Blackpowder

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dreppucci007

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I was at MRA today sighting in a rifle, and one of the other guys there offered me the chance to shoot his blackpowder gun...It was a blast! <pun intended> I had never shot blackpowder before.

It was a lot of fun, not nearly as difficult as I thought it was to prep/load, and there was practically ZERO kick to it!

Anyone else here shoot blackpowder? What would you recommend to a newbie for a first rifle?

Thanks
 
I have minimal experience with the rifles, but I used to own a Ruger Old Army black powder revolver. That was a lot of fun to shoot. It was a bit messy so it didn't get used too often & got sold. From what I understand though, the synthetic powders are a lot cleaner.

I've only sold two firearms & I regret getting rid of that one. (the other one too, but not as much.)
 
Caveat: The following is all based on the assumptions that you are referring
to inline muzzleloading rifles...


This will be my first year shooting black powder. I am a Research-Aholic so
this is what I have gleaned and followed for advice...

Buy from the big names in black powder: Thompson-Center, Knight, and
Savage. NEF has a loyal following for a high quality budget rifle.

There are some questions about the quality of barrels on Spanish guns
(Traditions, CVA, Winchester), do your research and decide for yourself before you buy.

There are real steals to be had if you search. I got a Knight DISC Elite for
$225 NEW from sportsmen's guide as part of a closeout and a Burris Signature
Safari scope for $130 on ebay. The combo lists for about $900. A used Knight
or Thompson will be high quality and will definately retain its value.
4 Seasons has a somewhat beat up Knight with crappy scope for $150 IIRC.
It has been there for most of the year, I bet Carl would take an offer to
get rid of it. Clean it up, toss on a Simmons 4X scope and you are good to
go for under $200. I've seen similar deals at gun shows.

Buy a .50 cal. The shots in New England are generally short and ammo is easy
to find.

Make sure that you buy a gun with a barrel twist that matches your intended
ammo. If you are looking for a Kentucky rifle replica, it needs ~ 1:60 twist to
stabalize the balls. A 1:28 twist is generally needed for Sabot rounds.

Accuracy can range from 1" at 100 yds (the best Knights) to minute of barn
(crappy guns with mismatched twists/loads).

That said, my rig is all set up but I have to go and break it in soon.

To get you started: http://www.chuckhawks.com/most_accurate_muzzleloaders.htm


Pics of my setup:
knight_side1.JPG

knight_side.JPG


F
 
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if you decide to buy a muzzle loader try hodgdon's triple 7 cleans up with ordinary water.I don't have a mz but I do use triple 7 in my 45/70.40/65.45 schofield and 45 colt cartridge guns.
Don't get me wrong I love the smell of BP but clean up is a pain
with bp I always looked like I mined coal for a living
 
Got me a steel framed Uberti replica of a 1858 Remington Army .44 revolver. (I'd take a pic and post it but after a 13 hour day I'm pretty well fried)

It's a ton of fun. Picked it up new at Callaghan's in Marlboro last No Tax Day. He's got all the accessories and he's pretty knowlegeable about BP.
 
+1 with the Triple 7 powder. It works great, and is easy to clean up. That's all I use in mine.

For me, I have a CVA Hawkins style rifle. I want to try one of the new in-line setups, with the Pyrodex tablets for the load, but I have just been shooting this, and buying other crap! My grandfather gave me this gun, it was built from one of those kits that you can get for short money, but it is accurate, and fun!

I will be taking mine to the range probably some time this weekend to get the cob webs out of it, and try some new loads. If you want to come check it out, let me know.

Adam
 
Thanks for all the great info, everyone!

Firtree, that looks like a sweet setup.

Adam, thanks for the offer, but yesterday was my only day off until next Tuesday or Wednesday.
 
Drep...if you ever want to try out BP, we have a huge BP group at Mansfield, and they have been trying to get me to start shooting it for years. One of the guys make them by hand, and they are INSANE... He's really good.

But, they all have tons of different types of you want to try several, and they know a lot about them as well...

Anyway, let me know and I'll make some calls and we can go out and meet them...
 
I was going to start a new thread on this, but will throw it in here, since it might help others. What are the legal requirements on black powder long arms? I know of one in Vermont and one in MA which I might be able to get my hands on fairly easily. The one in MA has a stuck ball, and I am thinking of offering to help fix it if I can have use of it. The one in Vermont is sitting unused in someone's basement in who know what kind of condition. If the answers to either is favorable, I will ask each party if interested in pursuing.

Thanks.
 
In MA a BP rifle is NOT a firearm. Just get a stuck ball remover for that
ramrod (or jury rig a screw to the end of it yourself) and you are all set.
You may run into problems getting ammunition and powder, since powder
requires an FID and the bullets in the Sabot rounds are also considered
ammunition components. Of course, if it is set up for lead balls, you could just
cast your own. Also, percussion caps could be a problem.

For hunting in MA, almost anything goes, except that it must be loaded
from the front (as almost all are). Scopes are legal here for hunting, too.

Does vermont have *any* regulations? Maybe for hunting...

F
 
Woburn Sportsman's Association in Bedford also has a very active Black powder group. They practice on Sunday mornings, and I was invited to come down with my gun so they could teach me how to use it. They had print-outs for me all ready, and walked me through the process, and helped me get proficient!
 
firtree said:
In MA a BP rifle is NOT a firearm. Just get a stuck ball remover for that
ramrod (or jury rig a screw to the end of it yourself) and you are all set.
You may run into problems getting ammunition and powder, since powder
requires an FID and the bullets in the Sabot rounds are also considered
ammunition components. Of course, if it is set up for lead balls, you could just
cast your own. Also, percussion caps could be a problem.

For hunting in MA, almost anything goes, except that it must be loaded
from the front (as almost all are). Scopes are legal here for hunting, too.

Does vermont have *any* regulations? Maybe for hunting...

F
Click to expand...

Here they are:

TBP
 
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dreppucci007 said:
I was at MRA today sighting in a rifle, and one of the other guys there offered me the chance to shoot his blackpowder gun...It was a blast! <pun intended> I had never shot blackpowder before.

It was a lot of fun, not nearly as difficult as I thought it was to prep/load, and there was practically ZERO kick to it!

Anyone else here shoot blackpowder? What would you recommend to a newbie for a first rifle?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I think black powder shooting is a blast too. I used to belong to the New England Muzzle Loading Council (does anyone know if they still exist?) and went to a lot of primitive weekends in the area.

I've never used anything but black powder, but I'd love to try some of the new, cleaner, less corrosive, and safer powders, so suggestions are welcome.


dreppucci007, I belong to the Woburn Sportsman's Assoc. and some weekend, I'd love the chance to dig out the old .45 Thompson Center Hawkin and make some smoke. Let me know if you want to give it a try. [grin]

Any other members are also welcome.
 
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I'm a WSA member as well. Keep me informed if you decide to head down for a BP shoot, and I will bring my .50 out to play with as well!
 
Adam, I'll let you know. I'm still on a car chase for my older daughter, but she has some VERY definite ideas about what she wants. Perhaps sometime in September.
 
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