The Joy of Muzzle Loading

[Jeff Higgins]

I know Fred enjoys muzzle loaders as much as I do, but are there any other fans around here? My sons and I (along with one of their buddies) headed off to our favorite gravel pit last Monday for another plinking session. They all brought their modern tacti-cool rifles and handguns, ranging from their new FAL's and Ruger 57's to their buddy's brand new Tavor 7 (some really weird Israeli bullpup in 7.62 NATO). My God, there seemed to be at least one piece of brass in the air at any given time...

Anyway, I brought one rifle, that's it that's all. My trusty Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .54 caliber. It's purely a round ball shooter, rifled with a true round ball twist - 1:66". My load is 100 grains of Swiss 1.5 Fg black powder, a .015" thick patch lubed with Wonder Lube, and a .535" diameter round ball. Velocity is about 1,800 fps.

I just kind of quietly stood back and loaded and wiped, stepping up to our firing line every few minutes and taking a shot at our hanging gong. I managed to hit that 8" dia gong at about 130 yards each and every time from a variety of field positions. Perfectly adequate "hunting accuracy" for any rifle. What a relaxing day of shooting. I should shoot my muzzle loaders more.

[Rusty Heap]

Jeff is my black powder dealer..............




.68" bore

[Skytrooper]

I enjoy muzzle loaders. I have a .54 cal rifle and a cap & ball pistol

[John Rogers]

I have a few, I think 15 or so and a lone Ruger 10-22 that was my late daughters. Several shoot 540 grain paper patched bullets and the rest 50 caliber lead round balls. My pride and joy is a 50 caliber with a 1.5 inch Douglass VV barrel and Lewis lock and trigger made by Web Terry of Gas City Indiana. He died in 2011 and several of his and his daughters records still stand for 10 shot groups in the NMLRA national matches. The draw back is it weighs 25 pounds.....tires me out after even 10 shots! I put together a 50 caliber using some of the $$$$ Donald Trump sent me the others are from getting a monthly cleaning

[Jeff Higgins]

Another favorite that I should shoot more is my Dixie Gun Works "Tennessee Mountain Rifle". This one is also a round ball shooter, but in .50 caliber. I use the same charge, 100 grains of Swiss 1.5 Fg, this time behind a .495" dia ball, also with a .015" thick patch. I built this one from a kit as a young man, somewhere around 18-20 years old. I hunted with it off and on for years, shooting a few deer with it.





My main "go-to" hunting rifle was always this Thompson Center "Hawken", another .54 caliber, but with a faster twist for conical bullet shooting. I built this one when I was 17 years old.

Back then, I "knew" that round balls were "ineffective" on big game, and really wanted something that shot conicals instead. This one shoots a 460 grain "Great Plains" bullet from a Lyman mold, where a .54 caliber round ball only weighs 230 grains. Lots more powder, too - 120 grains of 1.5 Fg behind that bullet.

And yes, it kills game with authority. That bullet went lengthwise through the biggest elk I've ever taken, a massive six point bull that was standing about 20 yard away when I fired. He's hanging in the basement now, serving as a gun rack for a couple of muzzle loaders, as a matter of fact.

[HardDrive]

I also have a Thompson Center Hawken, .50. I was big into it for a while, but have not shot it lately. I had a notion of trying to take a deer with it, but I never felt like I was consistent enough. The notion of wounding and an animal an not killing it cleanly dissuaded me from trying. Not sure why, but I was far more consistent with ball, I should have spent more time getting bullets dialed in.

EDIT: now that I think about it, we also have a Pedersoli cap lock floating around in one of our safes. No recollection of where that came from.

[fanaudical]

My brother-in-law gave me a used CVA .50 cal he picked up somewhere a few years ago (percussion cap, round ball, "Mountain" style). Not a great rifle by any means but a fine entry-level rifle to learn with. He taught me how to load/shoot at a Rendezvous in Colorado with a bunch of other gentlemen who had been at this a while. They "valued tradition" as they put it - patches came from a roll of pillow ticking, lubed with saliva, trimmed with a patch knife as you load the ball.

