NMLRA meets with Western Powders |SHOT Show 2020

It was great to meet up with the team behind “Blackhorn 209” at the SHOT Show last week. We talked about last year’s sticker promotion, where an NMLRA sticker directing customers to our website was placed on many bottles of 209, continuing it in 2020 and bringing more promotion to their small company in thanks to their support of the NMLRA.

Western Powders has been a great industry partner for us, and we are excited to continue working with them. Lookout for the Black Horn 209 team on the Muzzle Blasts podcast later this spring.

Modern black powder substitutes aren’t for everyone, but they are doing a great job of getting more people interested in muzzleloading and hunting with muzzleloaders.

Casting your vote for the NMLRA Board of Directors

In this video, Marketing Director Ethan walks you through how to fill out your NMLRA Board of Directors Ballot correctly to make sure your voice is heard in the NMLRA elections.

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The Gunsmith's Shop | Colonial Williamsburg

Gunsmith George Suiter leans over his workbench, engrossed in intricate metal work. Bright sunlight pours in a large window, and he sees clearly the parts he is fitting together. He has more than thirty years of gun-making experience, but this is unexplored territory. Suiter is reproducing an eighteenth-century swivel gun.

Used by wealthy Europeans, swivel guns had two barrels, set one atop the other. One barrel has a smooth interior and fires pellets for hunting birds and other small game. The second barrel is rifled, which means it has spiraled grooves cut into its interior. The grooves make the bullet spin as it heads toward a target, which increases range, stability, and accuracy. This barrel is for big game.

Read the rest of the article at History.org

Duelist 1954 Reviews : “Building the Daniel Boone Rifle” DVD

In this video I'll review what I think is the best video resource for building a flintlock longrifle...Mike Miller's DVD set on building the Daniel Boone Rifle.

We’re taking inventory this week | NMLRA

We’ll be taking inventory over the next two days to get ready for the rest of 2020! Orders will ship 2-3 days after order to ensure we get everything counted right. Thank you for your understanding!

The First Concealed Carry Pistol | Muzzleloaders at the SHOT Show 2020

As part of our ongoing coverage of muzzleloaders at the 2020 SHOT Show, today we’re showing you a selection of muzzleloaders from the NRA “History of Concealed Carry” exhibit. I didn’t expect a small museum to be at the center of the show, but it was a welcome surprise in a sea of modern “tacticool” equipment.

The German Ball Butt Dag, Circa 1630

Touted as the “First concealed carry pistol”, I feel this would only be concealed in the bulky pants of the 1600s.

As stated by the museum placard, “The earliest firearms- hand cannons and matchlocks- relied on a slow burning match or other smoldering ember for ignition.

The Wheellock was the first mechanical lock, circa 1500. It allowed a gun to be carried with a wound spring, loaded and ready to fire. Some attribute this design to Leonardo Da Vinci.”

I mean, who doesn’t like wearing curtains to the court? Image Credit

A detail of the wheel lock mechanism, note the worn engraving on the wheel and lock plate.

The name sake featured in this photograph, “The Ball Butt” is carved with scrimshawed ivory or bone inlay

Note the face carved into the inlay around the tang, a common motif for the time.

Load Development for your Flintlock Squirrel Rifle | Black Powder TV

It’s Monday, which means Black Powder TV released a new video yesterday! This week, follow along as Bob begins developing a blackpowder load for his .36 caliber flintlock squirrel rifle. This rifle is built from a Kibler “Southern Mountain Rifle Kit”, one of the more popular DIY muzzleloader kits we see!

If you are interested in building your own kit muzzleloader, learning how to develop loads for your muzzleloader, or just want to enjoy some blackpowder fun vicariously, be sure to watch!

IN PART #1 OF THIS SERIES WE PREPARE THE BARREL OF THE TRADITIONAL BLACK POWDER .36 CALIBER FLINTLOCK SQUIRREL RIFLE BUILT FROM A KIBLER 'SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN RIFLE' KIT FOR DEVELOPING THE MOST PRECISE LOAD.

We are excited to be working with content creators like Black Powder TV and the Black Powder Maniac to promote not only the NMLRA, but our love for muzzleloading and living history so it may last for generations to come.

What is the CVA Paramount Pro | NMLRA

In a previous version of this story we incorrectly stated that the new CVA Paramount Pro used powder pellets instead of loose powder. We have corrected the story to reflect that the paramount pro uses 150 grains of loose Blackhorn 209 by volume, which is 105 by weight.

Muzzle Blasts was fortunate enough to meet with Tony Smotherman, one of the developers behind CVA’s new line of long range muzzle loaders at SHOT Show 2020. Tony was kind enough to walk NMLRA President Brent Steele and Vice President Jeff Cunningham through the new rifle and how it will perform for long range muzzleloading hunters around the United States.

