DOCSLIB.ORG

FLINTLOCK MUZZLE LOADER Barrel of the Muzzle Loader

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
FLINTLOCK MUZZLE LOADER Barrel of the Muzzle Loader HUNTING WITH A MUZZLELOADER Introduction Hot water / swab / brush /coat Body Flint / cap What will be discussed / taught Touch hole / Frizzen ____________________________ Note! Black powder weapons are not for self defense ____________________________ Hunting laws and muzzleloaders Caliber restriction What is a Muzzleloader? Earlier in season Flintlock / percussion cap / inline No other modern F/A in possession – Smooth bore / rifled / shotgun single shot ML ok? Black powder / pyrodex / triple 7 No breech fed weapons (inline) Patch and ball / conical Minie /sabol Sabol ____________________________ Calibers allow vary by animal hunted Using a Muzzleloader to hunt Smokeless not allowed ____________________________ Pro / con Caliber restriction Buying a muzzle loader Weather concerns What are you planning on hunting More economical New options Less reloading equipment Used options Forces better field craft Ensure it is checked by a proper gunsmith if used Forces better aim Touch-hole / bore / rust / under the wood Closer ranges ____________________________ What can be hunted Closing Hunting seasons ____________________________ NOT for self defense Hunting laws vary by state Care for the Muzzleloader Caliber restrictions by animal type Always clean after shooting Firearms safety HUNTING WITH A MUZZLELOADER sing a muzzle-loading frearm to hunt is a challenge. Muzzle loaders are more U susceptible to rain, snow and moisture due to the less advanced ignition system used. Most muzzle loaders have one shot, and take a minute or more to reload. The use of black powder as the propellant causes fouling that will slow down reloading and is corrosive. A muzzle loader is more sensitive to improper cleaning and maintenance. The average range of a muzzleloader is about 200 yards, closer if you are using a smooth bore. This forces the hunter to possess better than average feld craft and stalking techniques. Hunting game with a muzzle loader is not for everyone. So why do people still Black powder frearms are deadly. Make no use muzzle loaders to hunt? mistake about that. HOWEVER, they are not recommended for self defense. The possibility of Muzzle loaders have been used for hundreds of a misfre is too great to risk your life or the lives years. War has been fought, empires destroyed of those you love. Hunting game is fne, but do and freedoms defended from the business end of not use black powder frearms for self defense a muzzle loader. The frearm is still usable today. unless you are in dire need. Always follow proper It is a simpler weapon, cheaper to use on a regular safety procedures when using black powder. basis than a modern cartridge frearm and it still gets the job done. Once you understand its usage The term ‘lead’ is used to describe the round ball and limitations, it is a pleasure to use. or Minie ball rounds used in a muzzleloader. Hunting with a Muzzleloader 1 Family Protection Association © 2015 Most rounds are made with a large amount of WHAT IS A MUZZLE LOADER? lead and a small percentage of other alloys. If you decide to make your own round ball or Minie balls, be sure to follow proper safety concerns regarding lead. The average person that purchases pre made lead bullets will suffer no ill effects as long as you don’t chew on the bullets or use one to stir your morning coffee. Never use smokeless powder in a muzzle loader unless it specifcally states that weapon is safe to use with smokeless powder. Smokeless powder The muzzle loading frearm was developed from is what modern cartridges use. Black powder has technology invented from the use of antique cannons and mortars. As metals and metallurgy a different burn rate, generally does not create became more refned, thinner and thinner barrels the same pressures as modern smokeless powder could be cast. Arming the foot soldier with a and does not burn as clean. Do not confuse the weapon that fres a lead or stone bullet became two types of powder when using a muzzle loader. a dream realized and warfare changed forever. Using a muzzleloader is a very hands on This book will discuss the usage of modern muz- endeavor. As the shooter, you have to pour the zle loaders in the hunting application. The term proper black powder change, lubricate the patch muzzle loader refers to the fintlock, percussion if one is used, ram the charge and bullet down cap and in-line black powder frearms types, rife, the barrel and prime the pan. All this work to pistol or shotgun. I will discuss each in a separate get one shot at your game. When I use a muzzle section. The term ‘traditional’ is referring to any loader to hunt, I feel closer to the experience and original or replica muzzle loader that uses black powder as a primary propellant. ‘Modern’ muzzle have a better appreciation of the sport. There loaders can use black powder and any of the other is a lot of information available online and in black powder substitutes available on the market. print regarding muzzle loading. I am going to A modern muzzle loader is an inline system. Don’t condense all this information down and give you get confused, however. A newly manufactured a general overview of what is entailed in using replica muzzle loader is still a traditional muzzle a muzzle loader to hunt game. I enjoy hunting loader if it is using a fintlock or percussion cap game with a muzzle loader; it is for me a far system. The term traditional is just referring to the more challenging experience and a