How much does this all cost?

[zebra26]

I've yet to purchase a ML rifle. I'm still waffling on what platform to buy, newer inline models or a more traditional platform but not interested in any flash in the pan stuff.

Looking at CVA Optima and the like offerings and getting an idea for bullets etc it seems to me this could add up pretty quick for a day at the range or practice plinking on the farm. The new sabot bullets are as expensive as a box of centerfire large game rounds.

Round ball smoke pipe stuff looks to be more reasonable.

I understand there is the option for mold your own but I'm not really sure I'm into that sort of thing.

Just curious of your experiences, wallet wise, because its shaping up to be a lean winter.

Thanks in advance

 

[Brutus]

Good question indeed. I just purchased a sidelock percussion rifle I've been waiting for: A Jonathan Browning Mountain Rifle (plains rifle/Hawkin style) and it cost me just a few bucks shy of $800.
I'd say I've spent at least a third of that amount in accessories just alone for it. On a side note at our local CT store I purchased Hornday .490 RB by the hundred pack and they were only $16. The pre-lubed patches I purchased at WSS in Calgary are actually more expensive, but a handy fella can make his own I'm sure.
Murphy's Oil Soap is dirt cheap and can be purchased at any department store. Black powder and Remington percussion caps are harder to find products but stock up at the local gun show.
It could of very easily come to half of the sticker price, but I also already have a flintlock smoothbore shotgun. So cleaning supplies and BP were already inside my home. You are going to go through alot of cotton patches for both patching the bullet and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning it.
Must haves: RB puller, cleaning jag tip, nipple wrench, spare nipples, capping device of some kind, range rod, patch retreiver, gun oil, a light for checking the bore, maybe one bore brush, plastic pail for cleaning the barrel with hot soapy water at home. Something like TC Bore Butter or TC #13 solvent for cleaning/lubing cotton patches at the rifle range. If I missed anything, please someone feel free to correct me.

 

[Ol' Flinter]

Yo Zebra:
Can't speak from experience regarding in-lines but the sabots and slugs are a lot more expensive than RB's if you plan to shoot much. Gun prices are all over the map but comparable in range so it is the shooting and care that makes the difference. If you are any kind of do-it-yourselfer then traditional side-lock RB shooting can be quite inexpensive and here are some suggestions to get you started. A pound of black powder is $20 - $30, depending where you buy it. I like new denim for patches but others use linen, cotton pillow cover or mattress cover material and even diaper flannel (I use it for cleaning patches) a square metre goes a long way: cut the patch material into 1 1/2" strips and the flannel for cleaning into 2" squares. For range shooting you can pour from the can into a measure - or make/buy a powder horn for about $20. For range shooting, I pour from the can but have a pour spout fitted to a spare lid: a 223 case with the base cut off and soldered over a hole punched through the tin lid from the inside of the lid. Make all ramrod and range rod threads the same - I prefer 10 - 32 rather than the smaller 8 - 32. Wooden ramrods are fragile so I have one for show but use solid fiberglass for hunting and at the range. For the rifle, the black rod with brass fitting for attachments is about $15 from Track of the Wolf (TOTW) and elsewhere. For a range rod I use an orange 3/8" diameter fiberglass rod used for electric fence poles from a farm supply store at about $4. I fit a 7/16" diameter ramrod tip to one end with epoxy and a crosspin, cut the length to about 4" longer than your barrel, slide on a brass muzzle/bore protector and fit a "T" grip on the other end made from a 4" piece of hardwood dowel, antler or whatever suits you and put a cross pin through it too. Now all you need are ramrod fittings: get a cleaning/loading jag of proper caliber, ball puller screw, breech face scraper at about $5 each. For loading you will need a powder measure (never pour directly into the gun from a powder horn or can) and you can make your own by cutting brass rifle or pistol cases to appropriate volumes or buy an adjustable one for $10 - 20, depending on how fancy you want to go. If shooting percussion then a nipple wrench is essential- about $10 and a fine wire pick for clearing blockages in the nipple or flintlock flash hole. Store-bought balls are about $15 per hundred but a Lee RB mold is only about $20 from TOTW and you can cast a zillion balls to amortize the cost of the balls to pennies each. CCI percussion caps are about $6 per 100 or less if you buy by the thousand. A cap dispenser is handy but not essential. Make your own patch lube by the litre (there are loads of recipes for "Moose Milk" and others) for shooting at the range. If carrying the gun loaded for longer periods as in hunting, especially in freezing weather, then use a grease - like lube: I have good success with Bore Butter. For cleaning, forget all the fancy solvents - hot water in a pail with or without dish soap works great. Always dry the barrel immediately with a few patches and wipe an oily patch through the bore to prevent rust - put a spot of grease on the nipple threads and you are done. You can buy all the fittings and accessories from TOTW - so go online and add up the costs from their website and you will find that gearing up and shooting patched RB's can be quite inexpensive, I believe. Like most sports, you can go modest at low cost but the sky is the limit if you want to get fancy.. Have fun, shoot safely.

 

[snowshoe]

I have been shooting black powder for over 25 years and last year I broke down and got an inline. Because I was having trouble with my old eyes in the poor light of evening and early morning. I even sold my Lyman trade rifle, boy am I sorry. Sure the inline [Traditions Buckhunter] shoots strait, and is super easy to clean, but I miss the traditional style muzzleloaders. The sabots I am using run about a buck a pop, and the new Blackhorn 209 powder runs about the same. I used to make my own round balls, patches and even bore buttons, and shot a lot every year. Now I only shoot a few shots to make sure of accuracy. I will without a dought get another traditional muzzleloader, probably trade my new zip gun for one, maybe even a flinter. Good luck with what ever you get.