I need some guidance

[chef50]

Just picked up a Richland Arms Wesson rifle and need a instruction manual, and hints about where to get one?

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[Mikej]

@chef50 , meet @Andy54Hawken , our foremost black powder specialist and one of our esteemed moderators. .....

 

[Mikej]

You'll note that up in the right hand corner of your screen is the word "Alerts". Hover over/or select the word and a drop down will show when someone has posted on a thread of yours.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Hello @chef50
Those are neat replica rifles and you don't see 'em to often.
The original Wesson rifle was made circa 1840 and only for about 10 years or so.

While I don't have source for a instruction manual...I do know a fair bit about muzzle loaders...
What questions do you have....?

@Mikej
Thank you for the kind words.
Andy

 

[Mikej]

Thank you for the kind words.
Andy

It's just the facts Andy!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

It's just the facts Andy!

Thank you Joe Friday....Err....I mean MIke...
Andy

 

[thorborg]

I bought a Gun Digest black powder loading manual by Sam Fadala (4th edition) I found at a coastal town antique / junk shop, some years back which answered all the questions I had at the time. It was a 30 dollar seemingly unused book I bought for five. Since my use and interest are not an lifelong event as it is for Andy to keep my my memory fresh between hands on use, I find it a convenient reference to fall back on when I dust them off. While not specific to your particular firearm, if you intend to keep them, such a general reference could prove helpful to you for the bread and butter things, and you'll still have Andy for the tricky and oddball stuff..
There may be better reference books out there so I'm not particularly advocating it as the last word but it fulfilled my needs.

 

[solv3nt]

I think something is wrong with your nipples

 

[chef50]

Hello @chef50
Those are neat replica rifles and you don't see 'em to often.
The original Wesson rifle was made circa 1840 and only for about 10 years or so.

While I don't have source for a instruction manual...I do know a fair bit about muzzle loaders...
What questions do you have....?

@Mikej
Thank you for the kind words.
Andy

The barrel appears to be screwed into the breech box...sure thats not the correct term, is it unscrewed to clean the barrel and powder chamber? Mine has 4 holes in the end of the barrel, I'm guessing for the use of a wrench of some sort to unscrew the barrel. Thanks for your reply!! Steve in Tenn.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

The barrel appears to be screwed into the breech box...sure thats not the correct term, is it unscrewed to clean the barrel and powder chamber? Mine has 4 holes in the end of the barrel, I'm guessing for the use of a wrench of some sort to unscrew the barrel. Thanks for your reply!! Steve in Tenn.

Yes the barrel is screwed into the action...this type of action is called a "Box Lock"
( Percussion...they also came as a flintlock )

Do not try to remove the barrel.
The four holes may be for a "false muzzle " / bullet guide , these were used to protect the barrel's crown when loading or cleaning.
A false muzzle is useful if the rifle is made for it...however it is not needed to load , shoot or clean with one...if it is missing.
Andy

 

[drstrangelove]

Powder, patch, ball, cap, fire… repeat, clean. Not sure what kind of instructions you need beyond that. Nice rifle.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

As @drstrangelove
Said....powder , patch ( lubed ) , ball...cap ...then shoot.

However....
This rifle could be made for conical bullets.
If so...then powder...lubed concial ( lead , not a modern bullet or sabot ) cap and shoot.


Speaking of shooting...
You have a double set trigger...so pull the rear trigger to "set" the front trigger.
The front trigger is the one that fires the rifle.
The tiny screw between the triggers adjusts the trigger pull.
Warning...the screw will work its way loose at times...which can make for a very light trigger pull...
It is good to check every once in awhile.
Andy

Edit to add.....
Looks like the rate of barrel twist is 1-56....
So....
Powder , lubed patch , .15 size ( spit or any sort of store bought muzzle loading lube ) , .490 lead round ball and then cap.
As far as a powder charge....
60 - 80 grains of 2F should work fine.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

As far as things that you will need *....

Powder...2F Black Powder...

#11 caps...and either a capper or cap box...

.15 .50 caliber patches...patches come dry or lubed...use either...Spit can also be used...as well as various store bought patch lubes for dry patches...

A powder horn or flask...
A flask will usually have a fixed powder measure as a spout...so it may be best to get one after you know what load your rifle likes...or just buy a few spouts of different sizes for your flask...

A powder measure...these can be adjustable or fixed...a fixed powder charger is simple...but you need to know the powder charge your rifle likes...as a general rule , most rifles "like" a powder charge about 10 to 30 grains higher that the caliber..
So...
A .50 caliber rifle should do well with a powder charge between 60 - 80 grains....
An adjustable powder measure is handy...a good one to buy first....

A short starter...this is used to first start the round ball down the muzzle of the rifle...it looks like a short ram rod....

A nipple wrench to remove the nipple and a cleaning rod for the barrel with a barrel cleaning jag...

A bag to store all these items in...
Andy

*Now to be clear here....
Many folks use a whole tackle box of sh!t...err...gear to shoot and clean their muzzle loader....
I don't...what I try to do is to shoot and clean these guns like they were originally intended to be shot and cleaned.

However that is just me....and many folks shoot and clean differently.

And I am guessing that your rifle is indeed a .50 caliber one...most of these replicas are in that caliber.....

 

[solv3nt]

As @drstrangelove
Said....powder , patch ( lubed ) , ball...cap ...then shoot.

Don't forget the lube, never forget the lube. Lube makes things slide better.

 

[drstrangelove]

Don't forget the lube, never forget the lube. Lube makes things slide better.

Some people use spit for patches; I dislike it. I use a small spray bottle and fill 1:6 with ballistol:water; the resulting mixture is Moose Milk, and it is the finest patch lube for range shooting I know of; sprayed lightly on a patch, it dissolves powder deposits in the barrel as you push the patch down, and leaves a fine layer of oil after the water evaporates in a warm barrel. For a hunting rifle, bear grease or bore butter is a better choice since leaving water in a barrel for several days hunting is going to cause rust issues. Moose milk is also excellent for field cleaning for when bore gets so filthy the ball is hard to push down. Just be sure to dry patch the bore before loading; water dissolves fresh BP too. After hot soapy water cleaning, I use straight ballistol on the entire gun, inside and out for storage.

 

[chef50]

I'm looking at using a 250 gr, .517 diameter bullet cast in a Lee R.E.A.L mold Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold 50 Cal (517 Diameter) 250 Grain R.E.A.L. NEW! #90394.
I am in AWE over all the helpful and knowledgeable info you folks have passed on!!! Perhaps I've been overcomplicating the uncomplicated! I've never owned a smokepole with a threaded barrel. Thanks all!!!! Steve in Tenn.

 

[ilostmypswrd]

Don't forget the lube, never forget the lube. Lube makes things slide better.