range trip - am I cheap?

[Rifleman1776]

most people seem to think all traditional muzzleloaders are smooth bored

There is a lot of just plain firearms ignorance out there. I have done presentations and talks about the Rev. Rifleman many-many times over more than 45 years. I find I have to explain the difference between smooth/rifled, musket/rifle before even starting.
I often get introduced as having brought my "musket loader" with me.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Cheap? No way! Now, thrifty perhaps.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Once, at Leeds Rifle Range in SC, I outshot a scoped Ruger Mini 14 at 100 yards. I was using an unscoped Mauser 96 "Swede" dated 1899. Both of us were bench rested.

The Ruger owner did not look pleased.

Greg

I once outshot two young fellas shooting at pop cans thrown out into the field. They had a scoped .22 rifle, all I had was a Ruger .22 target PISTOL. I had the cans jumping all over the field.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

It was fun! Without a spoken word, he and I began exchanging shots at a green plastic pop bottle. He'd shoot, miss. I'd shoot, the bottle would get tossed skyward. He's shoot, miss. I'd shoot, the bottle would move again. He and I never actually spoke but this went on for at least 5 to 10 rounds.

Greg

 

[cynthialee]

I had an argument with a centerfire gun bunny friend a few years back. He simply refused to believe that a round ball from a muzzel loader was deadly beyond 75 yards.
:slap:

 

[Matt85]

ive heard that one aswell.

many people seem to think the round ball is ineffective at distance or is inaccurate. i reall wanna know where these ideas are coming from!

even before i begain to learn about muzzleloaders i never had a reason to believe the round ball or the traditional firearms werent lethal or capable at decent ranges.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

After having read this thread about reusing patches I tried it myself and it works! Was using drill cloth lubed with Wonder Lube aroung a .530 ball on top of 90grs. 3F in a Rice barrel. Could have used them a 3rd. time but didn't. Nice to know this can be done if you want to. Dan.

 

[hanshi]

Yes it does work; done it myself. :v

 

[Sperit de bois]

Never figure to over come ones inability to shoot by relying on your equipment is the lesson here.

 

[Sperit de bois]

Someone tells me that I ask if they would track out to 125 yds, put a target on their chest and let anyone shoot at it???????
Or take a 55 gal oil drum set it up at 100-125 yds and punch a hole through it,then ask the question.

 

[nkbj]

Once, at Leeds Rifle Range in SC, I outshot a scoped Ruger Mini 14 at 100 yards. I was using an unscoped Mauser 96 "Swede" dated 1899. Both of us were bench rested.

The Ruger owner did not look pleased.

Greg

Of course not, you made him look like a fool by outshooting him with an 'ancient gun' with 'limited sights'. His mini 14 with a scope was likly something he was all proud of and likely he was sure he was gonna show up the guy with the old gun. For the price he paid on that scoped Ruger he could have had 2-4 Mausers and you know he knows it.

We grew up head hunters*. Years ago at about this time during the annual ritual of the sighting in of the bolt actions my big brother used think it was high comedy to sit down and put closely spaced .53" holes in the target besides someone flinching his 7 mag all over the paper. Seen grown men fold up and leave in disgust.

*Didn't matter much what you brought home just as long as you hit it in the head and it went with rice or dumplings.

 

[MSW]

you ask that as though there was something wrong with being cheap ...

 

[Pigman]

I had an argument with a centerfire gun bunny friend a few years back. He simply refused to believe that a round ball from a muzzel loader was deadly beyond 75 yards.
:slap:

Where this comes from is back at the bicentenial it was widly reported that a smooth bore brown bess was only accurate out to about 50 yard and any hit over 100 yards was luck. This is fairly true for a military BB using a military load in 1776.

Some how this got translated to all muzzle loaders cant hit anything at distance.

Thanks,
Foster From Flint