I don’t have a muzzleloader. This will come as no surprise to the TTAG team; I spend less time cleaning my guns than my toilet. The idea of doing all that stuff to make a gun go bang — rather than just chambering a round and pulling the trigger — strikes me as too much work. But those who smoke ’em ’cause they got ’em will tell you . . .
That nothing beats firing a muzzleloader. Something about connecting with the past and the sheer physicality of the thing. So be it. And yes, I’ll get one and write up my [probable] conversion to the joys of the genre.
Meanwhile, got muzzleloader? Which one(s) and why?
The modern front stuffer is every bit as lethal as a centerfire. Ignition, propellant, range all comparable to cartridge fired guns. The old black powder sport just doesn’t come into play in the hunting scenario of today. Gone are the days.
The deer, pigs, and antelope I’ve killed with my flinter would beg to differ.
Agreed. ML season in Colorado is very popular! A muzzleloader makes you give more thought to that first shot.
Wrong.
They have nothing more to say on the matter. ?
Neither did the first deer I shot (kit-built CVA Frontier .50) or the last I shot (same rifle. Still works!).
around for a lifetime. When shtf that old black powder will be still shooting for as long as you need it, just saying.
Here in PA we have a specific flintlock only season so uhhh yeah virtually everyone i know who hunts has a flintlock rifle… We even have a store in our town that only deals with muzzleloaders, no modern arms so to say its dead is dumb…
The only muzzleloaders i have are flintlocks, if you’re gonna go back in time ,go all the way back!
Exactly.
If you’re going all the way back, flintlocks ain’t far enough. 🙂
If you’re going to go back “all the way,” then you need to go back to matchlocks. Or, you could go back further, and lower your own match onto the priming pan.
I’ve only ever seen one matchlock at a public range. It was a new build, that much was obvious. The old guy using it was a very senior citizen. He was getting off about one shot per 15 minute shooting period.
He was having a ball. And when he had that thing ready to go there was always a group behind him watching.
No but my first one will be a cannon. I’d like to have a small cannon to perch on my retaining wall and shoot it on certain Holidays.
Black powder “noisemaker” cannons are exceedingly simple to construct yourself. All you have to do is acquire a piece of solid steel scrap (such as 2 inch round stock) and drill two holes in it: one big hole for the bore and one small hole for a fuse.
In case it isn’t obvious, this is exactly what I did. I have an 8 inch long piece of solid steel scrap which has a 0.50 inch diameter hole that runs about 6 inches deep. (It took a LONG time to drill that hole.) And then I drilled a 1/8 inch diameter hole in the side (all the way through to the bore) that accommodates standard fuses. All you do is insert a fuse, pack in about 40 grains of black powder, SMASH a paper wad over the powder, light the fuse and get back about 50 feet. In about 5 seconds, you will enjoy a nice boom that isn’t so loud as to annoy the neighbors … and yet is loud enough to produce a nice echo from a half-mile away on open terrain!
Let’s see it! I have a connection to a metal guy.
For those of us without the proper power tools, google “thunder mug” and buy one pre-made in pretty much the same fashion. The thunder mug actually goes back a few centuries; they were used for signalling on ships.
I want a canon that looks like a canon, complete with wagon wheels.
There’s plenty of ways to make noise. Tannerite is on the menu at Michael in GA’s house this Independence Day. Now that’s loud.
Yep. As far as smiles per dollar are concerned, muzzleloaders are among the most efficient guns in my wheelhouse.
I don’t have one but I’d like one some day. (Maybe not a muzzle loader but some type of black powder gun.)
As to why, nostalgia and versatility.
I LOVE. the IDEA of connecting with the past and I tend to prefer older cars to newer, and I like to do things my self. And own things that don’t require ‘stuff mart’ to stay in business.
In a SHITF situation, black powder guns may not be not so practical, but if the world as we know it ends, then I want a black powder gun….
