I use a spray bottle filled with 91% alcohol to clean my barrel between relays when I shoot matches. It removes oil and it cuts fouling pretty well. It dries really fast leaving no residue. And it's cheap. I feel sorry for people who can't get real black powder. Pyrodex can be made to work in percussion rifles. It works best in percussion revolvers and under-hammer rifles where the fire only has to travel a short distance and goes directly into the charge. For a fast follow-up shot, I like to keep a few mini-ball design bullets in my bag. They load quick and easy and they shoot to point of aim out to 50 yards in my rifle. Thanks for the video. You make many good points.
Wise words indeed! But of course they would be because you know very well what you are talking about. One very important aspect of long term storage is that many people make the mistake of storing a firearm muzzle up, this allows oil to drain down the vertical barrel and seep into the stock, it also allows the oil to congeal around the touch hole/nipple and prevent reliable ignition, if the firearm is stored muzzle down this does not become a problem, I have seen many good rifles returned from hot climate countries,(India/Africa), with the head of the stock so soaked with oil the wood has become soft. I look forward to many more of your videos! Chris B.
Thanks for the advice! I started my flintlock journey not long ago and seeing this video sooner could have saved me a lot of frustration and profanity. I spent my first year just focused on reliability; I didn't even care about accuracy. Now I'm experienced enough to confirm what you're saying and agree with you.
I’m with you all the way ! Wise words indeed ! I’ve just got only one thing to criticize. And that’s the remark “I’ve never had a misfire “ ! Well let’s be honest how do we find out what works and what doesn’t ? As I was learning I’ve had a lot of them and now I’ve got very few. And ya I do a lot of shooting and take my flints to the bitter end and on my range I get to the end of them and I know it’s time to change it. Thanks for the good presentation, well done. 👍😃
All I can say it that I am super careful and serious when I do load my gun and make sure to keep my powder dry. BECAUSE, I could not take spending three days to call in a turkey and not have my gun go off OR endless days deer hunting, only to not have my gun go off. I have found a method that works for me and I am very strict on it. I am hunting turkey in Maine the end of the month. (10 hour drive and hundreds of dollars) then on to Ontario and more hundreds of dollars then 1000 miles back home. You bet I am careful and serious when loading my gun.
I used pyrodex when I first started. In my defense, I have a Thompson Center Firestorm and the user manual specifically says pyrodex (and even pellets) are good to use. In the beginning, I basically did everything the user manual said. I've grown out of the pyrodex phase, especially now that I'm advanced enough to make my own black powder.
Oh, and don't mind the Thompson Center Firestorm. My next goal for growth is building something more traditional from a kit, like Kibler's. I've never done that before so the journey of learning continues.
I do the same thing that I did in the military my drill sergeant taught me all the way back in 1978 Dawn dishwashing liquid and it's hot water as you can stand and you scrub that barrel until you think it's clean then you do it a little bit more you run patch after patch after patch through that barrel until it is dry that's how I do all my rifles black powder all the way up to an AR which is a dirty word I know
I enjoyed your video. I have to comment on what you said about condensation though. Everyone has their own experience, and this is mine. A number of years ago I went hunting on a cold winter day with my Lyman Great Plains percussion rifle. On my way to my stand I saw a buck, took a shot and missed. I reloaded and continued to hunt. When I came back to the house that evening, leaving the rifle loaded, I hung it back where I keep it, hanging on the fireplace mantel above the fireplace, with a fire going. The rifle remained there for a week, until I took it out on another hunt. As I walked to my stand I spied an 8 point buck, drew a bead, pulled the trigger, and pop. All that fired was the cap. It spooked the buck, he ran a short ways and stopped. I put on another cap, pulled the trigger, and just a pop again. The buck jumped, but didn't run as far this time. I put on another cap, pulled the trigger, and pop again. This time the buck just looked up, and went about eating, casually, eventually walking into the brush out of view. I went on to my tree stand. When I got there I unscrewed the nipple and poured a little powder in the touch hole, replaced the nipple and recapped. After a while I see the buck walking towards my tree. I drew a bead and just a pop again. I'm really frustrated now. I walked back to the house and pulled the ball. When I pointed the muzzle down no powder came out. Did I dryball or what? I wound up putting the barrel into a bathtub full of hot water and running the ramrod in and out until finally a black cloud came pouring out of the barrel. So the only conclusion I can draw is that bringing a loaded cold rifle into a warm house and hanging it above the fireplace, enough condensation formed inside the bore to soak the powder. When it dried it turned into a solid cake that would not ignite, or even pour. Just what I experienced.
