Load Development for my Caywood Northwest Trade Gun

A few years ago I bought this 20 gauge flintlock Caywood Northwest Trade Gun smoothbore. Because I want this primarily for shooting ball and don't care about NMLRA trade gun match rules, I dovetailed a rear sight into the barrel. (A lot of originals had them added, so it's historically correct anyway.)

Today I took it to my club with the intention of finding an accurate load that is powerful enough for deer hunting. It didn't take long, shooting at 50 yards from the bench.

My first target was using a .600" ball, .010" patch lubed with October Country Bumbing Bear Grease, 80 grains of Scheutzen FFg black powder. It's certainly minute-of-whitetail.

I then shot a group with .015" patches and couldn't believe my eyes. It put three shots into about 2", from a smoothbore. When I viewed it through my spotting scope I was wondering where 2 of the shots went because I was not expecting such a small group from what's basically a shotgun. I had to walk downrange to confirm it. (Luckily, I had the place to myself today.)

After this I used a Wyoming Sight Drifter* to move the rear sight over, and also took a finer bead with the front sight buried in the rear notch to drop the POI. After moving the rear sight I repeated the small group 2 or 3 more times.

My point of aim on both of the targets was at 6:00 to ensure I got as precise a sight picture as possible.

I made this gun holder several years ago for when I'm doing small home gunsmithing jobs. I brought it along today because it makes sight drifting or filing at the range a lot easier.

I'm very close to having this dialed in for deer out to 50 yards. I need to get some more offhand practice in but I'm looking forward to carrying it in the Fall.

* If you shoot a muzzleloader or lever action rifle with traditional drift-adjustable sights, buy a Wyoming Sight Drifter. It's been worth every penny, IMHO.

Finally Shot the Gemmer Hawken

Back in January I got a .54 caliber flint Investarm Gemmer Hawken. It's the current version of the Lyman Great Plains Rifle that was sold for almost 50 years here in the US. I bought this rifle for a couple reasons. First, I wanted something a bit shorter than my longrifle for hunting. Second, I wanted the power of a .54. The deer we hunt up in Tioga get big and I would really like a complete pass-through to maximize blood trails. The huge doe I shot in 2022 stopped the .50 caliber ball I shot and the blood trail was very hard to follow. Bigger holes and two of them mean more blood out and air in, so hopefully blood trails will be a lot shorter.

Anyway, life got in the way and I didn't not shoot he rifle until today.

This is my first five shots, fired off the bench, from 50 yards. My point of aim was 6:00 on the top bullseye. As expected, it shot low because these rifles come with an extra tall front sight.

The lowest shot was the first, with the rest clustered into a couple inches. This is about as good as I can shoot from the bench with open iron sights, even with a cartridge gun, much less a flintlock. I'm quite happy with the group.

The load consisted of:

• Hornady .530" round ball
• 0.018" ticking patches lubed with October Country's Bumbling Bear Grease
• 80 grains of Scheutzen 2Fg black powder

Ignition was perfect the whole day. As long as I got spark there were no flashes in the pan and ignition was quick. I had to reverse the agate flint that came with the gun after 5 shots, and it last another 5 after that. I then replaced it with a real flint.

To raise the point of impact I needed to shorten the front sight. The file I had with me was too fine to remove enough metal in a reasonable amount of time so after awhile I gave up on it. After I got home I took the barrel out to my shop where I had a coarser file and took some off the top of the front sight.

If you know the sight radius of your gun, the distance to the target, and how much you need to move the point of impact, you can use this formula to determine how much to move an adjustable sight or file a fixed sight:

(Sight radius / Distance to target) (POI change needed) = Adjustment needed

All units must be the same. E.g., my rifle has a sight radius of 21.125" and 50 yards = 1800 inches. I needed to remove a bit over a tenth of an inch from the front sight to bring up the point of impact.

Something I noticed is that with this powder charge, ball size, and patch/lube combination, I can load a second shot without wiping but it's tough. After I get it zeroed I'll try with a liquid lube to see if that makes it easier. But I may look into a thinner patch for reloads while hunting, or bring a jag and patches wet with rubbing alcohol in my shooting patch when hunting. 

