questions of jukar

[RBak]

My wife has done it, I have done it. Both of us, many times.

Doc, any of us who have shot a few years have at least a couple "Oh sh*ts" behind us, and more to look forward to.
Embarrassing? Yes....
Inevitable? Yes....
But....if you shoot enough, it's going to happen as sure as God made little green apples.

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I had a beautiful run of about 3 years, give or take a bit, with nothing going South on me...got downright cocky, I did.

Then out of the clear blue, I dry-balled my .58 Big Boar. (a gun which I just recently acquired.)
Now, this particular barrel is very tight. So tight, in fact that I have to use an OP wad to keep from burning patches with only 60gr FFg and a .575 cast ball.

Anyway, over the years, I have used the Co2 thingy, the worm, and I have have done just as you say... "shoot the darn thing out", and your method is my favorite by far.
Of course, as mentioned, I do make sure the ball is well seated before I do this.

Anytime I seat "higher" than my mark on the ramrod, I know exactly what the next step is...get out the powder!
I automatically go ahead and "firmly" seat the ball, and take out for my Flintlock primer and my nipple wrench. I now carry both even when I'm shooting caps, and in less than a minute or so the problem is solved. If I'm shooting Flint, and my partner is shooting caps, I got us both covered, if I'm shooting just Flint, I got that covered too....amazing what 3gr of FFFFg can do as far as saving time.

Giff, I didn't meant my remarks in a 'bad' way...It's just that I had to look the word up.
After looking it up with Mr. Webster, I decided I liked it.
Can't say I've ever seen it before, certainly never used it, but I like it.
Now, if I can just remember it, I'll be tall cotton, indeed....seems our education never ends.

Russ

[gifford]

Russ - did not think you did. Yep, it's a good word to use in these situations. Dryballs are a fact of life with smokepoles imho.

A friend picked up a .32 flinter pistol at a local gun show, the owner/seller snapped it a few times, good spark. He snapped it a few times at home as well. We took it to the range, he's a new blackpowder shooter, and I showed him how to clean the bore as we couldn't get a rod down the bore. Eventually we got it clean and found out the rod didn't bottom out. We primed it and yep, it had been loaded. We don't know if a ball was present or not. Still, he learned a lesson re smokepoles, it's loaded till it ain't. Taking it apart revealed it was a hand made pistol, no proofs, and interesting construction using one screw to hold all the lock parts together etc. but it shoots just fine with 10-12 grains and .300 ball.

[mooman76]

All it takes is a distration to throw you off and forget. If I did it allot at the range I would get one of those co2 thingies to shoot it out. I don't do it that much but am usually by myself with no distractions.

[mbuckley52]

did you get a reply about getting the ball out?

I cracked the original ram rod but bought a fiberglass one that the end unscrews and there is a ball puller under it. if you can find one (fiberglass rod) try using the ball puller, it may be a pain but should work ok.
mark

[reivertom]

that thing the nipple screws into is called the powder drum, you migth try soaking it in some kroil oil. if it don't come then bad news!! i was in the same shoes as you once ,and i took an old man and made it a advice wall hanger!!!

Many of the drums on those guns were installed with the notion that they shouldn't be removed . Most will not unscrew without tearing up the drum first and the breech plug is even worse.. For some reason they did it on purpose. I have had some that wouldn't come out and I have one barrel that has a removable drum like it should. I think it is a real early one. Don't remove it if it's functional or you will have problems and turn your gun into a paperweight. They simply are not worth the money to have much machine shop work done to them. In other words, don't fix it if it ain't broke!

[Col4570]

A bloke just gave me a Jukar Kit Kentucky rifle.Still in the Box with everything.I intend to check it out as follows,The Breach Plug Threads,The Barrel bore possibly Lead Lapp it,Rework the Flintlock by checking hardness of parts,The Two piece stock and Furniture are Good and with some work will look good.The Touch Hole is undrilled,I will make and fit a stainless removable coned Touch hole insert.For my own safety I will get it proofed.At the Muzzle the Rifling looks very good but I will check it out when I remove the Breach Plug.I have a feeling that this Rifle can be improved to a good standard My main criteria being safety.The 1in66 barrel will be only for patched ball and about 60 grains of 3f.I have in the past made kentuckys from scratch as follows.

[Col4570]

Another View.