Fairly awestruck by the sheer wisdom and truth of the proposition that SHTF situations are DISTINCT from TEOTWAWKI situations.
So simple, so obvious, and yet it had not occurred to me until now.
[Slow clap]
Somewhere on the internets is a video about using a break action single shot shotgun as a muzzle loader. You should look it up and watch it.
When he was done shooting he started the clean up by taking the barrel off the action and dipping it in a creek.
Joel,
“… but if the world as we know it ends, then I want a black powder gun …”
THAT is exactly why I have a muzzleloader. The powder residue is water soluble which means you use WATER to clean them. (You use HOT water and soap when you really want to clean them good and proper.) You use lard (as in shortening) to protect them from rust … which means you will always be able to prevent rust (at least as long as there are animals with fat running around). You don’t need steel, aluminum, or brass casings to fire them. You can shoot almost any ball or bullet out of them if you have to. (You can fashion your own sabots out of fabric or paper wadding if necessary.) You can load them anywhere from a minimal charge to the muzzleloader’s rated maximum charge as the situation allows/demands. And the only thing that can realistically break/fail is the firing pin since there are no failure prone parts.
Sure, you are constrained to single-shot fire. The reward: a platform that will be operational no matter what.
And the only thing that can realistically break/fail is the firing pin since there are no failure prone parts.
Firing pin?
The hammer strikes the firing pin which strikes the primer … on a modern inline muzzleloader.
In a SHTF scenario couldn’t you use primers and powder from modern ammo in a pinch? I would think that the components could be used if you needed to whereas the opposite would not be true.
I do not.
A question though. Since I’ve never bought one (or really even considered it) are muzzleloaders considered firearms/do they require a 4473?
Some places show and package them as if you can pick them up off the shelf and buy them like a pair of binoculars so I’ve wondered if they require paperwork or if they’re not considered firearms.
Cash and carry in CO. No background check.
Not true. Some MLs that can be barrel-swapped with a centerfire or modern barrel still require a 4473. Thompson Center is an example.
Good info from both of you. Thanks.
Interesting. All of mine are fixed barrel traditional style (i.e. rifled musket) or cap and ball revolvers. Guess you learn something every day. Thanks.
In all reasonable states they are cash and carry. NJ treats them (and BB guns) as no different than modern rifles though. NY is cash and carry unless you happen to buy powder and ball at the same time (Don’t ask why, it never made sense to me either).
Oh, and if you find yourself in Manitou Springs, pop in to the Mountain man. Lot of muzzies to check out there.
That place still there? Cool! I dropped in there on a spring break years ago and found a part I needed for my rifle.
Was charged entirely too much for a tiny leaf spring but no hard feelings… at least it fixed the problem.
Yep, still there and I’d wager that it hasn’t changed much since your last visit.
Next time I’m out in the Cheeseman Lake/Goose Creek area I’ll swing by.
+1 on Goose Creek area.
Sheesh. Even in gunhating MA, muzzle loaders not considered to be firearms because they do not fire “fixed ammunition.”
In CA we can have them sent thru the mail right to our doors. Buy them in a store and the only paper work is the reciept.
Well, that’s a really sticky wicket, depending on what state you live in. the simple answer is that muzzle loaders are not considered “firearms” under federal law, and in most states you can have them delivered by UPS to your door. I’ve gotten all but one of my guns that way, one I bought cash and carry at a LGS. And I live in California. HOWEVER, muzzleloaders ARE considered firearms in most if not all states with respect to felons prohibited from possession.
New Jersey considers them firearms, afaik, and then you have the same rigamarole as for any firearm. I suppose the other band stats like MA, Conn and NY have restrictions, but I couldn’t tell you.
Yep, count me in.
.54 cal Hawken pattern plains rifle. Fun all day.
