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I would save up and buy an original. The price difference between an Italian repro and a shootable antique is not that great. Some very shootable antiques are actually proced lower than a quality repro. I am not wealthy by any means, but I was very glad I made the decision years ago to pay a...

That is easily explained by the repeated observations that in my .54 Hawken and in fact, all my other rifles, equal loads (volume) of Swiss get 300 to 400 fps more velocity than Goex. Speed isn't everything, but it is something. Rather smack a deer/elk/bear at 1700 fps, than at 1400 fps. I...

I've shot a lot of different guns, both rifles and handguns, over the chronograph. Many of those results I have posted on this forum, and should be readily available doing a search. Bottom line is that Swiss is much hotter than Goex, certainly more than the commonly stated 10%. Nowadays if...

I've been shooting this original SxS 13 gauge for decades. Robert Chaplain, Birmingham, UK, mfg. 1850-ish. "London Fine Twist" barrels. I remotely proofed each barrel with 2 oz. of shot, and a stout load of powder when I got it, been my main shotgun ever since. Standard load is 1 1/8 Oz. of...

Well, I returned to the range today sighting in my .54 "Hunter Hawken" and it's near twin, the .54 Charles Daly/ Investarms, that I've had since the mid 1970's. I replaced those atrocious factory adjustable sights on the Chuck Daly with a buckhorn rear and brass blade up front. Really haven't...

Yup, they could have been re-used. I used a lubed wad over powder to protect the patch, as has become my standard practice in all my rifles. I have another Investarms Hawken in .54 (my first muzzleloading rifle, 1976) that is nearly identical, .54, 1 in 48", that shoots great with higher...

I've had a .54 Cabelas/Investarms "Hunter Hawken" sitting around for a couple of decades collecting dust. Chromed barrel with a 1 in 48" twist. Since my eyesight has deteriorated due to age, I find it difficult to shoot decent groups with any of my rifles nowadays. Still "Minute of Deer", but...

For just pure shooting pleasure, I prefer my .36's by a wide margin. My favorite pistol is the 1851 Navy. When out hunting or walking around the woods, I most often carry a .44, as it is a more effective choice for game and varmints, whether two or four legged.

I've shot round balls in my Robert Chaplain, Birmingham, UK, SxS 13 gauge shotgun for decades. It was mfg. in the 1850's, and has "London Fine Twist" barrels. Minute of deer out to 40 yards. Actually the individual barrels are more accurate than that, but the point of impact begins to diverge...

A few weeks ago, I posted about a couple of old pistol kits I purchased back in the mid 1970's. One is still NIB, a CVA Tower Pistol. The other, a CVA/Jukar .45 Kentucky, I assembled and deliberately made it look rough to give it an antique look. I shot it a lot back in the day, as it was my...

Oh, boy. The laws regarding black powder guns vary wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. My first point is I would not trust anything I heard on the internet, nor from the three legal scholars you work or shop with. GENERALLY speaking, a black powder firearm, while not considered a...

I got an old Super Companion that I have shot once in the last 20 years. Mine came with instructions to only use Remington #10 caps, I heard the newer ones are made to use Remington #11's. Mine would only fire with Remington #10's, and the cylinder could not be re-inserted with any other cap...

I use .454 or .457 interchangeably, preferring the .457, but most often use .454 since I have that mold. I get better accuracy and more fps with equal loads using the larger diameter ball. Even though Pietta's shave the ball too small, the larger "equator" allows for a better gas seal and more...

If that is an original, the stock has been sanded and refinished. The rear sight is also "hokey" looking, as it appears to be off an early trapdoor, not an authentic 3 leaf sight, nor a 1863 Type 2 single leaf sight, as everyone I have ever seen only has a single peep for 300 yards, and a v...

The Lee conical has always been a Big PITA to load in any cap and ball revolver I own. A year or so ago, I got the Era's Gone Kerr Bullet, and life got better. That conical bullet will load easily in any revolver I have tried it in, including my Pietta .44 "Navies", which have a notoriously...

I like .380's in my .36 Navies, better accuracy and more velocity with same powder charge. You have a Pietta, by in my Uberti Navies, whether the 1851 or 1861, I must use the .380, as the .375 is too small, with no lead shaved off, and movement from recoil. My favorite revolver is a Pietta 1851...

There are so many variables to not only to velocity, but also shot to shot consistency. In GENERAL TERMS, I will make these observations, based on many thousands of founds fired over chronos. Goex Powder is the weakest of all commonly available powders. Goex 3f and Pyro RS are equivalent in...

I've shot a lot, literally thousands of rounds over various chronographs, and have never noticed that trend. So my answer is "No", based upon personal observations.

I don't use a "Zouave", but I do hunt deer with an original Colt Special Musket, mfg. 1862, so basically the same thing ballistically. A 60 grain charge of 3f or sub equivalent, with a standard 510 grain traditional Minie (sized .580 from Pat Kaboskey) works just great. My gun will not shoot...

Was digging thru some old boxes the other day, and came across some pistols I had completely forgotten about. One is a completely new in the box CVA Tower pistol kit. The other is my first attempt at putting a muzzleloading pistol together, I think it was called a Kentucky Pistol, but I no...