Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons => General Interest => Topic started by: Salty on January 13, 2026, 08:28:07 AM
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I have retired my old Lee 10 pound pot and ordered a new 20 pounder which I am excitedly expecting delivery today. Hope USPS keeps to their estimate.
How about you all? What did you do today?
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Thanx be to God I awoke this morning with a pulse and a purpose, amen to that!
Today I'll carve out a bit of time to cast some .690, .600, .530, and .440 balls. The .600 balls are for the 16ga Kibler fowler, and they're for making paper cartridges. The rest of the balls will be used for making gunpowder.
:*:
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Rob, that's interesting on the .600 r/b. Is the paper really that thick that a .600 r/b would fit well in a 16 ga gun? Or is Kibler's barrel dimensions a bit smaller?
When we were making 16 bore sporting rifles, we used a .648 ball, IIRC. I believe at the time we got our barrels from Moody's Barrel Works. Sadly, I think Bill is working at the great machine shop in the sky now. He made a nice barrel.
After a brief hiatus of a few months, I started working on two powder horns yesterday afternoon. Small progress but I did cut the tips, drilled the tips and squared the ends of the horns. Maybe this afternoon, I will make the baseplugs for them, else it sounds like a good project for tomorrow. And yes, when I install them, I will pin them in place, probably with 1/8" dowel although I did score some nice brass nails from Amazon a while ago.
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Rob, that's interesting on the .600 r/b. Is the paper really that thick that a .600 r/b would fit well in a 16 ga gun? Or is Kibler's barrel dimensions a bit smaller?
When we were making 16 bore sporting rifles, we used a .648 ball, IIRC. I believe at the time we got our barrels from Moody's Barrel Works. Sadly, I think Bill is working at the great machine shop in the sky now. He made a nice barrel.
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The Kibler 16ga fowler bore is .662" and for a patched ball I find that .650" works well but will require some measure of fouling control. Military paper cartridges intentionally have looser fitting paper patching for ease of loading. Is that cartridge accuracy not as good as lubed patched balls. IME, yes - not as consistent.
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Rob making powder , right on.
I have moved on to using brass balls for the mill, supposed to be cleaner powder but couldn't prove it by me.
I've recently sold a few plains style quivers so order new moose leather to make a few more.
Got my patch box repair kit from TOTW yesterday, so this weekend I'll be fixing the box on my new / old .45 from the past auction.
Then it'll be time to see how she shoots
As far as ML stuff today, just checking in here since I'm at work 😁
Kevin
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Rob making powder , right on.
I have moved on to using brass balls for the mill, supposed to be cleaner powder but couldn't prove it by me.
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It's the opposite for me - using brass and would like to give lead balls a try.
However, for me and making the holy black might be a moot thing as I may have access to a large stash of metal can Goex "Cartridge" (2F) powder from the '90s.
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I guess this would count. After hunting deer with the TC Hawken today, I now have to clean it.
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Rob making powder , right on.
I have moved on to using brass balls for the mill, supposed to be cleaner powder but couldn't prove it by me.
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It's the opposite for me - using brass and would like to give lead balls a try.
However, for me and making the holy black might be a moot thing as I may have access to a large stash of metal can Goex "Cartridge" (2F) powder from the '90s.
Back in the 90's, I discovered GOEX Cartridge powder. For me, it was the go to powder for everything. Rifles, pistols, smoothbores, heck, I even primed with it when I shot my flinters. Love that stuff!!! I still have a couple of cans of it.
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Moved everything around in the shop, well not everything,
BUT
the router table went where the 2x48 belt sander was,
the belt sander went where the shop vac was,
the shop vac went where the router table was,
the polisher went next to where the shop vac is
and the cyclone just kinda fit in there too.
Strangely enough the Shopsmith, the workbench with the band saw and drill press and the Jet wood lathe stayed where they were. That's a lot of stuff in a 10x10' square area.
Had to lose 25 pounds last year so I could fit. :luff:
Heated up the bases of two horns and pounded in a couple of forming plugs to get them nice and round.
Had to take a break after that.
And here I am, wondering why it isn't cocktail hour yet.