Tomorrow I'm planning to get together with a friend for some shooting and I'm bringing the Gemmer Hawken. Hunting season is coming up soon so I want to verify the zero get some practice in.

Shooting Pouch and Contents

I am planning to shoot in another woods walk tomorrow at Boyertown and in preparation went through my shooting pouch, so I thought it was a good opportunity to do a post on the contents. I will be shooting my .50 caliber George Dech flintlock longrifle, so the bag is setup to support it.

The bag itself was made by The Leatherman. I bought it many years ago at Dixon's. Although it was made to be worn on the right hip I wear it hanging on my left. If I can get motivated I may reverse the strap but that will require a lot of restitching.

I've previously posted about the horn, which came from October Country and then refinished by me.

The contents of the pouch are limited to support shooting and maintaining the rifle for a day or two of shooting. I could carry a few more things but then it would require fishing around in the bag too much.

First, note that I have a vent pick and pan brush hanging from the shoulder strap of the bag. I use the vent pick before priming the pan for each shot. This ensures that the vent is clear and allows me to confirm that I didn't dry ball.

On the top left is an Altoids tin containing cotton cleaning patches, some tow, a .50 caliber cleaning jag, and a US M1817-style worm to use with the tow. I also carry a small bottle of 70% rubbing alcohol in my jacket for use as a cleaning solvent. Running a damp patch down the bore between shots keeps loading easy and makes it so that my final cleaning isn't as difficult.

To the right of that is a tin with 30 0.018" shooting patches lubed with pure neatsfoot oil, and to the right of that is my powder measure, attached to the bag with a leather thong.

In the middle row is a leather bag containing 30 .490" round balls and next to that is my priming flask full of 3Fg powder. That will be carried in a jacket pocket during the shoot.

Below that is a flint/tool wallet and its contents: two lens wipes for my eyeglasses or the frizzen if it gets really dirty, ball pulling screw, patch pulling worm, three flints, and a piece of leather for holding the flint in the hammer.

This pic shows the back of the bag as well as the inside of the flint/tool wallet. It also shows the flint knapping hammer I carry in the bottom of the bag but forgot to take out for the first picture. I can use it to refresh the edge of a worn flint without removing it from the hammer.

I've previously used a small set of hand forged pliers for flint knapping, but Boyertown's rules require using a brass, non-sparking implement if knapping the flint when a charge is down the bore. I can't argue with that so I picked up the hammer shown since their last shoot.

Shot the .36 Flintlock Again Today

Today I took the .36 flintlock rifle to the range again.

Before heading out, I setup a new Delrin ramrod for it that I got in my last order from Track of the Wolf. It's 5/16" in diameter with brass tip threaded to take 8-32 accessories. I cut it to a couple inches longer than the bore and then added another brass tip on the other end. That one is threaded to take 10-32 accessories. Because the ramrod thimbles are sized for a 3/8" rod and ramrod hole was drilled a bit large for a .36, I'm able to fully seat the rod in the gun without it being tapered on one end.

If your ramrod has brass or steel tips I strongly recommend pinning them in place. Even if they are glued on and a tight friction fit, they can pull off if you try to pull a ball, or get a tight cleaning patch stuck down near the breach. Drilling and cross-pinning them will prevent that.

For my first group of 5 shots I tried .358" balls in .015" patches. These were a real bear to seat flush with the muzzle, so I don't think I'll be trying that combination again unless/until I cone it. Once past the muzzle they seated on the powder without excess effort.

My remaining shots were with .350" balls in .020" patches. These were easy to seat with my short starter and of course, seated easily on the powder. I used October Country's Bumblin Bear Grease for lubing all the patches.

All told I fired about 24 or 25 shots today and experience no hang fires or misfires. However, I found that it was difficult for me to get consistent groups. I am 99% certain it's due to the front sight, which is only .06" wide and rounded on top, so how I see it is really affected by changes in lighting.

As an experiment, I didn't swab between shots for about the last 11 rounds. I was still able to seat the last ball easily.

Those final 11 shots were fired at steel gongs. I whacked an ~8" gong a few times and it didn't visibly move, although it rang nicely, especially when I bumped my powder charge from 35 to 40 grains of 3Fg Goex. A smaller gone, probably about 6" square did visibly move. This is actually giving me second thoughts about using this rifle in woods walks where you shoot at steel gong targets.

