HuntingNut
HuntingNut
   Login or Register
HomeCommunity ForumsPhoto AlbumsRegister
     
 

User Info

Welcome Anonymous


Membership:
Latest: Lauris
New Today: 1
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 13113

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 142
BOT: 1
Total: 143
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Forums
02: Forums
03: Home
04: Forums
05: Photo Albums
06: Home
07: Home
08: Home
09: Home
10: Forums
11: Home
12: Forums
13: Home
14: Photo Albums
15: Forums
16: Forums
17: Forums
18: Home
19: Home
20: Forums
21: Forums
22: Forums
23: Home
24: Home
25: Home
26: Forums
27: Home
28: Forums
29: Home
30: Your Account
31: Forums
32: Home
33: Home
34: Forums
35: Forums
36: Home
37: Home
38: Photo Albums
39: Home
40: Forums
41: Home
42: Your Account
43: Forums
44: Forums
45: Forums
46: Home
47: Home
48: Home
49: Forums
50: Home
51: Forums
52: Forums
53: Home
54: Forums
55: Home
56: Home
57: Forums
58: Forums
59: Home
60: Forums
61: Home
62: Forums
63: Home
64: Home
65: Home
66: Home
67: Forums
68: Forums
69: Home
70: Photo Albums
71: Home
72: Home
73: Forums
74: Forums
75: Your Account
76: Forums
77: Home
78: Home
79: Forums
80: Home
81: Forums
82: Forums
83: Home
84: Forums
85: Forums
86: Forums
87: Forums
88: Forums
89: Forums
90: News
91: Forums
92: Home
93: Your Account
94: Home
95: Home
96: Home
97: Forums
98: Home
99: Home
100: Forums
101: Home
102: Home
103: Forums
104: Forums
105: Home
106: Home
107: Home
108: Forums
109: Home
110: Forums
111: Home
112: Forums
113: Forums
114: Your Account
115: Forums
116: Forums
117: Forums
118: Home
119: Home
120: Forums
121: Home
122: Forums
123: Forums
124: Statistics
125: Your Account
126: Your Account
127: Home
128: Forums
129: Home
130: Home
131: Forums
132: Home
133: Photo Albums
134: Forums
135: Forums
136: Home
137: Forums
138: Forums
139: Home
140: Forums
141: Forums
142: Home
  BOT:
01: Forums

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!
 

Coppermine Stats
Photo Albums
 Albums: 308
 Pictures: 2451
  · Views: 818703
  · Votes: 1316
  · Comments: 86
 

  How do I load my Muzzle Loader?

Muzzle LoadingLoading 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) (30894 reads) [ Administration ]
Related Links
 

Article Rating
Average Score: 4.4
Votes: 30


Please take a second and vote for this article:

Excellent
Very Good
Good
Regular
Bad

 

 

Valid CSS! Valid HTML 4.01!
Click to check if this page is realy HTML 4.01 compliant for speed :)

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of HuntingNut.com.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest © 2011 by HuntingNut.com
Interactive software released under GNU GPL, Code Credits, Privacy Policy

.: Upgraded to DragonFly 9.2 by *Dizfunkshunal* :.