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John, after reading that, I'm confused and tired too. 😂 I wouldn't know where anything is now.
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Tom, fortunately it is a small space and everything is in plain sight. Only the small stuff can get lost.
And it does with regularity.
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Rob making powder , right on.
I have moved on to using brass balls for the mill, supposed to be cleaner powder but couldn't prove it by me.
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It's the opposite for me - using brass and would like to give lead balls a try.
However, for me and making the holy black might be a moot thing as I may have access to a large stash of metal can Goex "Cartridge" (2F) powder from the '90s.
Metal cans are cool, this is my current collection.
All from auctions by the way and all full of the holy black
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My favorite so far with a 1$ price on it from sometime in the past
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Kevin
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ALL of these MAY be coming home with me .... all 22 cans are full, too.
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Do you use the powder? I would think it will work just fine. The cans would make a really neat display on a shelf, but they could be refilled with corn meal or sawdust or something.
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I?ll bet those vintage cans are more valuable than the powder even at today prices.
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Received my brand spankin new Lee 20# pot and started casting. So smooth. Casted about 50 RBs. Takes a little longer to get to temp to cast consistent weights. But 48 out of 50 dropped with +/- .5 grains. Nice!
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Looking at eBay, it appears that the old DuPont cans really demand a premium.
The newer GOEX cans are anywhere from 6.95 to 20.00 or so. Plus postage.
Maybe I am going to have to dig out what's left of my collection.
John
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Thanks John,
I'll have to look into cans collectability (sp?)
Kevin
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Went with a friend who dabbles in making powder horns. I saw 100's of horns that he looked at to see if there were any he would want to buy. The ones I thought had beautiful color he didn't want. When I questioned him he said the ones I liked wouldn't sell. That just shows you what I know about powder horns. Nothin.
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Starting work on a tomahawk. Gathering the supplies now. Actually, two of them. :bigsmile:
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No powder, I think ALL powder horns are a beautiful work of art just like the old timey imperfect ones. That?s what I know.
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Where'd you go horn shopping, Tom?
Speaking of horns, I worked a bit on my first one in a while today. I got the horn rough sanded after I devised a dust collector for my belt sander. I think that is going to really help. Then I turned a baseplug for it and installed it on the horn. Geez, I just cannot believe I am so slow now.
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Just looked at horns some guy had accumulated from rondevous throughout the years. He won't be needing very many anymore because of other priorities. I guess you very well know about accumulating horns. IIRC, I even helped you to get rid of some of your stash. Hopefully in a little while I'll be slinging one of those horns over my shoulder and going to the woods for another walk.
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Generally after deer season has ended, I start taking my TC locks off of the rifles I used for deer season and this past summers shoots, to disassemble them for a good cleaning. Today was a good day to start. So started with the lock on the .50 cal. Hawken. Must have been doing a good job of cleaning because there was very little dirt under the bridle and tumbler. I have to do the same thing to the .54 cal. Hawken next. That will be another day.
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That?s a great idea. I have had my flinter for almost a year. Time to disassemble, clean and lube.
I spent the day casting more LRBs. Never have too many.
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Not too hard to do Jim. Just don't lose those little parts. Especially the fly. I wish I had a heated shed so I could cast some balls too. Suppose to be about 36 deg. tomorrow. :applaud Maybe I can keep the mold hot enough tomorrow to cast a few.
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Hey Dave. Are those hawks for throwing or looking at? Tell us more about them.
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Looking and smoking. (I don't smoke as I quit 27 years ago). One figured cherry handle and one birds eye handle. Can't get to them as our temperatures here are around 15 degrees down to 5 degrees lately so I don't fire up my propane heater in the shop until it gets warmer. We heat the house with propane and that bill is big enough. The attached picture is one I made a few years ago.
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Wow, that is a really nice looking tomahawk.
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Thanks. Had a helluva time pouring the pewter as it was my first time but finally got the hang of it. :bigsmile:
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Nice hawk, never fiddled with pewter but might some day.
Kevin
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No problem, Kevin, pouring pewter is as easy as falling off a log.
