What do you think of the Firestick/Nitrofire system?

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No interest either. Don't even recall an opportunity to voice my opinion before it was approved. Stinks. Some of my friends will be buying them for sure now. 😭
 
I find it interesting that Traditions is located in my home state of CT, and they make a muzzle loader that is not permitted for use during the muzzle loader deer season in this state. It can be used on private land along with modern rifles.
 
Traditions does not really make anything. They are the import and marketing division for Ardesa of Spain. Basically the same as what BPI is to Dakar/Bergara/CVA.

ARDESA was born originally over 30 years ago as a small muzzleloading gun factory, which over the years has become one of the largest muzzleloading names in the world. Our annual production reaches 60.000 - 70.000 weapons a year, being our export share of 95%. In the United States our guns are distributed under the name of TRADITIONS.
 
This thread was an interesting read.

I started out ml hunting a few years ago with an accura 2 in-line. It was a way for me to extent deer hunting, as I really didn't see myself as a ml guy, but a deer hunter. While I was always intrigued by ml, it was just another means for me to deer hunt. But by the end of last season, I knew I wanted to take ml more seriously. Not just hunting, but it seems there are ml clubs around as well. There's just something about it which has been growing on me. At this point in time, the Firestick seems silly to me. But looking back, I honestly can't say if I would have bought it or not.
 
I'm not a hunter so don't have a dog in this fight. Seems most of the posters here are not in favor of the new technology being used during traditional season. Seems like a reasonable opinion.
As a range shooter, and just a general gun guy I find the tech for this interesting, but as others have said I wonder if this might end up like the Remington rifle that used electronic ignition instead of a mechanical firing pin. A solution for a problem that doesn't exist. And disappear from the market like it did with its ammo.
The only advantage of the firestick seems to be that at the end of a hunting day, you won't need to fire off the round in the barrel or take the weapon home loaded. And it might have some weather advantages vs a "traditional" in line.
Just read an article in this month's American Rifleman about the system. It's there if you care to peruse it.
 
I admit to being intrigued by the Nitrofire system...Are those firesticks really so different than pellets, which a lot of people use? And the shelf where the bullet sits reduces the risk of not seating the bullet properly.

Like some of the posters here, I got into ML as a way to extend my deer season...so I bought an inline...but the muzzleloading bug has bitten and since I find ML cool, I bought a percussion sidelock...and dollars to donuts, I will buy a flinter before too long because I am loving the whole thing. BUT, for hunting...would it be nice to have a gun that I can use both in ML and rifle season, that is not subject to the viccisitudes of weather (!), that can be unloaded super easily at the end of the day. {I checked...just remove the firestick and push the bullet from the breech end out of the muzzle end.} May lose the sabot in the process but sabots are cheap. And to be even more honest...it is not that much more expensive to use than sabot slugs for rifled barrel shotguns...which I bought before straight walled cartridges became legal in Maryland. The sabot slugs run 15-20 bucks for a box of five! The firestick system is a little cheaper than that. Would this be the ML that I own, no? Could I see it replacing my Wolf...sure. Shoot it enough to get it sighted in and make shots with confidence...and spend the rest of my time and money on sidelocks!
 
So far, so good.

Only owned the Nitrofire for two months now and carried in the deer woods three days. Seems solidly built and is handy to carry and shoulder up. Took nine shots to sight in new scope to <1" group. Last day of season got fortunate on a decent doe, one shot. So a total of ten shots - short sample size if there ever was one.

Likes:
Handy carrying
Waterproof powder charge
Accuracy
Very very little fouling, easy clean up.
Easy to unload/remove bullet

Not so much:

The Firesticks were hard to find. Lot of calls and driving.
Propellant cost. 32 bucks/10 shots. Add in 209 primer and a decent saboted bullet = 4 bucks+/shot.


I miss the flexibility of being able to tailor the powder loads that I had in my TC Hawken 50 and Firehawk 54 and being able to affordably spend time on the bench dialing them in.

Maine muzzleloader season, being the first two weeks of December, many times means getting wet a bunch of days, especially hunting the thick stuff. The Firestick took misfires off the Murphy's Law list.
 
So far, so good.

Only owned the Nitrofire for two months now and carried in the deer woods three days. Seems solidly built and is handy to carry and shoulder up. Took nine shots to sight in new scope to <1" group. Last day of season got fortunate on a decent doe, one shot. So a total of ten shots - short sample size if there ever was one.

Likes:
Handy carrying
Waterproof powder charge
Accuracy
Very very little fouling, easy clean up.
Easy to unload/remove bullet

Not so much:

The Firesticks were hard to find. Lot of calls and driving.
Propellant cost. 32 bucks/10 shots. Add in 209 primer and a decent saboted bullet = 4 bucks+/shot.

