doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How many of you shoot muzzleloaders?

Since about 1962. Navy Arms octagonal bbl .36 Navy. Handled and shot that piece 'til it ingrained the underhand toss, single-action, point-n-shoot revolver technique into my teenaged neural pathways for the rest of my life. About as cloverleaf accurate as an average .38spec for the first three shots. After that, the shallow re-pop Italian rifling couldn't handle much fouling.

I was hooked and remain so. There have been years, and even decades of lapses from the soot-belchers, but now am returning to those roots. .40cal flint Tennessee-style po'boy. Practice 'Load from the bag' incl any matches; no bench baby, me. Still working toward "Mark Baker" perfection [ ML columnist].

Proper "Management of the arms" is part of the usage, to me. BTW, for good fictional portrays of those skills, albeit Brit Napoleonic era regulars, the long saga of the 95th Riflemen and their Baker rifles, has a fair feel for it. So does that author's three piece "Yhenglyshe longbow" novels.

Altho, by constast to my simplistic approach , some of my best internationally-ranked BP friends are meticulous "plunder box at the loading bench" guys. Same attention to every action; just a different approach, And, much better shots than I, too. And, no -- I don't enjoy doin' historical-costume, period re-creation stuff --whether it's buckskins, linsey-woolsey, or Brit Edwardian.

Shot competitive SS BP pistol in the late 70's, and fiddled about with assorted long guns. In the early days of this BBS, had a decent Pedersoli SxS 12 percussion re-pop that got hunted regularly in all seasons. Did clays, etc.

Then double guns swept everything away for a bit. Now returned to a variety of shooting, what with SA revolvers, lever actions, Lee-speed style bolt-ers, .22's: the normal ass't. Mo' rounded out shooting life. Heck, gimme a case of surp 7.62x39 and one of those good Yugo SKS's from AIMsurplus and I'll empty that case in an afternoon, at tin cans. All good.

Took a Baroque carving class from Wallace Gusler, and another longrifle carving class from Jim Chambers. He produces top-notch nice kits, him. That English gent's rifle mentioned above is really sweet for a DG guy. The late John Bivins was the original builder and carver of that pattern; and Chamber's good mentor and friend. Been whittling some stock maple and making some white clouds those examples in mind.

There is an awesomely talented lawyer around here, but mostly on SSM, who about five years ago did a piece good enough to enter at the Gun Faire in Pennsy. Cast his own Rococo furniture, and did a high-commercial quality job. If he's as good a lawyer as a craftsman, he earns his money.

I'd really like to see the archaic waterfowl 'gauge' laws rescinded or relaxed; esp for black powder. A couple of years ago at the March Cleveland Decoy Show in Westlake, I handled a wonderful antique American four-bore single percussion that just begged to go a-hunting again.

Lowell, the reports on satisfaction with synthetic black powders appear to as varied as each user. One would suspect some learning curve there, as the same product can an emphatic no or yes from the reviewer. For my own part, there has never appeared to be any reason to leave blackp.

It's use and clean up can be as complex or simple as one want's to make it. If a shooter really wants smokeless powder maintenance in a muzzleloader that replicates cartridge gun performance, with modern optics, sophisticated bullets, and two hundred yard pinpoint accuracy -- well, heck howdy. Great. I do not hate either the product, gun, or user. Mo' hunters and legit gun owners is GOOD, mostly.

But for me, I see no real use for the new stuff. I want simple. A gun, bag and horn, and the knowledge to work 'em, keep 'em working, and to savor their heritage are what is important to me. That's just me.

Were the modern powders of interest, for whatever reason, there is lot of literature out there, as well as some fantastic guns and bullets to take advantage of their characteristics. Great deer smiter-s in non-cartridge rifle areas.

OTOH, if you want to pester crows in a personally rewarding manner, then a .36 or .32 caliber, long rifle wand, with swamped bbl, a fast flintlock, knockout wood, ""carv'd and florish'd"", with all the goodies of heirloom quality will scarcely set back you back financially as much as one of DoubleGrails you seek. And, use only makes a fine flinter BETTER! ;~`)

The high holy days at Friendship, Indiana -- six+ hours east of you down by Cinci are something any BP interest'd person oughta attend at least once. Do not under any circumstances bring expendable funds. Nosssir!!! The annual 'master's' show up in pennsy is really nice, too. Sorta a gathering or the Guild, tho not all folks agree on decisions made. "More authentic than thou, and I'lll say what is authentic" can happen, in the judging. Like dog shows. See "Best of Show" for a non-coverging parallel take on 'opinion' and judges. ;~`)

Well, my dog-induced,"gotta go out, there are wolves in the yard" middle of the night insomnia is now cured. Adios.

