Blackpowder tips

I have been thinking about buying a Muzzleloader for awhile now. Recently the right deal came up and I got a Remington Genesis from Cabelas for about $89 (after some rebates and coupon work).

Do any of you who shoot muzzleloader have any tips for me? I am completely new to this and don't want to waste and supplies, wrech the gun or worst of all wound and animal because I am still new at this. I would consider a muzzleloading club but the ones local to me that I know of are "traditionalist" clubs and my inline is frowned upon.

First tip is don't buy black powder. Use a bp replacement like pyrodex. Less fouling and less corrosive.
Use sabot bullets. Ballisticaly superior.
I'm sure if you google black powder shooting you will find all kinds of sites and forums.

I do not own a muzzle loader, never even fired one. But I need to know what is the reason for owning a muzzleloader? Is it because you can get a .50 cal rifle for under $500? I own several rifles but I cant see owning a muzzleloader, is there a thrill to it? Like the old Kentucky rifles of the 18th century, I would love to fire one of those.

I wish I could go back in time to the revolutionary war with a hundred AR-10's with piles of ammo and give the first Americans the real hardware of today and make winning their (and our) freedom a little easier. I have heard that the revolutionary war was won with the Kentucky rifle, dont know how many were made in those days. I am sure that a real Kentucky rifle from 200 years ago is worth a fortune in good condition.

I have 2 50 cal. muzzle loading rifles.Not inlines.Inlines are often called space guns.I have an original muzzle loading 12 ga shot gun.Any one who has an interest in guns should own and use a muzzle loading rifle.You can get 2 more weeks of deer hunting here using a muzzle loading rifle.Go fire a flint lock rifle with 100 grains of black powder loaded in it.A cap and ball revolver will really impress you when it fires.

When the Civil War started, most of the available rifles were muzzle loaders. While researching the unit my grandfather's grandfather served in, I was interested to know that these infantrymen were required to be able to fire three rounds a minute with their muzzle loaders...20 seconds to load powder, ball, patch, ram it down, replace the percussion cap, aim, and fire. I'd be willing to bet there's a lot of folks using "speedloaders" with their modern muzzle loaders who'd be hard pressed to make 3 shots a minute.

You will need at least two of those muzzle loaders. Eventually you will wrap one of them around a tree when it goes pop when it should have went BANG. There is a special excitement that only a muzzleloader knows about when you are waiting down in a bottom on a cold foggy damp morning. Big daddy buck is about to step in the clear. Everything is perfect except you have no idea if the darned thing will fire or not when you pull the trigger. It is guaranteed, if you want to see lots of big bucks, just let your powder get the least little bit damp.

ps. If you do go with black powder, don't expect to know where the deer went after you shoot, assuming it does go off. You can't see a dang thing till the smoke clears.

Seriously, it will make you appreciate modern firearms and you develop much better habits knowing you only have one shot at best. I think you become a better hunter and marksman. You will enjoy it and you will have some stories to tell.

I shoot a black powder pistol.Its fairly accurate at close range.Theres a lot of cleaning to using black powder.Also you have to take it all apart and really clean it.It takes a while to load the gun.You can vary how much powder you use.Mine came with a mold to melt lead to make round balls or bullets.Once you do all the work,maybe 10 minutes,you have 6 shots.After the first 2 or three you cant see anything for the smoke.Even one shot has enough to make it kind of hard to see.Its fun for me to shoot like that,and it doesnt cost a whole lot for powder,at least not a year ago.I have a bunch of old wheel weights to melt down for bullets.I had a 22 pistol and it wasnt as accurate as the 45.Neither one is accurate very far,but Ill take the black powder over the 22.Ive even seen where you can get a converter cylinder to shoot cowboy ammo.It says you cant shoot modern ammo,but they sell cowboy loads like they had in the late 1800s,I think with black powder,or at least weaker powder than todays.

I don't have a black powder rifle, but I do have an exact replica of an 1851 Confederate Navy .44 cap and ball sixshooter.

I agree that pyrodex is the powder to use, but even it makes a mess. All in all, this thing is a blast (no pun intended) to shoot. I don't know if this converts to rifles or not, but I've found Remington caps are infinitely more reliable than CCI.

Also, nobody believes me, but out of a dozen assorted handguns I own this is the most accurate. Maybe it's because it just "feels right" in my hand. And it will easily penetrate a 2X12 at 25 yards.

The only downside is I told my wife I'd hate to be loading the thing with someone shooting at me. When they were used for real, like in the Civil War, most soldiers would work in groups of three or more with some shooting while others were loading so they didn't all get caught loading at the same time.

The later "top strap" 1858 models had quick change cylinders so several cylinders could be loaded in advance and an empty exchanged for a loaded one in a few seconds if time was short.

I can't say about other states, but the main reason black powder caught on here in Nebraska was because the regular rifle deer season runs 8 days in November, and the black powder season runs the entire month of December.

