My First Muzzleloader Rifle

[mr.steve]

Tomorrow morning I will be the proud owner of a inline 50cal muzzleloader rifle.
I don't really know much about them. I've shot a few times with friends and that's about it. I need your advice on any books to introduce me to these new toys. Also, where I can purchase supplies around northern Indiana, I'm in Marshall county. I will be casting my own bullets for it so any hints for a newbie muzzleloader would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cwillour]

Congrats, they can be whole bunches of fun. There is not a whole lot I can say about educational references, as I buy factory bullets and literally started out by reading the manual that came with my 1st.

Most stores that have a firearms department will have at least some components (although your options may be pretty limited.) You could see if Walmart or Big-R have what you want and go from there.

FWIW, Granger Guns is can be a pretty good resource for components you cannot find at the big-box stores.

 

[Mgderf]

Congratulations on what I'm sure will turn out to be your latest "obsession".

Front stuffers are a lot of fun, a little bit of work if you do it right, but a lot of heartache if you do it wrong.

First off, while I'm sure there's nothing wrong with casting your own balls/bullets for an in-line, might I suggest you try the manufactured ammo first? There is a reason to my madness.

Most in-line muzzle loaders are designed to use the newer sabot or belted bullets.
I am VERY fond of "Power-Belt" brand bullets. They are deadly accurate at very long distances but more importantly, they are easier to load.
Loading the first round in a clean muzzle loader is generally not an issue once you're used to the process. It's the second, and the third, and the fourth...
Generally cast lead ammunition in a muzzle loader will foul the barrel not only with carbon deposits, but will also lead the barrel exponentially faster with each subsequent shot. (2nd shot twice as hard to load as the first...)
This problem is greatly lessened when using sabots. Subsequent shots are MUCH easier to load and thus much quicker as a rule.
Most in-lines I've seen also prefer powder "pellets" to loose powder. Pyrodex, Hodgens, White Hots, Jim Shockleys American Pioneer Powder (pellets)... are all serviceable, though I really prefer the J.S. Pioneer Powder and the new "White-Hots".
Use the hottest firing primer you can buy that will fit you rifle, and be sure to get yourself a primer hole pick. Sooner or later it will come in handy.
Pellets, in my opinion, offer you a safer, quick reload. I feel it's safer to drop a pellet down a hot barrel than it is to pour loose powder down the same barrel. It only takes one hot ember to ignite powder but I believe the pellets to be a bit more stable.
Regardless which powder type you use, KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION WHEN LOADING!

Clean you smoke-pole after EVERY shooting session. Period. Failure to do so could result in irreparable damage to your firearm, not to mention you self esteem.

Take it apart. Clean metal surfaces with hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly, rinse again, and dry COMPLETELY! I like to use a hair blow dryer to facilitate the drying process.

Muzzle loaders are a lot of fun, and some work, if you stay old-school. I didn't.
I bought a CVA "Electra" a while back. It is an electric muzzle loader. It uses a 9volt battery instead of a primer cap or shotgun primer.
It has a pair of electrodes set in the breech plug, much like a spark plug.
When "charged", this thing fires as fast as any center-fire cartridge I've ever shot. It is literally instantaneous ignition.
It wears a Bergara barrel (stainless) that is extremely accurate and a breeze to clean.

Using "Power-Belt" bullets I can hold 2" groups at 100 yards with open sights, and reloading the third or even fourth shots are no problem at all.

One 9volt battery is supposed to be good for 500 shots(?) If you forget and leave your muzzle loader "turned on", it is supposed to last 28 days, so theoretically, it would still be good for hunting after an extended period.

It takes less time to "re-charge" the firing mechanism than it does to re-load, so follow-up shots are quicker.

Anyway, enjoy your new toy, but don't fail to take care of it (clean after each use) or it won't be good for much for long.


National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

 

[woodsie57]

If you want to cast your own bullets,pure [soft] lead is highly recomended. Pellets are indeed "more stable" meaning harder to ignite- not necessarily a good thing.,plus,you cannot vary powder charges with pellets. They are,however, handy.

 

[Buck67]

I have been shooting traditional muzzleloaders flintlock and caplock for 30 years. I have never shot or even handled an inline. However, there are some things that still apply no matter what.

1) Clean your gun as soon as you can after shooting. Soap and water works well, so does windshield washer fluid. There are all kinds of recipes out there for cleaning solutions. Don't let anyone tell you that the newer powders are less corrosive than old-fashioned Black Powder. They aren't, actually they are a bit worse. So cleaning is important. Don't leave it for more than 1/2 a day, especially if it is humid. After cleaning make sure you oil the barrel well.

2) Most inline shooters use "pellets" of powder to provide the boom. As I understand it, the pellets are usually equal to about 50 grains of powder. Most shooters drop in 2 or 3 of the pellets and then go sight the gun in. I gotta tell you, 100 or 150 grains is a lot of powder. I only use 75 grains of black powder in my .54 and 90 grains of black powder in my .72. A lot of inline shooters apparently think that the gun is supposed boom and kick like a mule. I have seen several that had the flinches so bad that they couldn't hit a thing even off the bench. If you think about it, there have been a lot of deer killed with the 44/40 and 30/30. Those caliber designations originally meant 44 caliber and 40 grains of black powder. Anyway, my advice is to start with a caliber sized load of powder 50 caliber - 50 grains and then work up to an accurate load. If your best hunting load turns out to be 80 or 180 grains that is OK as long as you have actually experimented with other powder charges and know what works in your gun.

Your mileage may vary.

Buck67

 

[Buck67]

Cleaning and Shooting

OOPS

 

[mr.steve]

Thanks for the good info. I enjoyed the feedback. I put half a dozen balls down range this afternoon. I had an experienced muzzleloader friend with me guiding me through the process. what a blast!