Muzzleloading?

[cben]

Is there any muzzleloading fans on here and if so how is your season going?

 

[Dutch]

Here in Alabama, there is a statewide muzzleloader season, but I don't participate in that generally. I wait until the local waterfowl funded Wheeler Federal Wildlife Refuge opens it's 2 week flintlock season for whitetail the 2nd and 3rd week of January. By then, the winter weather has finally settled in, and the deer need to move to eat as well as rut. Today, the temps are still in the 60's here in N. Alabama.

 

[mark]

Northern NY had no snow until after the BP season ended making hunting the brush pretty tough. Also normal deer patterns/travel were odd with the late rut this year in my area.

 

[Hawker]

It's -25 Deg C here in Alberta with a good 2 feet of snow. Cap & balls are hung by the fire with care as theres no way in hell I'm going out to shoot stick in this ****.

 

[smokinbriar]

Flintlock just started here in PA today,I hunt with a gang the first few days.We had 5 buck out on the first drive and a jr member got a spike today,alot snow and sleet now falling will see what happens on Thur.

 

[Carlos]

Been a lot of years. Shot most everything black powder. Built kit guns. Grew up around it.

 

[plumbernater]

I just reworked this old CVA 54 CAL. Hawkens style cap n ball. She was in pitiful shape when I got her,

 

[Dutch]

Charlie, that's a fine looking project! Just in time for the upcoming season on Wheeler! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

 

[cben]

Wow that's a nice restoration. I'm glad to see their is some fellow smokepole guys on here. About 3 more weeks left in the season here with thin results. The drought was soo bad here this year that it even affected the wildlife. I sould be out right now but 7" of new snow-4 degrees on the thermometor and a wind chill on top of that is not doing much for my motivation.

 

[Mikem]

I have a Hawkin's replica I bought several years back at Cabela's for the muzzle loader Elk season here in Arizona (then didn't get drawn). I think the newer muzzle loaders that use the 209 shotgun primers and the powder pellets are pretty neat, but personally I think it is kind of cheating when it comes to the muzzle loader hunting season. I think a few states will not let you use them durning muzzle loader season. I also built a Trapper muzzle loader pistol that I think is pretty neat. My buddy and I are debating on putting in for muzzle loader this year.

 

[fishnbanjo]

I have 2, a 54 cal Texas Plains Rifle with a 66" twist, i.e. round ball only, it's the one on the bottom.

The second is a custom T/C Encore with a 28" Magnum Pro bbl, stripped then color case hardened with wood turned to my spec's via Bullberry Barrel Works topped with a Burris Omega 2-12 compensator scope and drives nails.

 

[plumbernater]

As far as the new ones go Id love to have one of those thompsons encores

 

[smokinbriar]

Saw this on another site thought I would post a linkif anyone is interested www.18thcenturyartisanshow.com

 

[BigCasino]

used to hunt muzzle loader season here in Pa, havent for quite a few years I still have a Tompson center .50 renegade that was mine, and I have a .50 CVA that my Dad built from a kit

 

[Blackhorse]

When I lived up in Ketchikan, Alaska I spent a month one Winter building a 50 Cal. CVA Hawken kit. It turned out very well, I think. It took me forever to file and sand the brass fittings, etc. I still have and use the Birchwood stain from the kit and that was over 25 years ago! 

With round ball and pyrodex (and if I could control my breathing well enough) that rifle would shoot into an inch and a half at 75 yards. And that was from a standing rest (leaning against a 4x4 post that supported the roof over the benches at our range. Iron sights...75 yards...1 1/2"! Consistently. I was always amazed.

 I'd wait to pull out the rifle til some nimrod with a brand new 300 Mag would come strutting up. I'd whip it out (so to speak) and start in, and pretty soon the fool would be challenging me to a target. Sure, I'd say, but let's make things just a more equal! And before you know it they'd be shooting at 200 yards, trying for 1 1/2", factory ammo of course. I'd be shooting at my standard. Here's the kicker...it would be for two targets and you had to finish the first before going to number two. That meant he had to shoot one inch and a half 'warm up' target before he could go to the 'contest target'. Oh...and I'd give 'em as many warm up shots as they wanted. (snicker) The more, the better! (snicker) After a few boxes of their shoulder smackin' ammo they'd be flinching so hard their groups would be about the size of my tool shed. Kinda mean, but funny. 

I've only ever owned hunting rifles, nothing just for target or varmints, etc. And I think that rifle would out shoot any of 'em.

 

[Anonymous]

Building muzzle loaders was a hobby of mine.  I built about 6-7.  The ones I still have use Dave Taylor barrels.  I built a number using McLemore barrels (out of business) -- Jim was a friend who got into it in a big way and lived nearby.  He was the only person building gain twist barrels.  I still have one of his barrels that I never got around to building.  It is a 50 caliber gain twist with a swamped barrel.  I was going to build a poor boy with it but never got to it.   Jim also had maple that he'd cut and planked and I used that for several guns.  The most elaborate had floral carving and a release button in the butt plate that released the patch block.  Sold that one without ever shooting it.  

I still have a 45 Dave Taylor that was the first I built and shows it.  I also have an early Hawkin flint interpretationin 50 that was a heck of a shooter. I used to go to the shoots at Friendship which is the home of the NMLRA.  

I also carved and scrimshawed horns I'd built.  I guess I was really into ML back in the day.  I'd shot competitive pistol prior to that and shot trap after.