Wait!!! Falling off a log is easier, you don't have to heat anything up. :luff:
But don't expect a factual answer from me, I've never done that either.
Closest I have ever come to that was casting round ball.
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Pure pewter is tin, but not all pewter is all tin. Some pewter is an alloy of perhaps 80% tin mixed with copper and/or antimony and/or other metals.
Tin is added to lead mostly to encourage forming better cast projectiles and to add some degree of hardness, and tin will reduce projectile weight. None of this is needed for patched balls or paper cartridge balls, but can be a good thing for long range muzzleloaders and other such firearms.
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Cast a few round balls using the Rapine .490 bag mold. Have to cut the sprue off and then fine tune them. Weather here is like what dmarsh is having in NY. Snowing like crazy as I type this and we're to get -temps this weekend. So who knows when a fellow will be able to shoot. Not soon enough, that's for sure.
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I know what you mean, Tom.
It looks like our 80* days are a thing of the past, at least for a while.
They're saying it might even rain tomorrow and probably will get down into the 60's. ;banghead;
Hope not on the rain, Farmers Market is tomorrow and I would hate to miss that.
About the only thing I did as far as muzzleloading goes is ship a horn to its new owner.
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Too windy here to shoot accurately. Besides I?m a fair weather shooter. And this weekend looks doubtful. Temperatures are supposed to dip to the 40s. More LRB casting I guess.
Ordered some mutton tallow. Gonna try the Gatofeo no 1 lube that Winter Hawk posted a while back.
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Hey Salty, did you order the mutton tallow from Dixie? I'm thinking of getting some; despite posting the formula and write-up from Gatofeo I haven't made any of the lube myself. ;D
~Kees~
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I just ordered 3lbs of DGW lamb tallow ... it's a seasonal item, so I wanna stock up.
Will mix up another pound of Gato Feo to have on hand.
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I ordered a small quantity from Amazon. I wanna try it out before I go for the big package.
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Just got back to ft Myers from the alafia river rendezvous
It's a 10 day private event but today was public day.
Amazing, huge, more than I could see in 4 hrs.
But I did get some plunder
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And here's a few fellows wondering about
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Just a great group of folks, they expected over 1500 , probably more just today.
Kevin
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Tents tents and more tents
Kevin
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Weather looks nice. Those flints look great.
Were the flints knapped by the seller?
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Well that's good question, I don't know to be honest.
The weather was and still is hot, 85* yesterday.
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Here's a " cracker" in action
There is so much I Missed since I went with the whole family who mostly sat in a large community tent out of the sun while I ran all over the place looking for treasures. Felt like I had to move with purpose.
Having limited time made shopping hard since the folks there were so anxious and willing to talk with ya about the era and the event you would often get into 30 minute conversations before ya knew it .
I can't wait to come back some day and do the whole 10 days.
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Kevin
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Kevin, thanks so much for the pictures. I sincerely hope you can return and stay for 10 days also. During this storm, it's really nice to look at those pictures because there isn't much in the line of muzzleloading stuff for me to do right now. So I'm enjoying the pictures and posts on the forum right now. Come on guys send those posts and pictures so No Powder has some way to pass the time. The wife won't let me shoot my smokepole in the house.😢😪😭
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Wow looks like a lotta fun. I did attend the open day for the public years ago. Worn my full set of buckskins to fit in. Never made it back to the full 10 days. Don?t think I could handle sleeping on the ground anymore. Besides once I got down, I doubt I could stand back up. :Doh!
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If you makes you feel any better Salty, all of us in the Golden Years mode are experiencing the same issues.
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Went into the shop. Freezing cold so I looked at a couple of muzzleloading projects really quick and then back into the heat. :bigsmile: :lol sign
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Not much sleeping on the ground that I saw.
Kevin
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My ugly dress or awesome shirt depends how you look at it.
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Some " injun" scalps
Kevin
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I could sleep in that bed with no problems. And that shirt could be considered camo under certain conditions. Always wondered what type of print was period correct during that time period.
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Wow KDubs that a really nice setup. I could be comfortable with that. Didn?t realize that was period correct
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Salty, Yes, that could be considered period correct.
