How much "trouble" ...

[hou5ton]

First, "trouble" is probably the wrong word .... sorry
Second, I'm thinking of moving to BP, and have been reading a lot of these forums, which brings up the follwing question.

Reading through the forums, I notice that sometimes it seems as if using BP is quite a bit of "trouble" regarding tinkering with patch/wad sizes or thickness, cleaning, storing, etc., etc. Also, it seems as if the gun isn't cleaned just right or the right lube isn't used, the accuracy will dissappear, etc.

I understand that using BP is certainly more high maintenance than grabbing the ol' centerfire rifle or pistol and heading out the door; but I'm starting to wonder if it isn't a lot more high maintenance than I thought it might be. I want to move to BP, but also need to be realistic about the time commitment.

And so, I'm just wondering, from some of you that do this mainly for hunting and are not retired, what kind of time and "fuss" is involved in just grabbing that .32 caliber musket and going squirrel hunting, or something similar to that? And by "fuss" I mean preparation time and "clean up the gun" time when you get back home.

thanks,
larry

 

[JKVirginia]

As one beginner to another... Think of it in these terms.

You'd go to a great deal of tinkering and difficulty if you were developing handloads for your centerfire rifle, because every rifle is a little different.

Now, EVERY load you put through your muzzleloader is handloaded. The point is, once you find the combo that works, you can just stick with it. So while setting up is a bit more effort than just buying 4-5 boxes of centerfire shells, once you're set up and you know what works with your particular rifle, it's not that much more of a neckpain than handloading for a centerfire.

Just :m2c:

 

[Mark Walker]

I'd say that YOU can control how much time and effort to put out. Everyone is diff. I normally don't shoot mine unless I've got a half day to spend shooting and cleaning.
The thing that does it for me is accuracy with a primative rifle; using a round ball to remove a magpie off my mail box at 60 yrds stuff like that. Once you have your combo, its easy and fun.

No pain no gain!!!

Flincher

 

[Old40Rod]

I'm a relative newbie :: been at it for only about three years. You can fool around as much as you want to. I started out with a basic rifle, store bought patches, balls, etc, no problem whatsoever, cleaning with 409 and water. "Tinkering" on my part has been driven primarily by inquisitiveness and desire to spend my time tinkering and learning. There really is no reason why you can't buy everything "off the shelf", use it as is and have an enjoyable experience without too much fuss and muss, and excellent open sight accuracy to boot. The problem is you will have so much fun you will want to start messing with things... I fell into making my own horns, bags, put together my .50 GPR kit and I am looking for another one in a moderate price range $400ish to work on this winter. One suggestion... check out a local BP club or shooter friend to show you the ropes. :imo:

 

[musketman]

Reading through the forums, I notice that sometimes it seems as if using BP is quite a bit of "trouble" regarding tinkering with patch/wad sizes or thickness, cleaning, storing, etc., etc.

It's all on what you want to get out of it, think of BP shooting like tuning a car...

If it's done right, it will work great...

I understand that using BP is certainly more high maintenance than grabbing the ol' centerfire rifle or pistol and heading out the door;

Even with centerfire cartridges, the reloader will work up a load to find the one truly accurate combination, that magic round that will out perform all others...

That's the same reason BP shooters work on different loads, lubes, patch thickness, ect...

Is it high maintenance, no more than anything else worth doing...

The commitment you put into it will reflect what you get out of it, only you can judge the level of commitment you are willing to expend on this style of shooting...

As for me, I have been shooting BP since 1976, I have no regrets...

 

[Dave K]

Some make it real high maintenace and some don't. I do all my hunting for squirrels with a muzzleloading rifle. You may need to add 15min. to your clean up time but that is about it. Certainly no big deal to me for an afternoon of hunting.