The new Paramount Pro advances on CVA’s Paramount line hoping to bring advanced precision to modern muzzleloader hunters. Available in .50 and .45 caliber to appease big game rules of Colorado and Idaho, the Paramount Pro is also available with a scoped and open sight option to pass regulations in western states.

We’ll have a full video with Tony from CVA out soon, but for now we hope this can answer some of the common questions we are seeing.

How much does the new CVA Paramount Pro Cost?

From the literature we picked up at the SHOT Show, actual retail price for the Paramount Pro is $1667.95, not a cheap rifle by any means, but CVA backed up this cost that a comparable custom muzzleloader runs between $1,000 and $1800+.

What is the range for the CVA Paramount Pro?

According to CVA, the Paramount Pro is sub minute of angle at 400 yards direct from the factory. CVA is certainly going after the mis conception that muzzleloaders, but modern and traditional are only good out to 100 yards with the new Paramount Pro.

What kind of primer does the CVA Paramount Pro Use?

In line with CVA’s other long range muzzleloaders, they are using a large rifle primer as the ignition source.

What kind of bullet does the CVA Paramount Pro Use?

The CVA Paramount Pro uses a 280 grain power belt bullet, shooting it at 2400 feet per second.

How much powder does the Paramount Pro Use?

The powder charge of the Paramounts is 150 grains of Blackhorn 209 by volume, which is 105 by weight.

What’s the deal with that muzzle break?

This is the first time CVA has included threaded barrels muzzle breaks in their rifles. With the 150 grains of powder, you can expect some recoil, but CVA claims the muzzle break reduces recoil by 50%.

Won’t that mess with reloading?

The Paramount Pro comes with a funnel to aid in powder pouring through the muzzle break. The break is also designed to guide our charge into the barrel, not allowing it to fall out.

We know cleaning is important for muzzleloaders, so we asked about it. Tony said the muzzle break is designed to dump the cleaning patch out of the largest hole on the muzzle break when you pull the patch out, a feature they are excited about.

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The NMLRA and Muzzle Blasts have been an authority on muzzleloading since 1933. This article was not sponsored or paid for, we feel it is our job to bring you the most up to date news as possible on the world of Muzzleloading, be it living history, competitive shooting, or hunting

What is Hodgdon Triple Eight, and when will it be available to the public?

Hodgdon 888 or Hodgdon Triple Eight, as it’s known is a totally new blackpowder substitute announced at SHOT Show 2020. Not much is known about this new powder from the makers of GOEX, but we do know a few things.

1. Hodgdon boasts it’s “clean burning” properties, we assume this means hunters won’t need to clean their rifles as frequently as in the past. This is a hurtle to hunters interested in Muzzleloading.

2. Right now it’s available exclusively in Federal’s new “Fire Stick”, a new charge casing designed for the Traditon’s NitroFire Rifles 

When will Hodgdon Triple Eight (888) be available to home reloaders?

We spoke with representatives from both Hodgdon and Traditions at SHOT Show 2020, and right now there are no plans to release Hodgdon Triple Eight to the public. It has been designed specifically for the Federal Fire Stickand Traditions Nitro Fire Rifles. 

Rest assured, Muzzle Blasts will be reporting on these new developments in the world of Muzzleloading as soon as they happen. 

How to stop grave robbers in the 18th century

Happy #flintlockfriday! Here’s a look at a flintlock I’ve never seen before. This is an English “Cemetary gun”, used to keep grave robbers away from your newly deceased relatives during the height of medical “study” in Victorian England.

Mounted on a swivel, this beast of a muzzleloader would be tied to trip wires that, when tripped, swung the muzzle in the direction of the thief and sent a lovely lead gift their way.

Don’t miss out on this year’s NMLRA/WKU Gunsmith Seminar!

Time is running out to register for the 2020 NMLRA/WKU Gunsmith Seminar.  We currently have openings in the 6-Day classes and just a few in some of the 3 & 9-Day classes. 

Deadline to register is February 19, 2020.  As we have very talented and dedicated Instructors, this is an event you do not want to miss!

Learn more at NMLRA.org

39th Annual NMLRA/WKU Gunsmithing/Longrifle Seminar

Wednesday June 3rd through Friday June 12th, 2020

At Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Day 1 | SHOT Show 2020

We had a long day walking the SHOT Show and talking muzzleloaders. As we all know, this show isn’t focused on blackpowder, but the people here that work in black powder do it because they love it.

We’re here through today with a few more meetings and then we’re heading back to Indiana to get this edited and published.