I have never fooled around with black powder before. But I had an opportunity to get a T/C renegade. 50 cal flintlock from a friend for almost nothing in excellent condition.
So where do I start?? What brand/type of accessories do I need? I know BP, projectiles, patches, but what else do I really need??
Thx

Lube. You will need some form of Bore Butter

to lube the patches and keep the fouling soft.

A ball puller is a good idea (Just in case) you

accidentally "Dry ball" it. That means forgetting

to pour in your powder first! Speaking of that,

a powder measure is also a good idea, don't load

from a horn or flask directly.

Mark your ram rod at the end in an empty bore

so that you can easily check if it's loaded or not.

For a .50 caliber you will want .490 sized balls.

You can try .495 but that's too tight in my rifle.

Also a "Ball starter" or "Short starter" helps load

the ball into the bore then send it all the way down

with the rod. Make sure it's all the way down against

the powder (NO air gap) between powder and ball.

That should get you going.

Thanks for the info

Most of the answers for a beginner are are in the Lyman blackpowder handbook, I would get one.

I'm a huge fan of Thompson Center, but unfortunately their older flintlocks are a dud. You can find pictures online of the old vs new design locks. The old ones kinda, sorta work, but they are really frustrating. I would hate to have you experience them and think that's how all flintlocks are. I have not owned the new style lock, I've only heard they are better. You can also buy aftermarket locks for these from L&R, and that's the way I would go if I was to buy another TC flintlock. It might look like a lot, but they would really be worth the save frustration, and maybe even flints. My old style TC Renegade flintlock basically just disintegrated flints. After 10 shots they were in bad shape.

Now assuming you have a good lock setup, here is what I would recommend for a beginners gear. You can buy all this stuff from Tack of the Wolf, which is where I buy most of my stuff. I'll list part numbers

An adjustable powder measure with spout. MAS-120

Rifleman's powder horn. HORN-D
I personally do not like the brass flasks, but they work.

Small funnel for filling the powder horn. FUNNEL_SB
You don't need to buy this, you can find alternatives at home. Even a piece of paper rolled up can work.

12 pack hand knapped flints, 3/4"x7/8". FLINT-ENG-6-PACK-12

Short Starter ST-7
Some load without these, but I would still have one around.

Round balls. I would for sure get .490" and 495". I wouldn't discount .480" either. Get hand cast if you can. Load sprue facing up. Later start casting your own. BALL-490-X, BALL-495-X

Range ramrod. 44" RAMROD-C-44-10
These are expensive, but they are phenomenal. Technically optional though. Don't buy too short, you will probably buy more rifles in the future. 36" would be ok too, you can always buy a second one later if you get a 38"+ barrel rifle.

T handle for ramrod, 10-32" thread. RAMROD-T-10

Loading and cleaning jag, 3/8" rod, 10-32" thread, 50 cal. JS-50-6-10
It's a good idea to have two of these.

Ball puller with brass collar, 10-32 thread. BP-50-10
Depends on your ramrod thread, but all mine are 10-32. The brass collar ones are WAY better.

Lastly, I always make my own ramrod. I've tried all kinds of materials, and nothing has beat hickory. I both epoxy and rivet the ends on. JB weld works great. I can go into more detail if you wish. Technically this is optional, but you either need the range rod, or a good ramrod with threads. You will need the following.

Hickory 3/8" dowel, 48". RAMROD-6H

3/8" Brass ramrod tip, 10/32" thread, quantity 2. RT-6-10-B


Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

I knew I would forget something.

You will also need a strap to wear your priming horn. I have not tried one of the big adjustable ones. Mine is nothing but leather strap, and leather lace. I see no reason to get too fancy with it. I tie my horn, and I also tie a capper to it too with a percussion gun.

Leather strap LACE-LATIGO-3

Leather lace HORN-STRAP

You will need patching for your round balls. Buy this at a local fabric store. I buy at Hobby Lobby, Walmart works too. Pillow ticking is a standard, but play around with different fabrics and ball sizes, that's where you can get a huge gain in accuracy.

Don't fret the patch lube. For target shooting, there's a million options. 50:50 mix of dish soap and water is one of the best. For hunting you will want a grease. The Track of the Wolf mink oil works great. Even regular old crisco does ok. I see no reason to buy TC bore butter, it's not even as good as crisco.

If I didn't say it earlier, don't bother with a priming flask or priming powder. Just prime with your regular powder.

Renegade & Hawken essentially same gun.

Read and familiarize:

[ LINK1 ]


ETA they also used to publish a really good generic sidelock bp manual. You can pick them up off amazon or ebay or look around on the internet [ LINK2 ].


@weaselrunner4