches will fill with about 30 grains (volume) of 2f, so bear that in mind.

as to cleaning the gun, tepid water is all that's needed. the big tip to remember is that the sooner you clean, the easier it's gonna be, because the longer you wait the faster that crud will dry and bake into the metal. this is where swiss bp can help with it's cleaner burning and somewhat less fouling. i use gato feo lubed patches, and along with a proper patch thickness and ball size, and that swiss powder, i can go more than a dozen shoots without a need for fouling control.

after the last shot taken at range or afield, i swab out the bore and lock with "moose milk" - a 1:6 blend of water soluble oil (ballistol) and plain water. this keeps the bp residue soft until i get back to the ranch for a proper water cleaning, drying, light oiling.

have fun!

[Bob in St. Louis]

Thank you both!
Mooman, I am on the outskirts of STL, but close enough to call it home. Welcome to the humidity.
RFD, Great info, thank you.

Thanks for the info about the powder charge, specifically.
I've yet to find good tables for recipes, but haven't looked very hard yet. So far, I've concentrated on the overall principles and basics of BP. I might fire a cap, but won't be adding any powder until I find reliable tables. I saw one here, but y'all argued about its accuracy so much, I figured it was trash. haha

[rfd]

for a .530 lead ball in a lubed .015 patch, i'd start with 50 grains of 2f or 3f, work up in 5 grain increments - your max might be 70 to 90 grains, depends on usage. i have a t/c manual somewhere, i'll look up their load spex for ya.

[rfd]

from the 1983 T/C "Shooting Black Powder Guns" pamphlet ...

[Bob in St. Louis]

Awesome, thank you!
Late last night, I'd just found the T/C website and downloaded the .pdf user manual before I went to bed.
Having 50+ pages, it'll be another day before I have time to read it. So thank you for the photos, that's very helpful. I found a video of a guy who's shooting between 60-90. So your recommendation of 50 looks like a perfect starting point.

I was also curious about the age of the rifle. Seems the T/C factory burnt down with the records of serial numbers going up in smoke. From what I've read about fellows posting their numbers, mine was late 80's.

EDIT: Holy Cow!!! I just looked at your photo with a mention of 120 grains!!! WOW!

[rfd]

the online T/C manual isn't the same as the original one from the 80's, and is only about their last offering which was only a fifty.

[Eddie2002]

120 grains in a .54 caliber, I would pad your shoulder with a towel for that one. LOL

[rfd]

120 grains in a .54 is medicine for grizzlies, not deer, and absolutely not steel or paper. i use a load of between 50 and 60 grains of 3f for a .54 flinter woods walk, anything more is a waste. lots will also depend on the load, where i like a "loose" grease patched ball.

[evoevil]

Nice smoke pole, I have the same one. Kicks like a mule but shoots good

[Bob in St. Louis]

the online T/C manual isn't the same as the original one from the 80's, and is only about their last offering which was only a fifty.

Sorry, ya lost me on that one???

"Smoke pole", I love that. haha

[Bob in St. Louis]

Yea, 120 grains sound like something ya do once. Just once. haha

[mooman76]

It just means you can do 120gr. It doesn't mean you should or need to. Many people think you have to crank out max loads but you generally get best with much lower loads. Even hunting loads don't need to be that stout.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Understood, thank you. Yea, I'll sneak up on that. No need to find the weakest link on the first day. I don't want to remove my face or turn the rifle into multiple pieces on the first shot. We might sneak up on that number, but like's been mentioned, about 50 seems like a nice comfy starting number.

[Bob in St. Louis]

The Davenport Formula is saying about 74 grains. That falls right in line with the 50-90 range.

[mooman76]

I usually start even with the caliber for rifles and half that for pistols and small caliber rifles. So, 50 gr for 50 caliber and then work up from there. There is a point where if you load enough powder, you are just wasting powder a bruising you shoulder and gaining nothing. You actually can go less powder two. Some people like to work up light loads.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Agreed! I've heard a couple times that 50-60 is a good starting point for me. The confirmation is welcome.
50 sounds great to me. Thank you!

[Eddie2002]

I shot 90 grains of 3F in my .50 caliber CVA with a PRB once which was all I needed. 50-60 grains will start you out just fine.