I was thinking on this last night too... so the Firesticks are about 3 bucks a piece, bullets about a buck each and primers about a dime. So let's say between 3-4 bucks a shot. BH209 is a about $1.20 per shot...assuming you can buy it off shelf and don't have to pay Hazmat shipping...so, BH plus bullet, plus primer, $2.30 a shot...so let's even call it half as expensive as the Firestick system... For the moment, I tend to shoot about 20 bullets getting ready for the season between sighting in and practice... and that would cost me 40 bucks more with the Nitrofire vs my Wolf...40 bucks {to me} may be a worthwhile price to pay for the all weather convenience of the Nitrofire... as I said in my post last night...won't replace my sidelocks, but for rainy days or hunting fields instead of woods, hunts where I expect to need a scope... Things are really pointing in a particular direction for me...I am going to think on this for a while, but I may try to sell my Wolf to cover some of the cost of getting the Nitrofire...
 
Not legal in CT for the muzzle loading season. OK for private land hunting. Where I hunt it is unlikely that you would see a deer much beyond 75 yards, and most of the deer i have taken in the last 30+years have been under 40 yards. Being a tight wad, I will stick to my side hammer gun with loose powder in either flint or percussion. Casting my own balls, and making my own caps I figure it costs me about $.75 a pop. I can practice a whole lot more at that rate, and so far I have never had a misfire in bad weather. I have a greased cows knee I put over the lock, and I stretch a small party balloon over the muzzle to keep rain/snow and debris out of the barrel.
 
I would recommend not getting the Firestick. As others have stated, it's very expensive to shoot. Secondly, if you get more into muzzleloading you will almost certainly sell that gun- you will want to experiment and fine tune your muzzleloader, and the Firestick doesn't allow you to do that. If you are looking for something lighter, many manufacturers produce "lighter" models. My daughter is 14 and uses a Traditions Youth Buckstalker. It isn't glamorous, but it is light and damn accurate. I wouldn't hesitate hunting with that rifle for a second. I th I nk I paid $200 for the rifle and another couple hundred for the Leupold Freedom scope (don't think they are that cheap anymore however).
 
So far, so good.

Only owned the Nitrofire for two months now and carried in the deer woods three days. Seems solidly built and is handy to carry and shoulder up. Took nine shots to sight in new scope to <1" group. Last day of season got fortunate on a decent doe, one shot. So a total of ten shots - short sample size if there ever was one.

Likes:
Handy carrying
Waterproof powder charge
Accuracy
Very very little fouling, easy clean up.
Easy to unload/remove bullet

Not so much:

The Firesticks were hard to find. Lot of calls and driving.
Propellant cost. 32 bucks/10 shots. Add in 209 primer and a decent saboted bullet = 4 bucks+/shot.


I miss the flexibility of being able to tailor the powder loads that I had in my TC Hawken 50 and Firehawk 54 and being able to affordably spend time on the bench dialing them in.

Maine muzzleloader season, being the first two weeks of December, many times means getting wet a bunch of days, especially hunting the thick stuff. The Firestick took misfires off the Murphy's Law list.

Fire sticks are everywhere. Even in Walmarts that don't carry the only firearm that it is possible to use them in!
 
So far, so good.

Only owned the Nitrofire for two months now and carried in the deer woods three days. Seems solidly built and is handy to carry and shoulder up. Took nine shots to sight in new scope to <1" group. Last day of season got fortunate on a decent doe, one shot. So a total of ten shots - short sample size if there ever was one.

Likes:
Handy carrying
Waterproof powder charge
Accuracy
Very very little fouling, easy clean up.
Easy to unload/remove bullet

Not so much:

The Firesticks were hard to find. Lot of calls and driving.
Propellant cost. 32 bucks/10 shots. Add in 209 primer and a decent saboted bullet = 4 bucks+/shot.


I miss the flexibility of being able to tailor the powder loads that I had in my TC Hawken 50 and Firehawk 54 and being able to affordably spend time on the bench dialing them in.

Maine muzzleloader season, being the first two weeks of December, many times means getting wet a bunch of days, especially hunting the thick stuff. The Firestick took misfires off the Murphy's Law list.
I just would be afraid it could become a wall hanger with only one powder manufacturer. If this doesn't take off where do you get propellant? Also that convinance comes with quite a cost. The gun isn't cheap nor the powder ( close to $2 a shot), add in the bullet and primer and it is close to $3 . If you don't shoot a lot that may not bother you. On the other hand a deer in the freezer is worth $3.
 

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