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Muzzleloading: Then and Now (A Gear Guide)
Muzzleloaders have made impressive strides over the past 20 years, to the point where traditional arguments against using blackpowder firearms-limited shooting range, unreliable ignition, difficulty cleaning-have been rendered moot. But old-fashioned muzzleloading has its rewards, too. John B. Snow reviews new and old blackpowder gear.
 Powerbelt Bullets
Bullets with sabots are easy to use, but Powerbelt Bullets, with their built-in gas checks, are even easier. The company's new .45-caliber Platinums come in 223-grain (pictured) and 300-grain offerings. ($22/15; powerbeltbullets.com) Photo by Outdoor Life Online Editor AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENT |
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Photo Gallery Comments (13)
i have an in line 50 cal black powdre rifle and i shoot powerdex pellits and powerbelt bullits and i would not shoot any other kind
question JOHN? with this new design type sabot what kind of muzzle energy should we expect with 50 cal, 150 grain pyrodex out to two hundred yards ?
i have a traditions tracker 209 with a bushnell banner. i use 2 50 grain pyrodex pellets and a TC 250 grain shockwave sabot. i have around one inch groups at 100 yards. it is a true deer slayer. and fairly easy to clean
i think shooting this new kind of black powder rifle defeats the purpose of shooting traditionally. if your going to shoot plackpowder try using a hawkens 50. cal its worked out for me.
I think everyone has the right idea. As long as accuracty is optimized who could ask for more. Good Hun'tN YOC
I shoot both a sidelock percussion long rifle and a very strong bolt action inline. Been considering a flintlock, too, but have no desire for a wheellock or matchlock. How traditional do you want to go? In-lines have been around at least a couple of hundred years but, I do admit, they have been developed into a totally modern tool. I shoot round balls and sabots. Both kill deer, but the inline does it with more confidence and at longer ranges.
Where I live we can use muzzleloaders in shotgun only areas and during a special late muzzleloader season. I use both guns, depending on my mood and where I hunt. In the woods and it is usually the long rifle. On farmland it is usually the inline. Is that right? I don't know that answer and, actually, don't care. What I do know is that I want to see more hunters in the field doing something they love that they can pass on to others. It helps the sport.
By the way, those new breech plugs are the cat's meow.
I didn't like powerbelt bullets. I shot a buck through the shoulder at 98 yards and the bullet blew up. I had one do the same thing on a doe at 110 yards. I shoot a 50 cal CVA with 100 grains of triple 7. I switched to SSTs and have not had any problems like that since.
Muzzleloaders gained shooting yardage with the advent of saboted bullets and the like. Part of the charm of using these blackpowder guns is working with their rainbow like trajectory. It seems like that deer of your dreams is always a little too far away....why fight it? If you can get another 50 yards out the rifle with a change go for it.
If you are an equipment freak you have come to the right sport. There are lots of useful toys to be had with your muzzleloader. A box of shells in your pocket and you are set with your centerfire rifle...not so with the blackpowder gun. Your kit is made up of several essentials and a host of useful and fun toys to suit your tastes. there have been so many accessories introduced you would need a backpack to hit the field if you got carried away. Great fun those muzzleloaders!
the .54 caliber muzzleloader was one of the mainstays of the early trappers but today the .50 cal seems to be the overwhelming choice. I prefer the .54 but am getting shortchanged by some of the suppliers out there. I love the idea of using the pellet made propellants but don't seem to see them in my caliber. Some of the manufacturers don't have a .54 line with their sabots either.
good to see the make your own components mentioned here. There is something to be said for making your own round balls or max balls in keeping with getting back to basics. I started using the Lee melting pot, ladle and various molds from Thompson Center when I was still in school. The beauty is those tools look as good as new and turn out shiny rounds that would have any old time trapper grinning. Placing one of those homemade lead balls on top of a patch cut from your old shirt and ramming it home seems like the right way to be going about this hobby. Much as I love some of the new innovations in blackpowder the industry needs to be careful not to kill the charm and old time flavor that got people's attention in the first place. If you went straight to an inline gun and skipped the old style hammer guns you have cheated yourself out of the best the sport has to offer.
I love those Hawken rifle kits. I have seen kits from several manufacturers and have been surprized by the quality of wood and the value in the product. One of the prized rifles in our family is one such kit gun beautifully finished by my father. He completed most of the rifle while working at a remote location on a drilling rig during a very cold winter. it was a great way to pass the time and his attention to detail resulted in a firearm that will be passed down through generations in our family.
Non gun people don't realize the significance of family firearms that become treasured keepsakes. Often the worth of that firearm has little to do with dollars, its value is measured by its connection to a family member or a friend. They are personal items linked to loved ones missed but not forgotten. They are touchstones to a father's stories and outdoor experiences or a Grandfather's ordeal in a great war. There is a old rifle or shotgun in the closet that brings back great memories for many of us.
