Modern muzzle-loader

My brother has been urging me to get a muzzle-loading rifle and buy a tag for the family's winter hunt in the country above the North Fork of the Clearwater. He has had good luck with the "Traditions" .54 cal. and got a cow year before last. They are made in Spain by Ardesa. There is an improved model with 2" more barrel and some improvements to the lock. Fluted chrome-moly barrel and meets regulations for the western states - ID, WA, OR and CA, maybe some others. The one he saw at North 40 in Sandpoint he said had a 4-pound crisp trigger, asked me if I wanted to buy it so he could use it this year! I said sure. It was $375 with tax. I'll leave it with him 'cause if I hunt with it it will be in ID anyway.

The one with the scope is the old one. He is using 140 gr. of 2FG over a 400 gr. minie ball. He buys them but I think they are too hard and I talked him into getting a mold.

As far as the Idaho hunt goes, I think I'll tag along, pick off a few grouse and help with the dressing and packing if Paul gets lucky. I drew a CF rifle tag for the Murderer's Creek unit in Oregon - a late november hunt so there should be snow on the ground. So that's gonna be MY elk hunt for the year.


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These are interesting rifles, really.
I’d love to try one.

It'll be interesting to see how it shoots, I agree with making his own bullets though. Hard to say what alloy the factory uses.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

It'll be interesting to see how it shoots, I agree with making his own bullets though. Hard to say what alloy the factory uses.

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The older one is VERY accurate and hits at least as hard as my 45-70. Paul got a special exemption allowing him to use a 1X scope because of his eyesight. Otherwise you have to use iron sights.

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Originally Posted by jon_norstog

The older one is VERY accurate and hits at least as hard as my 45-70.

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I know they had all the accuracy one wanted, they did their share of long range targets too...

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Paul took it out to see how it shot. Looks pretty decent for out of the box. He shot it at about 50-60 yds in field conditions (no rest) and with the open sights. He said the relatively light, even trigger was a great help in keeping it on target. Shot with his customary hunting load.

jn

Fine shooting. I'd be curious to see how that performs from a rest.
Nice big holes!!!

Hunting with muzzle loaders is a rewarding method for game taking with modern inline versions being the most popular in my area. I started years ago with traditional replicas of cap lock and flint lock designs. Over time regulations allowed the addition of optics and then extra days in the field to enhance deer management.

I purchased an inline model with optics primarily to extend visibility towards dusk when they became available and ease of maintenance post hunt. I enjoyed hunting with the rifle eventually graduating into a model that utilizes smokeless powders which eliminated the maintenance chore post hunt.

Recently at our gun club I pulled out some of the older cap lock rifles for an iron sight shoot and thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of just a conical bullet or patched RB, a percussion cap and a brass powder measure.

They are capable of outstanding accuracy once the right load chain is developed and consistent loading methods used for patching the round ball or conical, and then seating with the right amount of powder compression without distorting the ball or bullet.

The rifle designed for smokeless is outstanding in power, range and accuracy with a carefully selected saboted pistol bullet. I found using 4759 powder and a bullet as close to bore diameter+ sabot provides the best results. Managing the fouling left from the sabot is critical but easily done with traditional cleaning methods but with reduced intervals between bore wiping than with black powder or pyrodex substitutes.

You must weigh the shot charges with smokeless vs volumetric loading with traditional propellants so there is a extra measure of prepping the charges before heading out to the field but its not too much of a hassle once you consider the additional hunting opportunities
that are permitted.

A little more on the new muzzle loader: this time ballistics ... from Paul by email

"I just took both muzzleloaders out for a chronograph test, being riveted with curiosity. First I chronograph a 22 rifle and got 1210 and 1223 fps, that was my test to see if the chrony was recording. Then I tried your rifle with 120 grains of ffg and a 370 grain maxiball. first shot it went 1510 fps which is pretty impressive, The bullet seems snug while loading the first shot, and has to be pushed firmly all the way down to the load. for the next shot I had to get more push on the ramrod than my hands could provide to run it all the way to the load, and it chronied 1480 fps"

"My own rifle, the first bullet practically falls down the barrel, and it chronied 1285 fps. the next loading, the bullet goes in more snugly but can be pushed in by hand with the rod. the second shot chronied 1440 fps

Ive always noted that the first shot with a clean barrel on my gun goes a little lower than the rest, Im guessing that some resistance creates higher pressure and higher velocity to a point."

jn