That rifle, a BP revolver, a modern revolver, a modern semi-auto handgun, a modern bolt action or lever action rifle and a modern semi-auto rifle are a great collection to take to the range with a newbie to give them an introduction to the principle types of firearms and a bit of their history. I feel like every time I do that I head a potential anti off at the pass.
I have several and enjoy shooting them as much as my more modern guns. Sometimes its just nice to forget about technology and just shoot. I have also come to appreciate anyone who bet their life on a flintlock firearm and made it work. As to the cleaning I find it easier and less time consuming than having to deal with copper fouling.
That’s the truth. Hot soapy water and some oil.
I like taking BP guns camping for this very reason. I can shoot them and then sit around the camp fire with a little boiling water and clean everything right up. I’ve also enjoyed teaching some young ones a bit about history and firearms by taking along some lead and bullet molds, casting a few balls over the fire and then letting them shoot them. Kids, at least in my experience, have loved that.
Not yet. But I do want one.
I have never really thought of wanting a muzzle loader except for a baker rifle when I was reading Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe’s series. Until I talked to another southpaw shooter who lost most of his facial hair to a flash in the pan on a flintlock.
But I do think about getting one of those cap and ball revolver kits every so often.
Avoid brass frames. The kits are kind of a waste, since you end up taking these things completely down to clean them every so often. (It’s pretty easy. Hell, even I can do it.)
Love my Thompson muzzy. Surprisingly accurate, hard hitting, an extra month in the woods during hunting season, and fedex leaves the box on your front steps! FANTASTIC.
This. Love it, I’ve killed some big bucks during muzzle season, including a hoss last year. That’s prime time in Tennessee.
I’ve got several front-stuffers – replica flintlock rifles and muskets, caplock rifles and double shotguns, cap-and-ball revolvers and so forth. One thing I don’t have is a modern in-line muzzleloader – can’t connect with the past with one of those, so I see them only as a modern hunter’s way of getting an extra season in without having to get/maintain a more traditional gun. I also have a thing for replica post-Civil War black powder cartridge guns – revolvers, lever rifles and shotguns, and double hammer shotguns. Lots of fun, especially with that big white cloud of smoke! And…when the SHTF and you run out of modern ammo, in a pinch you can manufacture your own black powder (there are instructions out there) and (if you have a flintlock) find a flint or piece of chert to provide the spark and “thar you be!” Or, just buy enough percussion caps (and a hatful more), and you should be golden. The only thing you have to remember is to keep your guns clean (even with black powder substitutes) to prevent rust, and treat black powder with extreme caution (it is an explosive, not a flammable like smokeless powder and it doesn’t take much to set it off). One thing black powder guns have done for me is to put my modern guns in the proper perspective – I know the backstory and how things got to where they are now.
I’ve got a .50 cal Rossi break action that takes 209 shotgun primers. Fun and cheap to shoot, accurate enough with lead balls that I would take it hunting in the thick woods around here. Not that hard to clean, honestly.
yup, .40 cal sidelock pistol, single shot, no name, and been trying to sell it, $80 shipped lol
Not yet but I plan to get a full on flintlock Brown Bess replica. Then my goal is to get up to three rounds a minute.
If you want to hunt deer in Illinois with something that goes bang, your choices are handgun, shotgun or muzzle loader. Some deer hunters opt for that third option.
Since I’m not a hunter, my desire to own 17th century firearms technology is on par with my desire to use a horse & buggy to go to work and an outdoor privy to do my business.
To each his own.
My favorite isn’t exactly a muzzle loader but a Civil War cap and ball revolver. It is a Cooper which was way ahead of its time. It is double action and still works perfectly despite being over 150 years old. It also has notches between the nipples like a Remington for safe carry although it looks more like a Colt with its open top.
I have a CVA Electra. It’s an inline that uses a 9V battery and a spark plug instead of caps or flint. I bought it for the extra muzzleloader season like Ogre said. It’s a lot of fun to shoot too. I don’t think CVA makes them anymore but I see them on Gunbroker fairly often – usually for around $200.
