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FeaturesAugust 15, 1999

Are you considering a purchase of a black powder rifle for this fall's deer season? Black powder is a fascinating leap back to the past. Perhaps you cannot truly appreciate what is was like to depend on the meat obtained by a black powder rifle until you try it for yourself. ...

A.j. Hendershott

Are you considering a purchase of a black powder rifle for this fall's deer season? Black powder is a fascinating leap back to the past.

Perhaps you cannot truly appreciate what is was like to depend on the meat obtained by a black powder rifle until you try it for yourself. One shot is all you probably will be given to take down your prey. A miss will mean a scampering animal and at least 60 seconds for the rifle to be reloaded. This puts a new light on pioneers such as Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett. Their hunting prowess was enhanced by a confidence that THIS was the shot they should take. I doubt risky shots were taken very often by the average pioneer.

The rules for the regular firearms season this November have changed to include muzzleloading rifles. Now hunters do not have to choose between the old `smokepole' and a modern cartridge fire rifle when buying a tag.

They may now use either firearm to hunt during deer season. Muzzleloading hunters will have another opportunity to hunt deer an additional week in December, and many of the special managed hunts across the state are for primitive weapons only. This increased opportunity for black powder hunting may encourage hunters to give muzzleloading a try, which is great.

But before you go out and spend money on a rifle there are a few things you should consider.

Before you purchase a new or used muzzleloader you will need to examine your needs. Do you have the confidence to kill an animal with only one shot. You will get a single shot to take down your deer. After the shot your reloading will make a lot of racket and require excess movement. A wary animal will be gone in a flash if the sound of the shot did not scare them off initially.

Should that animal be wounded do you have the ethics to track it and finish the kill? However, if a single shot sounds like a great challenge for your skills then a muzzleloader may suit your style.

You will need to invest in extra gear not normally associated with modern cartridge fire rifles.

Although the workings of a muzzleloader are more simplistic, they require more tools to properly load and clean. No muzzleloading rifle may be fired without a supply of lead shot, black powder, a powderhorn, powder measure, ramrod, ball screw, patch worm and ball starter.

Powder is poured into a powder measure so that just the right amount is used. Too little powder and the shot will not exit the barrel and too much powder can be a safety hazard or cause an erratic flight path. After powder is poured down the muzzle opening, a patch and lead ball (or a conical bullet) are placed on that same opening.

A ball starter will help to get the bullet started down the barrel without the risk of breaking your ramrod. After the shot is started the ramrod is used to push the lead all the way down to the back of the barrel. A cap lock rifle will then require caps on the nipple to ignite the powder. After almost every shot a patch needs to be run down the barrel to prevent embers from lingering. Any hot items in the barrel can cause a fresh load of black powder to ignite while reloading.

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Occasionally a patch or even worse a lead ball or bullet will get stuck in the barrel. For this reason a ramrod attachment called a patch worm is needed to retrieve the patch and a ball screw is used to secure the lead ball.

Cleaning the barrel and nipple (for caplock rifles) requires a nipple wrench, patch swab, bore cleaning solvent and hot soapy water! Shooting a muzzleloader just qualified you for cleaning it. If you do not, the barrel and nipple will corrode and this will impair function of the firearm.

The nipple needs to be removed with a nipple wrench and the barrel cleaned out with hot soapy water and many cleaning patches. Following that a light coat of oil should be applied with a patch. The maintenance is a bit higher for a smokepole but those who use them regularly all agree it is well worth the effort!

You will need to do pre-season shooting. This is more than just getting your sights adjusted. The amount of powder, shot type (patch & ball, or conical bullet) expected shooting distance, and game type are major factors that affect shooting performance. This is called "working up a load" and can be done best at a shooting range.

Working up a load takes a little time but it is easy to catch on. Once you have found the load you like you will find that your rifle shoots just the way you know it should. That extra effort seems to give you increased knowledge of the gun's capabilities.

Storage when not in use may be different also. Black powder is an explosive and should be given great care in storage. Heat and humidity should be avoided at all costs. In addition, you should be absolutely positive that a canister of black powder is not confused with any other type of gunpowder that might be used for reloading cartridge shells.

The final consideration is do you want to be a historical purist or use modern innovations that make muzzleloading more efficient?

Historic reproductions of muzzleloaders use what is called a sidelock ignition system. They use caps or flint to ignite the load on the side of the barrel. Most muzzleloaders are replicas of historic firearms. This tends to give a special air of the past to your hunt. Modernized muzzleloaders are called `In line' because the ignition system is right in line with the barrel not on the side. In line rifles tend to have a longer firing range and utilize hotter burning gun powder. This is appealing to hunters who still want an edge while in the field. This arguably takes some of the nostalgia away from the sport but the choice is totally up to the needs and expectations of the hunter.

To get more information about muzzleloading firearms you may seek a number of sources. Visit your local bookstore and look in the sports section for a book on the topic. The Missouri Conservationist magazine has some articles in the August, 1998 issue and the September, 1997 issue on blackpowder.

If you are wanting more challenge while deer hunting this year, or you just want a new twist, then using a muzzleloading firearm maybe the way for you to go. Examining the differences between smokepoles and modern rifles can help you determine if muzzleloading is the right sport for you.

A.J. Hendershott is an education consultant with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

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