great source ignition system used, not the actual manufactured of satisfaction when I harvest my game animal. age of the weapon. Hunting with a Muzzleloader 2 Family Protection Association © 2015 FLINTLOCK MUZZLE LOADER barrel of the muzzle loader. The main charge ignites and forces the projectile down the barrel and to the target. This method also causes burning powder to be cast in all directions, including the shooters face. This can cause the shooter to finch as the weapon fres. There is also a slight delay in the fring sequence. It takes a moment for the hammer to fall, the fint to spark, the pan to fash and the main charge to detonate. It is not excessive, but it is noticeable. This has to be factored in when you take the shot. A fintlock muzzle loader is a traditional design Now you can see why a lot of things can go frearm. The fintlock frearm uses a piece of wrong. This was the technology used in the late fint to ignite the powder charge. Yes, a piece of 1700s into the late 1800s. Before you scoff, the rock fres the gun. This piece of fint is held in a British Empire controlled most of the world by vise called the jaws, with a screw to tighten the the mid 1800s and they used a fint lock standard vise down on the fint. There usually is a piece issue infantry muzzle loader called the ‘Brown of leather wrapped around the fint in the jaw to Bess’ to achieve this distinction. American keep it from cracking and to aid in gripping. A colonists used a fintlock rife nicknamed a long gooseneck hammer or cock holds the fint ‘Kentucky rife’ to gain independence from the and jaw. To fre, you pull back the hammer to British Empire. Using a muzzle loader to hunt ‘cock’ the weapon. When the trigger is pulled, game is still a viable idea. The technology is the hammer is released and swings down against just outdated. It is similar to using a carburetor the frizzen. The fint, when the weapon is fred, instead of a fuel injector. They both work, just will strike the frizzen, which is basically a striker fuel injection is more efcient and provides face to generate sparking. The fint slides across power faster. the frizzen generating sparks and all these spark land in the fash pan. The pan contains loose black powder, fnely ground to aid in ignition. This spark causes the powder in the pan to ignite. This fash explosion travels in all directions, to include the touch hole. The touch hole is a tiny hole drilled into the barrel of the muzzle loader. Fire from the pan explosions travels down the touch hole and ignites the main charge in the Hunting with a Muzzleloader 3 Family Protection Association © 2015 PERCUSSION CAP INLINE MUZZLE LOADER MUZZLE LOADER Inline muzzle loaders are termed modern muzzle As frearms technologically advanced, a more loaders. Inline muzzleloaders were not used reliable method to fre a muzzle loading weapon by the military but have become an exclusive was invented. The use of a small ‘cap’ containing frearm designed for hunting only. Instead of a charge was introduced to replace the fintlock. the side mounted ignition system used by the This cap is called a ‘percussion cap’. The part fintlock and percussion cap, the gun companies that the cap rests is called a ‘nipple’. This change redesigned the percussion cap ignition system to percussion cap removed the frizzen and jaws to be directly behind the barrel. This allowed but still used a hammer to strike the percussion for a more direct spark into the breech of the cap to fre the weapon. The nipple becomes the frearm. A percussion cap or shotgun primer is new touchhole, enclosing the ignition spark and used to detonate the charge. The use of a scope is directs the spark into the breach of the weapon. easier with an in line since there is now swinging The touch-hole is now enclosed to aid in fring hammer on the side to strike the scope.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • How to Build Your Own Wheellock- Rifle Or Pistol
    How to build Your own wheellock- rifle or pistol Edited by Georg Lauber The wheellock rifle or pistol ranks among the most coveted of collector's prizes because it represents one of the oldest of firearms systems and because the few specimens that have survived three centuries or more are generally the highly ornate pieces originally possessed by nobility. Conditioned as we are to the image of such decorated versions we must realize that, by far, the bulk of the wheellock guns produced were simple, plain and functional weapons, just as most of the firearms sold today are regarded as "field models." We are therefore concerned here only with clean lines and basic construction of the "field model" wheellock - the unadorned version that has a unique and simple beauty of its own. Those skilled with the carver's or engraver's chisel may, of course, wish to elaborate on our plan, and should be encouraged to do so, but we leave the form and pattern of such artistic pursuits to the individual's taste and judgement. By way of background information, the wheellock was invented by Kiefuss in 1517. Historians disagree on where he was at the time: some claim he was in Vienna, others state that Nuemberg, Germany, was his base of operations. In view of the fact that most wheellocks were produced with components from Nuernberg, Augsburg, and Suhl, Germany, Nuernberg appears to be correct. Produced in great numbers, the wheellock survived for more than 250 years in the German language area and, if the flintlock were not so much easier to produce, it my have lasted even longer because many shared the opinion that its ignition system was superior to that of the flintlock.
