learning experience with this new rocklock I've had now for about a month! Having problems with ignition has been a real 'bugaboo' but maybe my luck has changed for the good! The weather here HAS NOT been conducive to shooting for the past 30 days as we've gone through flood conditions locally and one rain right after another; better than 90% RH for days on end with no sunshine! Was overcast here today with no wind much so I took the flinter out and discovered that this rifle likes VERY LITTLE powder in the pan....and I mean VERY LITTLE! I fired eight shots this afternoon as I had to make my grandsons baseball game. Shooting the standard issue Hawken sights, I've been exploring just what kind of sight picture to use and I think I've got this Dude figured out. I was taking a slightly too fine front bead down in the notch and even though I've cut the front sight way down....I didn't want to take it any lower. The shot down at 6 o/clock was the fine bead and it hit right where I was holding. I altered the sight picture a bit by seeing more of the front sight and the second shot was the one at 12 o/clock. For the next three shots I changed the sight picture again and got the three hits at the 3 o/clock position. Tapping the front sight to the right a tat....I fired the last three and they went to center. This was shot from 60 yards.

Untitled by Rick Mulhern, on Flickr

That is looking GOOD.

If you haven't done so already, chuck up a small felt bob in a Foredom or Dremel tool, and POLISH your flash pan mirror bright.
I'm not sure just why, but it will sure help with ignition reliability.
I've had several turn up with the flash holes bored to LOW, e.g. right down at the very bottom of the pan.
Plugging the original, and raising the flash hole a bit, seems to really help.

I kinda think that overcharging the flash pan creates a situation where all of the O2 in the vicinity of the flashole is consumed.

GTC

Nice...

I've been told the vent on this one is OK:

vent by Rick Mulhern, on Flickr

That vent looks perfect. Have you experimented with the flint being bevel down? When the flint is all the way forward does it point directly into the pan? Just a couple of suggestions that hopefully might help with making consistent smoke.

it does so

GTC

Guys...what I have 'discovered'....is this rifle likes a VERY SMALL amount of BP in the pan! About 1/2 the width/height of your little pinky nail!!

I heard an old timer tell a fellow once...."Son...wet your fore finger off your tongue....touch a bit of powder and put it into the pan....and it'll fire!

Maybe he knew what he was talking about!

Cross

Have you got a 'home' for that rifle you've been working on??

The location of that flash hole could not be better, somebody damn sure knew what they were doing.

REAL honest to God FFFFG is a rarity, now. A LOT of guys are mistakenly thinking that the "Socked Dust" from their coarser powders are the ticket....WRONG,.... The bulk of that "dust" is nothing but graphite.
If one IS going to go for "Dust" be sure it's something along the lines of an old, non graphited type, and WEE quantities in the FP dittos.

The Big 25 lb. George Leonard & Sons .52 cal ?

It's out on the road, making it's way towards it's home, as we speak.
I just hope that the critter that occupied the tool box, and wouldn't un-azz it's nest stays there until it reaches there.

If the owner can't get the critter or the rifle outta' the box, he might cut you one helluva' deal. I just hope it doesn't escape and cross-breed with the other denizens of the 'Glades.

GTC

You DID ship it via my place, didn't you? After all, it will need to stretch it's legs on such a long trip. I promise to give it a good cleaning and oiling before sending it on it's way.

Might have to have it stop at Rick's place, too...

Ed

No more than 3 grains for priming. If you want to, take a handful of FFFG and dump it into a tincan,drop a handful of rifle balls in with it and shake it up for a few. The lead balls and tincan won't cause spark but will reduce the gran of the powder well enuff for decent prime.

Ive still got several pounds of DuPont FFFFG. But I always used FFFG for priming. And yes the smallest amount is the most efficient.

Did a "Night Salute" at a rondy, way up in a local canyon some years back, with this old crock...
For whatever reason, the donor powder was all FFFFG (Jade mining maybe ?)
Even with blank charges the recoil was formidable.
The reports? .......ear splitting sounds about right, and heard at a roadhouse in full Saturday night mayhem mode about 15 miles away ( the old steakhouse in Sonoita ).

Gotta love a nice flinter.

I don't have many left. All my remaining flinters are fusils as that's what I prefered to shoot. This is one. And no I don't mind shooting a lefty. It was a gift from a dear old friend