Something that surprised me was just how "intimate" the whole prep/load/aim/shoot/follow-through cycle is for a black powder rifle - little details matter all through-out to shoot well. I really enjoyed it and need to shoot more...

[tabs]

I don't like getting my hands dirty...with that foul black stuff...

I much prefer assault spoons where you can pump out 30 in the blink of an eye...

There ya gots 30 chances to hit sumthin...

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

I have a few, I think 15 or so and a lone Ruger 10-22 that was my late daughters. Several shoot 540 grain paper patched bullets and the rest 50 caliber lead round balls. My pride and joy is a 50 caliber with a 1.5 inch Douglass VV barrel and Lewis lock and trigger made by Web Terry of Gas City Indiana. He died in 2011 and several of his and his daughters records still stand for 10 shot groups in the NMLRA national matches. The draw back is it weighs 25 pounds.....tires me out after even 10 shots! I put together a 50 caliber using some of the $$$$ Donald Trump sent me the others are from getting a monthly cleaning

So, John, you are far more knowledgeable about muzzle loading match rifles than I am, so I have a question for you - what do you think of the Pedersoli Mortimer Whitworth long range match rifle? That's a corner of the black powder world I have not yet explored, but one I think I may like to play around with. Back when I was shooting the mid and long range BPCR game, our matches were open to muzzle loaders as well, and a few guys were shooting them. Back then they were all originals, as replicas were not yet available. That, and Pedersolis really didn't have all that good of a name, but I understand they have upped their game considerably in recent years. Thoughts?

[93nav]

I had a Thompson Center black powder rifle in my younger years. Only shot it a few times. Cleaning was always a pain I thought. I know pyrodex (is it still around??) was non corrosive. Anything changed in the current cleaning methods?

I should get a cap and ball revolver, like I don't have enough toys I do not use already.

[flipper35]

We inherited some but I have not yet learned enough to go shoot them. A T/C, another brand I dno't remember and a 12 gauge. We also have a Pedorsoli Sharps paper cartridge in great shape. Alas, I have no one nearby to show me the ropes on them!

[Jeff Higgins]

I actually find cleaning my cap lock muzzle loaders to be far easier than cleaning any other sort of firearm. My process is to remove the barrel and place the breach end into a small bucket full of hot soapy water. I then place a wet patch on the cleaning jag and it run it down the bore, then slowly draw it up so that water gets sucked into the barrel. I then push the cleaning rod back down, forcefully expelling the water through the nipple. After a couple of strokes like this, with the nipple still screwed on, I remove it and repeat the process.

After that, I dump out the soapy water and refill the small bucket (I use a cut off Clorox bottle) with hot water. I pour this down the muzzle, letting it also run down the outside of the barrel, rinsing everything off and heating up the barrel. I then dry it with a couple of patches. While still hot, I hose it down liberally with WD-40, inside and out, running a patch soaked with WD-40 up and down the bore as well.

When that's done, I just lightly wipe down the outside, reassemble, and I'm finished. That's it, that's all. It takes all of five minutes. I do it outside on the deck or in the driveway, because water splashes everywhere. It really is that easy.

As far as Pyrodex, it is indeed every bit as corrosive as black powder. Its only "advantage" is that its fouling does not continue to increase with every shot, so it can be used without wiping the bore as often when shooting. With a proper load, and the right lube on the patches, however, black powder can be fired all day without wiping as well. At least with patched round balls.

Conical bullets, however, are another story. Regardless of how much lube they carry, the bore will foul out and become difficult to load after two or three shots. The only solution is to wipe it. I use one damp patch, running it down once, flipping it over, and running it down again. I don't bother to run a dry patch after that - if the wiping patch is only "damp", you shouldn't need a dry one. Pyrodex will help mitigate this requirement, but it won't entirely eliminate it.

I have no experience with other "black powder substitutes". There are a number of them on the market today. I have no interest in them. I have found original black powder to be more accurate, more consistent, and really no trouble at all to deal with.