    [Show full text]
  • 312287 Leaders
    Glossary anchor <) holding the string at full draw; @) position of the string+ fingers+ hand+ or mechanical release at full draw (see also high anchor and low anchor) barrel the tube that contains and directs the projectile (see also bore+ chamber+ rifling+ muzzle) bolt <) moveable locking device that seals a cartridge in the chamber of a firearm+ usually contains the firing pin and a means of extracting cartridges from the chamber; @) a quarrel or arrow for a crossbow; B) a threaded rod used as a connector butt <) shoulder end of a rifle or shotgun stock; @) target backing device designed to stop and hold arrows without damage+ may be made of foam blocks or baled materials like paper+ straw+ excelsior+ sugar cane fiber+ marsh grass or plastic foam; B) a shooting stand or blind centerfire a firearm using a primer or battery cup located in the center of the cartridge head compound bow bow designed to give the shooter a mechanical advantage during the draw+ changing the shape of the draw force curve and yielding a higher efficiency in energy transfer to the arrow draw <) process of pulling the string back to the anchor point; @) type of anchoring system used (such as Apache draw+ high draw+ low draw) cf% “anchor” fletching feathers or vanes used to steer and stabilize the flight of an arrow flint extremely hard stone used in flintlock firearms and arrowheads flintlock <) lock used on flintlock firearms+ featuring a cock+ flint+ frizzen and flash pan; @) firearm using a flintandsteel lock 24 fluflu specialized arrow designed for
    [Show full text]
  • Deadlands Armory
    Rifles Part I. Muzzles, Muskets & Minié Balls Loading a Flintlock Rifle For the first part of the nineteenth century, professional armies fought with the same smooth- bore flintlock muskets as their fathers and grandfathers. It generally takes an experienced soldier between twenty and thirty seconds to properly load a flintlock musket. First, the user has to unseal his pre-measured cartridge of gunpowder, which is usually contained in a paper or linen packet which is bitten open. (Because of the salty nature of gunpowder, this builds up a terrible thirst over the course of a battle, making potable water an essential part of any armed conflict.) Once the gunpowder is poured into the muzzle, the shooter inserts the lead ball, which is encased in a lubricated bit of cloth called “wadding.” Pulling the ramrod from its forestock slot, the shooter tamps the ball home, ensuring firm contact with the propellant charge. The ramrod is then returned to the forestock—unless a panicked soldier leaves it inside the barrel, to be fired along with the bullet! To fire the musket, the hammer is pulled to half-cock. A small pinch of gunpowder is placed in the “priming pan” located on the right side of the musket. The pan is closed to secure the primer, which brings a metal flange called the “frizzen” into striking position in front of the hammer. The hammer is fully cocked, the musket is aimed, and the trigger is pulled. The hammer dashes the flint against the frizzen, simultaneously creating a spark and pushing open the pan to expose the primer.
