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Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Scottsbluff, NE
Posts: 1,387
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Awhile back, I was bored so I wrote an article that covers some of the basics of muzzleloading. Now, this is just to scratch the main points, and there is much more info out there...
Inline Muzzleloading: An Overview
Muzzleloading is a very interesting and involved way to extend your seasons, and experience a new challenge. Though there are many things that can be learned with time, I would like to touch on the basics. In general, we can break down the subject into the muzzleloading rifles themselves, components and loading, and cleaning.
Inline muzzleloaders are named such because of the way the components are aligned. The primer or cap is directly "in-line" with the powder charge and bullet. Traditional rifles, such as caplocks or flintlocks have exposed ignition systems that are effecting the side of the main charge. By using a breech plug with a flash hole located just behind the main charge, we could now take advantage of other action types such as bolts, break-actions, etc to cover and seal the primer, and also use more powerful 209 shotshell primers to ignite the charge. With modern muzzleloaders, these actions are all effective at greatly reducing the possibility of contaminating the charge or primer from weather (some better than others). New makes and models are coming out all the time, and every year shows advancements. Regardless of what you choose, remember to buy a quality product. It pays.
Powder, primers and bullets. These are what make your centerfires go "boom" and MLs are no different. Black powder isn't as popular as it once was, with the many varieties of safe black powder substitutes available. Due to the high peak pressures of smokeless powders, almost no MLs are safely rated to be operated with them even in small amounts. Instead, black powder, Pyrodex, Triple Se7en, Blackhorn 209, American Pioneer Powder, Black Mag, and others are used. These powders will come in different granulations; FG (1F), FFG (2F), FFFG (3F), FFFFG (4F) going from most coarse to most fine (other naming systems are out there, but generally list their equivalence to the above ratings). Generally, FG (coarsest) is used in massive bores, and FFFFG (finest) is used for priming flash pans in flintlock muzzleloaders. By far the most popular is FFG or its equivalent, but it is followed by FFFG. The first recommendation for most would be 2F for 45 cal and larger. Now, those are just the "loose powders." Manufacturers have been using compressed, pre-measured powder pellets for so-called convenience. You may have heard of, or seen Pyrodex or Triple Se7en pellets, American Pioneer Sticks, or others. Though you may enjoy the idea and convenience, your powder charges will be severely limited and it will cost much more to use these. Not to mention the probability of a cracked pellet causing an erratic shot.
Most modern muzzleloaders use 209 shotshell primers as an ignition system. Primers used in shotshell reloading can be purchased and used in your gun, or you can get special primers that are supposed to be 'better' in muzzleloaders. Some claim to be hotter, some claim to be cleaner. If you're using a powder with a high ignition temp, then regular or hot primers would be the choice. If not, then any primers should shoot fine. Older models commonly use #11 or even musket caps as an ignition system. They won't provide the power of a 209, but are effective nonetheless.
Both bore-sized bullets, and undersized bullets with sabots are used in MLs. You will have to check your state regulations to determine what is legal. Bore-sized bullets (commonly: conicals) come in many forms just as bullets with sabots do. More traditional conicals are made of lead and have deep grooves that are filled with a bullet lubricant like Bore Butter. Newer bore-sized bullets like Powerbelts do not require lube and have no grooves to accept any. Instead, they use a firm fit and a base that helps seal the pressure. Sabots are very popular in muzzleloading today. They are simply a plastic "sheath" that allows the use of bullets that are smaller than the bore (i.e. .452" bullets in a 50 cal). By narrowing the bullet diameter and even lowering weight, you get a more aerodynamic setup that will generally fly flatter than conicals. You can also use rifle and pistol bullets that fit your sabots to lower cost. However, it is up to the gun to decide what it wants to shoot most accurately.
You need to check the amount of powder your muzzleloader is rated to safely handle. Usually, 150gr is the max, but some may be lower. It's almost always unnecessary to use charges this heavy, and many rifles will not deliver very good accuracy at this level. Plenty of killing power is available at much lower levels, which is why we recommend starting small before going big. Powder used in muzzleloading is based on a volumetric comparison, not weight, except for real black powder where the weight IS the volumetric amount. If you decide to weigh your charges to reduce inconsistencies in powder charge, measure your charge BY VOLUME before figuring the weight. Once you've chosen the charge you will use, set your powder measure to that charge and fill it up. Pour it down the barrel and set your bullet on the muzzle (make sure your bullet is facing the right way ). Now, a short starter is used to get the bullet/sabot started into the rifling. After short starting, you can push your bullet down with your ramrod until it stops on top of the charge. No need to bang your ramrod up and down to try getting it down further. It's a smart practice to mark the depth of the bullet by placing tape on the ramrod at the muzzle. I must emphasize the absolute necessity to make sure your bullet is ON the powder: if there is space between the bullet and powder, your bullet will act as an obstruction in the barrel and could cause a failure (exploded barrel, simply put). If you're shooting pellets, do not push excessively hard once the bullet has stopped as you could crack the pellet and cause an erratic shot. After this, just place a primer or cap in/on your breech plug, close the action, and get ready for some smoke.
Accuracy is not up to what the shooter wants to load their gun up with. The gun chooses the load. By this, I mean it is necessary to experiment with different bullets and the powder charges you are shooting them with. Your gun might like one bullet with 70gr powder, and another with 100gr powder. When you get a new gun, you should have its "sweet spot" found. By purchasing a few different kinds of bullets and shooting them all at different powder charges, you can find out which load performs best. Usually, shooters are recommended to start at about 70 or 80gr charges (depending on the powder being used) and to go up in 5 or 10gr increments until the best accuracy is found.
Black powder and its substitutes have a well-earned reputation for being dirty. But don't let this scare you from muzzleloading. Cleaning MLs is fast and easy. For simplicity of this short article, we'll go over barrel and breech plug care only. When shooting your gun, your barrel becomes fouled. Fouling in the bore from shot-to-shot will change the conditions of your shooting, and is more important with "dirtier" powders to clean. Some powders don't require frequent swabbing, but for most people, a wet patch or two down the muzzle followed by a dry patch after each shot will create fairly consistent conditions for shooting and achieving accuracy. Solvents can be store-bought, or as simple as mixing 50/50 windshield washer fluid and isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol together. Now, after you're done with a fun day of shooting or hunting and your gun has been fouled, just run wet and dry patches up and down the barrel until they show up clean.
Breech plugs aren't completely necessary to remove and clean after daily shooting, but it does help. Just remove them per manufacturers' directions, and soak them in solvent or hot soapy water. Scrub them clean. Now, don't forget the threads inside the barrel. Place a patch on a breech plug brush and twist it on the threads inside the barrel until its clean. Use breech plug grease on the threads before re-installing it. Only tighten it somewhat firmly so it's easy to remove next time.
Many shooters prefer old-school (but very effective) methods. A squeaky-clean barrel can be had by scrubbing the bore with hot soapy water, or even pouring boiling water down it. Careful, that barrel will be hot. When you're all set and good to go, put some gun oil on a patch and run it down the bore. Then, a light layer on the outside of the gun and you're good to go.
Now, we've covered many of the basics. What makes an inline muzzleloader, what some of the components are to shoot and how to fine-tune them, and finally how to clean your gun. Welcome to the world of muzzleloading.
Ziven Wittler
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