Please help choose shooting supplies fo my .50cal Pedersoli Pensylvannia Flint

[OFFSHORE]

Just ordered a .50 cal Pedersoli Pensylvania Flintlock.
41.5" barrel and 1/56" twist.

Should I use a .490 or .495 lead ball?

What size patch? .010, .015 or .020?

Do you lube your own patches or buy pre lubed?

How many grains of what powder for what ball??

What size flint?

[ottawa]

490 ball sounds good that's what i shoot with a 15Th patch start out with 50gr of 3f or 2f increase by 5 gr of powder till she is shooting how you want work up at least 2 sep loads if you like one for target one for hunting most just work up the hunting load and shoot that for all shooting the hunting load will be the higher grain your rifle likes mine likes 80 gr but i have a 1in 48 twist sorry cant help on flint size need to know jaw size.

[Ben I. Voss]

Just my opinion, but I'd try a .490 ball and about .015 patching to start with. See how that loads and go from there. For target shooting just use saliva as a lube- put the dry patch in your mouth and get it wet. For hunting i like mink oil sold by track of the wolf. For powder charge, start with 60 or 70 grains of FFg and go up to 90 or 100. Don't know about the flint size, order a few in different sizes and see what it likes- 5/8, 3/4 and maybe 7/8 inch lengths?

[hanshi]

I have a Pedersoli flint rifle and it uses the 5/8" flints.  The Frontier rifle has a bigger lock and uses (I believe) a 7/8 flint or there about.  I agree with starting out with a .490 ball.  Pedersoli bores tend toward the tight side.

[SCLoyalist]

You might glean some helpful flintlocking hints by looking at some of the recent threads started by Pennsylvania Professor. 

Good luck.  SCL

[OFFSHORE]

Thanks for the heads up. I read both of those threads and learned a bit.

[BrownBear]

My reference is my 50 cal Frontier rather than the Pennsylvania, but I'm betting the bores are the same.  I'm using a .490 ball with .018 ticking and a tallow-based lube rather than a liquid.  It's none too tight, and starts easily with a short starter.  I'm sure that if I go ahead and cone the barrel, I won't need a short starter at all. 

I bring that up because accuracy-wise, mine is not near as happy with the .490 ball and the commercial .015 patches I tried.  They worked, but less fouling and better accuracy with the .018.