    [Show full text]
  • Musket Reproduction Muzzleloaders Manual
    Safety & Instruction Manual For Musket Reproduction Muzzleloaders WARNING: Black Powder or an approved black powder substitute are the only propellant powders that are safe to use in a muzzleloading firearm. YOU MUST READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS CAREFULLY. FAILURE TO READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO YOU AND OTHERS AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. Traditions™ Performance Firearms 1375 Boston Post Road P.O. Box 776 Old Saybrook, CT 06475 (860) 388-4656 FIT-69 www.traditionsfirearms.com Your Muzzleloading Rifle Congratulations on your purchase of a Traditions™ musket reproduction muzzleloader. You have selected a muzzleloading firearm designed and engineered to give today’s shooters the experience of using a classic blackpowder firearm from ages past in both a fun and safe manner. When given the respect and care that any firearm demands, you can expect many years of reliable service and enjoyable hunting/shooting from your new Traditions™ muzzleloader. The Sport of Muzzleloading More and more sportsmen have discovered the challenge and enjoyment of muzzleloading in recent years. For both hunting and target shooting, muzzleloading guns have helped a modern generation recapture and enjoy an important aspect of our nation’s past. Traditions™ muzzleloaders represent the latest developments in this unique part of the shooting sports. They are manufactured to modern standards for safe and enjoyable shooting. This booklet is intended as a basic guide for the proper maintenance, loading and shooting of Traditions™ sidelock muzzleloaders, and it offers important rules and precautions for safe handling and shooting of this type of firearm.
    [Show full text]
  • Flint Tools and Flintknapping
    Jigsaw Cambridgeshire Best Practice Users' Guide Flint Tools through the Ages, and the Art of Flintknapping James Dilley October 2015 © Jigsaw Cambridgeshire Page 1 of 10 1 FLINT AND FLINTKNAPPING Flint (SiO2 - Silicon Dioxide) is a bio-sedimentary material that was formed in the ocean millions of years ago. It is almost pure silica, containing less than 5% impurity in the form of Calcium Carbonate and other trace elements, such as sodium and potassium which are found in different proportions from different sites, thus allowing analysis to determine the source of flint tools. Its very fine crystalline grain gives flint a glassy character that when struck, fractures conchoidally, which makes it perfect for knapping. Other materials that contain a very high quantity of silica can also be knapped such as obsidian, glass, chert, baked porcelain and even fossilised wood! Scientists are still not totally sure how it was formed, but we can tell due to the faults in the flint and patterns that appear when flint is broken that the remains of sea creatures play a large role in the formation of flint. It is likely that when an organism dies it sinks to the sea bed and begins to decay. It is at this point the high levels of silicon particles in the sea at that time would have stuck to the decaying remains, eventually sealing it in a cocoon of silicon. This nodule of soft silicon expanded and hardened, eventually forming layers of flint that we see today at the beach in chalk cliffs such as those at Dover.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 4,471,550 Kyper 45 Date of Patent: Sep
    United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 4,471,550 Kyper 45 Date of Patent: Sep. 18, 1984 54 FLINT ASSEMBLY FOR FLINTLOCK 56) References Cited FIREARMS U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 2,912,841 1 1/1959 Racek et al. ........................ 431/275 76) Inventor: Thomas W. Kyper, 1310 Mt. Vernon 3,247,611 4/1966 Wilson .................................... 42/51 Ave., Huntingdon, Pa. 16652 3,744,169 7/1973 Straight ................................... 42/51 4,146,358 3/1979 Dixon .......... ... 43A274 4,348,829 9/1982 Bosco et al. ... 42/1 N (21) Appl. No.: 388,541 4,422,255 12/1983 Lapp ....................................... 42/.51 Primary Examiner-Charles T. Jordan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brady & O'Boyle & Gates Filed: Jun. 15, 1982 22 57) ABSTRACT A flint assembly for a flintlock firearm having a housing (51) Int. Cl. .............................................. F41C 27/00 containing a flint and carrying a flint wheel, the flint 52) U.S. Cl. ......................................... 42/.51; 42/1 N; assembly being clamped between the hammer jaws of a 42/69 R conventional flintlock firearm. (58) Field of Search ........................ 42/51, 69 R, 1 N; 431/274, 275 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Sep. 18, 1984 4,471,550 , , PRIOREIGI ART 4,471,550 1. 2 the flint 7 being firmly held in a fold of leather 8 be FLINT ASSEMBLY FOR FLINTLOCK FIREARMS tween the jaws 4 and 5. A flash pan 9 is provided in the plate 1 forwardly of BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION the hammer 2 and is adapted to receive the conven In conventional muzzleloading firearms, a flintlock is tional priming powder, a vent 10 extending from the employed wherein a hammer, carrying a flint, strikes a pan 9 through plate 1 into the breech of the gun barrel.
