New to me muzzle loader

[chasfm11]

Thanks for the information about the rifling in the barrel. It makes perfect sense.

I still haven't heard from the muzzle loader group with whom I registered so I'd like to go back to my original questions.

1. Is there somewhere in the DFW area where I could take the gun to determine whether it is safe to shoot? Is shooting it even a reasonable consideration?
2. Assuming that it is safe, it is going to need some gunsmith work. The hammer will not stay in the cocked position. I'm assuming that I would need to acquire/make percussion caps for it but I'm totally ignorant about exactly how that works and how reasonable/expensive that might be. I'm planning to do a lot more reading and may answer so of my own questions through it.

Thanks for your continuing responses.

Chas

[mbw]

Beautiful rifle by the way.

One reason that your hammer will not stay cocked may be that the double set trigger is out of adjustment. The way it works is you first pull the rear trigger and that "Sets" the front trigger for a very light trigger pull. There should be a small set screw between the two triggers. Try adjusting that screw and see if your hammer will stay cocked. If the screw is missing, that could also be the problem.

If it still will not stay cocked then the sear is probably damaged.

[NOS]

Thanks for the information about the rifling in the barrel. It makes perfect sense.

I still haven't heard from the muzzle loader group with whom I registered so I'd like to go back to my original questions.

1. Is there somewhere in the DFW area where I could take the gun to determine whether it is safe to shoot? Is shooting it even a reasonable consideration?
2. Assuming that it is safe, it is going to need some gunsmith work. The hammer will not stay in the cocked position. I'm assuming that I would need to acquire/make percussion caps for it but I'm totally ignorant about exactly how that works and how reasonable/expensive that might be. I'm planning to do a lot more reading and may answer so of my own questions through it.

Thanks for your continuing responses.

Chas

I don't live around DFW, so I can't help you much there. Just about any competent gunsmith can check your gun for you. There are some things you need to make sure of however. The first of which is checking to see if the rifle was stored loaded. It was a common practice for some to load their rifle after cleaning and before storage. If in fact it was stored loaded, a gunsmith will need to remove the ball or bullet with a screw tipped rod. Then they should clean out the powder. After that the gun should be checked for any issues that would cause it to be unsafe to shoot. In many cases most of these guns are safe to shoot after a quick gunsmith inspection.

Beautiful rifle by the way.

One reason that your hammer will not stay cocked may be that the double set trigger is out of adjustment. The way it works is you first pull the rear trigger and that "Sets" the front trigger for a very light trigger pull. There should be a small set screw between the two triggers. Try adjusting that screw and see if your hammer will stay cocked. If the screw is missing, that could also be the problem.

If it still will not stay cocked then the sear is probably damaged.

The problem may be that simple. There really isn't much inside a traditional style muzzleloader mechanically that can go wrong. If anything is broken or worn, finding parts for it may prove to be a little tough initially, but once you find a supplier or collector with a good supply you are likely to be set for a long time.
The gunsmith will be able to point you in the right direction for what size percussion cap you need. He or she may even recommend a new nipple that accepts standard sized caps that are easier to find in today's stores.
Hope that helps

[mbw]

Before you run off and sell this rifle you might want to do some research into the lock maker. In Houston, Collectors Firearms deals with antique weapons. I found this on their web site-

http://collectorsfirearms.com/admin/pro ... emID=23931" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It appears that the lock only was made By Josh Golcher, not the entire rifle. Maybe your rifle is the same way, made by another gunsmith but with a lock from Golcher. See if you can find any other markings that might tell you who actually made the rifle.

[chasfm11]

Thanks, MBW. The rifle in your link is obviously a lot more ornate than the one that I have. I've kind of decided that it mine can be fired, I'll probably keep it. If not, it is just an ornament and I really don't have a place for it be one. Before I do anything with it, I need to understand more about it and that was my main reason for asking for a place here in Dallas that could look at it for me.