I don’t have one yet, but I intend to build one from a kit.
Have a Remington 700 UML. Very accurate.
Yup, absolutely love my flintlock rifles, and I’m having a new flintlock fowler made right now. Of course, the real work will be the .58cal flintlock saddle pistol I’m making from scratch. Well, I have a barrel blank, that’s it. Everything else is hand made. It will take some time.
Shortly after returning from Afghanistan, I was just tired of shooting. While deployed, I had the pleasure of being in a location with it’s own range, quality instructors, and limitless ammunition. I shot so damn much. It became work. It wasn’t fun anymore.
Back home a friend brought over a .45 caliber flintlock mountain rifle that he made. It was gorgeous, and shockingly accurate. After the first ball out of the muzzle, I was hooked. Still am today. If I am going on a serious hunt, not just a pig killing or deer cull, odds are I’m taking my 180+ year old flintlock rifle.
When you do go hunting with a ML shooting a patched lead ball, spend some time after the game is down doing some dissection to get informal professional development on what the wound channel looks like.
A simple lead ball leaves a devastating wound channel. It often makes most modern jacketed spitzer bullets, even the hollow points or expanding nose bullets, look tame by comparison.
How is that? Everyone talks about how full metal jacket ball ammunition (meaning a modern cartridge — including a full metal jacketed bullet with a ball shaped “tip”) just makes bullet diameter wound channels. Why would a lead ball with the same frontal profile as a modern bullet make a much more significant wound channel?
Possibly because you rarely see a muzzle loading rifle in smaller than .45 caliber used for hunting any large game and rarely below .36 caliber at all. A 45-70 is so called because it is a .45 caliber bullet over 70 grains of black powder and it is generally considered to be a reasonable round for grizzly. I typically load my .54 caliber muzzle loader with a 230 grain patched ball over 105 grains of black powder – it makes a pretty big hole.
My guess is size and momentum. Musket balls are extremely large. The Brown Bess was .75 caliber, the French used .69 caliber, civil war era was .58 caliber. The rounds arent just wide, they’re huge. They weigh a ton. Think of a shotgun slug but with more weight. Remember modern slugs are hollow inside. Musket balls are a solid chunk of lead. Even when moving slower than modern rounds, all that momentum end up inside the body. That’s why when you read or watch shows about those old battles soldiers did typically actually fall down right after being shot.
Don’t own any but would go for a couple of Lemat revolvers in a nice double rig! And a bronze cannon! ? Just to hear it ring!
Muzzleloader certainly has some considerable appeal, but what I don’t understand is for all the replicas and modern muzzleloaders being made, why not build/proof them for use with modern smokeless power?
The smoke is something to somehow make it “real”?
just how black powder burns, pretty much using the raw materials still to this day, smokeless powder can blow up in your face if used in a muzzle loader.
You probably already know this but Savage did make a smokeless powder muzzle loader. It was popular with some (but apparently not enough people) that when Savage announced that they were going to discontinue making it there was so much demand that they continued production longer than planned.
There were some problems with the rifle including reported burst guns. I never had one nor cared enough about it to follow up on the problems to see whether they were a fault in the rifle or human error. In any case it hasn’t been manufactured for a few years now although they pop up on the used market. As far as I know there are no production smokeless muzzle loaders being made at this time although there are custom maker that will sell you one for a pretty penny.
You don’t want to turn someone loose with a muzzle loader fed with smokeless. You really, really do not want to do that. There is no bottom to the product liability pit in a muzzle loader loaded with smokeless.
