Eight weeks ago I had never fired a muzzleloader. Today I was at the range solo, shooting a used T/C Hawkins .50 that I bought recently. I had a big ol' time. No hangfires or misfires, hit the paper consistently, and still have all my fingers and both eyebrows. I even got the thing cleaned up properly (well, we'll see after a week or two).
The great advice and insights I got from the folks in this forum went a long way to making it happen. My experience was that guys were patient of questions they've heard a hundred times before, and genuinely interested in offering effective advice. If you're seriously interested in getting into muzzleloading, this is an excellent place for information and opinions.
One thing, though: does this site have an FAQ? Like any new hobby or sport, a glossary of terms and abbreviations would be useful to newcomers. If such a thing does exist on the site, I overlooked it.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who contributes. I've got to think there's a lot of guys who never post a message but learn an awful lot from what you guys discuss here.
The great advice and insights I got from the folks in this forum went a long way to making it happen. My experience was that guys were patient of questions they've heard a hundred times before, and genuinely interested in offering effective advice. If you're seriously interested in getting into muzzleloading, this is an excellent place for information and opinions.
One thing, though: does this site have an FAQ? Like any new hobby or sport, a glossary of terms and abbreviations would be useful to newcomers. If such a thing does exist on the site, I overlooked it.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who contributes. I've got to think there's a lot of guys who never post a message but learn an awful lot from what you guys discuss here.