I have a muzzel loader that I have owned for several years and they are fun to use.The Genesis is one of them new fangled things that are designed to use prodex or equivelent and the caps are covered,I think,the companies have taken out most of the problems of miss firing if you use good reliable reloading material.If you know how to load the barrel and clean it,you will do alright.Assuming that you read the instruction booklet that should have come with it.My opinion is,if it doesn't have a side lock,use a flash pan or a percussion cap on the side,you might as well use a modern rifle.No tradition in the inlines that will shot 200-300 yards with scopes.I'm an old traditionalist when it comes to black powder shooting and hunting,black powder,cloth patch,round ball that is the challange of muzzel loaders.

Ryan,

Muzzleloading is a terrific hobby. I elk hunt with a muzzleloader (Lymans Great Plains .54 cal)every year in December, in Hells Canyon, Idaho, in about 2-3 feet of snow.

Take a look at:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/index.php

I have a 45 cal muzzleloader for some years allready,never shot the dang thing yet, i got the powder,caps and home made bullets casted with a bullet mold.

the thing i dont know is how much powder to use,and how big of a patch and what material to use? I dont want to blow the thing to kingdom come,me included.

Hi Ryan,

All depends on what you want too shoot. There's also BPCR, Black Powder Cartridge Rifle, that uses a center fire cartridge with BP. What a hoot too shoot. Those are not allowed during the muzzle loader hunting season as there as accurate at long range as centerfire smokeless.

I use a 1874 Sharps 45-3.25 with iron sights at 1000yrds. That's .45cal@ 530gns with a brass cartridge length of 3.25" or approx. 4" COL holding maximum charge of 120gn BP.

They hold meets all over the world and are pretty popular here in the USA. Probably the best unoffical shoot is the Quigley match held in Forsite,Mt each fathers day week-end. About 650 shooters last year, both M/F. 8 targets from approx 220yds to 880yds under gruling cross winds and heat. 45 points won last year out of a possible 80. They hold a special 1000yd match the week-end after.

NRA holds national sanction shoots at Raton, NM each year. I think 500yrds is the maximum yardage. I don't shoot this match so I'm not up on the spec's but they shoot steel pigs, chickens, rams and ?.

T_Bone

You use a powder measure.Start with 27 grains.You can buy patches,and its important to use that grease,otherwise more than one cylinder could fire,and that would be bad.I looked on you tube and one of the videos showed where they filled the chamber with powder only leaving enough room to press a ball in and deep enough that it would be flush with the top of the cylinder.Thats way more than 27 grains.It makes a difference if you have a Colt or Remington replica.The Colt doesnt take as much stress as the Remington version.Also the ones made out of brass like Confedrate versions,you cant use as much powder,so they say.
I just use 27 grains and it works.I have one of the brass ones,thats a 45 Remington,and a 36 Colt thats steel.

I use the Pyrodex pellets. 2 per load. Very little smoke, very accurate.

Have any of you used Triple 7 powder? A friend of mine swears it smokes way less and cleans easier with water cleanup. I know it is also pretty potent as you use 15% less powder for the same bang.

P.S. Perhaps I should have mentioned, the Genesis is a rifle. If I were to pack the cylinder with enough powder that there was only room to press in a bullet I am pretty sure I would get to meet Jesus.

Yeah,thats kind of wrong information,I should have said use a powder measure and read instructions for your rifle.I was talking about a revolver pistol not a rifle.I wouldnt want to put any more powder in any of them than what the manufacturer recomends,and I would read all the instructions and ask some others first.When I bought mine,I didnt shoot it untill I loaded it with somebody watching me load it that knew how.
Yeah,if you filled the barrel up with powder and just enough for a ball in the end of it,I dont want to be in the same county,maybe even 2 counties away when you pull the trigger on that!

A muzzle loader is the firearms equivalent of using an antique tractor. I have a 45 caliber kentucky long rifle flintlock that I built from a kit when I was in college. Haven't fired it in years & years, but its a blast to shoot.

I used both round balls with a patch and conical bullets. Old cotton sheets with a little crisco make great patches. Been too long to remember the details, but there's a way to tell if the patch is the right thickness by how the weave imprints on the ball. Conical bullets have grooves that are filled with grease to hold the load in place.

I really should got find some powder & a place to shoot, just always seems to be something else going on.

Keith

Hi Ryan, I have never shot a muzzleloader or even owned one, but I just read the manual for your gun on the Remington website and found it very helpful. I would read it too if you haven"t already.

Adam

Make you first shot count.

From "The Patriot " "Aim small, miss small "

mine is a rifle,not handgun

I've been hunting with a blackpowder rifle (.50 cal) for about 20 years(primitive season). I usually use about 80grains or equivilent in the pyrodex pellets. You can use the pyrodex pistol powder , but use 10% less by weight. instead of 80 grains use 70 grains. I usually use a .44 cal 240 grain sabot.It will go clean threw our okla deer at 100yds.

when sighting in your rifle start at 25 yards so you can get it on the paper . then gradually increase the distance till you are at a distance you are confident in. I have a scope on mine.

if you use patch and round ball, make sure to center ball in the patch. some guns like a greased patch. mine perfered a dry patch(no lube).you can buy pregreased patches for your caliber.

But should you get a deer down a sabot is easier to reload.