    [Show full text]
  • Rules and Regulations
    Rules and Regulations Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club, Inc. 2857 Egypt Road P.O. Box 7070 Audubon, PA 19407 610-666-7460 WWW.LPRGC.ORG Revised: February 4, 2020 Welcome to the Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club. The officers and Board of directors are pleased to have you with us and we hope that your association with the club will be long, safe and beneficial. You are encouraged to contact any Member of the Board or various committees should you have any questions. The rules and regulations have been established to help ensure the safe and proper operation of your club. This information will be reviewed in your formal orientation and discussed personally with you. If you should have any questions or need further clarification, the orientation session will give you the opportunity to discuss your concerns with a representative of the club. However, if you have any further questions you may ask any officer, director or committee chair of the club. A list of the Board of directors is posted in the clubhouse. It would also be helpful for you to keep a record of the club phone numbers in case you need information or an emergency. Adherence to the rules of the club is a requirement of Membership. It is your duty to bring any violation of the by-laws, rules and regulations or generally accepted safety practices to the attention of the appropriate committee or the Board of directors. Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club is your club. We depend on volunteers to keep the club functioning.
    [Show full text]
  • Pedersoli Muzzleloader Gun Owner's Manual
    MUZZLELOADING GUNS OWNER’S MANUAL WARNING READ THIS MANUAL IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE USING YOUR FIREARM. 1 YOU MUST READ CAREFULLY THIS BOOKLET IN ITS ENTIRETY AND FULLY UNDERSTAND ITS SIGNIFICANCE , BEFORE USING YOUR FIREARMS. REPLACEMENT BOOKLETS ARE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE FROM OUR FACTORY. IF AFTER READING THIS BOOKLET, YOU STILL HAVE QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE SAFE USE OF YOUR FIREARM , WRITE TO: DAVIDE PEDERSOLI® & C. 25063 GARDONE V.T. (BS) – ITALY Via Artigiani, 57 – P. O. Box 150 [email protected] WARNING: Discharging firearms in poorly ventilated areas, cleaning firearms, or handling ammunition may result in exposure to lead and other substances known to the State of California to cause birth defects, reproductive harm, and ! other serious physical injury. Have adequate ventilation at all times. Wash hands thoroughly after exposure. 2 INDEX General Hints for the use of firearms GENERAL HINTS ….................................................................................................................5 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY.........................................................................................................5 PROOF HOUSE TEST …...........................................................................................................5 PRECAUTIONS.........................................................................................................................5 FIRING …………………………………………………………………………………………....….6 STORAGE ……………………………………………………………………………………..……...7 General technical instructions DOUBLE &
    [Show full text]
  • TC Shooting Thompson Center Side Lock Black Powder Guns
    Table Of Contents Subject: ........................................................................................Page Number General Rules for Use and Handling of Muzzleloading Firearms ............ 2 Nomenclature ............................................................................................ 8 Assembly of Your Thompson/Center Muzzleloader .................................. 9 Basic Equipment Needs For The Muzzleloading Shooter ........................ 10 Black Powder and Pyrodex® .................................................................... 11 Ignition ...................................................................................................... 16 Black Powder Pressures and Velocities .................................................... 18 Bullet Moulds ............................................................................................ 22 Patching the Round Ball ............................................................................ 23 Rifle Section .............................................................................................. 26 Understanding the Various Trigger Mechanisms ...................................... 27 Charging and Priming the Muzzleloading Rifle ........................................ 29 Priming ...................................................................................................... 35 Loading and Practical Tips For The Flint Lock Rifle ................................ 38 Shotgun Section .......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • General Hints for the Use of Firearms
    GENERAL HINTS FOR THE USE OF FIREARMS Before using any firearm, muzzleloading or cartridge guns, we ask you to read carefully this booklet, and to get thoroughly familiar with the operation of the specific gun. GENERAL HINTS A firearm is a sport and law enforcement tool capable of injuring and killing. It is a precision instrument designed to function reliably with proper care and knowledgeable use. If you do not have full knowledge of the power and function of firearms, we recommend that you seek proper training. Careless and improper handling of guns could result in unintended discharge causing injury, death or property damage. Safety must be the first and constant consideration when handling a firearm and ammunition. Various safety features have been incorporated into each firearm but relying on mechanical features alone is, at most, only half safe. Mechanical safety devices are not failsafe, but more importantly the safe use of any mechanical instrument is dependent upon intelligent use. Accidents do not “just happen” but occur as the result of human behavior, thoughtless acts jeopardize the wellbeing of the user and those around him or her. Insure the safe use of firearms by following these guidelines. NOTE: SAFETY DEVICES ON GUNS ARE EXTRAS AND ARE NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER AND SAFE HANDLING PRACTICES. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY Davide Pedersoli Co. shall not be responsible for product malfunction or for physical injury, death, or property damage from the gun’s intentional or accidental discharge, its criminal or negligent use, improper or careless handling, unauthorized modifications or alterations, corrosion or other failure to maintain, use of defective, improper, hand-loaded or reloaded ammunition, or other then original, good condition, high quality, commercially manufactured ammunition, from its use for purposes or subjection to treatment for which it was not designed.