In addition to muzzle loaders, I use it in a number of cartridges, such as the .45-70, .45-90, .45-100, .40-70 Sharps Straight, and the .45 Colt. It works very, very well in these large cases that were originally designed to use it. Granted, I do have to clean the cases just as thoroughly as the firearms, but I have worked out a pretty hassle-free way to do that as well.

[93nav]

Youtube is your friend. It is not complicated, but you need to have the correct equipment. If i remember right from many moons ago.

Originally Posted by flipper35

We inherited some but I have not yet learned enough to go shoot them. A T/C, another brand I dno't remember and a 12 gauge. We also have a Pedorsoli Sharps paper cartridge in great shape. Alas, I have no one nearby to show me the ropes on them!

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by 93nav

Youtube is your friend. It is not complicated, but you need to have the correct equipment. If i remember right from many moons ago.

No, they aren't terribly complicated and Jeff mentioned how to use the Sharps as a muzzle loader instead of getting paper cartridges. I sometimes prefer someone with hands on experience.

[LWJ]

Fascinating.

I will say a muzzle loader seems like a fun hobby. Far more effort than a modern semi-auto to poke holes in paper plates.

Question? What is a good place to start looking/researching if one were so inclined?

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by LWJ

Fascinating.

I will say a muzzle loader seems like a fun hobby. Far more effort than a modern semi-auto to poke holes in paper plates.

Question? What is a good place to start looking/researching if one were so inclined?

There are a number of excellent resources available. Sam Fadala and Toby Bridges are two acknowledged experts on all things muzzle loading. I lean towards Mr. Fadala, just because I like his style, but both are outstanding. I have some very dog eared copies of their respective muzzle loading reference books.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Blackpowder-Handbook-Sam-Fadala/dp/0873492943/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sam+fadala&qid=1593715455&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Muzzleloaders-Guide-Toby-Bridges/dp/0883171260/ref=pd_sbs_14_6/144-5485291-7649448?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0883171260&pd_rd_r=78b967b7-d4e1-4448-adb9-19774db037d7&pd_rd_w=GvM39&pd_rd_wg=MGVsR&pf_rd_p=bdc67ba8-ab69-42ee-b8d8-8f5336b36a83&pf_rd_r=587XQGCYDXRGSN0MS4KG&psc=1&refRID=587XQGCYDXRGSN0MS4KG

Either of these will give you everything you need to know.

[John Rogers]

Several things to consider, first and foremost is the hexagonal bore meaning the bullets have to be shaped like that. Pedersoli makes the only production muzzle loader that is capable of winning the world 1000 yard championship I.E. the Pedersoli Gibbs shooting their 520 grain pure lead grease groove bullet. I bought one several years ago and it took me years to find a used one! I would buy one just to have a slightly different rifle and those hex bullets are great conversation started at any range!

[tabs]

Yeah old Union General John Sedgwick at the battle pf Spotsylvania didn't have any respect for the Confederate sharp shooters using Whitworths. When his men warned him to take cover, Sedgwick responded by joking, "They couldn’t hit an elephant at that distance." Just then, a sharpshooter’s bullet crashed into his skull, right below his left eye, killing him instantly.

If your amind to foolin around with a Whitworth or "Volunteer" military match rifle ...Parker Hale in the 1970's used the original tooling to recreate both the Whitworth, Volunteer, the 2 and 3 band Muskets along with the Musketoon. That's the way to fly...really nice English quality..

[LWJ]

Thanks Jeff!

[tabs]

In the world of Muzzle loading you can buy originals, you can buy store bought out of the box, or you can buy Contemporary Custom.

Out of the off the shelf ..Parker Hale UK, Hatfield and Green River Rifle Works have become lets say very desirable and are now collectable.

There is a strong secondary market for the Contemporary Customs, where some of the better known makers work can get very expensive rivaling the originals. In this market it is not all about how fancy the work is but the quality of the build.

Contemporary Makers: 2020

If you are a casual shooter stick with out of da box..unless you can stumble over something good for cheap.