New to muzzleloading

emr

Cheesehead Treehouser
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
2,193
Location
Neenah, Wisconsin
I just got a muzzleloader for my birthday and I am looking for any tips or pointers from experienced shooters. It is just a cheap gun that you can find just about anywhere but it actually got good reviews online. It's a CVA Wolf. The gun is an inline 50 cal. Today was the first time I shot it (also the first time I ever shot a muzzleloader) and it was quite fun.

It took me a while to get it sighted in and towards the end of the day I stared having a slight delay in the firing process. I am thinking this was due to a dirty breech plug since I didn't clean anything during the shorting process. I probably shot about 10 to 12 shots when the delay staring happening. Was a dirty breech plug the problem? I spent about an hour cleaning the gun tonight so hopefully that problem won't happen while I am using it for hunting. I plan on taking it deer hunting with me and the season starts next weekend. Needless to say I am pretty pumped up for this season to start.
 
Muzzle loaders are a lot of fun. I got a 45 caliber, flintlock, Pennsylvania rifle kit at Dixie Gun Works in Union City, Tennessee in 1969. Haven't hit much with it yet, but the fault is with the shooter, not the rifle. My first shot is usually my best as I have forgotten about the flash in the pan about 8" from the face, since the last time I shot it. Enjoy.
 
I've shot a few, they are fun. Don't know alot about them though. Been thinking about getting one as muzzleloader season has some great hunts in the rut. I looked your's up, seems like a nice bang stick, have fun!
 
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  • #4
Most people seem to think it's a good starter for not a huge investment..... Which is exactly what I wanted. My back door neighbor told me that his uncle and cousin both have the same gun as I do and they love it. My neighbor is the only person that I know who shoots muzzleloaders and he has been very helpful so far. Other than him, I am trying to do lots of research online. There is so much info out there and most of it seems to be sponsored by different manufacturers. Makes it hard to find unbiased info.
 
I've got a cival war replica of a Remington 1842 I think nicknamed a Zouaze .58 caliber 540 grain maxi ball .80 grains of black powder .Has the same knock down at 100 yards as a 30:06 with a 220 grain soft nose .Good grief that thing will knock down a moose and the north and south shot each other with those cannons .

They are a lot of fun to shoot and it didn't used to be very expensive but I haven't shot the thing in years .

Keep in mind that black powder or Pyradex is corrosive and always wash the barrel down with hot soapy water and swab it dry afterwards then oil it up .
 
And remember one thing. Don't screw with blackpowder. Give that stuff top respect. It will go boom with no forgiveness.
 
Just keep it clean. Black powder begins to foul quickly and will corrode your barrel, to the point of ruining your gun.

I am looking toward one of these for next year since there is no rifle season here. Shotgun or Black powder only.
http://ultimatefirearms.com/
 
You start to lose accuracy when the barrel fouls up too. I never owned an inline but I could see how gunk would delay ignition.

My neighbor got a ball stuck trying to load his muzzle loader. He had to use a special tool that screwed into the ball to get it out. That was from gunk.

I bought a Thompson Center Patriot new in the early 80's. Muzzle loading .45 pistol with a set trigger. Amazingly accurate.
 
The worst for powder fouling are patched round ball types like the KY long rifles .About half a dozen shots you'd best swab the barrel .The big bore conical unpatched bullets like my cival war era rifle can probabley take 40 shots before they start to protest .

Now a tip ,after you pop a round and before you reload blow a couple seconds through the end to make damned certain the powder is all burnt out .Just one tiny burning ember of powder in that barrel will ruin your day as it sets off the next load of powder .Ha you can always tell a black powder shooter ,black lips .
 
The funiest black powder story that comes mind is a brother of a friend of mine .Good old Huey was really intelligent about most things .He was an achitect,now retired in Colorado .Huey had no common sense though .Well he bought him a big old 50 cal Hawkins and before too long stuck the damn ram rod in the barrel .Couldn't get the thing out .

Aha says Huey ,shoot it out so he did with a hundred grains of fff powder right into a big hickory ,oops .Off to town buys another ram rod and before the end of the day lost it too .Not into a hickory this time ,in the air .The last it was seen was 100 feet in the air heading for Canada never to return again .
 
Was a dirty breech plug the problem?

