What is it about shooting muzzleloaders?

saltflyz · 11-05-2009, 03:18 PM

Something about the whole deal is very appealing. I only own 2 (TC Omega, CVA Wolf). It is kind of a gearhead sport and you need to keep everything pretty organized and need to develop a "system." Its always fun to experiment and try new things to build the perfect load. They can be remarkably accurate and fun to shoot. And boy do they hit hard...great for whitetails. Just curious what you all find appealing about shooting these things?

MountainDevil54 · 11-05-2009, 03:23 PM

slowing down, being able to try new bullets, powder, primers and build off of what ive found. With traditional, theres the clothing, the wood stocked rifle, flints, percussion caps, oil for the wood stock, browning the barrel. Its just a good way to slow things down and i feel i get more out of hunting with a ML than i ever did with a centerfire.

m00sedrool · 11-05-2009, 03:23 PM

I love that big cloud of white smoke....smells like....victory. :-)

bigtim6656 · 11-05-2009, 03:24 PM

Ido not know ant got my triumph yet. Hopefully by saturday if not monday. I am dieing to shoot the thing.

saltflyz · 11-05-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainDevil54

slowing down, being able to try new bullets, powder, primers and build off of what ive found. With traditional, theres the clothing, the wood stocked rifle, flints, percussion caps, oil for the wood stock, browning the barrel. Its just a good way to slow things down and i feel i get more out of hunting with a ML than i ever did with a centerfire.

Well said. Have you changed names several times on this forum?

MountainDevil54 · 11-05-2009, 04:35 PM

lol no not many. i had an issue with a used to be moderator and i had to make a new name. This name was made after my 54 cva mountain rifle killed an elk on the side of a steep mountain. AKA MountainDevil54

bronko22000 · 11-05-2009, 04:46 PM

You think your inlines are a blast, try muzzleloading with a percussion lock or flintlock ML. With the right bullet/powder combo these rifles are amazingly accurate and can cleanly take game out to 100 yds.

Mr.Flintlock · 11-05-2009, 05:25 PM

Aside from being doggone fun to shoot I enjoy going out the way my ancesters did and using the same type of guns they used to put food on my table. It kind of gives me a connection to them and the kind of challanges they faced. I also enjoy building my own guns.

I began building and shooting muzzeloaders in 1970. I started with precussion rifles and as time went on I regressed to the flintlock. In 1989 I took my first buck with a 50 cal hatfield flintlock. I was hooked. There was a lot of trial and error and I had a lot of problems in the beginning but it was a learning experience for me. I could not find a lot of written material on flintlocks in those days so I am mostly self taught.

The rifles that I use today are well built, well designed and very reliable. I cannot tell the difference in ignition time than with a percussion rifle.

I think I probably watched one too many Davey Crockett movies.

idahoron · 11-05-2009, 05:45 PM

For me it is several things. First I love my souped up traditional rifles. I like to shoot them for groups to see what works and what doesn't.

I also like to make my own bullets. I can spend hours on end making the perfect bullets. I turn on the oldies radio and forget about everything. I cast a LOT of different bullets and it helps to recharge me.
Lastly I use muzzleloaders to hunt with.

I was bitten by the muzzleloader bug when I was a young kid. I have a ton to centerfire rifles but have never killed a real big buck with a CF.
For me the big attraction is to have a hobbie that I can just forget about everything else. I can let it consume me and let the worlds troubles go by.
Shooting black powder guns is more than a sport it is a part of who I am. Ron

Big Z · 11-05-2009, 06:08 PM

It's something not everybody does. It kinda 'weeds out' a lot of other guys, and you are more involved in the process of dealing with the components. However, I kinda think it's all very simple to change things up and experiment. Kinda handy about MLs. In handloading for centerfires, the process can get much more exact.
I also like that there's a bit more challenge to it. You have to get quite a bit closer than a centerfire to make an easy shot. Even public land isn't full of guys (round here at least). And you are probably outta luck if you miss a shot.