Here’s the thing about smokeless vs. black powder or BP substitutes (eg, Pyrodex):
Smokeless powder (nitrocellulose-based powders) aren’t explosives. They just burn very, very fast – and the higher the pressure, the faster they burn. If you lay out a pile of smokeless on a table in front of you, and ignite it, it will just burn very fast. Pour more powder into a pile, and ignite it – and you just get a bigger burn. At no point will the pile of smokeless explode. But when you contain the powder inside a closed vessel, at some point, you can load too much smokeless powder into a cartridge – or into a muzzleloader, if you did what you want, and the pressure just keeps going up, up, up, up – and the pressure vessel around the burning powder will let go – because the pressure wasn’t bounded. The more smokeless you put inside the vessel, limiting the expansion while its burning – the higher the pressure goes. You can blow up a gun with either too much smokeless, or smokeless that burns too fast for the expansion of the burning space (eg, pistol powder in a rifle cartridge).
Black powder is an explosive. It’s a low velocity explosive (compared to TNT and derived explosives), but it is an explosive. If you put a big enough pile of black powder out in the open, on a table, and ignite it, you get an explosion, boom, right there in your face. But … even as an explosive, the pressure is limited. You can pack more and more BP into a muzzle loader, and the pressure just won’t go up all that much. This is why, in the quest for higher velocities, the Sharps (and other) rifles kept building bigger and bigger cartridges – they went from cartridges like the .38-55 to .45-70, to .45-90, to .45-100, then .45-110, .45-120 and so on – they kept stuffing more and more black powder behind the same size bullet in the quest for higher velocities. But the velocity increases were quite modest – because black powder’s pressure behind the bullet just doesn’t go up that much with the addition of more powder. You just get more smoke, more recoil and a bigger ‘boom’.
In fact, I have a muzzle loading pistol. I’ve given this demonstration of the differences between black and smokeless powder several times to students. (Legal disclaimer: DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF. I’m a trained professional, and I know what I’m doing. ) I’ll load up the muzzle loading pistol with powder to within, oh, 1.5″ of the muzzle. I’m now talking hundreds of grains of BP or substitute. I crap a patched ball down onto this massive stack of powder… and I mean cram it – hard – onto the powder stack in the bore. When I say “cram that ball down,” I mean it. The one thing you can do to grenade a BP gun is leave an air gap on top of the powder stack – even with minimal powder in the barrel.
So I’ve got this absurd load crammed into the BP pistol, then I tell people to get back, and I light it off. Boom. Yuuuuuuuuge cloud of smoke. Lots of recoil. Ball goes downrange, barely stabilized, but well enough to hit a target 10 yards away. The pistol is fully intact, and I’m intact – possibly with a bruised hand.
If that had been smokeless powder, the pistol and I (or pieces of me) would be scattered all over the range. At what point would that happen, how many grains of powder? I don’t know – because unlike loading a cartridge, there’s no brass to read for signs of pressure. Without a pressure transducer on the barrel, I’ve got no clue what the pressure is, and where it’s going.
What would likely happen first? You’d get a hell of a jet of hot flame out of the nipple and then played out under the hammer. The cap on a cap-n-ball gun would probably be launched back into your face. Enough pressure and the hammer is going to come off the nipple and possibly come off – again, into your face.
This is the reason why no one wants to make a muzzle loader for smokeless.
“This is the reason why no one wants to make a muzzle loader for smokeless.”
Ever hear of the Savage 10ML-II? It is no longer made but it certainly was. There are custom rifle makers that will make you a smokeless muzzle loader. So saying no one wants to make a muzzle loader for smokeless is far from the truth.
“A Bad Bull Muzzleloader will shoot a 275 gr. Jacketed Bullet at a muzzle velocity of 3100 FPS. The 275 gr. Bullet fired at 3100 FPS has over 6000 ft/lbs. of energy at the muzzle. This power is attained through the use of Smokeless Powder and our patented Mag-Prime Ignition System.”
http://www.badbullmuzzleloaders.com/
Another:
http://www.swinglock.net/
With granular BP, there is an upper limit of about 32,000 psi, even in a completely closed system. There were 19th century ‘experiments’ where an entire rifle barrel was filled with powder and then plugged. When set off by percussion cap, the entire charge went out through the percussion nipple (muct have been quite a whoosh).
