inline or muzzle load

The thing that bugs me about inlines is that the Civil War minie rifle is much more capable and shoot a bigger bullet to boot. I read about one common Union infantryman who after some practice, could hit a sandbag at 500 yards every time. That minute of elk/deer to me.
 
Only rookies come home with powder and ball in the bore, and no game. :D

I have in lines and sidelocks. I hunt with what I feel like at the time. If I'm really after meat, I'll take the TC Impact and let the Hawken have a rest.
 
The thing that bugs me about inlines is that the Civil War minie rifle is much more capable and shoot a bigger bullet to boot
Click to expand...

Not to mention they're easier to load.

If you load it in the woods and then go home to an area where you can't fire it off your back porch then how do you unload it.
Click to expand...

Why would you feel the need to, especially if you're going hunting again that season?
 
If you load it in the woods and then go home to an area where you can't fire it off your back porch then how do you unload it?
Click to expand...
You pull the cap off and let the hammer down. You now have the
powder/ball in the safest place it could ever be -- a steel vault.

(I would put a piece of masking tape
on the hammer entitled "ready to go")
 
Im getting ready for a 9 day hunt. My rifle goes boom when I see what I have a tag for. No firing off my rifle at the end of the day. I put an orange ear plug over the nipple to make a seal and lower the hammer down. Fresh cap in the morning.
 
Why would you feel the need to, especially if you're going hunting again that season?
Click to expand...

Not if you're going hunting again that season. But when the sun goes down on the last day it's over. Simply pop the breech plug and it's empty for storing away till the next time it's needed.

Beyond that I hope the masking tape stays on and someone doesn't double stuff the barrel.
 
The only guy that would double stuff my rifle would be me.
And the ramrod would look awfully fully sticking out of the barrel
when the pre-loading dry-patch went down to hit bottom.
 
when the sun goes down on the last day it's over. Simply pop the breech plug and it's empty for storing away till the next time it's needed.
Click to expand...

Why? Like I said before I've fired guns that were loaded for years. As long as the rifle was properly loaded to begin with the charge will be fine. Dry balling is something everybody does sooner or later but it would take a complete idiot to double charge one. It's like mehavey said, drop the ramrod down the bore and it will be obvious as to whether it's loaded or not. Do it long enough and you can tell how much powder is behind the ball by how much ramrod is sticking out.
 
I usually don't get into these threads, but to me, the whole point of shooting muzzle loading firearms is to harken back to the era of pre-1900's firearms. I have zero interest in shooting a Star Trek phaser that happens to be powered by some kind of "black powder".

I think these modern "muzzle loaders" were mostly invented to help people game "primitive" hunting seasons.
 
Why? Like I said before I've fired guns that were loaded for years.
Click to expand...

There are only a couple arguments supporting "why" it should be done. One is the case in which a person dies leaving powder and ball in the bore, and the gun is given to a relative, or sold to a novice, that doesn't know to always confirm a bore isn't already loaded (don't like the idea of my grandson getting hurt by my loaded gun some years after I croak). It's a safety for someone else thing. The second reason is for in-lines using 777 and some other substitute powders or pellets. They WILL degrade, and rather quickly. I always use a fresh load each day. In fact, I open a fresh batch of 777 pellets each season, and discard the remains from the previous year (YMMV). I will leave a BP load in a gun for the whole season if I have to (usually don't have to). BP just doesn't degrade the same.
 
The second reason is for in-lines using 777 and some other substitute powders or pellets. They WILL degrade, and rather quickly.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I like Triple 7 but that pack of 100 isn't exactly air tight. I put mine box and all in a ziplock when not in use and remove as much air as possible. I wouldn't leave the cap off my FFF or reloading powders. Thought about switching to blackhorn but the pellets are so convenient.
 
I've got two inlines, out of twelve muzzle loading rifles. One is a cheapo Navy Arms "Country Boy" .50 cal, plastic stocked, etc., that I picked up at a garage sale or somesuch for next to nothing. It had a 3x9 Simmons scope that was worth more than the asking price. The other is a Pedersoli Gamma 9000 .54 cal with a round ball twist of between 1:60 - 1:66, as best I can tell using a cleaning rod and doing the math. I picked it up locally a few years ago for $125, and it seems to be a rather rare rifle - if you do a google search, you'll find mine and one or two others in the US, plus a couple in Europe.
That said, when I hunt with a muzzleloader, it's a traditional side lock, wood stocked rifle with a patched round ball and real black powder - no subs - but the inlines are definitely here to stay.
 

Attachments

  • Pedersoli54 008.jpg
    Pedersoli54 008.jpg
    61 KB · Views: 24
Last edited:
Returning favors

Seeing that this post has already been hi-jacked, I'll add to the mix. .... :rolleyes:

A fella I use to work with and allows me to shoot his game, asked me to remove the main charge on one of his MM/L's, without shooting it. After having it loaded for over five years with Pyrodex, he wanted to tell a buyer that it had never been shot. As a "favor" I removed the sabot round and propellant. Gave it a good inspection as well as cleaning and found no ill effects to the rifle. The bore was bright, shiny and unfired. My last comment to him was; Not to ask me to do this again ..... :mad:

Be Safe !!!
 
I have both. About 10 caplocks, a couple flintlocks and ONE inline, it was a gift from a very good friend. It is absolutely no more or less accurate, easy to load, faster ignition, or really any different in any way than a traditional caplocks other than looks. I don't use pellets in anything, they literally SUCK moisture even when stored in the factory storage containers. I use swiss, pretty much exclusively anymore. I even use cast minies or maxiballs in the inline when I shoot it.


Have I used it? Yes.
Have I taken deer with it? Yes
Do I prefer it? No.
As a standard iron sighted version (with the exception of the extremely easy to remove breech plug) does it have any advantage over any caplock made? Nope. I use it if it's sleeting or nasty out because I don't care to take my white mountain carbine I love so much out in it. As long as it's not pouring down rain or sleet, the inline stays home.
 
When a guy takes his game in a manner consistent with the "primitive" aspect of the seasons....and not with some modern inline, it's something to be remembered the rest of your life. The seasons were originally designed to be tougher hunting by traditional methods, not with a scoped inline using pellets of something or other and plastic saboted bullets.
If a hunt really means something to a guy, he should be willing to do it in a manner that he could be proud of.
I will never hunt with an inline and would feel guilty doing so..
 
i could care less what kind of muzzleloader one hunts with. Since 1999 i have hunted mostly with inline rifles. Hunted with a conventional muzzleloader after Fort Sill changed the rules for muzzleloader season. Most of my hunting is done near or after sunset with a scoped inline.

Most dyed in the wool conventional muzzleloader advocates don't hunt, they punch paper. Just watched a thread where a guy complained the round balls made by Hornady are no good. There may be a grain or two deviation in weight between balls. Some of the ball casters claimed they could do better than Hornady.
 
As long as others are obeying the laws I don't care much which a person uses. They just aren't exactly what floats my boat. However I believe their creation was skirting regulations meant to be for more conventional muzzleloaders.
 
Most dyed in the wool conventional muzzleloader advocates don't hunt, they punch paper.
Click to expand...

Of course we don't because everybody knows you can't kill a deer with a conventional muzzleloader and iron sights. :rolleyes:

meap1Bq.jpg


People that use inlines and scopes can't hunt. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top