How fast can you reload your Muzzleloader?
10-16-2011, 03:29 PM
#12
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: IndianaKY
Posts: 244
I made three hits on deer with a flintlock in under 2 minutes hunting. I was laying down under a deadfall, and the deer never figured out where the thunder was coming from. I drop the doe first, the buck got all kinds of ornery and stayed around, as did the doe's 6 month old.
10-16-2011, 03:57 PM
#15
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,747
I never saw a need to hurry. That can only be dangerous. I remember a long time ago I jumped a deer and figured she would stop long enough for me to get a shot. She never did. So I circled around and got ahead of her. Jumped her again. Followed her in the sights and touched off the flinter and missed her clean. She stopped and watched me pour in the powder, seat the PRB and just as I primed the pan she took off running again.
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10-16-2011, 06:40 PM
#18
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
I've never shot two deer on a hunt. Kill one - drag it out - head for camp - skin it, and break out the Scotch.
Nor have I ever needed a second shot with a muzzle loader. However, I do reloaded as fast as I can after a shot before following-up a deer that ran after the hit.
As far as how long that takes, let's see. First, pull the powder tube out of a pocket, unscrew the cap and dump half of the powder on the ground and half down the bore. Pull out another powder tube, unscrew the cap and dump what I figure to be another half load down the bore. Pull another tube out of a pocket with a bullet, sabot and cap. Fumble the bullet into the bore. Pull the ramrod and push it home. Realize I dropped the cap while I was ramming the bullet. Pull another tube with a bullet, sabot and cap so as to get a second cap and realize I grabbed a powder load instead. Drop that on the ground and pull out another tube. Drop the bullet and sabot from that tube in a pocket and put the cap on the nipple. Pick up the powder tube I've droppen on the ground. Now all I've got to do is lower the hammer, put it on half c0ck, and I'm ready to go find that deer I just shot. All in all, something less than three minutes.
Nor have I ever needed a second shot with a muzzle loader. However, I do reloaded as fast as I can after a shot before following-up a deer that ran after the hit.
As far as how long that takes, let's see. First, pull the powder tube out of a pocket, unscrew the cap and dump half of the powder on the ground and half down the bore. Pull out another powder tube, unscrew the cap and dump what I figure to be another half load down the bore. Pull another tube out of a pocket with a bullet, sabot and cap. Fumble the bullet into the bore. Pull the ramrod and push it home. Realize I dropped the cap while I was ramming the bullet. Pull another tube with a bullet, sabot and cap so as to get a second cap and realize I grabbed a powder load instead. Drop that on the ground and pull out another tube. Drop the bullet and sabot from that tube in a pocket and put the cap on the nipple. Pick up the powder tube I've droppen on the ground. Now all I've got to do is lower the hammer, put it on half c0ck, and I'm ready to go find that deer I just shot. All in all, something less than three minutes.
10-16-2011, 08:31 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Rivesville, WV
Posts: 3,192
My best guess would be about 10 minutes.
I have only had to speed reload once in my life while hunting. I was hunting about 20 feet in the air in a tree stand that myself and a few friends built from lumber. It was a very comfortable stand.
I had a big doe come in and I missed her. Don't know how I missed(ya right), but I missed. The doe acted like nothing happened. So I decided a speed relaod was necessary. I put the powder down the barrel and started the PRB with a short starter. When I pulled the ramrod from the rifle I gave it a little flip so that it would clear the rifle. The problem was not only did it clear the rifle, but it cleared the entire tree stand. I threw it out of the stand and onto the ground.
So I climbed down the stand. The doe was at about 60 yards and she did not spook. Believe it or not. So I climbed back uo the stand with the ramrod in my teeth. Pushed the ball down the bore and shot the doe. And all that took about 10 minutes.
So my speed reloading is about 10 minutes. Tom.
I have only had to speed reload once in my life while hunting. I was hunting about 20 feet in the air in a tree stand that myself and a few friends built from lumber. It was a very comfortable stand.
I had a big doe come in and I missed her. Don't know how I missed(ya right), but I missed. The doe acted like nothing happened. So I decided a speed relaod was necessary. I put the powder down the barrel and started the PRB with a short starter. When I pulled the ramrod from the rifle I gave it a little flip so that it would clear the rifle. The problem was not only did it clear the rifle, but it cleared the entire tree stand. I threw it out of the stand and onto the ground.
So I climbed down the stand. The doe was at about 60 yards and she did not spook. Believe it or not. So I climbed back uo the stand with the ramrod in my teeth. Pushed the ball down the bore and shot the doe. And all that took about 10 minutes.
So my speed reloading is about 10 minutes. Tom.
10-16-2011, 09:34 PM
#20
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,482
With speedloaders and an inline, I've never timed it, but I'm sure that one time in the field I did it in 30 seconds or less. I made the mistake of shooting at a moving deer and hit it in the rear hams, reloaded and it was still standing about 80 yards away and dropped it with a neck shot. It seemed like it took 5 minutes, but replaying the sequence in my mind, I'm sure the reload took less than 30 seconds.