New to me muzzleloader!

[sharps4590]

I'd been watching this rifle for a while so, after parting with a drilling to fund most of the purchase price a deal was closed earlier this week and the check is on the way. I neither know nor can find much about it but, it shorely is purty!! Am looking forward to working up loads.

*Sale Pending* - VERY FINE PERCUSSION DOUBLE RIFLE BY BAESTLEIN for sale (gunsinternational.com)

[yamoon]

Going to hunt some of those Missouri deer with it?
Mike

[sharps4590]

If I can get it regulated. Certainly no shortage of the darn things. The yard looks like a hog lot and what's left of Joyce's immense flower beds are stripped. Might have to expand to some other critters as well.

Tracking says it is to arrive at my abode today.....YES!!!

[mike ford]

Joyce must be fertilizing the flower beds, a deer will eat a rock if you put fertilizer on it.
Mike

[sharps4590]

They get primo care, Mike. Since last August, compliments of me. She's been down in her back since then and is about 7/8 recovered from a brutal back surgery in February.

Rifle arrived yesterday and I cannot believe this thing was ever even carried much. It is at least as good in the hand as the pictures depict, if not better. Found some .550 round balls and ordered them. Bores cast to .565 so they're a bit small but, all I could find. Am in search for a .555 mold. Rifling is DEEP. Groove diameter is .602 so it's about .018 deep. With a tight patch the bores felt as smooth as a baby's bottom and the twist was as I suspected it might be, pretty fast for RB's, 1-31. I've never read of German sporting muzzleloaders using conicals and know the Jaeger rifles were pretty fast for the day so....we'll see.

[mike ford]

It looks like you have everything lined up to get it shooting and regulated. I hope it puts one ball on top of the other for you. It is really satisfying to take a deer with a round ball gun, it is surprising how well they perform. Prayers for Joyce too. After a couple back operations myself I understand very well what she is going through. It will help her a lot if you learn to make biscuits and a good gumbo.
Good luck,
Mike

[sharps4590]

Boy, do I feel for you, Mike. It was horrible. I don't believe anything the surgeon told us could have prepared her/us for the level of pain replacing two discs with cages and the screws and rods turned out to be, and he tried. Thank you so much for the prayers. She's pretty good now, praise the Lord!

I have no idea what to expect from the rifle. It is in excellent condition, whether old or not. I just hope it does regulate fairly well. I might have to get serious about hunting again. This year I killed my first deer in about 10 years and, my first with the 9 X 71 Peterlongo Mauser....since Joyce couldn't go...lol!

[sharps4590]

Welp, the old girl can still dance!!! I tried two round balls and the latter was the one she liked. The first two targets are with a .550 RB and .025 patch with 60 grs. of Ffg Schuetzen BP> This the first composite group which gave me an idea of where it was. 6:00 O'clock hold, rested in my hand.

P1010002 (2).JPG

Those on the right, and there is 3 holes there, are from the right barrel. The two high and the one in the black are from the left barrel....and I do not know what happened to the low shot. It felt good when I released the trigger but the possibility/probability is I dropped it...but that seems unlikely to me from a rest....no matter, it is low.

After examining the target I decided to see if I could "Kentucky Windage" a tight group. For the right barrel I maintained 6:00 O'clock but moved my hold the the left edge. For the left barrel I held what I believed to be about 2 inches below the bull. 2 rights and 2 lefts. Results below.

P1010003.JPG

I had ordered a .562 RB mold and it arrived. The balls cast from it measured .560, which I thought would be about perfect for a .570 bore diameter. I maintained the same patch and powder charge and again fired from 60 yards with the results for 4 rights and 4 lefts shown below. I was wiping between shots except for one right and left. The top round circled in red is from the right barrel. Evidently the right barrel prefers to be wiped between rounds while the left barrel doesn't care, for one shot anyway. The barrels have a 1-31 twist which is quite fast for RB's but, typical for German rifles from the era, I understand. I tried a 70 gr. charge but groups ceased to exist and shots were scattered. I did not try a heavier powder charge.

I believe I have a usable load. Not bad for a 160-ish year old rifle with 69 year old eyes.

P1010005 (2).JPG

[mike ford]

Looks good to me, what about a turkey? They are still in season here. You wouldn't have to wait until deer season.
Mike

[sharps4590]

It's illegal to hunt turkeys with a rifle in Missouri. They are just barely gobbling here. It has been rather cold and wet for quite a while, global warming, don'tcha know. The season doesn't open for another couple weeks. It's usually the last week of April and the first week of May, I think. I'm not a turkey hunter so I'm not up to speed on it. There's a "behind the fence" place not far from me and I've thought about shooting a hog with it.

[mike ford]

It is against the law in Alabama also, except for muzzleloaders. Good luck with the hog. If you get one, let me know, I have an easy recipe for pork green chili that was very popular in our hunting camp.
Mike

[sharps4590]

We can't even use muzzleloading rifles here for turkey. If I could use a rifle I'd be a lot more excited about hunting turkey. As it is...I don't go. And I think I told you wrong, Mike. I heard yesterday turkey season was open. We still haven't heard but precious little gobbling though. I guess the cool, wet weather has them close mouthed. It's raining AGAIN!!!! AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!

Pork green chili? Hmmm...that sounds good enough to go kill a hog just to try it!!

[mike ford]

It's great with Mexican rice, refried beans, and corn tortillas. Also have recipes for rice and the beans.
Mike