After I got home and finished cleaning the rifle I measured the width of the front sight on my George Dech .50 longrifle and found that it's .08". It also has a nearly vertical rear face. This front sight is much easier for me to see than the one on the .36, so I ordered a similar front sight from Track of the Wolf.

Along with the new front sight I ordered a 5 pound box of Hornady 000 buckshot, which they swage to .350" diameter. While the Hornady .350" round balls sold for use in muzzleloaders are pure lead, the buckshot has a little antimony in it. According to a few folks on the Muzzleloading Forum the buckshot works fine in .36 muzzleloaders. ASSuming this works out it's definitely cheaper than buying 100 count boxes of .350" round balls.

Note: Some manufacturers of 000 buck make it at .360". Likewise, Lee 000 buckshot molds nominally cast .360" balls. Hornady may use the same swages for .350" muzzleloader balls and 000 buckshot.

Anyway, I am hoping that with the new front sight I'll be able to shoot the rifle better.

Shot the .36 Flintlock Rifle Today

I shot the rifle today and a load consisting of a .350 ball, 0.020" patch lubed with October Country Bumblin Bear Grease, and 40 grains of Goex 3Fg shows promise.

I started with 30 grains of powder and also tried 0.015" and 0.018" patches but they don't group as well. Recoil with 30 grains was on par with a .22 while 40 grains has slightly more push.

A member of the Muzzleloading Forum today posted that he has had good results in a Green Mountain .36 barrel using a .358 ball in a 0.015” patch. Track of the Wolf carries .358s so I’ll add a bag to my next order with them.

Once I settle on a load I'll adjust the sights so POA = POI at 50 yards. Currently it's shooting 2" or 3" to the right.

 

A .36 Caliber Flintlock Rifle by C. Gibson

Today I picked up this left handed flintlock rifle at Dixon's.

Greg Dixon wasn't sure who built it but after getting it home I found it marked "C. Gibson '08" in the stock behind the patchbox. It's not signed on the barrel.

Some googling has not revealed any contemporary makers by that name, so I'm thinking it was put together by a talented hobbyist. Regardless, it's pretty well built and appears to have been fired very little.

Greg had actually done the engraving on the patchbox and toe plate, so I asked him to note that on the receipt.

The stock profile and trigger guard look very much like those found on the Isaac Haines rifle kits that Track of the Wolf formerly sold, which is nice because it's probably my favorite style of rifle.

The major components are all good stuff:

• Barrel: Green Mountain 42” long x 13/16” octagon
• Caliber: .36
• Twist: Unknown but my SWAG is 1:48"
• Finish: In the white
• Lock: Large LH Siler flint
• Triggers: Davis double-set
• Stock: Unknown wood, pretty plain grain but with some nice carving and a cheekpiece inlay.

Although a smallbore it's no lightweight rifle:

• Weight: 8.7 lbs.
• OAL: 58”
• LOP: 14”

It came with a vent pick attached with leather thong tied to trigger guard.

This is my first muzzleloading rifle smaller than .45 caliber. Along with the rifle I bought suitable ramrod accessories, a box of Hornady .350 balls, a bag of 0.018" ticking patches, and a bag of 0.015" patches to try.

The rifle came with a 5/16" ramrod but the channel in the stock is sized for 9mm or 3/8" rods, as are the thimbles. The top two thimbles have thin pieces of leather glued inside to keep the rod snug.

Depending on the weather I maybe able to get it to the range tomorrow, else it'll have to wait.

I'm looking forward to figuring out an accurate load and using it for target shooting, woods walks, and maybe small game.

More Flintlock Practice

Yesterday I got out to the range again with my flintlock longrifle for some more practice.

My shooting was frankly, bad, due to poor follow through. Black powder guns in general, but flintlocks in particular, require you to maintain your form after you pull the trigger because the lock time in slow. The 41.5" barrel of this rifle compound the need for follow through even more.

I had a hard time with all that yesterday. After shooting a rather crummy offhand group on paper I spent the rest of the time banging an 18" or so gong, which I was able to do regularly.

