- Joined
- Mar 20, 2023
- Messages
- 35
- Reaction score
- 68
I posted some short time ago about a friend that aquired a TC Black DIamond and since he likes me so well, he was going to gift it to me. It was shot three or four times, leaned up in a corner and sat for some 20 years untouched and uncleaned. I asked my buddy to look at the bore and he made some funny sounds and said that he as seen worse. I posted about my good fortune in my excitement. My excitement was soon quenched when I was informed about the rarity of replacement parts for this gun. (Breech plug to name one)
So here is the follow up. The gun arrived freshly cleaned and oiled, maybe too much. Looks good on the outside with minimal scratches but some are there. A look in the bore shows some very minimal rust or pitting. Rifles look pretty good actually. A run down the barrel with a .50 swab yielded no brown stuff and didn't feel any snags. I guess he scrubbed it good. Well done mate! Time for a test fire!
Target set up 45 yards just to have something to shoot at. Two charges of pyrodex pellets and a .45 hollowpoint wrapped in a .50 cal sabot was shoved down the barrel and made sure it was seated. Time to place the cap! It won't go on and with a little "help" it went on crooked. I'm not even going to try at this point. A low mounted scope and no nipple wrench made removing the nipple a pain but I got it out pretty quick/easy. A small piece of sandpaper and some spinning of the nipple against said sandpaper made the cap seat properly against it. Nipple was replaced back in the plug. Cap on and on target and with a pull of the trigger....... nothing happened...... then BANG!. Gun went off just as I was about to ease up on my grip. I suspect too much oil/cleaning stuff left in barrel. My bad, I should have done a drying load without a bullet first. Second shot went off instantly and I shot perfectly high 3 inches. Click, Click, Click of the scope settings allowed me another shot. Dead center. Another shot yeilded another hole that touched the other hole. Another shot was off to the right about 1/2 inch. I'm Done! Ready to hunt. Maybe tweak the scope a little more but its deadly as it is.
My surprises along the way: 1. The nipple looked as if it was snapped without a cap more than once. The gun wouldn't fire as it was. This could be why it was sold. 2, For it to never have been cleaned, barrel is pretty good. 3. This gun is loud. A lot louder than I expected.
Lots of good times ahead.. I'll stay in touch.
So here is the follow up. The gun arrived freshly cleaned and oiled, maybe too much. Looks good on the outside with minimal scratches but some are there. A look in the bore shows some very minimal rust or pitting. Rifles look pretty good actually. A run down the barrel with a .50 swab yielded no brown stuff and didn't feel any snags. I guess he scrubbed it good. Well done mate! Time for a test fire!
Target set up 45 yards just to have something to shoot at. Two charges of pyrodex pellets and a .45 hollowpoint wrapped in a .50 cal sabot was shoved down the barrel and made sure it was seated. Time to place the cap! It won't go on and with a little "help" it went on crooked. I'm not even going to try at this point. A low mounted scope and no nipple wrench made removing the nipple a pain but I got it out pretty quick/easy. A small piece of sandpaper and some spinning of the nipple against said sandpaper made the cap seat properly against it. Nipple was replaced back in the plug. Cap on and on target and with a pull of the trigger....... nothing happened...... then BANG!. Gun went off just as I was about to ease up on my grip. I suspect too much oil/cleaning stuff left in barrel. My bad, I should have done a drying load without a bullet first. Second shot went off instantly and I shot perfectly high 3 inches. Click, Click, Click of the scope settings allowed me another shot. Dead center. Another shot yeilded another hole that touched the other hole. Another shot was off to the right about 1/2 inch. I'm Done! Ready to hunt. Maybe tweak the scope a little more but its deadly as it is.
My surprises along the way: 1. The nipple looked as if it was snapped without a cap more than once. The gun wouldn't fire as it was. This could be why it was sold. 2, For it to never have been cleaned, barrel is pretty good. 3. This gun is loud. A lot louder than I expected.
Lots of good times ahead.. I'll stay in touch.