Sam Fadala's Book " Black Powder Handbook"

[Stumpkiller]

Don't own the Fadala book(s), but I give a hat's off to Nonte, Nesbitt and Hacker whose works I did eagerly gobble up when I came across them in magazines in the 70's and 80's. :hatsoff:

Nothing wrong with these "Blue-gean Buckskinners" - as they are not trying to be museum displays - just introducing the basics of sound muzzleloading. Probably more folks have been brought in from the pages of Outdoor Life magazine than Early American Life.

I remember something about Fadala in a letter to the editor of Muzzleloader magazine he sent in that stirred up folks - must be early 1990's. Made me wonder about him then. :hmm:

 

[Bob J]

Don't own the Fadala book(s), but I give a hat's off to Nonte, Nesbitt and Hacker whose works I did eagerly gobble up when I came across them in magazines in the 70's and 80's. :hatsoff:

Nothing wrong with these "Blue-gean Buckskinners" - as they are not trying to be museum displays - just introducing the basics of sound muzzleloading. Probably more folks have been brought in from the pages of Outdoor Life magazine than Early American Life.

I believe Mr. Fadala fits in with these writers who brought us practical information on muzzleloading. I had one of his books, gave it to a friend who was getting into cap-and-ball revolver shooting. It was interesting reading on a wide variety of muzzloading, including flintlocks, shotguns, hunting, and ballistics. Why would anyone want to criticize one of the good guys? :idunno:

 

[Skychief]

Why would anyone want to criticize one of the good guys? :idunno: [/quote]


I haven't heard a solid reason yet.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I started in 1980. I guess I was lucky as I had a 1/2 dozen hardcore flint shooters take me under their wing and show me the ropes. They kind of made Fadala look moronic in comparison.

 

[tom deinek]

IIRC he wrote a cookbook, too. Used to much salt.

 

[Skychief]

I started in 1980. I guess I was lucky as I had a 1/2 dozen hardcore flint shooters take me under their wing and show me the ropes. They kind of made Fadala look moronic in comparison.

That's great. You were blessed.

Still, how did they kind of make Fadala look moronic in comparison?

 

[Mike Brooks]

I started in 1980. I guess I was lucky as I had a 1/2 dozen hardcore flint shooters take me under their wing and show me the ropes. They kind of made Fadala look moronic in comparison.

That's great. You were blessed.

Still, how did they kind of make Fadala look moronic in comparison?

I don't have the book as I found it useless. If you want to send me a copy I'll review it for you and let you know what is BS.

 

[LRB]

If you ever dare to critique anything he writes, you find him to be an egotistical a$$. Assuming he sees your corrections.

 

[bigbore442001]

His first edition was bought by my Dad when I was in high school and bitten by the muzzleloading bug really bad. The book was very helpful in a day and age when muzzleloading knowledge was difficult at best to obtain.

 

[BillinOregon]

Trouble with Sam is that he truly writes as though being paid by the word. His writing is awkward and to paraphrase the immortal Earnest T. Bass (Andy Griffith Show) he "don't chew his cabbage twice." He chews it seven or eight times. When I read his stuff, I get the feeling that in the back of his mind is he promised 17 more chapters. Got ... to ... crank ... them ... out ...
He uses goofy comparisons between old and new stuff just to set up straw men.
I'm with Mike on this one. Sam has shot a lot of guns and written a LOT of words and that's about all I can say for him. You could take the three or four books he's written on black powder and distill the 100,000 words to 2,000 or so and be done with it.

 

[Skychief]

I started in 1980. I guess I was lucky as I had a 1/2 dozen hardcore flint shooters take me under their wing and show me the ropes. They kind of made Fadala look moronic in comparison.

That's great. You were blessed.

Still, how did they kind of make Fadala look moronic in comparison?

I don't have the book as I found it useless. If you want to send me a copy I'll review it for you and let you know what is BS.

Thanks for your kind offer, but, I will pass.

 

[smoothy]

Hey Mike,
You were lucky to have locals set you on the right path. When I was 13 and had my CVA Colonial pistol kit done (not a gem by any means) the only person in town that knew anything about muzzleloaders was a guy named "Snorky". Not sure how he got that nickname. But he gave me an old tin of Remington #10 caps, which I still have. Other than that Fadala's book was the best thing going for me when I actually started to shoot in the early 80's. There were a few guys from work that shot muzzleloaders back then, but at least one of them had a couple fingers missing from a muzzleloader mishap. I decided to stick with Fadala's lesson as it seemed safer.

 

First I've ever heard or read anything negative about Sam Fadala. I have his blackpowder book and it was very helpful for a beginner that didn't have somebody who already knew everything there was to know about it to teach him. Sometimes you have to learn this stuff on your own and there's not exactly a plethora of mainstream books available on traditional muzzleloading. :shake:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Looks like Paul V. and I ought to collaborate on a new book . :grin:

 

[Skychief]

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[rabjr]

"Sometimes you have to learn this stuff on your own.."

I started out armed with a Dixie gun works catalog and a gun manual. Thats all I had and no one I knew at the time who shot bp.

 

[Skychief]

Me too Swampy. :thumbsup:

 

[Larry Pletcher]

I wasn't going to get into this one, but I went down and looked to see what I did read in the '70s. I couldn't find Fadala. Instead I found the Lyman Black Powder HandBook and Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. I didn't see Fadala's name in those. Like others, I had the Dixie catalog and MuzzleBlasts. Some how I avoided killing myself. I did have two friends that got into ML about the same time. I'm sure we helped each other. Cancer took one - he'll be missed. He was the trigger man for some high speed photography.

It's funny - maybe we're all lucky to survive those early days.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[hoochiepapa]

Sounds like a lot of you have been lucky. When I switched from bow hunting to muzzleloaders, there was NO info around here in CO to help. Maybe it's better to say I didn't know how to find it. I just went my way and hoped the gun didn't blow up in my face. I always say that those who've been in it for a while have done a good job of keeping it secret.
I have one of Sam's books, and learned a great deal from it, now finding out that some of it is not too accurate, but it's all I had.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I have the
"Gun Digest Blackpowder Loading Manual" The Expanded 3rd edition by Sam Fadala.

I have had this book for years. I was very much interested in the DGS Buggy rifle, made by Dale Story. These were a Mule ear locks and some had fast twist barrels. I always wanted one of the fast twists. This book has a lot of load data. I thought it was funny that he tested round balls in fast twist guns. He tested about everything in this book. To be honest I never read it word for word. It has been more of a reference book. I like the book very much.

I also am one that would shake his hand and talk with him if I could. I won't be throwing my book away any time soon. I too would like to see specific problems with this book if anyone wanted to post them. Again I didn't read word for word but I have went through his data and for the most part the loads he Chronographed are on par with the loads I have tested. I doubt his findings are that far off. Ron