That said, a mediocre day at the range beats a good day in the office!

The Delrin ramrod I fitted to the gun a week and a half ago got its initial use. It's whippier than I'd like but I don't need to worry about it breaking on me.

One thing I noticed was that with the October Country Bumblin Bear Grease lube I was using, the rifle develops a crud ring of fouling a few inches down the bore if I didn't wipe between shots. Even though the rifle's muzzle is coned, I found myself using a short starter to get the ball past that ring of fouling.

I also tried using spit for patch lube and wiping between shots. For targets this seems to work fine. I'll note that the cotton flannel cleaning patches don't have much of a taste but the pillow ticking I use for shooting patches is a bit tangy.

Another patch lube I've used in the past is 100% pure neatsfoot oil. I was able to fire over 20 shots without wiping, but that was before I had coned the muzzle and used a short starter as a matter of course. I plan to try it again and see if I still get that crud ring.

Last week I joined the Pennsylvania Federation of Black Powder Shooters, and I'm looking forward to getting the booklet they publish which lists matches. I'm hoping to find a woods walk or two within reasonable driving distance of southeast Pennsylvania, so I want to get my loading from the pouch routine dialed in.

Pedersoli Brown Bess Carbine

I could probably use an intervention. :) I went up to Dixon’s today and he had a used Pedersoli Brown Bess carbine on the rack at a price too good to pass up — $750. By contrast, Dixie Gun Works catalogs this gun at $1495.

The barrel had some rust along the wood line and a little under the stock in the groove around the breech. It looked like water had run down at one time and not properly dried before rust set in. It cleaned off with a bit of WD40, steel wool, and elbow grease. The lock is in fine shape and sparks well.

The sling swivels were added by the previous owner. Unfortunately, the upper swivel is just attached to the wood and if it drops can foul the ramrod. I may relocate it further toward the muzzle so that it falls on the upper ramrod pipe, and add a lug to the barrel so that it isn’t just held to the stock.

This isn't a replica of any original gun. Although the British did issue carbines in the 18th Century, this is basically a factory-chopped Second Pattern Brown Bess. Original Artillery carbines, for example, had a 39" barrel and were of .65 caliber rather than .75 as this is.

It should be an excellent shooter.

Townsends: Fire Starting No Matches No Lighter

This is a very good video on fire starting with flint and steel, including the use of a flintlock, from Jas. Townsend's & Son's YouTube channel:

Aside from a flint and steel, they demonstrate how you can do it with a flintlock gun.

My George L. Dech Flintlock Pennsylvania Rifle

I've had this rifle since 2008 but only just got around to taking some good detailed pictures.

It can be a challenge to get a good, full length shot when the gun is 57 to 58 inches long.

Closeup of the lock and patchbox:

Closeup of the cheek piece with a vent pick underneath, some incising on the butt, and the lock bolt and side plate:

The front sight, which is brazed or silver soldered to the barrel:

Rear sight and the barrel's transition from octagon to round:

The ramrod entry thimble:

The trigger guard and toe plate. The button to open the patch box is visible in the middle of the toe plate.

The rifle started out as a left handed .50 caliber Dixie Gunworks Tennessee Mountain Rifle. George L. Dech, who was a gunsmith near Allentown, PA restocked it into more of a Lancaster, PA styled rifle in curly maple with brass furniture. He retained the original lock, double set triggers, the .360" diameter ramrod, and barrel. I replaced the ramrod with one that's a bit longer and with a brass tip threaded 10-32 for cleaning jags or other accessories.

One of the more notable features is how the barrel was turned from a full, 15/16" octagon profile to a 1/3 octagon and 2/3 round profile. This makes the gun much less muzzle heavy, although it is far from a lightweight piece.

The lock sparks very well and ignition is quick. It's a good shooter that I've taken deer hunting several times (although I've yet to bag one).

Some Great Muzzleloader Videos on YouTube

I ran across Denny Ducet's YouTube Channel a few days ago. He's got a bunch of muzzleloader shooting videos that are really well done. These boys look like they are having a great time up near Kalispell, MT.

A sample: Flintlocks & Capotes Winter Shoot: