Blackpowder Rifle SEARS MFG

[A-FIXER]

Well I have a chance to buy a SEARS ROEBUCK... blackpowder kentucky rifle in .50 cal looks old and not well taken care of what would the value of something like that be.
Thanks in advance for your respose's or thoughts

[bkoenig]

If it has a rusty or pitted bore I wouldn't buy it at all.  I think (but I'm not sure) that some of the Sears muzzleloaders were fairly high quality Japanese reproductions, so if the problems are just cosmetic it might be worth thinking about.  I'm not sure on a value though.

[A-FIXER]

Yup, good thinking I had not thought of that I guess it was going to be a wall hanger but now I think that maybe just as well see if that old piece would shoot well. thanks for that.

[FarmerRick]

Anything that fires is worth $75.  Maybe $100 if it's really cool, no matter how ugly(sometimes ugly is cool too).

[A-FIXER]

Well, update on the sears blackpowder .45 cal I just could not bear it the ugly could not be for me I stripped the barred down to the bare metal and this unit has a otagon barrel used a coarse grit and then down to the super fine and the barrel is now shiny and did not sand down the stamping it came out great and polished the brass retainers on the stock and stock bearing ball box with a dremmel and a polishing wheel and the stock was in 85% finish and the bore has some rustings but got some lapping compound and lapped the bore until it reached a point where the rifling is clean and I did not want to chance taking too much away as I am no gunsmith and while shopping at Old west in kearney I picked up primer caps and swabs but to my disappointment no .45 projectiles balls is missing some brass wood screws but I will be picking some up to finish the project, powder and bullets I was talking to a person is it correct to use f2 or f3 gunpowder or should I buy the fake type powder?

[Wildgoose]

2f black at 20 to 30 grains by volume along with a lubbed patch and round ball will work just fine in an older .45 like that one. I would add a word of caution though. It would be best to have someone framiliar with precussion muzzle loaders to take a look at it for you. Just to be sure its in good enough condition to handle being fired. Rust and heavy pitting in the nipple, drum and breech plug area may be present. As I dont know how knowledgable you are with these guns its possible you might miss something that may need to be fixed or replaced. Hard to say what may have been done to the old girl over the years.

[A-FIXER]

Great advice Wildgoose, I will have to do just that I have zero experience in blackpowder and ok on f2 powder. I will have to get with someone familiar with this type of firearm when I do I will post pic's and post results of my smokey experience...