Happy 4th of July

[Gordon]

I started a day early as so to not disturb the party tommorow I have to help out on . I shot my entire blackc&b collection except two rifles I don't need to. From smallest to largest : My new Crockett .32,1849 Uberti Wells Fargo.31, 1851 Colt navy .36, Palmetto, Colt 1861 Police .36 Uberti, 1858 Remington Navy.36 Lyman , two 1860 Armys one a fluted Civilian. Little screw barrel .45 Pedersoli muff gun . 10 gauge Pedersoli Coach gun a Lyman .50 Stalker and Plains rifles and my T/C .32 Cherokee.

 

[Gordon]

The .32 were fun but a lot of work, they will get time alone later outing I know where they hit now. The .36 revolvers are accurate and the Remington Navy by Lyman is my most accurate BP Revolver. It likes 25 grains of Fff and wonder wads The .44 Army's are very accurate and easiest to load and I had zero problems. Lots of power with .32 grains Fff and lubed wonder wads My .50 Lyman Plains Pistol was the hit of the pistols, easy to load with 40 grains of Fff and an .15 prelubed patch with .495 balls. It was 3" accuate at the 100 foot range I st up against a granite mountainside. Nice to load the Lyman Stalker .50 with same but 65 grains and I used same load in the longer Plains rifle. I hunt deer with the 24" Stalker mostly and have taken a few nice pigs with it. I took the Tang sighted Plains rifle after Elk and antelope before but never got a shot..The little big bore muff gun was a hit with the on looker's and they got to aim it at a target at 25 feet.
I just finished cleaning the pound and a half of Fff I shot off everything with Moose milk I made and a quick hot water dunk and dry in hot sun.and then Ballistoled everything and put the stuff away. Was a long fun day .Happy independace day !

 

[Gordon]

I didn't shoot my Walker, I didn't get around to it. It got handled alot , it is cased with a flask and asessories. I gave instruction on steps as I did them on each gun, no kids today but two younger couples and three older persons off and on. Very informal off back of my pickup as a bench for loading and the side of a hill for a back stop with target 100 feet aways.

 

[entropy]

On July 4, 1976, at dusk, my Dad and I loaded up our BP pistols, (his a Ruger Old Army, mine a kit built CVA Kentucky Pistol,Percussion .45) , and he ran the boat out about 500 yards and stuck a highway flare into a piece of 2'x2' plywood, lit it, and buzzed the boat back to the cabin and we fired at it until the flare went out. (safe backstop, no one for miles on the other side of the lake) It would rock a little if you got close, and bob more when we hit the plywood. And we did hit it with the ROA, not even close with the CVA. This was after shooting off tons of fireworks, mostly ones my Dad had confiscated from kids the week leading up to the 4th. We did buy some "Thor Rockets" with a spaceman with parachute in them, and replaced the spaceman with about 200 gr. of FFFG, with some paper stuffed in under the BP so they wouldn't ignite on liftoff! They's still only get about 50' feet up before the nice loud KABOOM! that could be heard all up and down the lake. Ah, the memories.

 

[Gordon]

My mind was racing in the afternoon wondering If I could get the Layman Plains rifle ..50 fast enough to detonate a Tannerite bucket .

 

[Gordon]

I didn't try.

 

[1KPerDay]

That’s a lot of guns to clean! Sounds like a good day.

 

[Armored farmer]

That sounds like a great day.
You can't have more fun than with a couple of cap n ball revolvers.
I found that my bum shoulder doesnt like running the ramrod up and down the bore loading and swabbing. BP rifles have stayed in the house lately.
Mrs and I are headed to the lake for the 4th. Nothing says 'Merica more than gasoline, sunscreen, and fireworks over the lake.
Happy 4th to all!

 

[Gordon]

That’s a lot of guns to clean! Sounds like a good day.

I pre planned clean up with a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid into which I had put about 4 .oz of Ballistol and 4 .oz of Purple Power cleaner . When I got ready to clean I added 2 or so gallons of hot water right out of the heater into the bucket and walked the bumpy 50 yards to my pickup tail gate sloshing it good. All the muzzle loading rifles and pistol had hooked breeches which I removed barrels and put in the bucket small parts in sealed parts washing baskets . I used appropriate caliber mops to pump up and down and out the nipples. Then I laid them out on a n old piece of ply wood in 95 degree sun. The revolvers were them done pretty much the same way . I left the stocks on but did Not submerge them past the breech wall . When the parts looked dry after about an hour of drinking and shooting the breeze listening to music : with a micro soft towel damped with ballistol I wiped all the parts and then with a clean balistol patch wiped the bore. I squirted aerosol balistol down into the revolver innards around a cocked hammer . I reassembled everything with the small brass hammer and a couple proper screw drives I carry in my kit for BP shooting. The whole process took from 3 to 7 oclock in the evening. Time well spent IMHO. The guns look like new.

 

[Gordon]

Of course the hit of the show was my 10 Guage SxS Pedersoli with 17" barrels . I decided not to load it with the .31 balls as I was planning to . I did not shoot it or clean it with my other guns. I left it in the pick up and I pre loaded it in the morning with 70 grains of FFF as thats all I brought (two 35 grain spout loads from my .44 flask) and a wad of aluminum foil I carefully tamped down and left it un capped. At about 9 pm it was dark and I pulled it out to the near by quite raucus soiree going on and in a safe up ward direction gave it a left and right a few seconds apart. The tinfoil throws nice white sparks about 50 feet up from the roaring red orange flame and thunder coming out those short tubes. Happy Independence day!