RE: Newbe Question
 

Sreiously, I just plan to shoot it some at a local range and on the 2 day Muzzle loader deer season. So I will just get an inline gun. How many times should I shoot it before I clean it. I know to clean it after every outing . I mean is there a maximun amount of shots I can make before it needs put down and cleaned? You all have been very helpful. I like the different opinions too. It adds spice.LOL
Chuck.
PS Are any of those Walmart guns any good. I bought a 30-30 Marlin from them last year. Shoots awesome and I dropped a buck in his tracks literally.

RE: Newbe Question
 

I have to agree with most of the other posts. I did not realize how new you are to the whole muzzleloader thing. Most states define a muzzleloader as a firearm that loads from the muzzle and they have always in the past used only Black Powder (which is a mixture of sulfur,charcoal and some potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate) or a synthetic black powder like Pyrodex, Triple Seven, American Pioneer Powder, Clean Shot, Clear Shot, Goex Pinnacle,Black Mag'3 and a few others that have come and gone (most of these are made from a sugar based mixture and some are ascorbic acid based which is vitamin "C"). The ascorbic acid based powders are less corrosive to steel and are getting more popular (Black Mag'3,Pinnacle, American Pioneer, Clean Shot are ascorbic acid types). Savage designed a rifle that loads from the muzzle but can use smokeless powder (which is a nitro celluous based mixture that burns cleaner and produces higher pressures than black powder). Smokeless is very dangerous and should not be used in any muzzleloader other than the Savage and must be used with extreme caution even in that rifle. My suggestion falls in line with the others. Do a little shopping for a rifle that feels good in your hands and fits your budget. Try to stay with the american brands even though CVA and Traditions make some good rifles they do have drawbacks that a new guy might not want to deal with and getting help from a foreign manufacturer sometimes fails. Thompson Center really stands behind their rifles and will even warantee a rifle you buy used. Look at H&R and NEF break action rifles as a low cost good manufacturer choice. Get a book on muzzleloading and read it well. Talk to someone that actually shoots one if you can. Keep asking questions on this site. We will all try to help. You will get many opinions and they can all be considered and usually we won't argue with each other a lot. Understand you are dealing with some that have years of experience and sometimes forget how much there is to learn so don't feel bad if someone confuses you by leaving out about 20 years of their learning when answering your questions. As far as powder goes you can start with real black powder which by the way is more sensitive to handling than the synthetics and needs a little more caution when handling and storing. Personally I would recommend that you start with Pyrodex which is easy to find and acts a lot like real black powder. It is a little messy just like black powder and is very corrosive which means you have to clean the rifle right after shooting and do it right (read the book mentioned above). After you get familiar with the rifle I would suggest trying Black Mag'3 as a real clean substitute powder and should be available in Florida as that is where Magkor (the manufacturer) is stationed. I use only Black Mag'3 for hunting as it is easier to get multiple shots without having to swab the bore between shots. Have fun and you will likely get "bitten" and soon wonder why you have ten muzzleloaders.

RE: Newbe Question
 

Since your just starting out are you going to scope the rifle? If you are there is a Wolverine .45 caliber with 209 ignition but does not have sights since it is tapped for a scope for $139.00 . This is a Knight rifle, and they do not come much better then this. This rifle would be death to any deer out to 200 yards with practice.

If you want a simple rifle to take care of that will shoot good, then MLKeith mentioned the NEF Sidekick in .50 caliber. All the reports in on the rifle are excellent shooter, easy to clean, and NEF which is also called H&R by some has been making drop block rifles since Hector was a pup.

As for cleaning you asked... you can sit at the range and shoot the rifle all day without cleaning the rifle. The barrel will get fowl (full of burnt powder crud) and it has to be swabbed out from time to time. Depending on the kind of powder you shoot, that might be between every shot or every 15 shots... all depends on the kind of powder you like to shoot. At the end of the day, you have to break the rifle down and clean it....

The Wal Mart rifles in my area are the CVA Magbolts, Hunterbolts, and Beartooth Magnums... nothing wrong with these rifles. If you load them according to manufacturer's specifications they will do some amazing shooting once you find their sweet load. That can be as easy as you might just fall on the perfect load and be pounding the bull at the end of the day, or trying tons of bullets and not find one that shoots the way you want it to...

Be advised that there are safety concerns with some people over the quality of the barrels used by BPI barrels. BPI makes the CVA, Tradition's, Beartooth, and a couple other brands of rifles. The concern is in the manner the barrels are tested for safety pressure ratings... There are reports that some of the barrel have blown up. I personally have never seen a report but there are pictures on the web of such barrels and claims of the injuries the people shooting them suffered. So not to start an arguement, all I will say is buyer be advised.

As said, the Knights, T/C, NEF are all american made and tested rifles... they are good shooters, like the CVA, Traditions and other brands for the most part. I think common sense is your greatest friend when shooting a black powder rifle. I personally shoot a CVA Staghorn Magnum, among many, and have not had any problems with it....

RE: Newbe Question
 

Anyone reading this should understand that some time has passed since the writing of this article. The comment about ARCO powder for instance. The formula for ARCO was basically an ascorbic acid based powder and the early attempts were lacking for consistency. The newer ascorbic powders like Black Mag'3 have had a lot of development beyond what ARCO had done. I believe that APP, Clean Shot and Goex Pinnacle are all similar based powders with some differences in mixture and manufacturing methods. Personally I like Black Mag'3 the best as it is definately the cleanest. Other than the time that has passed and some development that has taken place; the article is full of good information.

RE: Newbe Question
 

WOW ,You folks sure are helpful. Lots of stuff to comprehend. I do believe all of the questions have been answered.
Thanks,
Chuck