If you are using black powder and not one of the myriad of substitutes, cleaning is no problem especially w a gun w a hooked breech. I’ve been shooting traditional MLs since ‘73. A good range rod helps but isn’t necessary. Remove the nipple and put the breech in tap water. Start with a wet patch (don’t want it to get stuck) and run several patches thru the bore, change the water and repeat till patches and water come out clean, dry the barrel w a fresh patch, spray a little WD40 down the bore and on a fresh patch wipe the bore and outside of the barrel. A day or 2 later run a WD40 patch thru. If there’s any brown color the bore wasn’t really clean. Before shooting again I wipe with a little 90%alcohol.

Yeah I know, lots of voodoo stuff on the net but it ain’t rocket science, black powder and it’s residue are water soluble. I tried all the boiling water and commercial goop (they’re >90% water). By the way I shoot over 2,000 rounds a year through flintlocks, revolvers, muskets and smoothbores then clean as above. This week I ran a WD40 patch thru a bench gun that hasn’t been fired in a couple of years. Clean.

If you are using the synthetics, I can’t help but understand that requires much more attention as the powder and their residue is different and very corrosive. Find some one with experience there.

As someone else mentioned, I find shooting and hunting with traditional MLs and real BP very satisfying. Casting round balls and minie balls or cleaning isn’t a chore just part of the hobby. Check around for other MLers, contact Texas MLRa to see if they can put you in touch with others near you. I’m SW of Austin if that’s close.

Enjoy
TC

Well I am one of the guys who shoot the modern in-lines and I enjoy the heck out of hunting with them. I currently have a CVA Accura and had an Optima in the past. I have hunted with one or the other for the last 10 or more years and taken more deer with them than any other rifle I own. While they are not flint locks I enjoy the hunts with them very much knowing I get one shot and it has to count. You can't get in a hurry and start lobbing lead when a deer steps out at 200 yards. I love the rush from having to wait for the deer to walk into range, keeping still and/or controlling your movement, and sitting up my pop-up blind in the right location. I get a great deal of satisfaction every year hunting with them and putting venison in the freezer.

I just bought a Pedersoli 50 cal percussion rifle, I'm wanting to shoot patch and ball but the barrel diameter is to tight. Can't get it start down the barrel like my Lyman 50.

What size patch?

Are you using a short starter?

I need to finally fire my smoke pole

I'm using a .005 patch with a 50 cal round ball.

In a 50 Cal., normally a .490 ball with .015 patch. Going to need a short starter and hammer to start the ball.

A tight fitting ball combination is going to produce better groups than a less tight fitting combination, .005 is kind of a thin patch..

I shoot a in-line, what is the best powder to shoot ??? Loose black powder, powder pellets or white hots ??? I'm sure that I will get many different opinions but what I am trying to do is develop the most consistent load for my muzzy since where I hunt is limited to bow, shotgun or muzzle loader. I have been shooting powerbelt bullets with hodgeman triple 7 pellets with pretty good results but wondering if I can improve on that. What do you do to keep your load dry when hunting in wet weather ???

I shot triple 7 pellets and white hots along with other brands for several years with a 250gr sabot. But last year I switched over to Blackhorn 209 to try find something with less smoke after shooting to give a better/quicker view. I can say I was very pleased with the results. The Blackhorn 209 produces far less smoke and is also a cleaner. You can actually get a second shot loaded without cleaning if you needed to. It is a loose type synthetic powder which is cut in to small tubular grains. I used tubes to carry measured loads to the field with me. Note that blackhorn 209 requires the use of magnum primers and a special breach plug as it produces higher pressures and faster speeds.

Just got my first flinter. An unfixed pedersoli 45 cal Kentucky long rifle. Only shot an encore for the last 20 years. Should be fun to ring out.

Think I’m going to start my oldest boy on it this fall. What do you all recommend for ball and patch size?

I'd start with a .440 ball and .015 patch and see how that groups for you. I have some that I have better results with using a .445, but it's just a matter of experimentation.

Thanks OS, I need to keep an eye out for a mold, in the mean time I think I may order a few different balls and play around with it.

Log Cabin is a good place to get balls and molds when you need them. Nice folks to deal with.

Kansas is coming soon! Can’t wait to break out the muzzle loader.

I always think of Kansas as wide open flat places...and think maybe it would be a tough place for hunting with a muzzleloader. They did a study once and decided that Kansas was in fact flatter than a pancake !

Stoney I’m in south east Kansas. I was thinking the same thing, but there is nothing flat about the flint hills.

They have some really nice deer there..

Practicing for Friendship (pistol), it starts in about 30 days. Practice at 25 yards is going well, 50 yards has been a struggle.

Brady shoot is in October, will post dates later in September.

Seeing a few deer, still to hot to get excited about M/L deer hunting.

Well, I'm joining you muzzleloader folks this year. I just bought a TC Black Mountain Magnum 50 with the walnut stock from a cool cat on the green screen. Other than a few minor handling marks, it looks like it's been barely used.
I'm going to the shooting range Tues to try it out.

I have to agree with you about the heat. I went to a shoot at our local club range on Sunday and some of us old guys were virtually stumbling around by the time we got out of there. I maxed out the A/C in my truck on the way home and kept it that way for almost 30 minutes before I could turn it down !
Good luck at the big shoots...

Thanks, they are enjoyable. I get to visit with some good friends and visit with some of the top shooters in the country.

Deer, some of my does have gone to the summer mode. They are wading out into the lake to stay cool and eat some of the floating vegetation. Saw a small buck Sunday.

Did kill a small hog Sunday with my Ruger Old Arm, it has been converted to .36, it is extremely accurate.

I like muzzleloaders and I'm a new guy


I have a TC 50 cal I've got a Kentucky flintlock and I have a pistol the pistol has cracked though[align:right][/align]

When I found out I was getting stationed in Texas I hit up a good buddy and fellow New Englander who was stationed here for a while. Up northeast, muzzleloader is preferred because rifle (or shotgun only in some states) season was so short, but a muzzleloader could keep you hunting all winter. That and with the technology of in-lines now I wouldn't even hesitate on 100yds. His exact words were "I ran into too many folks that didn't even know what a muzzleloader was".

I do wonder though, for Whitetail, do you miss the action by going out in January with your smoke pole? I have to assume the deer get really skittish and not very active by that point, no?

I shoot traditional muzzleloaders exclusively. A 19 bore double for birds and small game, a .50 cap lock and several .54 cap lock and flintlocks. Next hunt is a Pronghorn hunt where I will be using a .54 flintlock with PRB. Tight groups at 100-yards shooting off sticks in all positions. The wind is a big factor in where the groups land. Just got done with Whitewings, 7 birds with 31 shots. Not great but all with the 19 bore smoothie.

I've never shot antelope with my muzzleloaders, but I think it could be a real challenge. I've shot a bunch of them with modern stuff years ago, but I envy you having the what with to go after them with a frontstuffer. Using a traditional rifle with prb is even greater ! Where are you going to hunt them?