september october 2006 - PDF document

• September/October 2006  September/October 2006What is it about the crack of the rifle and the acridsmell of blackpowder smoke that keeps the an-cient love affair with muzzleloaders alive today?uses ramrods, powder, flints and an assortment of toolsthat require you to do a mental checklist before you goafield? Ask any experienced shooter and you will likelyget three common answers: love of the guns and theirhistory; extended hunting seasons; and the accuracy of aprecision-built load. Most will also tell you that it wassomeone else who got them interested in the sport.In New Hampshire, we are privileged to have an earlymuzzleloader season for deer, with no restrictions on typesof ignition systems. Most flintlocks are legal and do arespectable job on deer, bear and moose. Every gun shopcarries at least one kind of muzzleloading rifle and all theaccessories. Muzzleloading is taught in Hunter Educationcourses, and books on the guns and hunting with them arewidely available. In 2005, more than 27,000 muzzleloaderhunting licenses were sold in New Hampshire, and manyhunters make successful kills. This kind of hunting pre-serves a pure form of the hunt where you only have one shot, ROGER IRWIN PHOTO   With muzzleloaders’ growing popularity inNew Hampshire and across the country, it isunlikely to see them fade into history. But historyhas been rewritten.There was a time when the original guns werealmost an extinct species. Shortly after WorldWar I, the men returning from war — having firedloader as “old” technology. By the 1930s, the oldguns reached a low point and perhaps would havesouthwestern Ohio to promote a shoot. An ad forthe shoot ran in the February 1931 and drew 67 participants. The ad read:An event for muzzleloading rifles only, withnone of the fancy gadgets for fancy sighting.Many a fine old gun of ramrod loading willbe brought out with men behind them thatcan show the present-day crop of riflemen aFrom that beginning was formed the NationalMuzzle Loading Rifle Association, which hasbecome the voice of muzzleloading.BREATHERToday, you have great choices in muzzleloadinggun styles. There are two common lock styles:sidelock and “in-line.” As the names suggest, thelock is either on the side of the barrel or in line withthe barrel. With the sidelock style, you have asource of flint or percussion ignition. With the in-line, you have a choice of percussion caps or shotgunprimers, often called a 209 ignition.Replicas following the patterns of originalguns like the Hawkins Plains rifles, KentuckyLong rifles and military arms up through the CivilWar replicas, put a sense of history and traditionin your shooting. These guns are quite adequatefor hunting, and many fill this need every year —but the most common use is for competitive shoot-showcase the accuracy of the guns and their shoot-ers. Local gun clubs feature competitive shootingand places like Old Fort No. 4 in Charlestown,Other events travel the region, featuring reenactorsin period dress, like the National Muzzle LoadingRifle Association’s Northeastern Primitive Ren-dezvous or primitive biathlons in New Hampshireand Vermont that test the prowess of muzzleloaderdling like a modern rifle and being somewhatweather-resistant. Maybe some of you started be-fore in-lines were popular, and some may neverhave fired an in-line, but this unique cross ofmodern style, single-shot, load-from-the-muzzle“fire breathers” draws more interest yearly. Amongmany muzzleloader manufacturers, two local com-panies — Thompson/Center Arms of Rochester,New Hampshire, and Millennium DesignedMuzzleloaders (MDM) of Maidstone, Vermont,are recognized nationally. Their muzzleloadersare commonly found on the gun racks of hunters inChoosing your lock type will put you intocertain stocks and barrels. Barrel lengths are bestchosen by the type of hunting you do most often.the gun should already be set up with them to getthe proper fit. Barrel lengths in most hunting gunslength if you plan to use a sling to carry in thewoods. When you talk hunting guns, in-lines fillthe need with options like camo stocks, scopes,slings and stainless steel.ATCHThe old rule, “powder, patch and ball” – that is,the order in which materials are loaded into themuzzle — still applies if you shoot traditionalguns, but for the modern hunter, it is just “powderbefore projectile.” Powder has only one caution:make sure it is for muzzleloaders! Only SavageArms makes a gun that takes smokeless powders;all others take black powder or substitutes madeChoosing the right powder should be based onaccuracy, not ease of cleaning. You still need toclean and lubricate after shooting, no matter whattype of powder you use, because they all leavecorrosive by-products that will slowly destroyyour bore. Most hunters choose pellets over granu-lar, just for the convenience.The last part of the equation is the bullet. Thisis the most hotly debated subject in muzzleloading.There are literally a hundred different types ofbullets. Each maker has different styles and grainfirearms bringhistory alive atcompetitions and © NHFG / MARQUIS WALSH PHOTO  September/October 2006  September/October 2006weights, each giving you different trajectory andmuzzle energy. How do you choose? First, knowthat bore diameters vary by maker, so it’s usuallybest to pick a bullet suggested by the gun companyfor your specific model. Too tight or too loose a fitwill cause loading and accuracy problems. Whatyou want is a balance of tight fit that loads easilyon the second shot. Bullet weight should be basedon the type of game, but generally, a bullet of .50caliber — around 260 grains — will take anythinghere in the Northeast.Thirty-six years of shooting muzzleloaders hastaught me a few things about accessories. Youneed just a few essentials to make a day afieldmuzzleloading history. The Mountain Man car-small bag slung over his shoulder. Modern tech-nology has made it possible to carry the basics injust your pocket.Start with speed loaders: They carry both pow-der and bullet in a waterproof tube. Two should bereloading and a few stored in a sealed bag. (Thisway, if some get wet, you can get into your dryreserve.) Also, keep some type of tool that easilyremoves stuck primers from your brand of rifle.Trust me, trying to remove a stuck primer for asecond shot can be a frustrating experience. An-other good tool is a wrench to remove the nipple orbreach plug, because all of us inadvertently load abullet without powder from time to time. Finally,carry a spare ramrod that fits your gun. A brokenor lost rod could put you out of the hunt. On thesame note, carry enough powder and bullets foryour trip, especially if you travel to remote areas.Muzzleloading has traveled a long road. Threecenturies have improved the ignition, the parts andthe powder, but not the shooter. Those early shoot-ers in Ohio may have said it best when theybelieved muzzleloaders “could show the present-day crop of riflemen a thing or two.” Somethinginside a person draws them to this ancient ritual ofpowder and ball in a world of high tech. If youhave never tried it, you don’t know what you’reCharlie Chalk lives in Merrimack and hunts inthe Northeast and Canada with muzzleloadingfirearms. He lectures on the history and use of themuzzleloader and is a member of the NationalMuzzle Loading Rifle Association. Charlie is aprofessional writer and Past President of the NewEngland Outdoor Writers Association.
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