Im npot personally a fan of in-line muzzle loaders or even percussion cap for that matter. It defeats the purpose of shooting a muzzle loader if you have 3-9 scope and can shoot better groupings at 200 yards then some one shooting a thirty thirty
Goex, Flint, and round balls are all you need
Because muzzleloader hunting with an inline is like archery hunting with a compound.
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)
question JOHN? with this new design type sabot what kind of muzzle energy should we expect with 50 cal, 150 grain pyrodex out to two hundred yards ?
i have an in line 50 cal black powdre rifle and i shoot powerdex pellits and powerbelt bullits and i would not shoot any other kind
i have a traditions tracker 209 with a bushnell banner. i use 2 50 grain pyrodex pellets and a TC 250 grain shockwave sabot. i have around one inch groups at 100 yards. it is a true deer slayer. and fairly easy to clean
i think shooting this new kind of black powder rifle defeats the purpose of shooting traditionally. if your going to shoot plackpowder try using a hawkens 50. cal its worked out for me.
I think everyone has the right idea. As long as accuracty is optimized who could ask for more. Good Hun'tN YOC
I shoot both a sidelock percussion long rifle and a very strong bolt action inline. Been considering a flintlock, too, but have no desire for a wheellock or matchlock. How traditional do you want to go? In-lines have been around at least a couple of hundred years but, I do admit, they have been developed into a totally modern tool. I shoot round balls and sabots. Both kill deer, but the inline does it with more confidence and at longer ranges.
Where I live we can use muzzleloaders in shotgun only areas and during a special late muzzleloader season. I use both guns, depending on my mood and where I hunt. In the woods and it is usually the long rifle. On farmland it is usually the inline. Is that right? I don't know that answer and, actually, don't care. What I do know is that I want to see more hunters in the field doing something they love that they can pass on to others. It helps the sport.
By the way, those new breech plugs are the cat's meow.
I didn't like powerbelt bullets. I shot a buck through the shoulder at 98 yards and the bullet blew up. I had one do the same thing on a doe at 110 yards. I shoot a 50 cal CVA with 100 grains of triple 7. I switched to SSTs and have not had any problems like that since.
Muzzleloaders gained shooting yardage with the advent of saboted bullets and the like. Part of the charm of using these blackpowder guns is working with their rainbow like trajectory. It seems like that deer of your dreams is always a little too far away....why fight it? If you can get another 50 yards out the rifle with a change go for it.
If you are an equipment freak you have come to the right sport. There are lots of useful toys to be had with your muzzleloader. A box of shells in your pocket and you are set with your centerfire rifle...not so with the blackpowder gun. Your kit is made up of several essentials and a host of useful and fun toys to suit your tastes. there have been so many accessories introduced you would need a backpack to hit the field if you got carried away. Great fun those muzzleloaders!
the .54 caliber muzzleloader was one of the mainstays of the early trappers but today the .50 cal seems to be the overwhelming choice. I prefer the .54 but am getting shortchanged by some of the suppliers out there. I love the idea of using the pellet made propellants but don't seem to see them in my caliber. Some of the manufacturers don't have a .54 line with their sabots either.
good to see the make your own components mentioned here. There is something to be said for making your own round balls or max balls in keeping with getting back to basics. I started using the Lee melting pot, ladle and various molds from Thompson Center when I was still in school. The beauty is those tools look as good as new and turn out shiny rounds that would have any old time trapper grinning. Placing one of those homemade lead balls on top of a patch cut from your old shirt and ramming it home seems like the right way to be going about this hobby. Much as I love some of the new innovations in blackpowder the industry needs to be careful not to kill the charm and old time flavor that got people's attention in the first place. If you went straight to an inline gun and skipped the old style hammer guns you have cheated yourself out of the best the sport has to offer.
I love those Hawken rifle kits. I have seen kits from several manufacturers and have been surprized by the quality of wood and the value in the product. One of the prized rifles in our family is one such kit gun beautifully finished by my father. He completed most of the rifle while working at a remote location on a drilling rig during a very cold winter. it was a great way to pass the time and his attention to detail resulted in a firearm that will be passed down through generations in our family.
Non gun people don't realize the significance of family firearms that become treasured keepsakes. Often the worth of that firearm has little to do with dollars, its value is measured by its connection to a family member or a friend. They are personal items linked to loved ones missed but not forgotten. They are touchstones to a father's stories and outdoor experiences or a Grandfather's ordeal in a great war. There is a old rifle or shotgun in the closet that brings back great memories for many of us.
Im npot personally a fan of in-line muzzle loaders or even percussion cap for that matter. It defeats the purpose of shooting a muzzle loader if you have 3-9 scope and can shoot better groupings at 200 yards then some one shooting a thirty thirty
Goex, Flint, and round balls are all you need
Because muzzleloader hunting with an inline is like archery hunting with a compound.
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)