nube Q about Black powder rifles

A

AKD

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I think there neat. might look in2 one as a hunting rifle.

- How accurate are they at what kinda distance ?

- Is the .50cal strong enough for bear and Elk hunting?

- What kind of distance can u shoot a deer ?

- How long on average does it take to load up a round?

- Are they expensive to shoot ?

- What are the key things that make a good Black powder rifle?
 
First off I only shoot round balls out of .50 and .54 cal rifles with the twist rate of 1 in 48". I would prefer to have a twist of 1 in 60", but I use the rifles I have. With open sights I can put a round ball into 3" at 100 yards. If you plan on using round balls stick with a .54 for the larger game. Using a speed loader the second shot is quite fast, but if it is at a deer that you just missed, it will move just before you put the cap on, I know that. Shooting a patched round ball is very cheap, the modern inlines shooting sabots can get expensive. If you want to go with a traditional style rifle, the Lymans are good, and good value for your $.
 
Hey AKD,

I have been shooting a flintlock .50, using patched round ball and it is pretty accurate out to 80 yards. Prior to getting the flintlock, I shot an 209 primer inline that was very accurate (2" group at 100 yards with .45 XTP bullets in sabots). The max range I have taken deer at is 100 yards. but most have been taken at 40 yards or less.
I'm not sure if I'd be brave enough to go after a bear as my reload time is sloooow. :D.

Traditions are good rifles for the money and you can find some smoking deals on the blackpowder EE section.

Muzzleloaders are very, very cool to use as they are truly "primitive weapons". Have fun ;)

P.S. Look for a removable breech plug - most new rifles have 'em. It makes it sooooo much easier to clean up afterward..
 
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There are two schools of BP shooters. It would help us to answer your question if we knew whether you are more interested in traditional style (antique or antique replica) or modern inline muzzleloaders.
 
Modern. however I still dig iron sights witch i see on alot of them. but yes. modern muzzleloaders.

Ive bean looking at some info on them 2night and what is the big thing with the 209 ?
 
I currently own a .308 long range target rifle, .22cal, a 12g shotgun, 22-250 for hunting larger small game. The .308 I can hunt with but.... just not what its really for.

The blackpowder however, I think it would be a nice hunting rifle. epically with the iron sights.

Being March I do have some time. Im going for bear april 1th and I would like to bring it. Just gona walk around for a week. Being spring im probability not gona shoot one, unless its coat and meat are 100% worth it ill wate till fall. I enjoy the solo back pack over night hunt more than just filling a tag.

I like the style of the old ones but the light weight of the new ones. Ill settle for a single shot with a hammer. Any opinions about the Remington ?
 
AKD said:
I currently own a .308 long range target rifle, .22cal, a 12g shotgun, 22-250 for hunting larger small game. The .308 I can hunt with but.... just not what its really for.

The blackpowder however, I think it would be a nice hunting rifle. epically with the iron sights.
Being March I do have some time. Im going for bear april 1th and I would like to bring it. Just gona walk around for a week. Being spring im probability not gona shoot one, unless its coat and meat are 100% worth it ill wate till fall. I enjoy the solo back pack over night hunt more than just filling a tag.

I like the style of the old ones but the light weight of the new ones. Ill settle for a single shot with a hammer. Any opinions about the Remington ?
Click to expand...

AKD; So many things in your post relate to tradional style muzzleloaders.
To be honest, I've only shot a modern inline once at the range when a fellow had one out. Actually, the fellow asked if I WOULD MIND if he brought it from the truck. He had noticed that I was shooting a traditional smoothbore, and was afraid I might be offended (he he... there is often some hard fellings between traditional and modern muzzle loaders??). I wasn't. It was fun to shoot too, but to me, the only advantage was the modern scope set up, and the appetite for powders other than true BP. The bullets cost a bunch compared to a traditional round ball, too.
If the weight of the gun is a factor in your choice, maybe you should handle some well built traditional guns - some are very slender and light. I shoot an original antique percussion fowler that is the lightest, most well fit gun I've ever used. With a smoothbore, I have a choice of using shot for small game, buckshot or round ball at close range for larger game. I can cast my own balls, making the cost of shooting that of powder and caps.
On the other hand, if I knew my shot at game would be between 60 - 200 yards, I would have to choose a rifle. If the shot would present itself at 60 - 125 yards, and open sights were to be used, a slender and light, large caliber traditional percussion long rifle would suffice. If game presented the shot from 100- 200 yards, a scoped modern inline shooting a sophisticated bullet would be the cat's meow.
 