These days I usually can't remember back that far, but I think my first muzzleloader was in the early '80s, one of the Parker-Hale .451 Whitworth percussion rifles. Graduated to flint soon after and have enjoyed a Pedersoli "Mortimer" .54 quite a while, just supplemented in the last month by a 14 bore flint fowler built by Stuart Wear. It's also been a hoot to field a brace of 1860 Armys in Cowboy shooting the last several years. As I get older I seem to be going backwards in time... or maybe just going backwards!

Smoke 'em!

Building my second flintlock, first with Jim Chambers parts, Getz barrel. Not into paper punching as burned out on that years ago. But the .54 Lancaster feels good in my hand when hunting elk, deer and I like the discipline it forces about getting close. I did the blackpowder cartridge rifles with a great Sharps and took a bull with it. Quite a lot of fun but I have dropped that interest as not enough challenge. Intend to keep building (I am very slow at it) until I have a couple more rifles. May build a flintlock shotgun next. Also enjoy making the bags, horns and knives, sheaths to accompany the rifles. I have been focusing on the period beginning a decade before and through the Revolutionary war.

I whack my deer with a Knight Bighorn in .50 cal. I use 250 grain polymer tipped sabot bullets behind 150gr. of pellets. I used to have a Hawkin flintlock, but gave it away after fidding with it for 10 years and not being aboule to hit a broadside of a barn with it. I have taken about 4 deer with the Bighorn and it kills pretty good, but not as quickly as a modern cartridge gun.

I eat, breath, both exhale and inhale, sleep and dream about muzzleloaders. Got caught up in the Hatfield craze back in the 80's and bought a 50 caliber flinter, the only ignition system you are allowed to hunt with in PA during the primitive season after Christmas. I was star struck by their rich red curly maple stocks. I hunt extensively and paper shoot mine, the club I belong to the Westmoreland Rifles has both primative shoots, I'm not into that, and paper shoots.
And one thing I have learned about muzzleloading, you take on those Ohio boys you better bring your 'A' game because they always bring theirs!!!!
All the best

ABout 12 years ago I bought an Uberti Colt Walker, took it out to AZ and had a blast shooting that big hunk of metal. Had it accurized (sort of blueprinted) and haven't gotten around to shooting it since.

Have gone out for deer ML season the past two years with my Austin Halleck but have yet to connect.

Last year I bought a 28ga Birmingham single barrels percussion, it's having a new hammer screw made and will then play around with it. Lovely metal work, the ultimate "wall hanger".

Rob

I started shooting muzzleloaders as a teenager back in '57 when all we had were originals. Had a number of people just give me their relics to use--and use them I did. What I did to some of those guns would be considered to be criminal today but we didn't think anything of it back then. Over the years I've managed to acquire a number of nice flintlock rifles and have hunted exclusively with them for well over 25 years. Taken a lot of game--mostly elk and deer. Don't shoot them much anymore though. My interest has changed from big game to birds and I just haven't picked up my muzzleloading shotguns in quite awhile. Still, traditional muzzleloaders put the "hunt" back in hunting. I love 'em.

Photo is of a bull I took in the Valle Vidal in northern New Mexico in 2003. Not a monster but taken fair and square. Flintlock rifle, .58 caliber round ball. Probably my last bull.

Joe, that is a great picture with a great animal and a great looking traditional gun. My hat is off to you. Great going!

It would sure be thoughtful if you would delete one of your duplicate posts, especially when they are as long as the old testament.
Thanks

I started about 1980 after reading Foxfire 5 and its articles about building muzzle loaders. I now shoot a variety rifles shotguns and pistols with about 50 percent of my shooting done with originals rifles and shotguns and about 50 percent of my rifle shooting done with a semi custom flintlock.

cheers Doug