Loading boards

[Dogshirt]

"Unless you put a recessed area in both sides of the wooden one you have it loaded wrong, the recess that I see on the top side of this one is supposed to center the ball on the muzzle to speed things up."

I use the recess to center the ball in the patch before pressing down. It saves aggravation on my part. The lubed patch goes in the recess and the ball is centered every time.
However, You just made a good point. I think I'll countersink a place on the other side to accept the barrel. Thanks for the idea.

Nice point about centering the ball and patch on the board, but I usually use strips and muzzle cut, or I use precut squares and when I use a board I trim the corners and then finish seating the ball so it sticks out just a little.


Dogshirt, you can spit on it just before you load, but prelubed with your favorite greasy lube will be faster.

For some unknown reason, I just get the feeling that if Dogshirt was ever to fire a Flintlock again, he would most definitely use a spit patch.

I don't use anything BUT spit. I use a touch of olive oil during hunting season, but that's only 3-4 loads a year. The other 500-750 a year are all spit. I find all lubes foul the barrel and require wiping after 5 or 6 shots. My longest string to date with spit is 57 shots with no wiping.

[flintboomer]

Spit vs other lubes depends on your gun and load, but with light loads and spit I can shoot all day, but I have never counted the shots. I seem to be able to shoot all day with hand lotion lube too, its wet and just a little greasy.

[hotfxr]

Newly inspired, in between jobs today I whipped out a prototype "hunting" board.Small enough for one hand but a multi purpose tool. There is definitely some refining to do, but I feel it is off to a good start. I figure to drill a smaller hole in the butt end to hang it from either my Batman utility belt or around the neck.







The measure is sized for 50 grains and I will still have the balls pooching out on the down side for fast bore acquisition. With horn and bag on the right, powder is poured into measure. While it is pouring, horn is dropped and short starter is grabbed, etc, etc, so on and so forth. You get the picture. Of course I am blatantly plagiarizing Patocazador and his nifty starter board, but since he doesn't know where I live and I am giving him props for the ides, I am not too worried, yet.

[Red Badger]

great pictures and ideas - I may have to start playing with boards again...

[Patocazador]

"Of course I am blatantly plagiarizing Patocazador and his nifty starter board, but since he doesn't know where I live and I am giving him props for the ides, I am not too worried, yet."

I'm kinda slow so I wouldn't have caught on to the confessed phlegm-arizin' or whatever you said. 

[hotfxr]

I think I got it. Messed around a bit and modified a powder horn by adding a measured tip that doesn't need a stopper pushed back in. Although since I don't have any patience whatsoever, I had to make a 50 grain tip for it, instead of waiting for a couple of days to have one delivered. After all, I am not going out shooting for a couple of weeks and I want to be ready.



So now with the tools outside of the bag it is pour from horn to measure on the block, while pouring powder in, dropping horn and grabbing short starter. With the same hand that poured, flip over the block and set on muzzle, smack it in with the short starter and drop the block while setting the starter back in it's loop, grab the rod and set the ball down where it is supposed to go. Been practicing and it is leagues better than the way I did it before. I can have a ball loaded in less than 15 seconds without compromising safety or feeling rushed.
Now if I could just figure out how to make that ball hit the center of the circle I would have something.

[Patocazador]

  OK, good deal.

I did that to my horn a couple of years ago but with a 70 gr. tube for shotgun hunting.



Trouble is, I never saw a shotgun to kill.

[Patocazador]

double post

[Dogshirt]

PSSSST....Don't look now, but neither of you guys have any pictures showing. 

[hotfxr]

PSSSST....Don't look now, but neither of you guys have any pictures showing. 

Methinks that PhotoBucket is having problems. When I went to check on it none of my pictures show up. Ain't technology grand?

[Dogshirt]

They could probably fix that with the judicious application of a framing hammer! 

[pilgrim]

PSSSST....Don't look now, but neither of you guys have any pictures showing. 

     I can see the pictures, might be you system or else this time of day has less demand

[beowulf]

at least half the photos are gone , mostly those of the "loading planks "   

[Patocazador]

All except 2 are back now. If you move a photo on Photobucket, it won't show up. You need a new link.