BUT
Then the question would arise of correct for where and when.
If you are trying to emulate a Rocky Mountain fur trapper, the answer would be not no, but hell no.
If you are trying to emulate a Lewis and Clark exploration team member or maybe a Canadian voyageur, the answer would be no.
If your persona is an east coast farmer, the answer could be well, yes, maybe. Your story could be temporary lodging, just waiting to get your cabin built.
In short, if your person is involved in exploration or someone who was constantly on the move, it would be no. How the heck are you supposed to carry all that stuff.
If you are a military officer or the factor of a trading company, probably so. After all, you are a gentleman and who would expect a gentleman to sleep on the ground.
Or you could just be a modern enthusiast who is just plain getting too darn old to be sleeping on the ground.
The possibilities are endless. Pick one and don't apologize for it.
John
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Haha I can?t claim to be a gentleman so I guess that leaves me on the ground.
:bigsmile:
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Well that set belonged to the cracker pictured earlier,
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It's a 3 room tent, huge
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The oven where they made some awesome cookies.
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A little casting set up.
Kevin
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Used to go to a 2 day shoot every June. If anybody wanted to stay over night they could. I would sleep in the back of my truck. My truck had an aluminum top on it. Usually we had some cold nights in June, so I remember how I felt when waking up Sat. morning. Makes me hurt to even think of sleeping on the ground. I need that bed. PC or not. That's a cool tent Kevin. And I especially like the casting setup.
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What I did today that was ML related? I dry fired the Hodgepodge rifle, then ran a dry patch down the bore. It came out with some reddish stripes, the same color as the Ed's Red I use to clean it so I cleaned it again with Ed's Red and put it away in its corner.
I also spent several hours with a shovel and the snow blower cleaning the sidewalk, my driveway, and clearing the berm left by the snow plow so I can get the car and truck out. Then I napped. (that's part of muzzleloading, isn't it?) Made soup for dinner.
~Kees~
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Absolutely. Especially the part about taking a nap.
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I've been weighing the roundballs I cast last month. I must really suck at casting. up to 1.5 grain variance, half my stock is going in the recast bucket. ;banghead; ;banghead;
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Just out of curiosity, try separating a few of them and compare the groups you get with your good ones.
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Went to an antique, consignment store they other day here in ft myers.
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Sure did like that Pennsylvania rifle, looked like a shooter.
I price was as much as a new kit .
Be nice to have an original piece.
Who'd a thunk you'd find this stuff in southern Florida.
Kevin
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I?d be afraid to shoot an original.
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I?d be afraid to shoot an original.
Me too!
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Awe, what's to be afraid of. It's not a demascus barrel far as I could tell.
But then again what do I know.
Looked to be in pretty good shape.
If I only had the 🤑
Kevin
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I went to the range. Perfect weather. Experimented with the Gatofeo lube that Winter Hawk posted. I am pleasantly surprised. Was easy to load. Very accurate. This is a winner.
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Looks like you got a winner there, Salty.
BUT
For my bet, I prefer using just simple saliva.
It's readily available, does not require a formula, costs virtually nothing and does not require ordering anything by mail or a trip to the butcher shop and the beekeeper.
Since I do not shoot elongated projectiles, I don't have to worry about preparing the bullets ahead of time, either.
KISS is my motto and I try to stick to it.
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Yep, saliva is at least a decent patch lube ... as long as it doesn't remain in the bbl for too long. ;) 8)
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I have never tried the spit patch method. I?m game for anything, obviously.
Thanks fellas.
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Yep, saliva is at least a decent patch lube ... as long as it doesn't remain in the bbl for too long. ;) 8)
Absolutely right, Rob. Spit patch is only for plinking and target shooting. For hunting I would use a grease lube. Kinda partial to either Lube103 or Bumblin' Bear Grease from October Country. In my big bore guns, I used OxYoke Wonder Lube, but for plinking only. I didn't care for it as a rule for general shooting. And I used a lubed cushion wad between the powder and the PRB.
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I use spit patches for the range and TOTW mink oil for hunting. :hairy :bigsmile: