PERFECT! God works in mysterious ways.
Ask him to see a couple of targets he has shot for the rifle to get a feel for consistency of shot groups. Also PLEASE check out the bore of the barrel. It should be squeaky clean with VERY little to no pitting. Ask for his target and hunting load. This will tell you a few things for example:
1) If he was using fake BP powder there should be no pitting. PB substitutes are not as corrosive as BP.
2) If he has worked up a hunting & target load this will tell you several things: A) If he had taken the time to do
this, the rifle was well taken care of. B) It will save you some time working up your own load. C) If he used
real BP he probably is a serious smoke pole shooter and again the rifle was taken care of.
As a side note: IMO, real black powder is a must for flint locks because of it's lower flash point then a BP substitute. You will also get more PSI which equates to a greater FPS firing with real black powder vs. the substitute. This is important for a shorter Hawken type barrel vs. a longer earlier period barrel in the 42-48" length. Ya' got to give the powder time to release (Burn) all of it's power.
Now on the flip side: Substitute BP is less corrosive and fouling then real black powder.
Good luck.
