Captain Jim

Well thank God. Now I can dismiss the kidnap crew I had standing by...

I have been a pyrate since I got my first command at about age eight, sailing the waters of Warner's Bayou, the Manatee River and Tampa Bay. An Optimist Pram, ten feet long. Bright canary yellow it was. Sailed one day to Egmont Key when I was eleven, past Anna Maria Sound and out into the Gulf of Mexico, a truly stupid thing to do, in hindsight. When I was older I sailed with a man called Doc Payne (real name, a urologist, which makes it even more, ah, painful.) We did actually board other boats during Yacht Club races to commandeer ice, rum and (occasionally) wenches. I was called Captain Jim in high school, and again in Kentucky, but for different reasons; one as an honorific and one as derision. But that is not the same as portraying, or playing, if you will, a pyrate as an adult. Explaining this to other adults is sometimes...problematic. The expense and the travel keep me from seeing all my pyrate friends as much as I like. Three kids at my age also play a part. Attending events is sometimes difficult. But does that mean I will ever stop being a Pyrate? No. Once you have truly embraced the idea of Pyrate with all of the good, the bad and the ugly of the history, the freedom, spirituality and terror of the sea, the rage against societal constraints, the desperation (perhaps you feel it in your job) that would lead one to become a pyrate, you can never completely set it aside. You can do Civil War and quit. Rev war and quit. Either World War and quit. But being a Pyrate will always call to you. Perhaps it is the lack of regimentation, the ability to add a lot of yourself to the role. Perhaps it is that we all chafe a bit at the constraints of society. Whatever it is, it will call to you. It will always be a part of you. While you may quit attending events and sell off your kit, you will never, ever, leave aside that nagging little voice that calls to you.

I demand...er...request a repost! I'll remember to steal borrow them before they disappear this time.

Yes, Chad, we know: 4F sparks better and 3F makes a more consistent blank "boom". No one is contesting that. We're convinced. I never use anything but 4F to prime and 3F for blanks and I use flasks for both. But the fact remains we are playing on their turf with their rules and no amount of arguing about the powder regs is going to change that. Perhaps in the future this will change, as well as changes to include some other weapons like wheel-locks and match-locks, but for now it is what it is. Include a wipe-down of the frizzen, pan and flint in your loading routine and review your misfire/flash in the pan safely measures and all will be safe, if not consistent. Now let's go play...46 days left!

Seconded, especially since you are a horseman. Now ya need to bring a horse to Key West and play an English commander.

I kinda like the way the club-butt flows...more graceful. And you can use it as a paddle!

Check perid obituaries. Names that come with a backstory. My first name is James and my middle name is Warren. So I did an internet search for that name, found a Capt. James Warren who lived in New England at exactly the right time, dying in 1719. Turns out he was a militia Captain, not a maritime captain.

I think I may have found you something Here: http://strzelecka.ne...llock_Plans.pdf Good starting place if nothing else. Edit: I took a closer look at the plans and it shows you how to make the lock as well as the finished gun. Wow. Amazing what one can find on the Interwebs. (You know someone who works at Fajen...drooollll...)

One ahhh, interesting, way to age brass is to use ammonia fumes. Or, if you have no ammonia but do have a cat, just bury it in the cat box. Aged in no time. Wash before use...

No worries, mate. I pitch out ideas and then let 'em go, so I never take rejection of an idea as personal rejection. About that brass bowl knuckle guard: put it on and attach a BA blade below the stock, baaaaad arse cutlass pistol!

Nope, but the news reporter guy didn't survive.

Their playground, their rules. I will be installing and aging a fashguard to make it blend in as much as possible.I may have to get/make a longer frizzen screw, but it is what it is. I will be practicing priming from the cartridge. According to the FPS manual, priming for carbines and pistols is to be done after loading the barrel.

Of course you could mount it to the outside of the frizzen spring, enclose the entire pan and part of the lock.

No, a tab under the frizzen spring next to the plate and extend it up the the bottom of the pan. Then bend it out along the bottom of the pan and up to the actual guard. In other words, instead of a tab mounting forward on the outside of frizzen screw, you would have an "L" shape going from the outside of the pan, under and down to mount inside the frizzen spring screw. If I had drawing software (and knew how to use it) it is a simple setup. In theory, at least.

AYE. Very well then, I'll be sure to pack it along. I have enlarged the touch-hole slightly to musket size instead of the finer rifle size since you used it last, as I have had some issue with it plugging in the past. That will no longer be an issue. it does NOT have a flash guard nor will it be feasable to install one on the old CVA Spanish Maslin lock. The frizzen is bridled with an internal screw. If this is an issue for battle I just wanted you to be aware before hand. Bo An idea for your lock/flashguard problem: fashion a guard from soft sheet brass and have the mounting tab go down from the pan flat to the lock plate and fit it under the frizzen spring. You might need a longer screw. This would also work if your frizzen spring also has an internal screw as it would still fit between the spring and the lock plate. Again, possible longer screw.

I second William's remarks. This is exactly the sort of thing that I am not very good at and I really appreciate it when someone else takes on the challenge. Huzzah!

And here we have one of the last BP questions left: do we need flash guards or not?

Of coure, I've seen that face before, in a mirror...

Happy (very belated) birthday, mate. Looking forward to meeting you at FTPI.

Saint Bo, the magnificent. Any teacher already has their ticket punched for the Hereafter, wherever you imagine that to be.

And there's Dutch, asleep at the wheel again...

SSSSHHH! Stop or everyone will start looking! Then they'l find mine! In all seriousness, I still "Bucket it" on Halloween, just for fun.

My goodness Foxe, but your dog is old. I mean, really. In dog years he must be, what, 1,000 years old?

And why is this wench not arrested yet?

Misson is absolutly right, 'tis the Fort Tayor Pyrate Invasion for you! And since the good surgeon forgot to mention it, it is held in Key West. The web page is: http://www.forttaylorpyrates.com/index.html and there is a Facebook page as well. Welcome aboard!