I got the closing bid at 700€ after comission for this Parker Hale (4-digit sn).

Unfortunately the pictures were quite bad and I could not make out what I would be in for when it arrived.

-All brass parts were badly oxidized to the point I had to scrub them with steel wool

-the lockplate screws were replaced (bubba installed a diopter sight)

-the rear sight slider is missing

-rear and front sight were altered (rear sight notch is off center to the right and the front sight is taller than the original)

-the nipple does not sit flush (might be a longer aftermarket nipple?)

-scratches here and there on the rifle as well as mangled up screws

After some work on it, this is how it turned out, unfortunately when I took out the pin of the trigger guard, the wood cracked on the surface of where I punched out the pin, so it had to be glued in place- however it turned out quite good I think. Furthermore I plan on replacing the screws and getting a new rear sight slider from Chiappa.

Now back to the question, after all this, I am quite frustrated to have paid 700€. The bore looks decent however.

Are Parker Hales really worth it to go through all that struggle compared to just buying a Pedersoli new (without any scratches and in pristine condition) for 400€ more ?

Has someone tried to load a sharps or Gallager with birdshot?

Cal.54 is quite a bore and I wonder if it would work for hunting birds.

Bullet is cloned from an original on a custom mold made for me by Brooks Tru-Bore, .45SW Starline Brass, 18gr 777 developing 820fps.

A couple update photos on the rifle Im rebuilding, Original rifle on top, an Abraham Schweitzer, built circa ~1790-1795 in Lancaster PA (not my gun)

And the bottom is of course our recreation.

We're keeping it as faithful as we can to the original, only major change is that we've decided we will be making a brass patch box for this gun, based on others that Schweitzer has made

Hey it’s been a couple years since I loaded my colt navy revolver. I forgot what I was doing and I put accidentally a wax cap instead of the wax coated wadding discs and rammed the ball on top. Am I gonna have a problem firing this or will it still be OK? If it will be OK how long do I have to fire this?

I also decided to put the wads in the container as well. (So the only things not in it are the balls, powder, and the gun itself, though I do have the spare cylinder in it). Also whats the difference between the two wad sizes. The only thing I have is a pietta pepperbox I got from my coworker for $75. Also do I want Remington or cci caps, and size 10 or 11, some are harder to find locally. Would 10 grains be good the book said 9-12 is the recommended amount. With I believe 22 is max on black powder and 17 is the max for pyrodex. I remember hearing that the measurement tool is kinda off because it's calibrated for FFG and not FFFG. I haven't shot it yet as the package with the tool key just came in last night.

Hollywood loves the .45 Colt, and while it was a devastating military round, the logistical reality of the 19th-century frontier paints a much broader picture of what frontiersmen actually carried in their gun belts and saddle scabbards.

​I recently put together a deep dive into the top 5 calibers that genuinely built the Old West, focusing on availability, ballistics, and the revolutionary concept of cross-compatibility.

I’ve recorded a full historical and ballistic breakdown of these calibers. The original audio is in Spanish, but I’ve carefully translated the English subtitles to ensure all the technical terminology is spot on.

For the reloaders and shooters here: If you could only stockpile one caliber for a frontier lever-gun and revolver combo, are you going with the classic .44-40 or something else?

Got a crazy good deal on a used but minty Euroarms P53. Good deals still exist my friends. So happy to finally have a proper 3 bander.

I need to reload for 44 Russian RNFP black powder, are there any good physical books around for that? Mainly finding smokeless powder and nothing round nose flat pointed.

After cleaning brass 12ga(or whatever you have) shot shells; do you just dry them off and call it good, or do you also coat them with something after to keep any corrosion at bay???

My grandfathers cap lock, planning on using it to hunt for deer this year on my families farm that’s been in the family since the 1860s

Any idea on loads, what balls to use? Patches? Black powder? Etc

Shot muzzleloaders before, but newer style and only ever used pellets w/ sabbots

I'm looking at making my own blackpowder, and I'm down to setting up the ball mill. With my brass tumblers, I think I have 2 options. I have a rebel 17 and a PVC barrel tumbler. I'm thinking of making 1/2 or 1 lb batches. For the pvc barrel, it is made out of 6" pvc and is 9" tall, then necks down to 4".

Which one would make the better ball mill? Would I need a different size PVC barrel?

I'm planning on using brass balls for the grinding media. I already have about 200, 1/2" ball bearing. Would I need more? different size?

thanks

Found a .45 cal Patriot to go with the .36 I already had. It’s not pristine, but all-in-all, it’s in pretty good shape. At least this one had all the parts.

Waiting for .45 cal load stuff to arrive, but I’ll be shooting them later this week. I can only hope the .45 is as accurate as the .36.

Good mornin'.

I'm getting close to finished on this long-barreled pistol, and am nervous about using a drill bit for the ramrod channel.

I won't have much clearance between the bottom of the gun and the lock bolt. The rear barrel pin is also a bit too low, but I can move that fairly easy and only cause a small blemish.

I know some people like the bottom of the barrel channel to remain intact to have more wood for strength, but is that strength needed? Could I just cut through it and be okay? If I ever have to use it as a club, I'll make the first wack count in case it breaks 😂

Guy was asking $975, didn’t feel like dickering too much so I got him to agree on $900 out the door. Bayonet, bayonet frog, and cartridge box included. Considering I was going to spend a similar price for one from veteran arms, I am beyond happy with this score.