 

[jtmattison]

I've only been doing this for about two years now but I'm hooked.
If you truly enjoy the sport of muzzleloading as much as we all do time and effort will mean nothing to you.
It is all fun, from shooting to cleaning.
I get the most fun out of working up loads for my rifles.
It means you get to spend lot's of time shooting, say as opposed to WORKING!

Huntin

 

for going out hunting, nothing beats the feel of slinging your possibles bag over your shoulder, shaking your horn, and grabbing your trusty old smokepole to trudge off into the woods.

On the subject of cleaning. When you hunt, you should really only fire a few shots. A couple of quick swipes, and you're ready to fight another day, just like with a modern gun. In fact, I find that a modern gun is more involved when it comes to cleaning, due to all the extra parts.

When shooting all day, it will take a bit longer, but you'll learn how to make things easier on yourself and, again, I think that my smoothbore cleans faster than any suppository-loader I have ever run a box of shells through.

The thing is, once you start shooting BP for entertainment, you won't look at it as a chore. Developing loads becomes art on par with composing a symphony, and the sound of a deer crashing to the earth will be your standing ovation.

Personally, the loading and shooting for me is my meditation. I can't think of anything else when I am shooting or hunting; they require my complete attention which means that Life has to take a break and leave me alone so that my Gun and I can work together.

There's yer Zen moment fur the day, fellers.
:results:
Stumblin Buffler

 

[vradin]

Personally, the loading and shooting for me is my meditation. I can't think of anything else when I am shooting or hunting; they require my complete attention which means that Life has to take a break and leave me alone so that my Gun and I can work together.

There's yer Zen moment fur the day, fellers.
Stumblin Buffler

:agree:
Right there with ya, Stumblin... Sitting with the ML to clean is relaxing- me and the gun, quiet swoosh of water thru the barrel, dry patch, the scent of the oils on the warm dry barrel, then putting another coat of beeswax mix on the stock and buffing it out. Only way it could be better is if I could be sitting outside in front of a fire with a pot of coffee going too.

'sides- it takes a durn sight longer to clean up after a range day with the .45 1911M1- all them little parts and jeebus-springs to fret over.

I think I'll go down to the shop and clean that rifle again just cause it's so relaxing.

vic

 

Vic - you need help - :crackup:

 

[RussB]

Vic....grab a couple of mine on your way down. You just might get really relaxed if you put your heart, and your elbow in it... :crackup:

I don't mind the chore, it's the price I pay. In fact, it is very little to pay for the enjoyment I derive from it.

I do try to make it a point to not take more than two to the range at once "mostly because of the cleaning " .
If I end up cleaning three or four it's a job!... If I'm only cleaning one, it's a chore.

Russ

 

Yes - let me see, double shotgun, single fowler, rifles, cap'n ball & Flint Dueler & Derringer pocket pistol - yeah - rendezvous requires LOTS of cleaning. YUK! - But then we have a cleaning party, beer, friends, all cleaning at the same time - lots of fun, actually.

 

[musketman]

But then we have a cleaning party, beer, friends, all cleaning at the same time - lots of fun, actually.

Daryl, anyone ever try and clean their muzzleloader with beer at one of those parties? :crackup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Look at it this way. Muzzleloading is reloading every shot at the muzzle. With centerfires, you can either go to the store and buy a box of cartridges, or set up for reloading. Then it gets complicated. You could easily spend $5,000 setting yourself up to reload a rifle if you wanted to try all the bells and whistles. Neck sizing, neck reaming, micrometer dies, buffing polishers, digital scales, electric powder dispensers, multi-stage presses. And then there's choices of case manufacturer, dozens of powder choices and sometimes hundreds of bullet choices for a single caliber.

Or, you could get a basic Lee kit and a plastic mallet all the components for under $100.

Muzzleloading can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. I clean mine with soap and hot water. Nothing cheaper or easier in the world than that. You can get by with using your own spit for a patch lube. Crisco or olive oil work mighty fine, too. But you do have to be religious about cleaning the gun. No shooting on Sunday and cleaning on Friday kind of lazyness. The sun should never set on a dirty muzzleloader.

