Just bought my first so now what?

Wow you all have made me glad I have found this forum. As you can probably see I have a few questions on here and as a new person it has been nice to get what sounds like good advise that seems to go along with what very little I have read, and I do mean little.

You all have been very helpful, thanks so much.
 
Here's a copy of the owner's manual for reference:

http://stevespages.com/pdf/lyman_blackpowder.pdf

There's some interesting articles on the muzzle loading index page listed at the bottom, some of which apply to sidelock muzzle loaders and some don't.

A .54 caliber muzzleloader is almost universally manufactured with a 1:48" twist. An 85 - 100 grain charge will effectively shoot sabots, conicals and patched round balls with equal accuracy. Most often I choose a 425-grain conical to take advantage of a .54 caliber muzzleloader's knockdown potential.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/muzzleloading_basics.htm
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Here's another:

The .54 is the superior round ball hunter. The .54 caliber is an excellent choice for a hunter who uses a patched round ball load....
As an example of the performance capability of the side hammer round ball rifle I loaded a Traditions Springfield Hawken with 85 grains of Goex FFFg black powder and fired two, seventy yard groups with Buffalo 220-grain patched round balls and the Buffalo 338-grain Maxi Ball-et. I knew from past experience that this load would do very well. The patched round ball group was two inches and the Maxi Ball-et group was slightly over two inches. I have no idea of how many deer I have taken with this round ball load over the last 25 years but the number is significant. In practical whitetail hunting situations this degree of accuracy, dependability, light recoil, and terminal performance makes such a rifle and load combination an excellent choice....

I know a Traditions .54 with 1:48" twist will group 425-grain Buffalo bullets inside of two inches at that range with a powder charge of 85 grains of Pyrodex RS because I've done it for years with a number of .54 caliber Traditions rifles. That has been my favorite .54 caliber deer hunting load for nearly twenty years. However, the performance of the Maxi Ball-et was surprisingly effective and I used it in this rifle during whitetail deer season.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/54_caliber_muzzleloader.htm
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For more articles to browse through, here's the index:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2h.muzzleloader.htm
 
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FFg/FFFg

I loaded a Traditions Springfield Hawken with 85 grains of Goex FFFg black powder and fired two, seventy yard groups with Buffalo 220-grain patched round balls and the Buffalo 338-grain Maxi Ball-et.
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Obviously the fellow had success with that load but it seems a bit on the hot side to me. My normal load in a .50 with a PRB is 90 grains of FFg. Could it be that the larger bore keeps the pressure down?
Pete
 
It's not too hot for a .54. A .54 can go 120 grs. with a round ball and FF. I'd probably stay under 100 with the ball-et and FFF.
 
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Patched balls used to be the only thing we were allowed to hunt with in Pa. I used Thompson Center Maxi Lube on my patches, which worked great. Pa. lossened up the rules and we are now allowed to use maxi balls and saboted bullets. I now use .44 pistol bullets in a plastic sabot. Much more accurate in my T/C Hawken .50 cal. The other thing I recomend is a solid brass ramrod. Heavy yes, but a godsend after a few shots.
 
Well I just bought an aluminum T/C range rod so I hop that will help. If every thing works out then to day will be the first day I can go shoot it.
 
The nice thing about the brass is that it is heavy and you can drop it and force the ball down a dirty barrel.

Have fun.

When you're done fill a bucket 1/3 with HOT, soapy water(dish detergent will work). Disasemble the rifle and place the breech end in the bucket(put the rest of the dirty parts in the water to soak as well). Running a patched cleaning rod up and down will act as a suction and draw the water up the barrel. Let dry and run an oily patch in the barrel.
 
Can't open the back of the gun I don't think. Do all BPs have a breech pluc? I did not notice than mine did, just a hook to secure it to the stock.
 
Sorry to clarify the water will come in through the nipple(remove and put a piece of wire through it so you don't lose it and put in water) or the flash hole(do the same thing with a piece of wire).
 
Do all BPs have a breech pluc?
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yes but on a traditional rifle it requires a breech plug wrench and a heavy duty vice securely bolted down to remove it and most likely you'll never get it back in so that it looks right.
 
I recomend is a solid brass ramrod. Heavy yes, but a godsend after a few shots.
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Seems to me if you're having trouble loading after a few shots you're not doing something right.
 
I've seen people snap wooden ramrods in two after 6 or 7 shots.
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Is that kind of like throwing your golf club? I was actually pretty surprised when I got my .50 cal and the ramrod was made of wood. I haven't had a problem with it yet, though.
 
I've seen people snap wooden ramrods in two after 6 or 7 shots.
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It can happen but it's usually from grabbing it up too high. I've made ramrods out of hardwood dowel from Wally World and had no problems with them. Sometimes a ramrod has runout and will be easier to break.
 
Well I went out for the first time today and all I can say is WOW:D It was every bit as fun as I was hopping it would be.

I only had one problem, I loaded the gun and put the cap on then pulled the trigger and the cap went bang and that was it. So I waited a minute to see what would happened and nothing did, so I put another cap on and it fired that time. I started at 50 grns then shot 70 and then 90. It seems the only difference is how loud the gun is. I have yet to shoot paper with it, I only had a few minutes so I just fired a few off just so I could say I did. I hope to be able to sight in in the next few day's.
 
Might have had a drop of oil in the nipple. Before you load pop a cap to make sure it's clear and burn out any oil in the nipple. You can put the muzzle next to a blade of grass and watch it move if it's clear. Some people store them muzzle down so oil doesn't collect in the chamber. I always fire a loose charge before I load, especially before hunting. Never had a charge not go off by doing that.
 
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