Anybody shooting Muzzle Loaders.........

[lora84]

I've been looking at maybe getting involved in some black powder shooting. Any of you fellas currently shooting ML and if so do you recommend/enjoy it? Looks like it could be more expensive than centerfire shooting.

[Noah Mercy]

My wife and I shoot muzzleloaders in competition and for fun.

While the trend today is towards inlines, I can't get too excited about them. We shoot traditional sidelocks and they will do 99% of what an inline does and look better doing it. They also cost about half as much to shoot as the inlines.

You can spend more to shoot front-stuffers than centerfires (especially if you handload your cartridges), but the cost can be mitigated if you buy powder in bulk and cut and lube your own patches instead of buying precut/ prelubed ones. Pillow ticking from fabric stores works quite well for patching. Hoppe's #9 Black Powder Solvent is one of the finest patch lubes available and one of the least expensive. And for cleaning and lubing, I recommend Ballistol, another inexpensive and effective product. Stay away from Pyrodex unless you really like a rusty bore. Real BP is best, followed by American Pioneer/ Goex Pinnacle (the two are virtually identical) then Triple Seven. Cleaning a firearm after shooting black powder is actually faster and easier than cleaning a centerfire shooting smokeless provided you use the proper lube and enough of it while shooting.

A great first rifle that will serve you well for a lifetime is the Lyman Great Plains Rifle. It is a Hawken style half-stock with a slow twist (for shooting patched roundballs and light conicals). Every one of them I've fired was accurate as all getout and very reliable.

Hope my rambling comments are useful. We really love shooting our charcoal-burners and always like to see new interest in the sport.

[lora84]

Nice response, thanks for the insight. What's your opinion on the new Thompson Centers (mainly the Triumph)?

[maddram]

Ive got 3 muzzleloaders... a Thomson Center Thunderhawk (inline), a TC renegade, and an italian made one that looks similar to my renegade. I enjoy deer hunting with them because it really knocks them down, I've never had one run over a couple of steps after i shot

[billbrasky]

What’s a good resource to learn all the different actions and all my options. This would open up another hunting season for me here in Michigan. We have a black powder season, I am not sure if other states do that also ?

I like the idea of .50 cal rifles. I see them in cabelas catalog all the time. The different actions and different bullets etc I am unfamiliar with. Is there a muzzle loader for dummies page. Or a forum with FAQ I could peruse. It sure looks like fun when I see it on TV. I am from the bigger is better, louder is better school

[lora84]

Hey Bill, looks like we are looking for the same info. I definitely need the muzzle loading for dummies manual!

[maddram]

They've come out with some new products in the past few years like ballistic bullets for muzzleloaders. I use some Thompson Center Maxi-Balls (370gr.) and all of my guns are .50cal. I've used Pyrodex for many years, hell since I first started muzzleloading and never had a problem with rust/corrosion. I tear down the gun after season and clean it well then lube it and pack it away for next year.

[lora84]

I wouldn't even know how to load one of the dang things. Is it complex and time consuming?

[Noah Mercy]

I hope it's not a breach of etiquette to recommend another website, but there is an almost unbelievable wealth of experience and knowledge of traditional muzzleloaders (no inlines) over on muzzleloadingforum.com.

Lyman has a great BP manual out that covers everything from the basics up. I highly recommend it to muzzleloading newbies.

As to how hard it is to load...measure out your powder charge, pour it down the barrel, lay a lubed patch on top of the muzzle, place a ball on top of the patch and push it down into the muzzle a little, ram the ball and patch down firmly onto the powder with the ramrod, remove the rod, and place a percussion cap on the nipple. Takes less than a minute (twenty seconds if you're a dab hand at it) if you have the right combination of components.

I'm happy to answer any specific questions. While I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, I do burn about 30 pounds of BP a year both in smokepoles and cartridge guns, so I have some experience on which to draw. I also have some good reference materials.

[ScottyPotty]

I just picked up a T/C Omega a few weeks ago. Its has been a lot of fun working up loads. Its been a long time since Ive owned ML and Ive found the omega to be very accurate and I like the 28" barrel and the short overall length, due to not having a receiver like most in-lines.

With the right combination of bullet and powder charge modern MZ are capable of 1" 100yard groups and 250+ yard ethical shots are becoming common. In Ohio we cant use center fire rifles for deer, and I know several guys who use their ML for all of gun season because of the range and accuracy with their ML