However, smokeless powder has about 8x the energy density as BP, so you can get over 250,000 psi (or more) -very few things can withstand that…
I love black powder guns and shoot them often. Mostly I shoot cap and ball revolvers. I find them to be more accurate than their modern counterparts.I find my favorite revolver to the the Rugar Old Army (yes Rugar made black powder guns).
I have enough to build a picket fence. During one of rhe AR scares, i had disposable income, no wife (but I repeat myself), and no desire for an AR. People were selling EVERYTHING for cash to get a black gun, and I cleaned up on nice T/C hawkens and Renegades, not to mention cap and ball revolvers. Eventually I bought a shotgun and some higher end rifles, including a handmade 16-bore flintlock rifle. I discovered that while my worn old shoulder topped out about a 30-06 in recoil, i could handle very heavy black powder rifles. I can shoot my 12-bore rifle with PRB and 140gr of FFg black all day long and not be sore the next day. Same for my 16-bore and 150 gr of FFg. Those are 545gr ans 430gr balls, respectively. Either will xut a fairly large sapling down, or shoot through a big hog lengthwise.
I bought two CVA Hawken style carbine kits back in the early 90’s, did some customizing with dress up parts from Dixie Gun Works, put some decent sights on it, and I still enjoy shooting it. I’ve also got a CVA double barrel 12 gauge muzzle loader shotgun that I took in as part of a trade. I’ve tried to hunt birds with it a couple of times but the lock time is so long that if I hit a moving target its purely by accident. Black powder guns are cheap, unrestricted in the red states and even in some of the blue ones, and perfectly capable of doing serious damage. I always saw myself shooting one Hawken and then handing it the Mrs for reloading while I shot the other. I probably shouldn’t admit this (the NSA knows who I am and where I live) but I’ve made perfectly serviceable black powder when I was young and foolish. Percussion caps are almost impossible to make but they’re cheap and were available even during the post Sandy Hook panics. I’ve got about 2500 in stock and a supply of sabots that will let me shoot .45 pistol bullets in my Hawkens.
No, but i really want one of those 1851 navy reproductions in .44
Yeesh. Some of us object to pistols being made in other than the original calibers. The 1851 Colt Navy was never made in .44, only in .36. If you want .44, get an 1860 Colt Army or an 1858 Remington, both the original calibers. The Colt Army was even made with longer grips because of the expectation that soldiers couldn’t handle the extra recoil, going from 15 to 18 grains for a .36 cal load to 30-35 grains for the .44 load.
I’ve kinda always had a thing for the cartridge conversions of muzzle loaders. Not just handguns either. Trap door Springfield started as a conversion. Also the Snider Enfield.
That crossover tech strikes a chord with me.
Yes, Black powder is great fun.
I have a CVA Ultima inline muzzleloader. It is a tack driver … and that is an understatement. I have it primarily for the extended deer season. I also have it for an “end of the modern world” scenario. (See my post above for the fantastic advantages of a muzzleloader in an “end of the modern world” scenario.)
However you look at it, they are super fun to shoot. And they are exceptionally wonderful for children to shoot. First of all, you can pour light powder loads down the barrel for children which means reduced recoil … which means increased fun for little people! Second, black powder produces more of a push than the sharp smack of recoil with smokeless powders. Again, that translates to even more enjoyable shooting for little people!
If you like to plink, relax, and tinker a little, muzzleloaders are the cat’s meow.
I hve four cap and ball pistols, all Colts, 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, 1861 Navy and 1862 Pocket Navy. I also have a .50 cal percussion Kentucky long rifle built from a Traditions kit, with a slow twist barrel that shoots only ball. I have my eyes on one of the two specialty houses that make kits, in any degree of completion you want, with available high end curly maple, with very good barrels, both straight and swamped. I figure the kit I want will be something over a grand, but will make a beautiful rifle.
