Book recommendation

[Trailsend]

I am very new to all of this. Is there a good book someone could recommend. I am looking at shooting a percussion rifle.

 

[Billnpatti]

What, exactly, are you looking for? If you want to learn basic information on muzzleloadng, a good book is "The Complete Black Powder Handbook" by Sam Fadala. If you already know the basics of how to load and fire and care for your rifle and are ready to learn how to wring the maximum accuracy from your rifle, I highly recommend going to this website www.blackpowderrifleaccurcy.com and buying Dutch's system. it isn't a big publication but it is crammed with information on how to wring the maximum accuracy from your rifle. It is for both percussion and flintlock rifles. It is a real bargain at only $20.

If you want to learn how to build a rifle, I recommend "The Gunsmith of Granville County" by Peter Alexander it is an outstanding "how to" book of rifle building. Another is "The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle" by the folks at Dixon Muzzleloading Shop in Kempton, PA.

I hope this answers your question but if you need more info, come on back and let us know specifically what you are looking for.

 

[cynthialee]

Well this web site has more collected information than any book you will ever find. Now there are some you may wish to buy and read, but if you want to learn BP...read this web site.

 

[Trailsend]

Thanks, I am very new to all of this. I shot a friends way back in the day and have a very rudimentary knowledge of black powder. I need to start from the very basics and go from there. I have a lot of questions. Most I am sure you guys have answered tons of times on this site already. So I thought I would start with a book and go from there. All I really know at this point is that I would like to shoot a percussion rifle with round balls. So my understanding is a need a rifle with a slower rate of twist.

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

I agree with Bill. Sam's book is first rate, even, maybe a bit to much for the a rookie BP shooter. With all due respect to Cynthia, if you need the "cold hard facts", that book will cut through the "old wives tales", if ya get my drift.

 

[Billnpatti]

Watch the For Sale section on this forum for some good deals on used caplock rifles. As far as rate of twist, if you buy a small bore such as a .32 cal. or a .36 cal. you will want a twist rate around 1:48. the small bores seem to prefer a faster twist rate. For the .50 cal., the .54 cal. an larger, a twist rate of around 1:66 is better for round balls. These are not exact twist rates but will give you an idea of what to look for. Different barrel makers use different twist rates. For instance, you may find one .54 caliber barrel with a 1:66 twist rate while the next one by a different maker may be 1:60 or 1:70 but most all of them will be a slow twist rate if they are intended for patched round balls. But, it must be noted that Thompson Center made their .50 and .54 Hawkens and other rifles with a 1:48 twist rate just like the original Hawken brothers did back in the early 1800s. Most of my rifles have a 1:66 twist rate.

 

[Alden]

The Muzzleloading Rifle Handbook

'This handbook on muzzleloading rifles is one in a series of NRA publication on the basics of shooting. It is the student text for the NRA/NMLRA Muzzleloading Rifle Shooting Course.

Included are such topics as muzzleloading rifle parts and terms, types of black powder, safety, fundamentals of shooting, shooting positions, cleaning and storage.'

An easy but informative basic read, lotsa fine diagrams and pics. Just right for an across-the-board introduction to the beginner of all ages IMPO!