I have been giving your experience many hours of thought. In order for condensation to form on the steel and powder, It has to come into direct exposure to the warm moist air inside the house. The heat from the fireplace should have evaporated any tiny amount of moisture that might have come into contact via the hole in the nipple. It would take a large amount of condensation to turn the entire load into a large solid mass. The load does get packed to some extent when you seat the ball. Removing the nipple and pouring a tiny amount of powder in the touch hole should have eliminated any possible problem. Did carbon build up in the nipple cause a problem, blocking the ignition from the cap? This is an unusual experience.
@@PatrickJCameron I agree with everything you said, however I was just relaying what happened to me. As I said, I did unscrew the nipple and pour in a little powder, screwed the nipple back, capped it, still to no avail. When I finally pulled the ball back at the house, I could not pour powder out, even after hitting it with the ramrod. It took soaking the barrel in hot water in the bathtub for a few minutes to finally get a black cloud to start pouring out the muzzle. We know that we get ignition when loading with pellets rather than loose powder. You would think that solidified black powder should be no different from pellets? In addition to my muzzle loader, I have brought other rifles into a warm house after a hunt on cold days and had condensation form on them as well. Was condensation what caused my powder to solidify and not fire? I can't say for sure, but, right or wrong, it was my only logical explanation at the time.
I've had condensation all over a centerfire rifle when it was kept in a truck in -10F temps all night and then brought inside, otherwise I agree with you - it's a rare enough problem to not really have to worry about it.
I use a spray bottle filled with 91% alcohol to clean my barrel between relays when I shoot matches.
It removes oil and it cuts fouling pretty well. It dries really fast leaving no residue. And it's cheap.
I feel sorry for people who can't get real black powder. Pyrodex can be made to work in percussion rifles.
It works best in percussion revolvers and under-hammer rifles where the fire only has to travel a short distance and goes directly into the charge.
For a fast follow-up shot, I like to keep a few mini-ball design bullets in my bag. They load quick and easy and they shoot to point of aim out to 50 yards in my rifle.
Thanks for the video. You make many good points.
It just plain works! Wether you get it in a mason jar or at the drug store or liquor retail outlet. It just plain works.
Wise words indeed! But of course they would be because you know very well what you are talking about. One very important aspect of long term storage is that many people make the mistake of storing a firearm muzzle up, this allows oil to drain down the vertical barrel and seep into the stock, it also allows the oil to congeal around the touch hole/nipple and prevent reliable ignition, if the firearm is stored muzzle down this does not become a problem, I have seen many good rifles returned from hot climate countries,(India/Africa), with the head of the stock so soaked with oil the wood has become soft. I look forward to many more of your videos! Chris B.
Good stuff, Pat. Keep them coming.
Thanks for the advice! I started my flintlock journey not long ago and seeing this video sooner could have saved me a lot of frustration and profanity. I spent my first year just focused on reliability; I didn't even care about accuracy. Now I'm experienced enough to confirm what you're saying and agree with you.
I’m with you all the way ! Wise words indeed ! I’ve just got only one thing to criticize. And that’s the remark “I’ve never had a misfire “ ! Well let’s be honest how do we find out what works and what doesn’t ? As I was learning I’ve had a lot of them and now I’ve got very few. And ya I do a lot of shooting and take my flints to the bitter end and on my range I get to the end of them and I know it’s time to change it. Thanks for the good presentation, well done. 👍😃
All I can say it that I am super careful and serious when I do load my gun and make sure to keep my powder dry. BECAUSE, I could not take spending three days to call in a turkey and not have my gun go off OR endless days deer hunting, only to not have my gun go off. I have found a method that works for me and I am very strict on it. I am hunting turkey in Maine the end of the month. (10 hour drive and hundreds of dollars) then on to Ontario and more hundreds of dollars then 1000 miles back home. You bet I am careful and serious when loading my gun.
good information....from Alberta
Good stuff sir.
