Thread: Anyone out there into Muzzleloading?

Those are some beautiful guns guys!! I picked up a Traditions Canyon at Cabela's today on a Black Friday special. I found it odd that there was no registration or paperwork required when purchasing one. I can't wait to get out there and hunt with it! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving
- Jim

Originally Posted by JDCAL29

Those are some beautiful guns guys!! I picked up a Traditions Canyon at Cabela's today on a Black Friday special. I found it odd that there was no registration or paperwork required when purchasing one. I can't wait to get out there and hunt with it! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving
- Jim

Nope, no paperwork unless you're in a very anti-gun state like NJ. Muzzleloaders are not considered by federal law to be firearms.

I've bought several, including a flintlock pistol and a cap 'n ball revolver without any paperwork except a handwritten receipt.

As promised. My TC. 300 Gr PT Scorpion at 200 yards. At the muzzle it makes about 2100 FPS and 2800 FPE. With Blackhorn 209 powder.

I also am addicted to "smoke poles". In the early 80's I picked up a TC Hawken and was hooked, now I'm studying how to build the old rifles. I'm more partial to the traditional Hawken styles and plan on building one from scratch in a couple years... will take me that long to save up for the parts

At the moment I have 6 or 7 (I forget) caplocks but have yet to get a flinter. I'm also planning on a 36 squirrel rifle in flint.

A few perc revolvers, but itching to get a few more, have some customizing ideas that need to be investigated.

Your question is not one of ignorance but rather one of inquisitiveness. Percussion locks and flintlocks are two completely different worlds. The percussion lock can handle foul weather better than a flintlock but having said that, if care is taken with a flintlock, it will prove to be as reliable and sometimes faster than a percussion lock.

As far as your second question, I started out with a percussion rifle and have worked my way very briefly into the world of flintlocks. So starting out with percussion lock is probably a good thing. At least it worked for me. Good luck.

Originally Posted by fyrfyter43

It really depends on how interested you are in the historical aspect as opposed to just extending your hunting season. I started with muzzleloaders as a way to extend my hunting season, back before modern inlines. It has been an absolute game changer for me. I no longer own any modern firearms, and in fact, muzzleloading has sparked an interest in historical reenacting.

You can usually find me in the woods with my fowling piece. It's a 20-bore (.62 caliber) flintlock with a 42" barrel. Of course for deer I load with a round ball with flax tow for wadding. For birds or small game I load shot with the same tow wadding. It's only a 50-yard gun, but for NJ whitetails, that's all I need.

Is that a left handed flintlock, or is the pic reversed?

I bought that same revolver for my son this Christmas. We took it to his Grandma's indoor range and even though it was freezing in there he spend 3 hours filling the building with smoke.

He's always been into the spaghetti westerns and has worn out a non-firing replica learning to twirl it. He twirled this one so much he wore a hole in his finger.

Can't stand 'em. Hate 'em.


Especially them darn flintlocks..




Just kidding. I LOVE my flinter. Back before my arms got too short to read a newspaper, I could shoot 50 yd groups with that rifle that you could cover with a business card all day long, off hand.

It is but a .40 cal. Douglas barrel, small Siler lock. Built by WM. "Bill" Mowery in '81. He won the TMLRA nationals with it a couple of years running. I swapped him a real nice Rem-Hepburn in 38-55 for it and got $200 boot. He wanted that Hepburn bad.

I've been burning charcoal since I was 7 or 8 when my grandfather let me shoot his old 1861 Springfield. He loaded it light and I rested the forend on an old tire. We had a lot of fun.