So does anybody besides me think that a scope on a muzzle loader is kind of cheating a bit?
No.
My first firearm ever was a .50 Pennsylvania Flintlock rifle. I did yard work around my neighborhood and saved up for a kit. My dad and I built it, I took it to several black powder competitions and mountain man rendezvous. Good times.
I have a .54 Lyman Great Plains Rifle and an 1860 Army revolver replica. Both are fun to shoot. The GPR is a quality recreation of the old Hawken type frontier rifles, and is great for foraging or big game hunting. The 1860 Army can serve as a decent defensive option if modern handguns are more restricted where you live, and as a pack/kit gun.
Black powder is really not bad to clean up once you get over the smell and understand the need for different lubes and cleaners (including water and/or ‘moose milk’). Without magazines or cartridge cases you can carry a lot more shots on hand and meter how much powder you want for a given purpose. They can be really cheap to shoot if you are on a budget and the slower pace makes you get deliberate with your shots.
A few years back, my wife saw a replica BP revolver at one of the local big-box sporting goods stores. Didn’t get it, but every time we went in, she’d check it out.
Finally, after her obsessing over it, I told her to just buy the damn thing. No 4473, cash and carry. Big discount from the guy behind the counter, less than $200 out the door. Picked up a few other things shortly afterwards (BP substitute, caps, extra .451 balls and wads, probably another $50-ish all said and done.
I wasn’t excited about the prospect of loading it each time, not to mention the perceived hassle of cleaning afterwards.
Then, we took it to the local outdoor range. OMFG. As someone already mentioned, this thing is the most smiles per round you can imagine. After the first or second reload, it became almost second nature. Measure, pour, wad, ball, ram. Done. Cap the chambers and have at it.
So. Much. Fun.
Not only are they fun to shoot, the’re pretty damn accurate for what they are, and they definitely make everyone else at the range stop what they’re shooting to watch.
She got me one of my own last birthday. We’ve upgraded the BP measuring, making the load even less of a hassle and turned it into a production line.
Last weekend at the outdoor range, the RSO (lady deputy sheriff) was sort of watching us fire off the first few loads and came over to the bench. We started talking and explained what was involved. I asked her if she wanted to fire off a few on the next load, which she did.
She tried to play it down a bit, but I saw the beginnings of that ‘this is so cool’ perma-grin forming.
Warm soapy water to clean 90% of the mess, bore cleaner and a stiff toothbrush for the stubborn stuff. CLP for the final wipe down.
So. Much. Fun.
For those of you in the construction field, Tailgate Take 5: When ramming the ball and wad on a revolver, keep the end of your thumb out of the way if you’re trying to position the ball at the last second as you pull down on the ram handle. Just sayin’….
1860 Springfield replica in .58. Nice honking 550 gr chunk of lead.
And, last I knew, in the grand state of NY you can buy a black powder handgun and NOT need a permit for it.
Unless, of course, you intend to shoot it. Then you have to register it…
1860 Springfield replica in .58. Nice honking 550 gr chunk of lead.
And, last I knew, in the grand state of NY you can buy a black powder handgun and NOT need a permit for it.
Unless, of course, you intend to shoot it. Then you have to register it…
Only one -1858 Remington replica with target sights. I had one like that long time ago in CZ.
Black powder guns were sold over counter to anyone from 18 years up, no paperwork. Everyone and his grandmother got one. For about a year. Then they reclassified cap and ball revolvers as firearms with all the usual red tape. Only single and double shot guns remained unrestricted.
When I saw one for bit over $200 on sale at Cabelas I had to get it. Sometimes it’s good to slow down and just have fun in cloud of smoke.
I have a black plastic stocked Hawkens, a revolver to go with my western belt, a single shot heavy barrel pistol with belt hook to go with my rennfaire garb, and a blunderbuss hanging on our kitchen wall with black powder speedloader secured near by.
+++XB=3~<
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