- Joined
- Sep 25, 2008
- Messages
- 140
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I joined this forum while I was in Colorado with the Army in 2008, just to read what others had to say as I was starting out in muzzleloading. I considered myself a total newbie to the activity and thus, like a good child, elected to be "seen and not heard." Now, having received an email today announcing the re-launch of this site, I find myself retired in Iowa with time to pursue my interests again and am excited to see that interest in muzzleloading (generally) is alive and well.
I started muzzleloading not because of heritage or posterity, or because I sat up too late one night with a bag of jerky watching "Jeremiah Johnson," but out of practicality, frugality, and logic. I was in the service, not knowing where I might next be assigned, and wanted a hunting rifle system that would be permissible in as many places as possible.
A little research revealed that:
1. Muzzleloading rifles are legal in every state;
2. Many models are not even fully considered "firearms" for many purposes of the law;
3. Most inline .50 caliber muzzleloading rifles are capable of delivering external and terminal ballistic performance equaling that of .45-70 cartridge handload data;
4. The recoil of a practical deer/elk load just isn't harsh enough to discourage frequent practice;
5. A .50ML will launch the same 250 or 300 grain bullet found in a Hornady SST or FTX sabot shotgun shell at the same velocity, but with greater accuracy due to thinner sabot walls with greater concentricity - and much less recoil due to lesser total ejecta mass;
6. Muzzleloading components are liberally available everywhere in the U.S. even where loaded ammunition sales are restricted or undermarketed, especially with "standard" .50 caliber supplies;
7. Land owners seem to relax sooner and trust inquiring would-be hunters a little more than they do the usual door-knocking stranger once the practice of hunting exclusively with muzzleloaders is declared;
8. The layout of funds to get started was roughly half of what it was then (2008) for a full new inline muzzleloading rig versus a new bolt action, bottlenecked metallic cartridge rifle with a quality scope;
9. Because each shot is handloaded at the range, fine-tuning of loads for accuracy and precision is accomplished in real time; and,
10. The guns tend to be more simple, robust, and durable, given that they only need to be sophisticated enough to ignite one shot before "system reset." Also, with proper barrel care, plastic sabots at 1,100-1,900 fps are physically incapable of causing wear on barrel lands beyond a mere fraction of what gilding metal at 2,500-3,300 fps will do. This, the lower maximum rate of fire, and the reduction in peak chamber pressures together indicate that unless I am negligent, I may not be able to wear out a good muzzleloader in one lifetime of shooting and hunting.
As several "shotgun" states have in recent years legalized straight-walled pistol cartridge rifles during their gun deer seasons, I wondered if guys like me who previously chose the efficiency of inline/sabot equipment over shotgun slugs might have defected en masse to the other side. That is happening a bit, but not in droves like I feared. Some new hunters are appearing in the woods with everything from .44 Magnum lever rifles to ARs in .450 Bushmaster, but the Early Muzzleloader Season tags still sell out early, and most of the guys I know who hunt the ML seasons also use their frontstuffers if they also hunt the regular gun seasons.
I shoot a stainless H&R Sidekick with a Metrics, Unlimited carrierless plug and one of those Jim Shockey fanboy Leupold UltimateSlam scopes. I have a blued T/C Encore .50 with the old style plug as backup, and a T/C Grey Hawk which I'm on the fence about whether to shoot or keep in the safe. (Feel free to laugh at my H&R, but it's given me 3 holes touching at 200 yards a few times so don't be surprised if I laugh, too.)
I started muzzleloading not because of heritage or posterity, or because I sat up too late one night with a bag of jerky watching "Jeremiah Johnson," but out of practicality, frugality, and logic. I was in the service, not knowing where I might next be assigned, and wanted a hunting rifle system that would be permissible in as many places as possible.
A little research revealed that:
1. Muzzleloading rifles are legal in every state;
2. Many models are not even fully considered "firearms" for many purposes of the law;
3. Most inline .50 caliber muzzleloading rifles are capable of delivering external and terminal ballistic performance equaling that of .45-70 cartridge handload data;
4. The recoil of a practical deer/elk load just isn't harsh enough to discourage frequent practice;
5. A .50ML will launch the same 250 or 300 grain bullet found in a Hornady SST or FTX sabot shotgun shell at the same velocity, but with greater accuracy due to thinner sabot walls with greater concentricity - and much less recoil due to lesser total ejecta mass;
6. Muzzleloading components are liberally available everywhere in the U.S. even where loaded ammunition sales are restricted or undermarketed, especially with "standard" .50 caliber supplies;
7. Land owners seem to relax sooner and trust inquiring would-be hunters a little more than they do the usual door-knocking stranger once the practice of hunting exclusively with muzzleloaders is declared;
8. The layout of funds to get started was roughly half of what it was then (2008) for a full new inline muzzleloading rig versus a new bolt action, bottlenecked metallic cartridge rifle with a quality scope;
9. Because each shot is handloaded at the range, fine-tuning of loads for accuracy and precision is accomplished in real time; and,
10. The guns tend to be more simple, robust, and durable, given that they only need to be sophisticated enough to ignite one shot before "system reset." Also, with proper barrel care, plastic sabots at 1,100-1,900 fps are physically incapable of causing wear on barrel lands beyond a mere fraction of what gilding metal at 2,500-3,300 fps will do. This, the lower maximum rate of fire, and the reduction in peak chamber pressures together indicate that unless I am negligent, I may not be able to wear out a good muzzleloader in one lifetime of shooting and hunting.
As several "shotgun" states have in recent years legalized straight-walled pistol cartridge rifles during their gun deer seasons, I wondered if guys like me who previously chose the efficiency of inline/sabot equipment over shotgun slugs might have defected en masse to the other side. That is happening a bit, but not in droves like I feared. Some new hunters are appearing in the woods with everything from .44 Magnum lever rifles to ARs in .450 Bushmaster, but the Early Muzzleloader Season tags still sell out early, and most of the guys I know who hunt the ML seasons also use their frontstuffers if they also hunt the regular gun seasons.
I shoot a stainless H&R Sidekick with a Metrics, Unlimited carrierless plug and one of those Jim Shockey fanboy Leupold UltimateSlam scopes. I have a blued T/C Encore .50 with the old style plug as backup, and a T/C Grey Hawk which I'm on the fence about whether to shoot or keep in the safe. (Feel free to laugh at my H&R, but it's given me 3 holes touching at 200 yards a few times so don't be surprised if I laugh, too.)
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