Once you get into it you may want to experiment, but it's not necessary. I just find it very satisfying to make my own "stuff" and futz around trying for faster loading, tighter groups, easier cleanup etc. etc. A hobby within a lifestyle.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, the guy who likes to take his modern cartridge gun to the range and shoot for 15 minutes, or go out squirrel hunting for an hour or two, then bring the gun home and toss it in the closet until next time is not the person who should get into muzzleloading.
I know there are a lot of people like that, because I see their dirty, uncleaned, rusty guns at gun shows all of the time.

The guy who plans an afternoon just for himself to target shoot, or hunt and likes his equipment enough to want to clean it and make sure it is in good shape for next time is someone who will enjoy muzzleloading.
Make no mistake, where some people can "get away" with not cleaning a smokeless gun, but the fouling from black powder is corrosive and must be cleaned after a day of shooting.

After a load is worked up for a particular gun, the only amount of extra time a muzzleloader takes is perhaps 15 minutes at the most.
This extra time is for little things envolving cleaning, like making sure the bore is dry and oiled and that the black powder residue on the outside of the stock is wiped off.
With a Flintlock, it also means removing the lock, but this is not really any more time consuming than removing the slide from a 1911 ACP.

As for getting ready to go out shooting, making sure you have powder, the right size balls, patches,precussion caps or a few extra flints isn't really any more difficult than making sure that you didn't toss the 30-30 cartridges in your backpack instead of the .270 cartridges your gun uses.

At the range one day, a couple of guys watched me reload and fire 3 shots. One of them turned to the other and said "That looks like it is a bigger pain in the A$$ than flyfishing!"
I looked at him and said, "I like fly fishing too."
I guess each person must decide if the rewards outweigh the small inconveniences. :results:

 

[Four2]

I am also a relative newbie to BP, only shooting BP regularly for 3-4 years now. Been shooting center-fire all me life and re-loading same for close to 30 years. BP is about all I shoot now. Since I've loved reloading for a long time, I think of the tinkering with loads, patches, etc. as part of the fun. The fact is, you will have a load capable of "hunting" accuracy within a very short time. As far as clean-up goes, make it part of your routine before you leave the range. Soap and water is great, but my favorite recipe is rubbing alchohol, Murphy Oil soap and peroxide in a ratio of about 3/3/1. Plug or cap your nipple and pour the barrel full; wait 5 minutes; swab till dry. Oil the bore with a good quality oil and you're done. I know there are some who frown on the peroxide component, so leave it out if you want.
Take the plunge, you won't regret it.

 

[Pork Chop]

I am beginning to feel that I am the only one on this forum that actually ENJOYS cleaning my weapons. I am new to this whole black powder thing, but I like the smell of Hoppes #9, Break Free, military RBC, and so forth. I get satisfaction out of doing a good job. Looking down a bore that is sparkling clean is a sight to behold.

I am even enjoying the new scents of the TC Black Powder cleaning product I bought and the Bore Butter...

 

[musketman]

I am beginning to feel that I am the only one on this forum that actually ENJOYS cleaning my weapons.

I like to clean them in the house and make Mrs. Musketman and the Musketkids gag, they say it smells like rotten eggs, I says its it smell of history...

 

[Donny]

sorry to bear the news, but it appears you are not one who is cut out for muzzleloading, :hmm: not everyone is.

 

The cleaning part to me is also part of the fun. I worked up a cleaning box just for the occasion.
I started looking at flea markets to find those old lead glass bottles. You know the ones that are all rainbow colored and have glass stoppers. I clean them out and put my cleaning solutions in them. I also made a wood grease box on my wood lathe that I plan on putting my lube in. I have tow and some muslin in there as well.
At vooos a couple friend and I sit down and clean things up. This way the cleaning is over before you know it and a nice chat goes along with it.
Now at home LMAO if I don