Brand new here

[Bill A]

Hello,

New to this forum and to blackpowder (tho' by no means new to firearms or to shooting). My son wanted a traditional ml rifle for his b-day, so I bought him a Traditions Shenandoah in .50 caliber. Nice gun!

An observation and a question. First, I'm amazed at how the scene has changed. Last time I looked (and remember, I've NOT been part of the muzzleloading world until now) it was virtually all traditional rifles. Now they are hard to find in stock around here (SE Michigan). What happened? Even Cabela's had almost zip in stock, when it came to traditionals.

The question: What's a good book to buy to get started? All we have is the rifle; no ball, no powder, no nothin'. Although I've owned in excess of 100 guns in my life, from European free pistols to 300 H & H Magnum long range rifles and about everything in between, I don't have a clue how to load (well, I've got a general idea), clean, etc., etc. I've hardly even fired one of these things (a friend did have a replica matchlock I did fire off a monopod and few times, and once in a great while I've been handed a .50 or .54 cal at a range and fired it). But I'm truly a novice. . .

Bill

 

[CrackStock]

For beginning in BP accuracy,:
Dutch's ML Shooting System

This system was the best money that I spent in my ML adventures. There are a few areas where I have diverted from the path, but this helped me a great deal and the author is counted as a friend from his willingness to help get new shooters up and running and making better shooters out of the rest of us.

I also suggest the Lyman Black Powder Handbook for basic loading data.

Just wandering around the Links Page of MLF can send you to a lot of helpful sites.

Of particular interest:
Dixon's
or
Track of the Wolf

Glad that you found you way into the hobby and forums.

CS

 

[mooman76]

Yes it seem most have gone the non tradition route for MLs. Allot just because they want to hunt the BP season but just want something more modern I guess. The old ones still work great when applied properly.

 

[necchi]

Welcome to it,
There's really no need to go out and "buy" a book, Everything you need can be found here in current topics and the archives.
Just search around for other "New to BP" threads.

Here's a PDF of the Thompson Center manual that covers all the basics, and will at least give you the proper terms and language used in Trad ML game. It's well done and covers everything for every kind of sidelock traditional muzzle loaders; http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/noncurrent/Shooting_TC_Side_Lock_Black_Powder_Guns.pdf

One of the very first things you need to do is thoughly clean that rifle especially the bore and the "fire channel" that's the area between the cap and the main barrel area called the breech..
All makers use a heavy packing grease for shippment and shelf life before sales.
That grease and burning powder do not mix well, the residue becomes a very hard almost tar like substance that can really plug things up.
Brake Cleaner and/or petroleum solvents are best, clean the barrel till a white patch comes out white.
Take the lock out and degrease, clean and re-oil that too, don't be afraid to break your gun down to individual componets, the are no hidden springs that'll go flying, this is 200yr old basic mechanics, timeless simplicity.
You'll find many CF shooters and loaders here too so the knowledge base is broad. Most of your CF solvents and techniques need to be forgotten, this really is another ball game.

Example of our knowledge base;
here's your lock;

Here's your trigger;

Each of the photo's are for other demonstration points but is just an example of how we can help ya here, :wink:

 

While necchi has a point, to a point, there are some great books that will answer some questions before the need to ask them arises.
One of the best in my opinion is a largely forgotten, long out-of-print, paperbound treasure, titled Muzzle Loading Shooting and Winning with the Champions.
I just checked ABE, and there are eight copies available from $29 and some change to $65. I’d have to think about the more expensive ones for a while, but I would buy one of the cheaper ones in a heartbeat if I didn’t already have a copy. I bought mine new, and although I don’t remember what it cost then, thirty bucks is probably a fair “adjusted for inflation” price, Especially since the book is out of print.
The book is the work of several different men who, instead of being professional writers who spent as much or more time writing than shooting, spent much more time shooting than writing. The only “pro” involved in the project was the late Don Davis who did some of the writing and acted as editor.
There are chapters for about any kind of muzzleloading shooting you can think of, from slug gun to primitive and everything in between.
When this book came out I had been shooting muzzleloading round ball rifles, rifled muskets, and shotguns for several years. But I didn’t really learn to SHOOT until I read one of Max Vickery’s contributions to the book.
It’s fortunate that, by the nature of the sport there is very little information in the book that can be considered “dated”. If I could have only one muzzleloading book in my possession, it would be this one.

 

[William O.]

Here is a link to some very basic muzzle loading procedures that may help you out; http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/circ500.pdf

 

[cynthialee]

HI!

Welcome aboard!

One thing I did when I wanted to learn how to properly load and fire black powder rifles a few months ago was to go on youtube and watch a bunch of videos of guys loading and fireing these types of firearms. (pretty sure some of the guys here have some black powder firearm videos on youtube)
It is pretty basic when you get down to it. Remembering to maintain proper safety measures is probably the most brain consuming part.

 

[Roguedog]

Welcome aboard Bill. Are there any muzzleloading clubs around your parts? How bout any friends or acquaintances that shoot muzzleloaders? There's a ton of good info on this forum and I read it all the time just for fun and entertainment. I'm sure you will get plent of good info. However, I will add my two cents about blackpowder shooting. CLEAN the gun after you shoot!!! Don't wait till tomorrow or the next day. I clean my gun immediately when I get home. A clean gun is a happy gun and it also makes me happy to clean my gun. Blackpowder residue and rust are bosom buddies and I like to kick em' out of the house as soon as I can. Good luck in your adventure.

Jeff

 

[tonybones]

Welcome to the forum. My sole interest in muzzle loading is traditional, I'm a newbie to the forum too. i hope you find what you want and have fun.

Tony :thumbsup:

 

[ohio ramrod]

Welcome to the forum. As suggested buy Dutch Schultz's system. For reasons known only to Dutch he sent me a free copy last week and I can honestly say it is an excellant summary of what it took me fourty years to learn on my own!It is suprising how many "things" you can buy for this game, yet only a few basics are really needed. Powder (Black if at all available to you ), patch, ball , and for percusion, caps. You can clean just as well with warm water and a few drops of soap, as with the many expensive "solvents". Just remember black powder guns MUST be cleaned and oiled. :hmm:

 

[russecv58]

depending what part of SE Michigan, if youre ever in Clarkston, stop by Flint & Frizzen gun shop. good place for muzzleloaders & supplies. :thumbsup:

 

[redneck]

lymans black powder digest has it all

 

[Bill A]

Thanks for all the helpful responses. This seems like a great forum!

Bill