I am looking to purchase my first ML. 2 questions.

1) Is a flintlock alot harder to clean than a percussion cap? (I like the idea of one less component to buy.

2) I will be mostly target shooting and small game. I want a .45 cal 1:48 twist to allow round ball. My question is, can I use the same 200 grn LRN (patched) or FMJ I use in my .45 cal 1911A1 pistol? (semiauto)

Regards,
Lee Smith

Hi, Lee:
Some of the in-lines might be easier to clean than a flinter, but cleaning a flinter with a keyed barrel (T/C Hawken,Lyman Great Plains, many others) is a 10 minute job. Not a serious consideration, in my opinion.

Flint maintenance is a bit tricky, and you will need spare flints. Flinters are black powder only. Pyrodex and the other imitation blacks don't ignite well enough.

Your .45 ACP bullets are likely too big to shoot with a patch. Usually you shoot a 0.010" undersized ball with a 0.010" patch. So you shoot a .44 ball with a .45 barrel. They might work loaded bare and Ed Harris had some good results doing it that way. Wheelweight balls are a bit hard to start, compared to Hornady or Speer pure lead balls, and I don't even want to think about hard cast. Another thing, the common Alox lubes tar up a barrel if you're shooting black. Use a real black powder lube.

It depends on what you call small game, but the biggest small game around here is a big old raccoon weighing 40 lb. A .50 round ball flattens them. So I don't think you need a bullet for anything smaller than deer, and probably not even for deer. I like the Buffalo Bullets or Hornady Great Plains bullets, which are around 300 grains in .45 calibre. Haven't tried sabots.

Bye
Jack

Thanks, that helps alot.

You sound like you know a good bit about this ML stuff. Any idea how .38 cal pistol bullets shoot with sabots in the .45?

When I say small game, I mean rabbit, squirrel, racoon.

regards,
Lee

Hi, Lee:
I can't say how .38s in sabots would shoot, but I can't see using them on small game unless they're far more accurate than round balls in your rifle. If they were, I'd be more inclined to trade for one that does shoot ball. They cost a lot more too. The Canadian price on Hornady .45 sabots with 158 grain .38 bullets is 45 cents each. It's 9 cents a ball plus an overpriced prelubed 7 cent patch for 16 cents a shot.

Ever heard of barking a squirrel? The old-timers wanted something left to eat, so they won't shoot the squirrel, but waited until the squirrel flattened it's self against a branch. Then they'd shoot just under the squirrel and peel off the bark which hit the squirrel in the chest hard enough to kill it. Round ball's all you need.

Bye
Jack

A 1:48 twist is a bit fast for round ball, unless you are going to shoot light loads, about 50 gr max.
For hunting loads, say, for deer you want a 1:66 twist -- this is the standard for numrich and douglas barrels in these calibers. They have a much larger load tolerance, and still good stability.
Be carful you get a cut rifled barrel, not button rifled.
I like flintlocks.
For a flinter, do not cover the touch hole with powder (ffff). Do NOT use ffff in the main charge, use ff or fff.
Pipe cleaners are great for keeping the touchhole clean and dry. The flint must be kept sharp.
I think they are more fun than caplocks.
Humpty