Another thing to do is when you load your rifle in a clean barrel. make sure the bullet is seated good. now make a mark on your ramrod at the rifle barrel. This way you will have a reference to know if the next load is seated correctly. after sever shots it becomes more difficult to judge if the bullet is seated all the way without that reference mark.

Always clean your gun at the end of the day. even the newer less corrosive powders will cause it to corrode. Usually hot soapy water will get the residue out. then use dry patches to remove the moisture followed by a lightly oiled patch.

I usually pop a cap or 2 off the next day prior to loading to make sure there is no oil or moisture in the barrel.

hopefully i have gave you some info you can use,all my info is for the .50 cal i use or have used. Thompsom encore,thompson white mountain carbine, remington 700 ml and lymon great plains rifle.

personally i liked the pyrodex pistol powder as it is finer grained and seemed to ignite better.less lag time. normally if the gun is clean you shouldnt have and lag time from the primer igniting the powder.

if you do experience a hang fire(primer detinates but the gun doesnt fire) keep the rifle pointed in a safe direction for about 30 seconds. it might still decide to fire. If that happens try another primer, it usually will fire on the second try. unless the nipple is completely clogged or the powder is too damp. Be safe and ask questions.

Ryan,I have hunted deer with muzzleloading rifles for years.I have used both hammer guns and inline models.I have probaly harvested as many animals with muzzleloading weapons as i have with centerfire rifles.The best advise i can give is get to know your gun.What i mean is this,learn what loads your gun shoots the best.Which bullet and the amount of powder it takes to propel that bullet accurately.Sight your rifle in using that load and always use the same load once you learn what that load is.You need to learn to be patient while shooting at animals with a muzzleloading rifle.Hurried shots either wound or completely miss.One shot may be all you get so make it count.Using a muzzleloader made me a better hunter and i'll tell you why.I learned to wait on the deer longer.With a centerfire gun i would tend to shoot at the animal at a lot longer distance.Using a muzzleloader taught me to wait on the deer to come closer.Most of my shots are taken under 100 yards with a muzzleloader.Although rifles such as your Genesis model are more than capable of 150 to 200 yard shots your sucess rate will be a lot better if you wait on your quarry to come in closer.It may take wounding and losing a couple of animals to learn to wait but,shorter more manageable shots will get you more meat.Also if you are limited to iron sights make sure you take your time before pulling the trigger.If you have been using a telescopic sight you can get into a habit of not taking the time to line up correctly with your iron sight.I use Pyrodex powder in my inline gun that i shoot now.I use the granulated type but,the Pyrodex Pellets are just as good.I also use Saboted bullets in my gun.I'm not pushing this powder or the bullets,i only use them because they perform well in my gun.Bullet weight and powder amount will determine how well your gun will group the shots at a target.Research your gun for a starting point on the bullet weight.The internet is a good place to gather information.I'd start with around 100 grains of pyrodex per load.As you get familar with what your doing you can adjust your load with different powder mixtures until you find what load it shoots the best.Get comfortable with your gun and your load before you hunt.I use speed loaders to reload when i'm hunting.This allows you to have your loads preset and not have a lot of bulky containers to lug around with you while hunting.On damp days take extra care to keep you powder dry.I trk to keep my gun under my coat if possible.I also keep a peice of tape over the muzzle if its raining.Muzzleloaders to me is a challenge that makes hunting deer and hogs more enjoyable.We still have rifle season here in my home state but,muzzleloader season is my favorite.

T-bone with your eyesight how do you get the rear sight, the front sight, and the target at 1000 yards all in focus at the same time?

Hi Vern,

I haven't shot my smoke pole now for about 4yrs as I can not get used to the loss of depth preception. I really guess I could try as my dominate eye is still good and I could close my bad eye. I just short of lost interest when my eyes changed.

The 1000yd focus is determined by the apature size of the front and rear sights, both being adjustable.

The rear sight has a Hadley eye cup, a rotating apature disc with easy micrometer field adjustments for elevation and windage.

The front sight are replaceable apatures of different configurations, usually 18 different ones available. There is also a sight level to keep both rear and front sights in aligment and also can be adjusted for windage.

The focus point is a dual focus. First you look to see if the front sight apature shows enough of the target area at 1000yds, then you refocus for short alignment between front and rear sight and level, then refocus on the 1000yd target to make the shot.

T_Bone

Check out www.prbullet.com I use Swiss blackpowder My step-daughter uses Triple 7. In MN our muzzleloader season is 16 days long and I'mm allowed to shot a doe without a tag. My first deer was with a T/C Renegade sidehammer. After the shoot I couldn't see the deer..Only the blood spray in the snow.

MN muzzleloader deer season allows you to tag one deer only in southern part. I can shoot a doe without applying for a doe tag.....New MN deer hunting has a 9 dat slug....Buck only unless you get drawn for a doe tag....If you want to muzzleloader just buy a license for that season also..BUT you can only tag a buck unless you have a doe permit. This new deer hunting is going to be hard on all of the little bucks. We have people who will shoot anything. I'll leave one walk by and my neighbor will ask why I passed.