My First Traditional BP Rifle

[Chris69]

I found a TC New Englander .50 cal locally, clean bore, no rust, some minor bumps and bruises on the wood and needs some clean up. $275 OTD seemed like a decent price to me but I am certainly no expert on values for these types of firearms. Did I get a decent deal, is this a good rifle to introduce me to traditional muzzle loading ? Thanks.

 

[Mulebrain]

That's a good start, and a good quality gun for a great price!

Get balls .490 or .495, pillow ticking patching, powder and caps to feed it. 60 grains of fff would be a good start

 

[Splitear]

You've got a great rifle there, congrats! Be on the lookout for a .54 and 12 gauge barrel for it now

 

[Justin.44]

Welcome to the forum! Yes you did fine. Now if you find a 12 gauge barrel for a New Englander you'll have a rifle and smoothbore in one! Do a lot of reading and asking questions on this forum and you'll figure out everything you need to get started. Better yet, seek out a muzzleloading club in your area. Have fun! Justin

 

[Chris69]

Welcome to the forum! Yes you did fine. Now if you find a 12 gauge barrel for a New Englander you'll have a rifle and smoothbore in one! Do a lot of reading and asking questions on this forum and you'll figure out everything you need to get started. Better yet, seek out a muzzleloading club in your area. Have fun! Justin

I’m hoping my pal @windini will guide me through the world of traditional BP shooting but I’ll be on the lookout for clubs as well. Thanks.

 

[Chris69]

You've got a great rifle there, congrats! Be on the lookout for a .54 and 12 gauge barrel for it now

I had no idea I could switch barrels to 12 ga or .54 on this rifle. Thanks for the info.

 

[Splitear]

I had no idea I could switch barrels to 12 ga or .54 on this rifle. Thanks for the info.

It took me a while but I ended up with all 3.

 

[Chris69]

That's a good start, and a good quality gun for a great price!

Get balls .490 or .495, pillow ticking patching, powder and caps to feed it. 60 grains of fff would be a good start

Thank you for the information, that will give me a good starting point. As of now, I only have Pyrodex RS, still on the hunt for the ever elusive caps. Would real BP be a better option than the substitutes? Thanks.

 

[Mulebrain]

Thank you for the information, that will give me a good starting point. As of now, I only have Pyrodex RS, still on the hunt for the ever elusive caps. Would real BP be a better option than the substitutes? Thanks.

Real bp should generally be better, however it depends on what the rifle likes. Bench fire them both and see, all part of the fun

 

[kyron4]

Thank you for the information, that will give me a good starting point. As of now, I only have Pyrodex RS, still on the hunt for the ever elusive caps. Would real BP be a better option than the substitutes? Thanks.

Real BP is always better in my opinion ; but many of us , including myself, have and do do shoot Pyrodex without issue.

Either 2F or 3F BP will work fine but you may find with the shorter barrel that 3F will preform better. No matter what you use make sure to properly clean the bore before the sunsets after shooting.

 

[LSLibelo]

Welcome from California.

 

[Sam squanch]

Mine is deadly accurate with a .495 ball, very thin patch ( pants pocket lining) and an equal measure of cream of wheat over the powder. That’s 1- powder charge.2- equal measure of cream of wheat. 3. Patched round ball. One hole groups at 50 yards- with a slightly pitted bore. The best part- this rifle only cost me $100!

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Ditch the modern sights. If your goal is traditional, then get used to using those type sights.

 

[gunpa]

I bought my 54 Cal New Englander brand new in about 1989. I had the barrel relined by Bobby Hoyt a year ago. If I had oiled the bore properly that could have been avoided. It's still a great shooter and I'm hunting with it this fall. Great gun!

 

[Bushfire]

Jokes on you my friend, now you're stuck with muzzleloading for life!

Welcome and enjoy the ride.

 

[JeffG]

Welcome to the Rabbit Hole!

 

[ORBushman]

The New Englander is a great rifle and perfect size to start out with. Congrats and let us know how you like it after a range session. Here's mine:

 

[windini]

Lots of good input for you already!

I'll be glad to step you through the lab section after you do some book larnin'!

 

[Grenadier1758]

Mine is deadly accurate with a .495 ball, very thin patch ( pants pocket lining) and an equal measure of cream of wheat over the powder. That’s 1- powder charge.2- equal measure of cream of wheat. 3. Patched round ball. One hole groups at 50 yards- with a slightly pitted bore. The best part- this rifle only cost me $100!

@Chris69 has found a very good entry level rifle I to traditional muzzleloading. While real black powder is best, sometimes Pyrodex is all that is available. Try Pyrodex PS as a bit faster powder.

And for Sam Squanch, the fabric used for pants pocket lining is my long time favorite material, #40 Drill Cloth, to be found in the utility cloth bin at JoAnn's Fabrics.