Charge Media presents a short and quiet video on finishing up a Traditions Kentucky Rifle kit.
Gift Guide for the Muzzleloading Enthusiast
Rifleman 2.0 prepares his flintlock Hawken for deer season
Jim Kibler announces a new kit
Watch now as Jim shares some answeres to frequently asked questions, talks about a shop tour, and shares the news on the new kit heading into development! Very exciting times for the muzzleloading kit world!
Do you use a different powder in your pan than in your chamber?
What’s the best for oiling black powder guns?
Muzzleloading Basics, an excerpt from Guns & Ammo Magazine
Our friends at Hodgdon Powder shared this great excerpt on muzzleloading basics from Author Dave Emary and Guns & Ammo Magazine.
“For all you muzzleloader hunters headed out this season, be sure to check out January’s issue of Guns & Ammo Magazine for a nice write-up on our GOEX black powders and Pyrodex and TripleSeven substitutes from our good friend Dave Emary.”
Starting with blackpowder’s origin in China in the 9th century and continuing through modern black powder substitutes, author Dave Emary brings a comprehensive look at our beloved powder’s history.
Duelist1954 Builds a York County Flintlock
Popular muzzleloading and black powder youtuber Duelist1954 has been working on building his own York County Flintlock for a while now. In case you’ve missed it, he’s uploaded part 17 this week focusing on his process of inletting the butt plate.
In this update I'll install the butt plate on the York County flintlock rifle.
Developing a load for Lyman Great Plains Hunter Rifles
Questions and answers from the NMLRA Facebook Group
“Does anyone have experience with Lyman Great Plains Hunter rifles? I am looking to get one as a pure hunting gun and wanting to load 250-300gr sabots. Typically using Barnes TEZ/TMZ. Just looking for accuracy, load info, and even some cool game pictures!
-Andrew Ault
Andrew’s question brought up 30 comments one evening. We wanted to share some of the comments, hope it’s helpful!
Here are some of the most informative comments from the post.
Photo Credit to Ted Davis. Lymans Great Plains Rifle 1 in 66 twist. Also comes in Flintlock
“I'm not familiar with the "Great Plains" model, and I don't know the twist ratio. But Lyman had made a model called "The PA Hunter". "PA" stands for Pennsylvania. The rifle had a 1 in 66 twist for roundball. This was produced because the Pennsylvania "primitive" hunting season required a muzzleloader which had flint ignition, open sights, and fired a single "spherical" projectile of .50 cal or greater.
The laws in PA have since changed and the cal is now .45 or greater, and conicals can be used. Flint ignition and open sights are still the rule. Lyman discontinued the PA hunter.
Pennsylvania also has a "muzzleloading" season (which is earlier) when in-lines, and percussion ignition can be used with peep or optical sights” George Hunter”
“My Great Plains 54 is 1:72, I think. For target I use 50 grains of FFF and a hand cast .540 round ball, patched .015. If I decide to hunt deer with it, I up my powder charge to 80 grains. Same with Deerstalker 54. Only the hunting load is 70 instead of 80. Shorter barrel. Both are proven to harvest Michigan Whitetail.” Craig Chambers
Bill Bolen adds, “I have only ever shot bullets in my GP .50 cal and used it to kill a bunch of deer. I have used the Hornady copper jacketed 280-300 gr, Powerbeats, and many others. All shoot pretty well out to 100 yards or so. Lately I have switched to a Great Plains 300 gr all lead that shoots about the best. My hunting load is 90 gr 2f Goex.”
If you’d like to join in on the conversation, head on over to our NMLRA Facebook Group! The group is open to anyone who is interested in Muzzleloaders and living history as long as they follow the rules.
Find out more about the NMLRA
Top 10 things you need to know about your new Muzzleloader
If, like many of us Santa brought you a new Muzzleloader or muzzleloader kit, you’ll be spending the next few weekends tinkering with it. This list is brought to you courtesy of the NMLRA Facebook group to give you the best tips and tricks to break in your new muzzleloader safely.
#1 Read the manual
Whether you are familiar with modern firearms or not, muzzleloaders are a different animal.