    [Show full text]
  • (Color Guard & Honor Guard) of the ALABAMA SOCIETY SONS of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION
    DRILL and CEREMONY MANUAL (Color Guard & Honor Guard) OF THE ALABAMA SOCIETY SONS of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION July 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Foreword……………………………………………………………………………………………………..iii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………….. iii Purpose……………………………………………………………………………………………………….iv Sources……………………………………………………………………………….……………………….iv 1.0 History of the Color Guard……………………………………………………………………..1 2.0 The Alabama Society Color Guard………………………………………….…..………...1 2.1 Color Guard Operations (Chapter, District, National)……….….………..1 2.2 Color Guard Size……………………………………………………….…………….…….3 3.0 Uniforms and Weapons………………………………………………………….…………..…3 3.1 Continental………………….……………………………………………………………….3 3.2 Organized Militia…………..……………………………………………………..………4 3.3 Irregular Militia…………………………………………………………………………….4 3.4 Civilian Attire……………………………………………………………………………....4 3.5 Weapons………………………………………………………………………………………4 4.0 Commands……………………………………………………………………………….……….....5 5.0 Basic Drill for the Continental Soldier……………………………………….……….….5 5.1 Stationary Drill………………………………………………………………………..……5 Section 1: Unarmed………………………………………………………………………5 Section 2: Armed………………………………………………………………………….6 5.2 Marching………………………………………………………………………………………7 6.0 Indoor & Outdoor Ceremonies (Color Guard)………….……………….……………8 6.1 Carry Positions……………………………………………………………………………..8 6.2 Posting & Retiring Colors………………………………………………………………8 6.3 Marching………………………………………………………………………………………9 6.4 Outdoor Ceremonies……………………………………………………………….……10 i 7.0 Honor Guard………………………………………………………………………………………….10 7.1 Firing
    [Show full text]
  • Basics of Muzzleloading
    Basics of Muzzleloading IC EX O S M T A W T E E N U Cooperative Extension Service • Circular 500 N Y I I T V E R S CONTENTS Types of rifles ...................................................... 1 Powder ................................................................. 3 Bullet or ball ........................................................ 3 Equipment............................................................ 3 Loading ................................................................ 4 Cleaning ............................................................... 6 Safety ................................................................... 6 Glossary ............................................................... 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENT We wish to thank the National Rifle Association for the use of information from their Hunter Safety Education Manual. Basics of Muzzleloading James E. Knight Extension Wildlife Specialist Have you ever dreamed of returning to the thrilling days of the mountain men? Or of sharing in the adven- tures of such wilderness heros as Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, or Jim Bridger? Many people are attempting to experience a part of those days through black powder or muzzleloader shooting. The rifles that these modern mountain men use are replicas of the weapons used by the original frontiersmen. Not only are black powder weapons just plain fun to shoot, but the muzzle-loading rifle is an effective hunting weapon. Many states, in- cluding New Mexico, have established special seasons for hunters using muzzleloaders, and this has increased the popularity of the weapon. This publication is meant as a guide for those just starting out as black powder shooters, but it may also serve as a reference for more accomplished muzzleloader enthusiasts. If you encounter terms in this guide with which you are not familiar, refer to the glossary at the end of the text. TYPES OF RIFLES Many types of black powder weapons are commer- cially available. One can shoot muzzleloading rifles, muskets, pistols, and even shotguns.
    [Show full text]