Loading blocks

I use several. I have a "three holer" on a horn strap along with a bone powder measure and sometimes hunt with only that and no bag.

My rifles used for hunting have blocks using patches and bear/beeswax lube.

My rifles when target and match shooting use a pillow ticking and lube the forum does not like [Teflon]. I get it from the minute men

I've made a few the fish is .62 cal and the beaver is .50
View attachment 20186

I carry a 3 hole .62 in my bag with pre-measured charges for quick reloading when hunting. If the wood is thinner than the ball's diameter, the ball can be pushed flush on the top side and protrude on the bottom to aid in aligning with the bore. I use mink oil as lube as it doesn't dry out or degrade cotton. If you're gonna make your own, don't make the holes too tight or else you will split the block when loading PRBs.

I use them on "woods walks" and butin the field but not from the bench

Handiest if your shooting a group, was that four or five? Well you know for sure.

here's some

I would love one shaped like my spirit animal, the red fox.

Those loading blocks are wonderful works of art and very practical. Sadly, the historical record doesn't have any until very late in the 19th century. Yes, I know of the one dated 1757. The provenance of that loading block is weak. Shot pouches get a lot of mention, but not loading blocks.

As long as they are HC for the early 21st century I'm on board.

Grenadier1758 said:

Those loading blocks are wonderful works of art and very practical. Sadly, the historical record doesn't have any until very late in the 19th century. Yes, I know of the one dated 1757. The provenance of that loading block is weak. Shot pouches get a lot of mention, but not loading blocks.

Click to expand...

I would say middle 19th. They were described as being used in the pioneer period by Ned Roberts.

Jeremy Bays said:

Does anyone use a loading block? A block with, say .50 inch hole to hold a roundball and patch?
I have a laser cutter and I was thinking of cutting one to see if I could use it. Now sure if it would be....just one more thing to carry, or if people find them helpful
Thanks
Jeremy

Click to expand...

Have used them a lot, and am a gre at believer in them.
I file 4 to 6 wide grooves running from top to bottom of each hole to keep from rubbing off so much of the lube when putting the patched balls in the block

Heritage Products sells nicely made versions as well as French amber flints

their photo: http://www.heritage-products.com/images/SH-020a.JPG

excess650 said:

Heritage Products sells nicely made versions as well as French amber flints

their photo: http://www.heritage-products.com/images/SH-020a.JPG

Click to expand...

Just opened up the latest arrival from Heritage about 30 minutes ago.
Super nice folks to deal with.

Grenadier1758 said:

Those loading blocks are wonderful works of art and very practical. Sadly, the historical record doesn't have any until very late in the 19th century. Yes, I know of the one dated 1757. The provenance of that loading block is weak. Shot pouches get a lot of mention, but not loading blocks.

Click to expand...

Ned Roberts mentioned them but I’m thinking that was early twentieth century. I know of a photo from about 1870.
It’s a board with a hole in it, something we learned to make about a million years ago. Every military cartridge box had one in it.
But...
Outside of the 1757 board we have no historic reference to one.
I shoot mostly smoothies now, and a .62 five shot block is enormous and heavy to try and fiddle with.
Hunting, slowly carefully reloading in the field gives game a chance to die before I go to recover.
Historicly we can’t prove them for any of our common activities. Cowboy times are done mostly with breechloaders, even though most people of that time had ml. For MM and before?
It’s a board with a hole in it, that folks knew how to make, but we don’t know if they did.
Use’em for fun, if you want one on a hunt that’s ok, leave it out of your bag for an historic event.
I like ‘ em, have used them, but I bet it’s been ten years since one has been in my bag except when sighting in a gun.

tenngun said:

Ned Roberts mentioned them but I’m thinking that was early twentieth century. I know of a photo from about 1870.
It’s a board with a hole in it, something we learned to make about a million years ago. Every military cartridge box had one in it.
But...
Outside of the 1757 board we have no historic reference to one.
I shoot mostly smoothies now, and a .62 five shot block is enormous and heavy to try and fiddle with.
Hunting, slowly carefully reloading in the field gives game a chance to die before I go to recover.
Historicly we can’t prove them for any of our common activities. Cowboy times are done mostly with breechloaders, even though most people of that time had ml. For MM and before?
It’s a board with a hole in it, that folks knew how to make, but we don’t know if they did.
Use’em for fun, if you want one on a hunt that’s ok, leave it out of your bag for an historic event.
I like ‘ em, have used them, but I bet it’s been ten years since one has been in my bag except when sighting in a gun.

Click to expand...

You think wrong, friend. There is a photo in describing the authors personal block from “65 years ago” and the book was published in 1940. He explains how they were used back during that time period. Sorry, they are NOT a 20th century invention.

People reenact many different periods of muzzleloading. For whatever reason, it seems people forget that and if it isn’t period for the damn French and Indian War it should be “left out of the shooting bag” which is just bollocks.

Wow
Many is the year I’ve argued that shooting blocks made sense and were earlier then we give them credit for.
However, Roberts wrote about ml in the 1940s and 60 years before would be 1880s, I mentioned a block photo from the 1870s.
Now we’re talking a board with holes in it. And I would not be surprised if the 1757 example was real. But, we can’t prove them before the middle of the nineteenth century.
Are they handy? sure are.
Can you use them in a lot of settings? Yup.
Can you take them to a rendezvous? For sure.
Are there places we might want to leave them out? A public discussion about history.
Should you want to keep an historic outfit you might not want a board.
I will argue all day they are proper for the time frames we use on this forum. But since I can’t prove it I leave it out of my bag.
Should I be at any event with a fellow that pulls one out of a bag, in front of public or just other history nerds he won’t get any flack from me. But since I can’t prove it I do mostly with out it.

Historical authenticity aside, a loading block can be very handy at times. I used one just a couple of days ago to shoot the monthly postal shoot on a cold and windy day. It was a great aide to handling the 32 caliber balls and patches. Mine aren't at all artistic, just the board with a hole in it. And, as has already been mentioned, it is a great way to keep track of shots fired. I once went to pick up my target and found 6 holes rather than the 5 I expected. I really don't care if Daniel used one in Tennessee. Bet he did.