We recommend that you read the manufacturer's manual that came with your new muzzleloader, if one is not available, please go online and find the digital version at your manufacturer’s website. Manuals will give you correct loading procedure and load data for your firearm.
If you have added a new custom built muzzleloader to your collection, be sure to communicate with the builder about safe load measurements. If your builder is not available, please reach out to some online forums or facebook groups and ask the folks there
#2 Don’t assume your local sporting good stores know black powder
It can be hard to find real black powder, but it is very important to remember that Pyrodex, Trip 7, etc is not blackpowder. We don’t advise ever using smokeless powder in your traditional muzzleloader. Smokeless Powder is more explosive than traditional black powder. Using Smokeless in your traditional muzzleloader can result in serious injury or death.
If you are having trouble finding real black powder in your area, as it is not carried in many gun shops or sporting goods stores, be sure to check out the list of authorized dealers from both Schuetzen Black Powder, and Goex Black Powder. NMLRA Members also receive a discount on black powder from both Goex and Swiss if you purchase on NMLRA Grounds.
#3 Keep your Powder away from your shooting area
It’s important to remember that any container holding black powder is highly explosive. Many newcomers make the mistake of leaving their black powder can near there firing position or bench, not realizing that a percussion or flintlock firearm can throw sparks around the area. If one of these sparks hits your powder can, you won’t want to be within 50 yards of it!
#4 Of all the laws you must recall. First the powder, then the patch and ball.
It can seem very simple, 3 steps between shots, nothing fancy, just a lot of ramrodding, but you’ll be surprised how often you can mix them up if you aren’t focused.
Always pay attention when you are loading your new muzzleloader, you don’t want to accidentally double load your powder, patch or your ball. It won’t just mess up your grouping, but it could seriously injure your rifle and you!
On our ranges though, the most often forgotten step in the powder, resulting in a fair amount of heckling as we work to pull the ball.
#5 Load Safely
Remember, you are handling an explosive powder each time you load your muzzleloader.
Never load a muzzleloader’s powder straight from your powder horn or powder can, always use a measure. This ensures a repeatable load for more accurate shooting, but it also keeps you safe from any rogue sparks that could ignite your powder.
#6 Mentorship
If you haven't been around muzzleloaders much it can be very daunting. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a local shooting club or gun shop for some help. We’ve got a list of Official NMLRA Charter Clubs as well as Field Representatives all over the United States that are trained to answer your questions.
Our facebook group is packed with over 4,000 members of all skill levels, reach out there anytime and you’ll receive many great responses.
#7 Is it loaded?
Like all firearms, it is paramount you behave that every muzzleloader is always loaded. If you aren’t sure, there are a couple steps you can follow to check.
Point the Muzzleloader in a safe direction
Flintlocks - Open the Frizzen and place the hammer in the down position.
Percussion Locks- Ensure there is no percussion cap or remains of a percussion cap on the nipple. Keep the hammer in the down position over the nipple or put the hammer on Half cock with a washer over the nipple.
Remove your ramrod and place it down the barrel until the ram rod cannot go in any further. Mark the spot on your ramrod flush the muzzle. We recommend a permanent marker or a piece of tape for accuracy.
Remove your ramrod from the barrel and place it alongside the barrel of your muzzleloader so the line you marked is in line with the muzzle, and the base is pointed back towards the area described below
Flintlock Firearm: The touch hole, or flash hole, located on the side where the ignition spark reaches the charge
Percussion Lock Firearm: The drum area, located on the side of the breech
In-line Firearm: The breech plug
You should be familiar enough with your firearm to know if there is a cavity in the breech plug that will allow powder between the rod tip and the flash hole.
If there is a cavity, check to see if it is filled with powder. Insert a .22-caliber ramrod, made of brass or other non-ferrous metal, into the bore until it stops.
Remove the rod, and measure along the outside of the barrel to see if the rod tip reaches the flash hole of the breech plug. If the rod reaches the flash hole, the muzzleloader is empty and has no projectile or powder in the barrel.
If a projectile or powder is inside the barrel, use a CO2 discharger to clear the barrel. Then reinsert the range rod into the barrel to make sure the projectile and all powder have been removed.