Yes.
When target shooting most swab the bore every 3-5 shots and pull and clean breech pug at the same time. You need to develop a feel for how many shots your powder, primer, lube/bullet combo can do.

Make sure and swab the bore for a few days after cleaning to keep it from rusting.
 
I have a Hawken rifle, a CVA inline, and a 209x.50 T/C Encore. THe Encore is the only one I use anymore, as I don't like using the Hawken (too pretty, and a hassle to clean) and I just don't care for the CVA. I learned several years ago that the Triple-7 powder is worth the extra cost over Pyrodex, as it's far easier to clean. Pyrodex is nearly as corrosive as black powder, it seems to me. And I use Triple-7 powder, not the pellets. I killed a doe at 170 yards last year with the Encore.
 
Oh trust me black powder will reach out and touch them alright .I've shot targets at 200yards with that old 58 and it has an arc like a morter round .Longest deer shot was maybe 80 yards .
 
Our muzzle loader is a 1/12" bore 24" home made cannon...trned out of shaft steel and heat shrink lined with stainless steel.
Accuracy is S#&t, but it could clear the decks with a load of nuts and bolts...stand too close and just the concussion wave would do you serious damage.

One 5 second wick, one old film canister of black powder and two wads of toilet paper, packed down tight with a wooden stick...pink for special occasions

BIG bang and lots of smoke...
 
A guy I used to work with built a small replica of a Dahligren gun ,naval thing .It was around 1.25-1.5 inch bore .Well Jimmy too was somewhat of an idiot .He used to pack a couple ounces of black powder,dry newspaper then wet newspaper hammer it in tight and torch it off with a length of cannon fuse .

It seems old Jim got his ram rod stuck too like Huey and shot it out .Only this time it stuck itself in an oak church door about a quarter mile away.This time the sherrif retrieved his ram rod and told Jim if he ever fired that thing off again they would take it away from him .No sense of humor I guess .:lol:
 
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  • #17
I use Whitehots pellets which supposedly burns cleaner and completely. Is it a common problem of powder still burning in the barrel after shooting? That could be scary.
 
I use Whitehots pellets which supposedly burns cleaner and completely. Is it a common problem of powder still burning in the barrel after shooting? That could be scary.

Whitehots are what I have been using.
Very little chance of a ember fire with pellets.

With black powder we would blow down the barrel to do two things, one make sure any embers were burnt and two the moisture in your breath softens the fouling making the next round load easier.
 
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  • #19
Do you still blow down the barrel with the Whitehots.... To help with loading?
 
They got pretty advanced with black powder during the cival war .One example is the British Whitworth .It shot a specially shaped projectile with an effective range of 1000 yards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitworth_rifle

It was a banded construction much like the Zouave I own but could be outfitted with telescopic sights .Parker -Hale makes a reproduction model still I think ,damned pricey . I have shot one ,years ago .

The bore was so tight on those things which used a paper ,shaped base wadding that required a false muzzle starter and a hammer to start the bullit down the barrel on a reload .I think they were 45 cal
 
Different type of weapon .During the revolutionary war they lined up in ranks and fired volley shots at one another and the last man standing won ,well sort of .Did the same stupid BS during the cival war ,even into wwI and WWII .

Going back to the revolutionary war both the Yanks and Brits tried to mow each other down with smooth bore muskets that would be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn at 100 yards but they could be loaded fast .Then came a few long range riflemen with KY type long rifles .Couldn't load as fast but could pick off the enemy whom ever that was at ranges exceeding 400 yards with deadly accuracy .

Then you had select almost covert opts carried out by groups such as the "green mountain boys " of up state NY ,New Hampshire etc .Small tightly banned highly skilled marksmen supplied with rifles and could hit a dime at 100 yards nine out of ten shots .More or less kind of like an early days special forces group historically speaking .---different method of waging war and highly successfull considering the tactics of the time .
 
I have 2 CVA inlines and love them. I have a Firebolt 209 Magnum, and recently an Elkhorn Pro. They are the ones that have the open breech area that are "exposed to the elements" to be legal here in WA to hunt with. Can't use any "closed breech" design. We also can't use 209 primers and can't use any glass sights. So they still keep them kinda "primitive". They are a kick in the ass to shoot though. I shot my first elk with one.

Gary
 
I have never seen a bull elk in the wild .Lotsa cow elk but no bull .Rather large ,they have an arse like a Georgia mule .
 
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