[tabs]

All of the outa box muzzle loaders are more or less funcitional beginners guns. This weekend I have been seeing some very nice Lyman and TC Hawkens go in the $80 hammer price range at auction.

I DEFER TO HIGGINS AND TO RPKESQ when it come to shooting and ballasitcs. they have forgotten more than I will ever know.

I would suggest that you buy a USED copy of Ned Roberts The Muzzle Loading Caplock Rifle it is chock full of info, and more than that it takes you back to the day when that form of rifle was used for some mighty fine shooting at 220 yards. It is a great book for a cold winters night that harkens back to the day. It shows how these old originals were made and lists some of the finest craftsman who ever made an American rifle. It should set you back abut $35.00. I can't say enough.

Some of the old timers I have been around say that your first shot is not going to be the best, and the ones after you swab out the barrel will not be the best either. So you do want to use a Lube on the patch and if using a Maxi style bullet it best Lubed. It keeps fouling down andf makes for ease of loading subsequent shots.

What you can use on the cheap is Automobile Water Pump Lubricant which is water soulable oil. You can buy this type of Lubricant for jacked up prices from Black Powder suppliers if ya like. Moose Milk is a familar brand name. I use it to lube patches on Round Ball and swab out the barrel and before I head on home from the range I usually swab out the barrel real good to ease cleaning when I get home.

For me I started out with these old muzzle stuffers and these spoons have a special place in my heart. I still have my first TC Hawken in 45 caliber. I think itis real easy to get bitten by the bug of shjooting these type of guns. They are a lot of fun, its a relaxing type of shooting and you might just shoot 25 or 30 rounds in an afternoon at the range. So ya are not going to be out shooting off a coupla hundred rounds in quick order. And if you get good at it you can equal just about any modern cartridge for accuracy.

Old Sgt Alvin York cut his teeth on this type of rifle back in the day and continued to use this type of rifle till the day he died.