Matthew323
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2020
- Messages
- 1,428
- Reaction score
- 1,474
I was just posting on another thread, and reflecting on just how fortunate today's muzzleloading shooters are when it comes to the absolutely overwhelming number of choices that one has when deciding what to shoot out of their rifle.
Those of us that got started back in the early 70's and before, can recall when the only balls you could purchase were if a particular size of buckshot fit your needs, and then you had to buy a 25 pound bag of it. There were NO manufactured bullets, or balls to buy.
It was the advent of the Thompson Center Hawken, and it's huge success that brought about first the Maxi-Ball, and molds to cast your own in .45 & .50 caliber. And, swaged lead balls. Then Hornady and Speer decided to enter the muzzleloading market with swaged balls.
Now, with the invention of inlines, and 30 years of marketing, research, & development, we have hundreds of choices for projectiles to shoot out of our muzzleloaders.
I often wonder if newer shooters truly appreciate just what a wonderful thing it is to have so many choices. And, NOT be forced to buy molds, lead, flux, furnaces, ladles, dippers, thermometers, scales, sizing dies, lube, lubrisizers, etc.
Those of us that got started back in the early 70's and before, can recall when the only balls you could purchase were if a particular size of buckshot fit your needs, and then you had to buy a 25 pound bag of it. There were NO manufactured bullets, or balls to buy.
It was the advent of the Thompson Center Hawken, and it's huge success that brought about first the Maxi-Ball, and molds to cast your own in .45 & .50 caliber. And, swaged lead balls. Then Hornady and Speer decided to enter the muzzleloading market with swaged balls.
Now, with the invention of inlines, and 30 years of marketing, research, & development, we have hundreds of choices for projectiles to shoot out of our muzzleloaders.
I often wonder if newer shooters truly appreciate just what a wonderful thing it is to have so many choices. And, NOT be forced to buy molds, lead, flux, furnaces, ladles, dippers, thermometers, scales, sizing dies, lube, lubrisizers, etc.