Flintlock Musket for Black Powder Novice

[Broc Tuah]

Everyone is going to dry ball sooner or later. The best thing to do is not to let yourself get interrupted during the reload cycle so you don’t screw up.

On a percussion rifle you can pull the nipple and drop a few grains of powder in the bolster, replace the nipple and shoot the dry ball out.

I would think you can do the same on a flintlock as well by pulling the flash hole liner.

Bob

You can, but it doesn't always work. I could never replace the nipple. The two times I did that, I put powder and then used a lighter.

But CO2 works so much better. The refill can be bough on Amazon, they are standard CO2 cartridges. It might be the same tool people use to inflate tubeless mountainside tires.

I also had to remove two stuck balls with a bullet puller and that was not fun.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

You can, but it doesn't always work. I could never replace the nipple. The two times I did that, I put powder and then used a lighter.

But CO2 works so much better. The refill can be bough on Amazon, they are standard CO2 cartridges. It might be the same tool people use to inflate tubeless mountainside tires.

I also had to remove two stuck balls with a bullet puller and that was not fun.

I’ve done it a couple of times and it worked well for me.

Bob

 

[Lefty38-55]

Am I a fool for wanting to dive right into flintlocks with no black powder experience?

Not at all, it will just add to the ‘learning curve’ of the ignition type, i.e., flint bevel up, bevel down, adjustment to the frizzen, etc., but I could show more in an hour than you’d learn in months on your own, so I invite you to PM me.

I also collect, make shoot, & sell BP arms (to fund my next project), and might have a few options for you, US made arms too.

I started w/ ‘cap guns’ then sold them when I went to strictly flint arms, but now have matchlocks, a wheellock and a hand gonne replica dating to the 1300s. A hoot to shoot!

 

[Lefty38-55]

... and we got JenkkiMike out shootin’ black powdah & his flintlock a few times!