HuntingNut » News » How do I load my Muzzle Loader?

Home • Community Forums • Photo Albums • Register

Modules

• Home - Top 30
• Treasury
• Tell a Friend

Articles: Submit New
• Articles: Topics
• Contact Us
• Community Forums

Members List
• Photo Albums
• PointBlank Ballistics
• PointBlank Online
• Privacy Policy
• Private Messages

Reloading Database
• State F&G Agencies
• Statistics
• Your Account

User Info

Welcome Anonymous

(Register)

Membership:

Latest: IPutMoInYoA

New Today: 0

New Yesterday: 0

Overall: 13131

People Online:

Members: 0

Visitors: 206

BOT: 2

Total: 208

Who Is Where:

Visitors:
01: Forums
02: Home
03: Forums
04: Forums
05: Photo Albums
06: Home
07: Forums
08: Forums
09: Home
10: Home
11: Forums
12: Forums
13: Forums
14: Forums
15: Photo Albums
16: Forums
17: Home
18: Forums
19: Forums
20: Forums
21: Home
22: Home
23: Forums
24: Home
25: Forums
26: Forums
27: Forums
28: Home
29: Photo Albums
30: Forums
31: Forums
32: Forums
33: Forums
34: Forums
35: Home
36: Photo Albums
37: Forums
38: Forums
39: Forums
40: Home
41: Statistics
42: Forums
43: Photo Albums
44: Forums
45: Forums
46: Forums
47: Home
48: Forums
49: Statistics
50: Forums
51: Forums
52: Home
53: Home
54: Forums
55: Statistics
56: Forums
57: Photo Albums
58: Photo Albums
59: Forums
60: Forums
61: Forums
62: Statistics
63: Statistics
64: Photo Albums
65: Forums
66: Home
67: Home
68: Home
69: Home
70: Forums
71: Home
72: Forums
73: Photo Albums
74: News
75: Forums
76: Forums
77: Home
78: Forums
79: Forums
80: Photo Albums
81: Forums
82: Forums
83: Forums
84: Forums
85: Forums
86: Forums
87: Forums
88: Photo Albums
89: Home
90: Photo Albums
91: Forums
92: Home
93: Home
94: Forums
95: Forums
96: Forums
97: Forums
98: Home
99: Home
100: Forums
101: Forums
102: Forums
103: Photo Albums
104: Forums
105: Forums
106: Forums
107: Forums
108: Forums
109: Forums
110: Forums
111: Photo Albums
112: News
113: Your Account
114: Forums
115: Photo Albums
116: Forums
117: Photo Albums
118: Forums
119: Statistics
120: Forums
121: Forums
122: Forums
123: Photo Albums
124: Home
125: Photo Albums
126: Forums
127: Your Account
128: Home
129: Photo Albums
130: Home
131: Forums
132: Forums
133: Home
134: Forums
135: Forums
136: Forums
137: Home
138: Forums
139: Forums
140: Forums
141: Forums
142: Forums
143: Forums
144: Photo Albums
145: Forums
146: Photo Albums
147: Forums
148: Photo Albums
149: Photo Albums
150: Forums
151: Forums
152: Forums
153: Forums
154: Your Account
155: Forums
156: Home
157: Forums
158: Home
159: Photo Albums
160: Forums
161: Photo Albums
162: Forums
163: Forums
164: Home
165: Forums
166: Home
167: Forums
168: Forums
169: Forums
170: Photo Albums
171: Forums
172: Forums
173: Forums
174: Photo Albums
175: Photo Albums
176: Your Account
177: Home
178: Home
179: Forums
180: Forums
181: Home
182: Forums
183: Home
184: Forums
185: Forums
186: Forums
187: Home
188: Home
189: Forums
190: Home
191: Home
192: Forums
193: Forums
194: Forums
195: Forums
196: Forums
197: Forums
198: Forums
199: Photo Albums
200: Photo Albums
201: Photo Albums
202: Home
203: Forums
204: Forums
205: Home
206: Forums

BOT:
01: Home
02: Your Account

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!

Coppermine Stats

Photo Albums

• Albums: 308
• Pictures: 2452
  · Views: 824613
  · Votes: 1316
  · Comments: 86

How do I load my Muzzle Loader?

Loading a muzzle loader is a relatively simple process. The first step is to gather the nessasary components (some unneeded depending on projectile type): Gun, powder, projectile, patch, cap, powder measure, bullet lubricant, ramrod, and short starter.

First, safely inspect the rifle and make sure it is already unloaded. An easy trick to determine if a rifle is loaded or not is to place the ramrod into the unloaded barrel and to mark with a pen or marker where it exits the barrel. A loaded gun can then be determined by placing the ramrod into the barrel and seeing if the mark on the ramrod lines up with the barrels crown. If the line is above the crown then there must be something already in the barrel.

Next prepare your powder charge. Muzzle Loaders use either Black Powder or Black Powder substitutes like Pyrodex. Using smokeless powder in a muzzle loader will destroy the rifle and probibly cause serious injury or death! Black Powder or a substitute requires measurement by VOLUME not by Weight. This is because not all powders weight the same amount. They are manufactured however, to take up the same amount of volume. Set your powder measure to the amount you desire (example: 80 grains) and carefully fill it up with powder. Next carefully pour the contents of the measure, into the barrel of the muzzle loader.

Now prepare your projectile. There are 3 basic types: conicals, roundballs and Sabots which we will describe how to load here.

Conicals come either pre-lubed or not. If your conicals are not lubed, apply a coating of bullet lubricant to the flat sides of the conical. Lubricant is not needed on the base of the conical nor the front. Take your lubricated conical and place it squarely over the crown of your barrel. Skip down to the section on starting the projectile.

Round Balls require a lubricated cloth patch. Patches come either pre-lubed or not. If not, saturate your patch with lubricant. Place the patch evenly over the barrels crown. Push a roundball into the exact center of the patch (which should also be the exact center of the barrel as well) with your thumb. Skip down to the section on starting the projectile.

Sabots are usually plastic and resemble a shotgun wad. It acts as a carrier for a smaller caliber bullet such as a jacketed handgun bullet. Push the bullet into the "fingers" of the Sabot until the flat base of the bullet is flush against the bottom of the sabot. This will usually push the fingers outward from the bullet which is normal. Next, carefully start the sabot into the barrels crown keeping the bullet facing upwards. Press the sabot unto the barrel with your thumb until the Sabots "fingers" are pressed against the bullet, holding it in place.

Starting the projectile is usually done with a short starter but can be done just as well with the main ramrod. Push the projectile into the barrel carefully keeping it aligned with the barrels bore (conicals/sabots). Once you have pushed it as far as possible with the short started, switch to your main ramrod. Push the projectile the rest of the way down the barrel with a steady motion. Once you feel the projectile contact the powder, apply more pressure to seat the bullet tightly against the powder. Generally, tight pressure from the projectile against the powder will result in better ignition. Hodgdon who makes Pyrodex recommends a minimum of 40lbs of pressure for best ignition and accuracy.

Finally, point your muzzle loader in a safe direction and pull back the hammer to the half-*****ed position. Place a cap snugly on the nipple. That's it! Your muzzle loader is now loaded and ready to fire. Take aim at your target, pull the hammer to the fully *****ed position and shoot!

It should be noted that with each shot, the powder burns and leaves a residue on the barrel wall. Each projectile will appear to be harder and harder to load and accuracy will deminish. At this point the firearm must be cleaned. For utmost accuracy with some muzzle loader, cleaning between shots is mandatory.

Posted by DallanC on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 (23:29:57) (31417 reads) [ Administration ]