I did look for a set screw between the triggers and there is one. I haven't attempted to make any adjustment to it yet, preferring to get a gunsmith's opinion before I do anything. I also put the rod down the barrel and it goes all the way in except about 2". I don't know whether that tells me whether it is loaded or not. I'm in no rush. This rifle has been lying around at my brother's place for many years and I just came into possession. If I am going to try to shoot it, I suspect that I have lots of learning to do first.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of the contributions to this thread that have already been made.

Chas.

[Rex B]

Thanks, MBW. The rifle in your link is obviously a lot more ornate than the one that I have. I've kind of decided that it mine can be fired, I'll probably keep it. If not, it is just an ornament and I really don't have a place for it be one. Before I do anything with it, I need to understand more about it and that was my main reason for asking for a place here in Dallas that could look at it for me.

Don't shoot it. If you want to try shooting a muzzleloader, sell this one to a collector and take a small part of the proceeds and buy on of the Traditions rifles and a starter kit. Or buy a nice one from Track of the wolf. Or I'll loan you one of mine to see if you like it. I haven't shot any of them in years, but they are all reproductions.

The way to see if it is loaded:
Place the ramrod alongside the barrel so the end is adjacent to the nipple hole
Mark the ramrod with masking tape even with the end of the barrel.
Insert ramrod in barrel and see if it will go in all the way to the tape mark.
Anything more than 1/4" means there is a bore obstruction.
A normal load will set your ramrod out about 1.5" give or take.

[Rex B]

Looks to be a Pennsylvania long rifle from the limited angles in the photo. Here is an auction on Gun Broker for one of Golcher's long rifle models http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =182759330" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ended with no bids at $589.

[chasfm11]

Some custom builders made the rifling deeply cut because of the potential of the bore to wear down over time.

Aha - that makes sense, thanks

And I agree with Rex - you don't want to shoot an old rifle as they often used Damascus barrels (which is iron and steel welded together and hammered over a mandrel to form the bore). The iron is the weakest part and may have rusted and weakened over time - so it could easily let go if fired.

Bummer. I've not had any interest in muzzle loaders up to this point and was only going to play with this one. I do understand that it might not be safe. That was my fear from the beginning.

I followed the instructions with the rod and it goes completely to the pipe so I guess there is no bore obstruction. I've been all over the barrel with a magnifying glass and there is no sign of a marking anywhere. It probably was just a local gunsmith with Golcher lock, as has been suggested. The wood under the barrel is not fastened to the barrel very well but I don't want to mess with it to see if there are marking there.
The one in the link appears to be in better shape than the one that I have.

I'll just mull it over for a while. I wish that I had a nice fireplace or other display area to mount it but our house just isn't set up that way. The gun is over a foot longer than the mantle on the fireplace and there is just no way that it would like decent there. I've come to the point in my life were sticking something else in a closet because I don't use it doesn't appeal to me. Maybe someone else in the family will want it.

Thanks again for all of the inputs. I've learned a lot.

Chas.

[chasfm11]

Likewise.

Stick it in a closet for now - perhaps you'll have a home sometime where you can display it. Your study, perhaps? Darn, it'll be such a shame to see you lose part of your family history.

I'm not sure exactly how much connection that this gun has to my family history. My Dad had it. I'm not sure which side of the family had it but I suspect that it came from somewhere on my mother's side. I've done a lot of geneology research there and have collected a lot of anecdotal information as well as the all of the birth/death/marriage facts. Nowhere has anyone ever mentioned this particular gun. We've had firearms in the family for many generations and there are many of those still around that have sentimental connections for me. I have the first .22 rifle that I shot as a kid and it has a special meaning for me. It came from my maternal grandfather.

For all I know, someone outside of the family could have simply given this muzzleloader to a relative because they knew that our family owned other guns. Unfortunately for me, there is no living relative that I could ask who would know more about it than I do.

I'm going to hang on to it for now. As I said, I have time to decide.

[TLE2]

Check the barrel for indications of lines wrapping around like a spiral. If it's a Damascus barrel, it's made of pieces of iron wrapped in a spiral and forge welded together. You may not be able to see them, if the barrel is of fine quality.