After you are certain the firearm is empty, insert the range rod back into the barrel. Make a permanent "unloaded" or "empty" mark on the rod at the spot where the rod exits the muzzle. You now can use this mark to verify whether the barrel is empty whenever the range rod is inserted.
#8 Cleaning your muzzleloader
You can find countless online forums and comment threads discussing how often to clean your muzzleloader. Should I clean after every shot? After an hour? After a day?
Well, there isn’t really a rule. Many of our competitive marksmen will clean their barrels after each shot to make sure each shot is as accurate as possible. If you are plinking at your home range, you can get away with a few shots before cleaning.
Like all modern firearms, it’s important to clean your muzzleloader well after each trip to the range. Swab down the barrel with your preferred cleaner and wipe down the exterior as well to prevent rust.
#9 Always do your research
Youtube is a great resource for just about everything on the planet, but when it comes to handling black powder, always triple check the information presented in the video.
We recommend this video from The Black Powder Maniac Shooter as a good starting point for a flintlock. Hickok 45 also has several good videos on muzzleloaders.
#10 Safety Safety Safety
We all know Eye Protection and hearing protection are important when shooting modern firearms, with muzzleloaders you’ll hear the same. Eye protection is especially important when shooting a sidelock muzzleloader, the ignition explosion on the exterior of the firearm, and near your face. Shrapnel from percussion caps or your flint can easily find its way into your eyes.
We hope this helps you get started in the world of muzzleloaders! We hope you’ll find your new muzzleloader one of the favorites of your firearms collection, I know we do here at the NMLRA.
How to Stain a Cabela's Kit Muzzleloader
Questions and answers from the NMLRA Facebook Group
“So I pulled the Trigger and decided to purchase the 50. Cal, Kentucky from Cabela's today, as a Christmas gift for my son, he prefers shooting black powder long gun's more so than modern firearms, because of his interest in Civil war history, I think it will make an excellent father and son experience together, my question for y'all is, what type of wood stain application should I use, and what methods are best for applying the stain to the stock? Thanks.”
-Daniel Colt Foely
This question from Daniel racked up about 40 comments over the weekend, many of them very helpful to new builders, so we wanted to share them!
Here are some of the most informative comments from the post.
Larry Rowland said, “Get "Homar Dangler's" stains and finishes, is my suggestion. Follow the directions.”
WL McCoy brought up, “ Lowe’s has an oil based colonial maple that I like. You could add a little walnut if you like darker. Hand rub with old T-shirt material. Cotton.”
Dale Pederson suggested Laurel mt. “Makes some good stains. You cad find them at Track Of The Wolf.”
Mike Dollinger said, “ I used shoe polish on my 1st gun. I used homer dangles stain on another. Aqua fortis on another”
Rob Scroggins added, “ I built mine a couple years ago. Used minwax stain (dark walnut) and tung oil as a finish”. He included a photo as well.
“If its plain wood and your first gun, get fiebings leather dye in alcohol not oil. Its easy, dries instantly and med brown is a great color with a reddish tinge and dark brown is pure brown. Birchwood caseys tru oil is a foolproof beginner finish. If you want to go the authentic route it would be aqua fortis, heat and oxidized linseed oil but hard to master. When you assemble this there are some shapes you can modify that will really improve this rifle if you just ask there are a lot of people here to help guide you.” - Mike Davis
Josh Young took a simpler approach, Plain old boiled linseed oil never hurt no one.
And a special thanks to Paul Luttrell for his notes and story on building a similar kit. “This was like my first kit build, in. 45. Brown leather dye worked guite well for me. It actually produced a reddish tint on the stock, after final sanding, of course. I rubbed in several coats of "boiled linseed oil", rubbing in with my palm until warm then wiping off excess oil after each coat and letting it dry. The choice is yours, of course, there is a myriad of stains and techniques.
A friend of mine tried Dixie Gun Works' suggestion of soaking a bag of chewing tobacco in ammonia, letting it sit for several days before applying with an old piece of T-shirt, then rubbing in Tung oil. That was on a cherry stock.”
If you’d like to join in on the conversation, head on over to our NMLRA Facebook Group! The group is open to anyone who is interested in Muzzleloaders and living history as long as they follow the rules.
Find out more about the NMLRA