[Col4570]

This is the Kit Rifle,hopefully it will make a shooter.

[dagger dog]

Nice!

I bought a Jukar kit from the late '60's, it was already assembled, a very poor example of a back yard hobby "builder", the brown patina is real from the first owner letting it RUST, the bore was dark but rifling sharp and it's getting shiner every cleaning, the touch hole on mine works fine even with the weird position in relation to the pan, just keep the pick in the flash hole until priming and use about 3 grs or less, the 5/8" English flint rests just above the pan with the hammer down and throws a good shower of sparks when it flips the frizzen open. I haven't checked the hardness of the frizzen face but it has no scrapes that you can feel with a thumb nail, and it seen its share of shooting.

I started with 65 grains FFg Goex prime with FFFg, 0.440" round ball cast from a Lee mould with wheel weight lead, and a 0.015"thick heavy canvass patch lubed with bees wax, Crisco, canola oil mix. I also built a CVA percussion back in '78 and I shot up to 85 gr FFg without any problems the sound went from a boom to a crack.

The percussion gun would keep 3 shots into a 3" bull rested off a bench @100 yds, the flintlock shows promise even though it's my first experience with one, and my 67 year old eyes are not in the best shape. What a hoot to shoot.

Your Jukar is definitely worth the time to get it shooting, and those pic's are nice eye candy.

[Maven]

Unfortunately many think Jukar = Junker, but that's not entirely justified. Certainly the locks aren't Siler/Jm Chambers quality (but neither is the price); the path from the chamber to the powder charge is a bit convoluted; and the drum's fit to the bbl. (if percussion) needs TLC; but the bbl's. shoot remarkably in spite of these design flaws. In the late '70's and early '80's, those "Kentucky" rifles were very popular and accurate in the hands of a good shooter (not powder pigs either). Glass bedding the bbl. may help overcome the problems with the 2 pc. stock too. Good luck with that kit and show us the finished product + targets!

[Col4570]

An interesting development,the Jukar barrel has a pin through the Barrel where the touch hole is and goes through the Breach Plug.This would appear to be a deactivation.Everything about the Rifle is unused.My intention is to cut the deact section off and make a Nocks breach.About 1" will be removed then replaced with the new Breach plug.

[Col4570]

The Jukar Rifle Barrel,This evening I cut off the plugged section and drilled and tapped the Barrel to 5/8"BSF (British Standard Fine Thread) in the Lathe to take a Nocks Breach.The Next Job is to make the Breach Plug.The Rifling is excellent at 1 turn in 66".Pictures to follow.

[Col4570]

Making the Nocks Breach Plug for the Jukar Rifle.

[mooman76]

Looks like you are a real handy kind of guy!

[fouronesix]

"Making the Nocks Breach Plug for the Jukar Rifle."

Question- are you going to drill the clean-out and touch hole perpendicular to the bore axis and intersect at the apex (terminus) of the plug hollow as in the original patent design (as shown in the attached drawing)?

[Col4570]

fouronesix,yes as you describe,the centre hole will taper and be round at the bottom and the touch hole will have a coned stainless steel insert.
PS,The Stainless steel touch Hole insert is my only concession to modernity.

[aspangler]

I have a percussion Juker in 45 that will shoot cloverleafs at 50 yards using .440 RB, 18 thou. patch, and 50 gr. ffg holy black. Still get hunting accuracy with Pyrodex but not like the real stuff.

[Col4570]

aspangler,thanks for the load info,I am looking forward to seeing what this flint version will do.

[docone31]

That Jukar will do some good thing.Since you have done most of the touble work, then I would use valve lapping compound on about five early patches.Polishes going in, and polishes coming out. The next load after the lapping compound, I would cut a wad for behind the patch and ball. cleans the crud out. Well, mostly.I also took a 1/2 carriage bolt, some lapping compound, and polished the muzzle. Figuired it might not hurt, and when done, it made the rifle shine.My wife loaded the rifle with a double charge of 70gns each, and it took it. She has not forgotten the load, but, it took it and many more after.I think, with the work you are doing, you will have a good shooter.I am making a lefty, back action, Tryon kinda 30" half stock whatever with mine. Nock plug for flinters, made into percussion with a drum.Might be fun. Who knows.Good luck. Looks good so far

[Col4570]