# New flintlock



## ga.farrier (May 23, 2016)

Finally pulled the trigger and got a flintlock.


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## SASS249 (May 23, 2016)

Gorgeous wood.  Who is the builder and have you shot it yet?  Warning, once you start shooting flint you never go back


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## Nicodemus (May 23, 2016)

Mighty nice rifle. What caliber?


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## ga.farrier (May 23, 2016)

Thanks for the compliments. It's a 50 caliber that was supposed to have been built by Rod Gates. From what I've read he is pretty well known around the smooth bore flintlock people for making some nice big bore shotguns. I haven't shot it yet but Mr. Markey came up last year and let me shoot some of his works of art. That was about all it took to know I wanted one. I've just had to save up until I found one I liked that I could afford. The wood has a lot of character when the light hits it but I don't know what it is.


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## Darkhorse (May 23, 2016)

I really like that trigger guard, really looks like something forged in the southern mountains long ago.
The wood is strange. It reminds me of a few pieces I worked with years ago. Sorta open pored that I could never get smoothed out. That's why I remember it.
I'm thinking it was some type of walnut but I'm not sure. It has some good figure in it though.


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## ga.farrier (May 23, 2016)

The wood is definitely strange Darkhorse. I don't really know much about the different wood that is used but It's got the open pores like you're describing thoughout with little waves and swirls everywhere. The wood work, fit and finish is impressive. The guy that built it must be a picky scoundrel.


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## stabow (May 24, 2016)

Very nice. This should be a good weekend to shoot it......


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## Nugefan (May 24, 2016)

only problem I see is the lock is on the wrong side ...   

very nice rifle ...


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## blood on the ground (May 24, 2016)

Very nice rifle! Congratulations and good luck with it this season!


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## ga.farrier (May 24, 2016)

Thanks guys.  I don't know if I'll be able to wait for deer season, I think I'll try it out on some hogs.  Nugefan, I've got an 18 month old that will probably agree with you. He's been shooting turkeys on TV with his toy gun left handed.


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## Nugefan (May 24, 2016)

ga.farrier said:


> Nugefan, I've got an 18 month old that will probably agree with you. He's been shooting turkeys on TV with his toy gun left handed.


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## ga.farrier (May 24, 2016)

Well I just got off the phone with the builder of my new rifle.  Mr. Gates is out in Missouri and after giving him a lot of details about the gun he was able to tell me all about it. He said he's been building muzzleloaders since 1978 and this is one of a small number of rifles he built in this style that he calls an Ozark mountain rifle.  It's got a lock built for him by Homer Sales who worked for Siler and L&R.  The barrel is made by Mark Dehaas and the wood is Missouri white oak.  He was a pleasure to talk to and after building over 800 muzzleloaders It sure shows in his work.


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## bronco611 (May 25, 2016)

That baby sure nuff has a loooonnnng barrel on it, sweet looking rifle.


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## ga.farrier (May 25, 2016)

bronco611 said:


> That baby sure nuff has a loooonnnng barrel on it, sweet looking rifle.



Thank's bronco611, it's definitely longer than I'm used to.  It's 41" and you have to get creative to get it in the safe.


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## Nicodemus (May 25, 2016)

ga.farrier said:


> Thank's bronco611, it's definitely longer than I'm used to.  It's 41" and you have to get creative to get it in the safe.





I bet it holds steady to the shoulder.


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## ga.farrier (May 25, 2016)

bronco611 said:


> That baby sure nuff has a loooonnnng barrel on it, sweet looking rifle.





Nicodemus said:


> I bet it holds steady to the shoulder.



Yes sir, it sure seems to.  I can't wait to shoot it some this weekend and see how it does.  I was thinking I would just load up 60 grains and start there unless you have a suggestion.


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## Nicodemus (May 25, 2016)

ga.farrier said:


> Yes sir, it sure seems to.  I can't wait to shoot it some this weekend and see how it does.  I was thinking I would just load up 60 grains and start there unless you have a suggestion.





A standard of the gunmakers of the 17th and 18th century was to use as many grains of powder as was the caliber of the rifle-50 caliber...50 grains of powder. That was a good starting point anyway, then work up in small increments to see what it liked the best. 

Both my rifles are 50s, and my hunting load for my flintlock longrifle is 60 grains. For my percussion plains rifle it is 70 grains. Pushing a patched round ball, these loads shoot completely through a deer. I use DuPont Goex FFFg.


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## NCHillbilly (May 26, 2016)

That is a fine looking rifle. Love the unique trigger guard, too.


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## ga.farrier (May 26, 2016)

Thanks for the advice Nicodemus and thank you for the compliment NCHillbilly. Being a farrier and blacksmith I really appreciated the trigger guard also. I've read a little about the barrel maker and it sounds like it should really be a shooter.


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## mmarkey (Jun 12, 2016)

Hey Ga.Farrier,
Very nice looking rifle. I would call it a Southern Mountain Rifle. With the deep cleft in the butt it is designed to be shot off the upper arm not the shoulder. You didn't mention if it was rifle or smoothbore. I'm assuming rifle. Do you have a ball and patch combo to start with? In my .50 cal I use a .490 ball with a .018 patch, loaded over 70 grains of 3f black powder and I prime with 4f black powder. Never even try synthetic powder in it, it doesn't work well, if at all, in flintlocks. The ball and patch combo will vary greatly depending on the depth of the rifling groove depth. I use Rice barrels in my guns with round bottom grooves, these grooves are quite deep and when I started using them it took some adjustment on my part to get used to shooting them.  

I'll phone you this week.

Good luck with it, I know you're going to love it.


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## ga.farrier (Jun 13, 2016)

The builder said he calls them Ozark mountain rifles and said they are pretty much identical to the mountain rifles out here. The Dehaas barrel is rifled with 6 grooves that look pretty deep to me. I thought you must have to shoot from the upper arm with the curved butt plate and if not I thought boy I just screwed up lol. I've got .015 patches that I lubed with rendered bear fat and .490 round balls. I had a bunch of 3f powder from my pre pyrodex days and bought some 4f to prime with. An interesting note about the barrel maker is apparently he was a USMC scout sniper in Vietnam and was the Leech cup champion in 1966. Pretty cool.


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