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If it is just the weight that is turning you to the modern muzzleloaders, then look around. I used to use a Lyman Deerstalker in .50 cal that had a 24" barrel and weighed in at 7 lbs, the .54 would be a little less. In the 15 years or so that I used it it filled tags every year, 3 whitetails at around the 100 yard mark, but most inside of 60 yards. My wife has a Traditions Deerhunter is 6lbs. I hunt with guys that use modern inlines and most weigh 7 lbs or more. I also used shoot a bit of competion every year and won most years but never lost to a inline, because I shot my rifle a lot more than they did during the summer. It even found it's way to shooting gophers a few times.
 
I shoot an inline and buy my ammo in bulk. Nosler sabots and 300 grain Hornady XTP bullets.Costs me approx. .50 cents a shot(cheap like borscht). I've owned and shot all kinds of muzzleloaders( flintlocks & percussions), but enjoy the versatility of the modern inline for hunting. As Smokepole said you need to decide exactly what you want to get out of your muzzleloader. IMO the inline is a better hunting gun for the novice shooter. Traditional guns offer way more in the way of different shooting opportunities- blackpowder reenactments, turkey shoots, club shoots etc. If you`re really keen buy one of each, an inline for longer range hunting and a Hawken style rifle for anything else.
 
There's a lot of choices out there for BP rifles. I've owned quite a few and like them all. I hunt with two BP rifles and shoot for fun with a flinty. For stand hunting, I use a modern inline simply because it came with a scope and is designed for saboted rounds. It is virtually as accurate as many centerfires I've used. That one is an older Traditions Buckhunter I bought off the EE here. Like suggested above , removable breechplug is a real bonus when cleaning. It's a .50 using Hornady bulk black sabots and a 245 grain home cast lead .45 bullet over 80 grains of 777 powder. 1-1/2" to 2" groups are the rule at 100 yards and I would shoot a deer farther than that with it if the opportunity presented itself. I've never shot a bear with it but it sure knocks deer down good. It is really CHEAP to shoot using the cast bullets. A mould was well under $30.00 at Higginson's Powders and used wheel weights are free. I also use a .54cal percussion Hawken for stalking. I use patched round ball and 777 powder in that one. It is usually no problem making a 3 inch group at 100 yards if I do my part. For playtime, I use my .45 flintlock Hawken at the range and it is EXTREMELY accurate with either patched round ball or LEE's R.E.A.L. .45 cast bullets. That gun works well with 60 grains of 3F powder or 10 grains of 3F and then 45 grains of 777 over the top of that. Those duplex loads are a pain in the behind to do, but it keeps the gun clean without cleaning for a couple hours playtime.
A nice traditonal style percussion in .54 would be a good choice or a . 50 inline of some kind. Certainly something with a removable breech plug is the way to go in an inline. Like suggested above, there are occasionally great deals on inlines on the EE. Best of luck! Whatever you decide to get, You will enjoy BP rifles! They're a lot of fun!
Al
 
Modern or Traditional

I think what everyone has said is that your choice is going to have to be based on what apeals to you. Other than the fact that it has to be reloaded throught the muzzle, a modern inline is not any different than a centerfire rifle. If you want to increase the challenge significantly a traditional muzzleloader would be the way to go. Cleaning a traditional is not a big deal if you get one with a hooked breach.This means that the barrel can be removed. A bucket of hot saopy water is just the ticket. Put 'er in and then use a patch on your ram rod and the soapy water will be drawn in and out of the barrel as you push the ram rod in and out. A dollop of Murphys oil soap helps to killl the smell for some reason so your lady doesn't run you out of the house. If the water is hot enough a couple of dry patches down the barrel and the effect of the barrel being heated from the hot water will evaporate ant remaining moisture. A good swabbing of bore butter with a patch will "season" the bore, protecting it from corrosion.
anyway..I guesse I have gotten a bit off subject here. A 1 in 48 twist is good for hunting as it will allow you to shoot round ball or conicals. A friend of mine shot a bear with a conical and it poleaxed him so there is no doubt in my mind as to the effectiveness of them. Perhaps finding out if there is a blackpowder group in your area and then contacting them may be a good suggestion. Then you could try some different bp guns out. Black powder shooters are very friendly and helpfull as a rule...

Cheers. Steve.
 
Are you referring specifically to muskets or are black powder cartridges included? Go Sharps!!!
AKD said:
I think there neat. might look in2 one as a hunting rifle.

- How accurate are they at what kinda distance ?

- Is the .50cal strong enough for bear and Elk hunting?

- What kind of distance can u shoot a deer ?

- How long on average does it take to load up a round?

- Are they expensive to shoot ?

- What are the key things that make a good Black powder rifle?
Click to expand...
 
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