Painted

I'm in the market for a new rifle, and I heard about muzzleloading from a friend. I was intrigued, since I know the mrs. doesn't quite like having semiautomatic weapons in the house.

Does anyone have any tips on what brands to look for, calibers, etc.? Or just starter tips in general would be helpful. I read about .52 caliber guns, they must pack one hell of a kick! Are there smaller caliber/recoil guns? Are they cheap to shoot? I'm only going to be scaring deer away from the apple trees, maybe bag one of them in the fall.

Well, any help is appreciated...thanks!

The_Dunedan

Well, you can go in one of two directions; traditional and modern ( inline )

Traditional guns are just that; percussion and flintlock rifles of the types which dominated US and world armies and markets until the 1860s and the advent of the cartridge-firing breechloader. These tend towards moderate-to-heavy weight, and moderate-to-excessive length. A Hawken-style percussion rifle will set you back less than $200, and will definitely put meat on the table. I prefer the traditional sort myself, but they do have significant drawbacks. They're heavier than inlines, for one thing, and they can have ignition problems in wet weather, especially the flintlocks. Most traditional guns are at least .52 calibre, and the Charleyville that I and my Step-father both hunt with is a .75 calibre. There are .36 and .32 calibre "Pennsylvania rifles" for sale at Cabelas.com, both as finished guns and kits.

Inlines have their own advantages. They're lighter, more compact as a rule, and in many cases much more accurate and powerful. There are 2-3 inlines right now that approach the .300WM in terms of energy out to 300 yards, but these are the big Magnums that use 3 pellets of Pyrodex. That's the single biggest disadvantage to the inlines, btw; that lighter weight translates into heavier recoil.

Blackpowder is pretty cheap to shoot, especially if you cast your own ammo. You can get the moulds from Cabelas as well, and lead from ( of all places ) a mechanic. Those guys throw away lead wheel-weights all the time, and it works well for this sort of thing.

Honestly, even a .75 Charleyville is no big deal recoil-wise. A traditional gun is heavy enough to soak a lot of recoil, and blackpowder isn't nearly as violent-recoiling as smokeless, either. Plus, that big ol' round ball makes a BIG hole. They drop pretty quick when that kind of thing hits 'em.

The biggest disadvantage that all muzzle-loaders share, to some extent, is accuracy. I'd never shoot past 50 yards with the Charleyville; few would. It wasn't designed to be accurate at long range, but rather to hit like a train up close. So I use it in thick brush and woodland, where I'd be unlikely to run into a longer shot to begin with.

One thing you might consider is investing in a Thomson-Center setup, like the Contender or their takedown rifle. You can swap barrels in various calibres, including a .50 muzzle-loader barrel. You can have a rifle, shotgun, and muzzle-loader all on one reciever for fairly little money.

Plaid13

I know next to nothing about muzzle loading rifles but i have to say one thing... if i was going to get a muzzle loading anything it would have to be a blunderbus. just for the sheer coolness factor. even if its not a rifle =)

Dilbert1234567

I’ve shot muzzle loaders before, and it was a blast (pun intended) lots of fun

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scout

Some of the new inlines shooting the 203 primers and sabots are pretty darn accurate out to 200 yds or so. Granted you don't have the range of some of some rifles but you can sure make a nice group at 200 yds. You won't see that accuracy shooting ball ammo but with Pyrodex or Triple Seven and some of the new sabot ammo you will be amazed. You can take a moose or a grizzly with a .50 caliber set up I dunno why in the world someone would need a .75 but I bet it's sure fun to shoot!

I've got the Thompson-Center stainless Encore .50 setup and man does it shoot sweet. I'd like to have one of the new Pro series, I like that 1/4 turn breach removal, that would sure make it easier to clean. Their not exactly cheap though. You will pay about as much for the initial barrel and receiver as you will a nice rifle. Then when you decide you want a new or different barrel they cost as much as a decent rifle.

One thing you need to know and to take into consideration is the amount of time you want to spend cleaning after you shoot. Anytime you shoot black powder you will want to clean your gun as soon as possible after shooting because the sulphur in the black powder will eat your barrel up if you don't. Black powder is fun to shoot but it's nasty and smells to high heaven. Pyrodex is somewhat cleaner and you still get the big smokeball after discharge. It's usually a little easier to work with as it comes in pellet form. It still stinks [not as bad] and eats your barrel up [not as bad] if you don't get it cleaned immediately but it is a little more forgiving. Triple-Seven is what I prefer, you get the ease of use because it's in pellet form and it doesn't stink and when it's time to clean your gun it's like cleaning any other gun, no smell and it doesn't leave all the nasty residue that eats your stuff up like the other two. Another plus is when you go in the woods you don't smell like a walking sulphur factory. Good Luck, shooting muzzle loaders is tons of fun.

kel

A bolt action or single shot rifle is not semiautomatic. Blackpowder just means you have a big mess. It's really not a great first gun as it has a lower work/reward ratio.

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Painted

I have to give my Mini-14 away, so it wouldn't be my first gun by any means. And then I was just going to get a old bolt action Springfield or Mauser, but I thought a muzzleloading might be that much less menacing.

Cleaning it thoroughly every time I shoot wouldn't be much fun, especially if the damn whitetails show up every evening. Is it break it down and clean every part, or do I just have to run a cleaning rod with some gun oil down the barrel?

Oh yes, and about casting lead bullets, is that something I can do in a cast iron pot on an old woodstove or do I need a blowtorch, safety goggles, and a breathing apparatus? I understand it's lead...which I hope we all know is poisonous to even touch.

Accuracy isn't golden, since it's all dense forest around here.

Thanks a ton for all the replies, guys! I learned a lot.

The_Dunedan

Good, you didn't want that piece of junk anyway. Get an M1A or an FAL instead. Put all the money you save on repairs into spare magazines, ammo, and parts.

Menacing?! Why are you worried about how the gun looks? And besides, who in the world considers a century-old turnbold menacing? A Mauser or such would be perfectly suited to what you're talking about; so would a 12-bore with a slug barrel, which could also make an excellent home-defense gun. Besides, a Mauser can be had for $100, and ammo's $.08/round, sometimes even $.06 if you shop around at gun-shows. You can afford to practice with one of these!

Your best bet is an electric crucible, which you can get from Cabelas or off numerous websites like Gunbroker.com. The idea is to get the lead hot enough to melt, but not hot enough to vaporize. DON'T use a blowtorch! That -will- begin to boil the lead, and then you -will- be breathing lead vapor.

JStrider

black powder rifles are pretty fun stuff... shot them a few times in boy scouts.

really enjoyed it. always Kinda wanted to buy a kit and build one myself... just never had a good oportunity.

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