Please do not take your muzzleloading gun for granted...

[Bon Sauvage]

I prefer lead but ITX caters to the muzzleloading crowd with ball and shot that are lead free and apparently work as intended.

Perhaps some people confuse shooting nails and what not from their muzzleloading firelocks with the trash that was sometimes fired through muzzleloading cannons. That ammunition was used enough to acquire a name: langrage.

 

[Chee-to]

I find this incredibly relaxing...........

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

I have 11 reproduction cap and ball revolvers from a Walker down to an NAA .22 magnum cap and ball. All of them are a hoot to shoot but I only shoot what they were designed for: black powder or subs and lead balls, unless using them with my cartridge conversion cylinders. I can't imagine getting too much accuracy shooting junk out the barrel of a muzzle loader unless at point blank range. Pattern wuld be worse than shooting shot out of a rifled barrel. Also black powder is not too forgiving if there is any sort of air space between the powder and the projectile.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I find this incredibly relaxing...........

It looks like a cross has been cut into the frizzen. I wonder if that was to make the firelock more effective against infidels.

 

[ageingstudent]

Since you mentioned safety Andy... Don't underestimate how much dammage BP guns can do. A couple years ago I shot a gopher in my mom's hayfield with a .45 colt SAA replica. The ball went through 4" of dry hard dirt, through the gophers head, and at least 4" more dirt before it stopped. I was impressed. Not even a max load.

 

[zenmonger]

"Often I have heard the statement:
That folks in the past would load rocks , glass , chain , nails and their ram rod down the bore and shoot the gun."

Andy

I recall a school field trip to the Chickamauga Battlefield many (MANY) years ago, and our guide said that after the battle some of the trees looked like porcupines because of all the ramrods sticking out of them. Whether that was true or not, I can understand that in the heat of battle, one might not have enough time to finish properly loading, and one just might have to choose between getting run through with a saber or firing a ramrod. People who would do such a thing intentionally, of course, are people I try to avoid.

 

[titsonritz]

I wonder how many ramrods were sent spinning towards the enemy, by green troops, during the ACW. I have read of at least two injuries sustained that were treated by army medics.

What happens next, share your buddy's ramrod or swing that club?

 

[BillGabby1]

Thanks MountainBear.... I am indeed very happy to answer any Muzzle loading question ... but I am far from being an expert.
Andy

Do you remember the definition of an expert?

An Ex is a has been,
and a spurt is a drip under pressure! LOLOL
Couldn't pass that one up Andy
I don't get that chance that often.
Gabby

 

[billdotcom]

If we are talking to people who are new to muzzle loaders we should also mention the need for cleaning compared to modern guns. My father in law gave me his Remington 700ml in 54 cal when it got hard to find that cal. I found a (I think) brand new ss barrel in 50 on eBay. Had it installed and had a great gun. I sighted it in and hunted with him a couple years. I approached cleaning like my other guns. That was a bad mistake. Now I need to try to find another barrel. Lesson learned.

 

[Rudedog]

Is casting lead a.k.a. "runnin' ball" as therapeutic as general reloading? I get dismayed at the thought of having a lube press. My first handgun was an 1860 Army knockoff
I hunted with a few guys who used front stuffers. I had a M1A that I considered a front stuffer. I had a friend who built his own .58 cal and the rust finish was lovely. I suppose some of our readers will think I am being cheeky here. The end result was a beautiful plum brown color.