Very good video. I do get tired of people over complicating flintlocks
I used pyrodex when I first started. In my defense, I have a Thompson Center Firestorm and the user manual specifically says pyrodex (and even pellets) are good to use. In the beginning, I basically did everything the user manual said. I've grown out of the pyrodex phase, especially now that I'm advanced enough to make my own black powder.
Oh, and don't mind the Thompson Center Firestorm. My next goal for growth is building something more traditional from a kit, like Kibler's.
I've never done that before so the journey of learning continues.
I do the same thing that I did in the military my drill sergeant taught me all the way back in 1978 Dawn dishwashing liquid and it's hot water as you can stand and you scrub that barrel until you think it's clean then you do it a little bit more you run patch after patch after patch through that barrel until it is dry that's how I do all my rifles black powder all the way up to an AR which is a dirty word I know
Thank you Patrick!
I enjoyed your video. I have to comment on what you said about condensation though. Everyone has their own experience, and this is mine. A number of years ago I went hunting on a cold winter day with my Lyman Great Plains percussion rifle. On my way to my stand I saw a buck, took a shot and missed. I reloaded and continued to hunt. When I came back to the house that evening, leaving the rifle loaded, I hung it back where I keep it, hanging on the fireplace mantel above the fireplace, with a fire going. The rifle remained there for a week, until I took it out on another hunt. As I walked to my stand I spied an 8 point buck, drew a bead, pulled the trigger, and pop. All that fired was the cap. It spooked the buck, he ran a short ways and stopped. I put on another cap, pulled the trigger, and just a pop again. The buck jumped, but didn't run as far this time. I put on another cap, pulled the trigger, and pop again. This time the buck just looked up, and went about eating, casually, eventually walking into the brush out of view. I went on to my tree stand. When I got there I unscrewed the nipple and poured a little powder in the touch hole, replaced the nipple and recapped. After a while I see the buck walking towards my tree. I drew a bead and just a pop again. I'm really frustrated now. I walked back to the house and pulled the ball. When I pointed the muzzle down no powder came out. Did I dryball or what? I wound up putting the barrel into a bathtub full of hot water and running the ramrod in and out until finally a black cloud came pouring out of the barrel. So the only conclusion I can draw is that bringing a loaded cold rifle into a warm house and hanging it above the fireplace, enough condensation formed inside the bore to soak the powder. When it dried it turned into a solid cake that would not ignite, or even pour. Just what I experienced.
I have been giving your experience many hours of thought. In order for condensation to form on the steel and powder, It has to come into direct exposure to the warm moist air inside the house. The heat from the fireplace should have evaporated any tiny amount of moisture that might have come into contact via the hole in the nipple. It would take a large amount of condensation to turn the entire load into a large solid mass. The load does get packed to some extent when you seat the ball. Removing the nipple and pouring a tiny amount of powder in the touch hole should have eliminated any possible problem. Did carbon build up in the nipple cause a problem, blocking the ignition from the cap? This is an unusual experience.
@@PatrickJCameron I agree with everything you said, however I was just relaying what happened to me. As I said, I did unscrew the nipple and pour in a little powder, screwed the nipple back, capped it, still to no avail. When I finally pulled the ball back at the house, I could not pour powder out, even after hitting it with the ramrod. It took soaking the barrel in hot water in the bathtub for a few minutes to finally get a black cloud to start pouring out the muzzle. We know that we get ignition when loading with pellets rather than loose powder. You would think that solidified black powder should be no different from pellets? In addition to my muzzle loader, I have brought other rifles into a warm house after a hunt on cold days and had condensation form on them as well. Was condensation what caused my powder to solidify and not fire? I can't say for sure, but, right or wrong, it was my only logical explanation at the time.
I've had condensation all over a centerfire rifle when it was kept in a truck in -10F temps all night and then brought inside, otherwise I agree with you - it's a rare enough problem to not really have to worry about it.
Hi Patrick, care to share some information on the rifle on the wall behind you?
That is a 54 cal southern mountain rifle built by John Bergmann of Granville Tenn. Hope to take a turkey with it some day.
It's not "slide ruler". It's "slide rule".
You are correct. It has been 50 years since i used one.