Is The Risk Tooo Much to Buy BP Used?

dak47

dak47

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Just that simple, would you buy from someone you don't know, BP rifle used?? Quarantine has me hovering over the buy button but not sure. Seems to me that I can get a lesser grade gun new or a more respected name used bur have no true gauge on condition? What say Ye? I know folks can get lazy......
 
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I would not buy used powder ( BP or otherwise ) from someone I do not know.
If I knew that the container is unopened and still sealed, perhaps, but otherwise no way.
 
Sounds to me like the OP is buying a gun, not powder. I would treat it like buying any other used firearm. Ask for lots of pics showing condition, ask lots of questions. Ask for a 3-day, non-firing inspection period with a full refund if something is amiss. Take steps to protect yourself from scammers.
 
Not sure what a BP rifle is.
A muzzleloading rifle? A breechloader using cartridges loaded with black powder?
Buying a used gun is buying a used gun. About the only difference buying a used muzzleloading gun is that bore inspection is a bit trickier than it is with a breechloader. And black powder and the substitutes can contribute to more corrosion than smokeless, so bore inspection is important.
 
As already asked, what type of black powder gun are you considering? Regarding modern reproductions, I have bought many used muzzleloaders and happy to report that I have not ran into any major issues. Ask questions, specifically about bore condition. If the owner doesn't know the condition, can't or won't check, or says I think it should be okay, then you can make up your mind and either walk away or take the risk that it turns out okay.
 
If I was buying a used Muzzle Loading Rifle, it would be face to face, or with an inspection period and no questions asked return, for the reason that Tiriaq says. You pay for shipping both ways in such a situation.
Inspection is the key to buying a good one. Knowing the seller helps, but nothing substitutes for seeing it yourself.

There are miniature bore inspection lights, or you can buy a Chinese made inspection camera which connects to your cellphone, for very small money these days.

If you are new to the black powder field you need to reach out and make friends with an experienced advisor in the local BP club.
 
Yes the thing about buying a BP gun muzzleloader or breech loader is that the previous owner had to make sure it was cleaned properly after use.When muzzleloading was at its height a lot of people gave it a try but they looked after them about they same way they would their smokeless guns and the guns were ruined.I remember going to see a Shiloh Sharps a guy had for sale years ago ,it was an early 1863 military rifle that had the early wolf wolf mark on it but was dissapointed when I took the breech block out to see that the gun had been fired and not cleaned as it was a rusty mess.the sad thing is he wanted top dollar for it.I have seen a lot of misused muzzleloaders at gun shows that I wouldn t even give a second look at.The problem is with blackpowder that it can get into everything inside and out but the good thing is one that has been poorly maintained is easy to spot even online if you have good pics.The one exception of course is the bore which on a muzzleloader maybe be harder to get a good pic of but if the outside of the gun is rough chances are the bore is too.With all that said I have bought a few online here with no problem just get a lot of good pics
 
9.3mauser said:
Sounds to me like the OP is buying a gun, not powder. I would treat it like buying any other used firearm. Ask for lots of pics showing condition, ask lots of questions. Ask for a 3-day, non-firing inspection period with a full refund if something is amiss. Take steps to protect yourself from scammers.
Click to expand...

Correct, not powder. I guess that I should have my 2 cups of coffee
before I reply to a post to make sure that I read it correctly.
 
I have bought a few used black powder cartridge rifles over the years. I've never had a problem with any of them, bore condition wise, although it's certainly possible that if the previous owner was of low intelligence or lazy, you could end up a rifle with less than a perfect bore.

Chris.
 
BP rifles as a rule are not that expensive new, and that's where I think I would focus if I were to get another BP rifle.

I own 2 BP rifles. The first one was a freebie, a rusted and crusted bag of neglect, and in pieces. If not cleaned properly, it's unbelievable how bad these can get. I did hunt with it, and harvested a nice spike buck. I later bought another used one, and it was in nice shape, no surprises. This one was $75, and I only bought it because it was the same as my rusty one. It shoots OK, and better than my old one.

I'd probably not pay more than 1/3 of MSRP for any used BP rifle. Less if I could see any rust. Do your research, some models are not worth owning, free would be overpaying.

Avoid the ones with weird bore/groove dimensions, like Gonic or White. The likelihood of coming across one of those is slim, but they are out there.

Stick with 50 cal.

Avoid any model not in current production.

ht tps://thegearhunt.com/best-black-powder-rifles-reviewed/

And the #1 choice is $500 at Cabelas.
 
tiriaq said:
Not sure what a BP rifle is.
A muzzleloading rifle? A breechloader using cartridges loaded with black powder?
Buying a used gun is buying a used gun. About the only difference buying a used muzzleloading gun is that bore inspection is a bit trickier than it is with a breechloader. And black powder and the substitutes can contribute to more corrosion than smokeless, so bore inspection is important.
Click to expand...

I thought he was buying Boston Pizza...:)
 
Unlike down in the states traditional muzzleloaders do no t generally bring high resale prices here in the Canada which is great if your buying but not so great if your selling.Some of the early replica muzzleloaders were made very cheaply when the black powder boom started but as things went along there were a lot of nice quality guns that were made like the parker hale enfields ,browning mountain rifle etc . There are also a lot of nice custom made guns out there as well but trying to get your money worth out one when selling can be hard unless you find someone who knows quality and is willing to pay for it.If it were me and I was starting out in muzzleloading replicas I would find out if there is a muzzleloading club near you and have a talk with them ,usually someone can point you in the right direction
 
BP muzzle loaders do not see a lot of chance for abuse. All 7 of the single shot BP rifles and pistols I've had were used. And only one caused me grief. If you avoid anything by Armi Sport (the BP side of Chiappa) you stand a very good chance of getting a good firearm.
 
Have never bought a new black powder firearm either rifle or pistol. Some I've bought were better than others but I never found a modern made gun that would not work reasonably well. A fair number have seen little use and were worth every penny. Once I got into the antiques the situation changed dramatically-but what a thrill touching off a 180 year old gun even if the bore is less than perfect! Thompson Center Hawkens have been ever present and I don't think you can go wrong with one , I have had and traded a lot of them over the years and not one was bad-I just got bored and moved on to the next one.
 
BP rifles are usually shot a lot less than any other gun. I did buy a few and they were all very nice with no issues. I never seen one with a shot up barrel, but cartridge gun with bad barrel - shot way more than stated - often.
 
If you're buying a muzzleloader unseen, get the seller to run an oily patch down the bore and send you a picture. I got burned by a seller named Gary Boreskovich from Beausejour, Manitoba on a .54 cal Lyman Great Plains rifle. He told me it was in excellent condition when in reality it had sat uncleaned in a closet for 20 years. The bore was full of rust and he refused to refund me or take it back.
I've since become proficient at restoring roached barrels. A friend of mine had the same experience, oddly from a seller in Manitoba also. Must be higher humidity there.
 
I have had mostly good experience in buying antiques. I bought one that I knew had to have a problem somewhere and thought I could fix whatever was wrong ---- no- o-o-o. The barrel in addition to being a piece of garbage did not even fit the inletting and I have no idea what it came from. If the photos are fuzzy and you do not get a good photo and description of the bore; don't touch it. The counter point is that one original British percussion rifle I bought literally had powdered rust pouring out of the barrel when I ran a bronze brush up and down a few times but it turned out to be a fairly accurate shooter and I don't regret buying it for a minute. Luckily it was one that I was able to take home and clean it then shoot it first. Modern muzzle loaders I would be cautious about because the rifling at the muzzle can be good but have bad pitting at the breach from poor cleaning habits

cheers mooncoon
 
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