Forager load data

[Dick Hosmer]

Nice rifling Carl!!

Seriously, I cannot believe that bore condition has even 1/10th of the effect with a smoothbore as opposed to any rifle.

Wishing you the best of luck with your new toy!!

[carlsr]

. . . . . .
Only problem there is I can't get the breech screw out #@#@!!!
I have it soaking in WD 40 since yesterday afternoon so hopefully that will help??

I suggest you soak the tang screw in Kroil rather than WD40.
I never had any luck with WD and any of my firearms.

I have it soaking in Kroil now, well actually since this morning. I never had any luck with WD 40 either but I have a larger can of that than Kroil.
I’ll let it set until tomorrow evening than give it another try.

[carlsr]

Nice rifling Carl!!

Seriously, I cannot believe that bore condition has even 1/10th of the effect with a smoothbore as opposed to any rifle.

Wishing you the best of luck with your new toy!!

It’s an excellent bore Dick
Thanks

[Dick Hosmer]

An idea (yes, I know, treat it kindly it's in a strange place) came to me. In addition to the soaking, wonder if you could suspend the assembly in ice water for awhile, just up to the joint, then use mama's hair dryer on the receiver? Have never done it, but might be worth a try if soaking doesn't get it. Of course there is soaking and soaking. Old buddy of mine once - as a test - soaked a BADLY rusted cheap revolver in solvent, on his workbench, for several years, shaking the can every few days. Finally, it came completely free.

[carlsr]

Removed the breech screw after soaking in some Kroil for a few days along with a better set of vice pads.
The hinge pin was worn so yesterday I purchased a new one, along with a new breech screw at the Allentown show.
Reamed out the chamber with some emery cloth and now a case drops right in.
Reassembled everything last night, getting that ejector back in is a pain in the @#@!!
Now I just need to load up some shells and hit the range!!!

[Dick Hosmer]

I was lucky enough to be east on business in 1992 and was able to visit an Allentown show. Absolutely blew my mind!!! Never in my wildest dreams had I seen anything on the left coast that even came close.

[carlsr]

I was lucky enough to be east on business in 1992 and was able to visit an Allentown show. Absolutely blew my mind!!! Never in my wildest dreams had I seen anything on the left coast that even came close.

Not a big show anymore Dick, unlike before covid. 1st room doesn't fill up and the antique room seems to have less also.
With that being said, there's still a lot to drool over!!
I had to disassemble my forager, the ejector some how got bent and the case wouldn't chamber, just my luck
Fortunately I was able to bend it back in place. I was afraid that it would break then where in the world would I get another
I'm sure those ejectors went the way of the dinosaurs just like those little screws for my 1865 Allin conversion.

[carlsr]

several in our club shoot black powder shotgun both muzzle loading and breech loaders. So I asked one about a load for you and got this 80 grains 1FG or 70 grains 2FG 1.5 ounces of number 7 shot. After you put the top wad in run a light bead of white glue around the edge of wad to retain it This is more for double barrel guns as firing might allow the unglued wad to move causing a loose shot column.
Many loads you find in the old books call for drams of powder one dram is 27.3 grains weight. So average shotgun load would be three drams. Hope this helps.

Tom, I ended up using 70 gr. 2f in volume along with an equal amount of #7 shot.
That along with a nitro card, 1/2" fiber was and an over shot card ended up about 1/8" below the case mouth.
I normally weigh my BP loads and to my surprise I found that there's some difference between weight and volume
70 gr. by volume is less by weight, either that or my measuring device is defective??

[Tom Trevor]

Carlsr, Weight to volume in black powder is never the same from lot to lot since I started buying it 50 years ago. Today GOEX volume measure 60 will in 2FG weighs 53 grains. The German schuetzen [wano] in Germany 60 bulk will weigh 60 on the scale but has much less power than the GOEX.
No GOEX again for now as they try to catch up with Government orders. Pyrotechnic and their Estes rocketry company.
Shooters are sucking hind --- again.

[gew98]

Thanks Jim.
I don't plan on shooting it a lot, just once would be awesome!!!
I do however have another issue. As with my 1865 1st Allin conversion the case won't fit in the chamber
I have to reem it out with some emery cloth, as I did on my 1865 until the case drops in.
Only problem there is I can't get the breech screw out #@#@!!!
I have it soaking in WD 40 since yesterday afternoon so hopefully that will help??

When I have encountered this on a trapdoor I have been using a couple old fish sticks...they have a threaded end that accepts M15/M14 SWAB TIPS. Same thread as typical commercial brushes etc. I run the fish stick in the muzzle then because it's flexible I bend it up and out of action. I insert and wrap around my emery and carefully re-insert in chamber. I then put a drill on fish stick end sticking out the muzzle and proceed to polish chamber. I mark the rod to not exceed chamber dimensions so as not to get into the throat. I do this a couple times down to some fine emery cloth. I flush it all out good with WD40 or similar penetrating oil. Swab out , run fluid film patch through it and go shoot it.