Flintlock Moose !

[roklok]

roklok,

Very nice, congrats Sir, that is a king sized load of great eating meat, I only have a custom 58 cal round ball caplock rifle, it's fixed sights are regulated and the rifle built for a full 140gr 2F black powder charge, the .570" round ball clocks 1890 fps, very accurate and did bust two massive whitetail up in Kansas with it at 44 and 133 yards,, far from meaning much of anything, but one buck scored 168 BC points, my best buck ever, dumped both of them, and every other deer I've hit with it drops dead, wonderfully efficient quick killer.

Have thought if I ever hunt heavier game ie: elk, moose or bear with my 58 should I cast the round balls with harder alloy, maybe 20 or 30/1? Would you mind sharing the alloy you used on this moose? I've only cast pure lead and 40/1 alloy round balls.

Very nice rifles and game animals Gents.

Thanks in advance,

50Gunner

I wouldn't be afraid to hunt moose elk and bear with your .58 and pure lead RB, my .60 isn't much bigger it and it has worked well on moose and bear.

 

[50Gunner]

WOW! thanks roklok, that 60 cal stone dropped that bear, great shooting and the very same thing I've repeatedly seen when the smoke cleared using my 58.

Agreed alloy testing would be in order, harder alloy could always certainly be used with the first shot loaded in a clean bore if hunting very large game and a close shot was expected, re-load could be standard pure lead alloy, I use tough pillow ticking and olive oil, good to hear about the effectiveness of pure lead, and many Thanks for the info.

I don't remember a whole lot about my rifle build, do remember L&R, Ron Long and Colerain, specifically remember the guy that built it has to be near 75 years old now, I've had the rifle for a tic over 10 years, he made the rifle patterned after the S Hawken rifles, also remember at that time he told me his Granddad cut the black walnut tree the stock blank came from 90 years ago, the tree was estimated to be 200 years old at that time.

A lot of rich history with these rifles Sir.

Thanks again,

50Gunner

 

[roklok]

Recovered pure lead roundballs. Left to right: 60 caliber 30 yard black bear, 54 caliber 60 yard whitetail, 54 caliber 150 yard whitetail. On the longer shots the balls stay mostly round. The notches in the right ball are from hitting ribs. Notice on the right ball the ring from ball starter is still visible on front of ball.

 

[fourfive8]

Recovered pure lead roundballs. Left to right: 60 caliber 30 yard black bear, 54 caliber 60 yard whitetail, 54 caliber 150 yard whitetail. On the longer shots the balls stay mostly round. The notches in the right ball are from hitting ribs. Notice on the right ball the ring from ball starter is still visible on front of ball.

View attachment 657546

Thanks for posting, Excellent examples of soft lead round ball limitations. Penetration becomes inverse to velocity. Not huge issue with smaller deer. But… can become a big problem with larger deer, elk and moose. On two occasions, I’ve seen pure lead roundballs pancake against and not penetrate the shoulder blades of large mule deer bucks. Both loaded with heavy charges of BP. One a 50 cal and one a 54.

 

[Beck]

That's fuckin awesome, congrats

 

[50Gunner]

Nice, thanks for the lessons roklok, with my 58 both round balls exited those large Kansas whitetails, the largest one had to weigh 275 lbs, hit him in the ribs at 133 yards, the other very nice 20 inch wide heavy horned 8 point was hit on the point of his left shoulder quartering to me, ball exited offside ribs.

I have, to date, never seen such a large 'blood mat' under a game animal as I did when I turned that 8 point up for field dressing, nothing lives long shot clean through like that.

 

[MS 9x56]

Sir that is hard core. Congratulations on an Awsome achievement.

 

[flatwater bill]

For modestly hardened round balls I have not had any difficulty with obtaining a good seal. A little experimentation with the patch, its thickness and weave, and selecting the right patch lube usually does it. A tightly patched ball with a good lube will make up for a little variance. 3F obturates better than 2F or CTG in my experience. There are a few good articles on what to look for in the fired patch, (the Lyman Handbook has one ). Spent patches are easily found at various distances between the muzzle and the target. Look them over. And a chronograph also helps to ensure constant velocities which only happen with a good seal. (Be sure to screen the chrony with plywood or the like, as the patch itself can ruin an expensive chronograph. Everyone knows that doing a lot of shooting helps....but I think it is even more important with traditional coal burners. ....good shooting....FWB

 

[50Gunner]

Great info FWB, yes Sir, no holes burned in patches, also killed a couple chronos, fiber wads from a 50-90 Sharps will slap a screen dead forever ; ]

Got a little Garmin that sits on a tractor tire now, I can blast 4 foot flames, wad stacks, round ball patches, even shotgun slug wads and sabots without worry.