Muzzleloader Misconceptions

[renovato]

A couple that I've heard often enough to stick in my mind are flintlocks always go click-pfffft-boom. I've even had some flintlock shooters tell me that. Now I'm relatively new to flint shooting, but with the info I've gathered here, mine sure go off plenty fast for untuned locks. I've tried to pass on as much of that info as I can to other flintlock shooters.

The other I've heard and it always makes me scratch me head, is that you have to be very careful loading them or they'll blow up! Even at the last gun show, there was a guy telling me how they blow up too easy. His brother had blown up several of them. I asked what kind of powder he was loading them with. The guy didn't know, but DID seem surprised that they were to be loaded with black powder.

This is why I won't remove the barrel literature unless I'm positive the gun is a life long keeper or going to someone who knows muzzleloading.

 

[Many Klatch]

I remember a story back in the 80's that was going around. It seemed that a bunch of Thompson Center Hawken shooters in north central Ohio were complaining about their guns. Seemed that the barrels were swelling and that they recocked themselves after each shot.

Well the story goes that they had all bought their guns at the same discount store and the lad behind the counter told them that since Red Dot was black that it was OK to shoot in a muzzle loader. I have always had great respect for the strength of a TC Hawken ever since then.

Many Klatch

 

[F.G. Ford]

NOT to relate to anybody here, but only to the impressions of the ill-informed.
STUPIDITY never ceases to amaze me!

Best Regards

Old Ford

 

[Headhunter]

What about.....They won't go off in the rain?

HH

 

[RedFeather]

They don't hit as hard as a modern rifle.

Of course, nobody's asked the deer - they're dead!

 

[RC]

they jus generalized to me,,first time i took it huntin,,, "That won't work" never actually said why.....mighta been interestin..course after success w/ ml.. that "luck" thing came in...i jes said,"with these,ya make yer own luck" (as in yer lucky it went off, yer lucky ya hit it there,yer lucky,ya couldn't do that again,..hmm, lucky i did,i was only one that were successful..umm,well only one that didn't miss.. rather be lucky than good..hehehe! :thumbsup: RC

 

[Bob Gular]

"I guess no one expected him to follow that very questionable tip". Including the Tipper!!

 

[flintlockmdj]

The same reason that in the old "Superman " TV shows that superman stood up to the pistol being shot at him but then ducked when the bad guy threw the empty gun at him.

 

[flintlockmdj]

I have been dismayed several times with the "Hollywierd" representation of a flintlock firing. The clatch, poof, boom, series that is enevetable shown is a big deturent to new shooters whe are interested in flintlocks. These nubies "know" that that is how it is because they saw an old Daniel Boon show with Fess Parker and there was a comercial betwen the time he pulled the trigger and the actual firing of the gun. Sorry for blowing off like this but it is ONE of my pet peaves. :surrender:

 

[Robert an saa fan]

When I was a little kid, my dad liked to tell me about old time Daniel Boone type hunters who shot so far they had to salt all their bullets so that by the time they got to the game the meat would still be good. :hmm:

 

[XXX]

I'm happy if they depict a flintlock at all. In some cases, Hollywood seems to have decided that no one can tell the difference between a caplock and a flintlock anyway, and they take the easy way out when filming.

 

[RedFeather]

I'm happy if they depict a flintlock at all. In some cases, Hollywood seems to have decided that no one can tell the difference between a caplock and a flintlock anyway, and they take the easy way out when filming.

Hey, at least Fess Parker was using a flintlock. Ever seen the converted trapdoors with the locks stuck onto the sides? Was watching Gunga Din (1939) last week and noticed for the first time that they were carrying Krags. Oh, well, like it, anyway.

Favorite Hollywood movie - Red Badge of Courage with Audey Murphy. I was looking at the muskets and realized they were genuine as the movie was made before replicas. Bannerman's, anyone?

 

[brubincam]

was at a gun show in LANCASTER PA. saturday...was a guy there with a table of muzzleloaders for sale...one was a under hammer rifle with the butt stock on upside down....my son was with me and i said ...dont ever buy a gun from someone that DUMB... :rotf: :blah: :rotf:

 

[Robert an saa fan]

I have bought three different loaded single shot muzzleloaders at gunshows over the years.

At least they were not capped. :shake:

 

[ldykeman]

That's a lot like them showing a Winchester Model 94 in a movie that is supposed to be taking place just after the end of the Civil War. Seen that a few times.
Larry

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

I could go on and on, but here's my favorite. I was at a shoot in 1975 where a guy was shooting with his teenaged son, and every shot or two he would tell his son to "go back to the truck and get another nipple." :shocked2: His gun was a CVA full stock with the two piece stock, at the time they sold for about $75 and were not bad guns, just ugly, so I looked at it before he put "another" nipple in it. Apparently he had cross-threaded the niple and the threads in the drum were stripped out... All he had to do was push a new nipple in most of the way, only a thread or two were holding the nipple in. He didn't see that as a problem, he just bought a bunch of nipples and kept putting a new one in every time one would blow out and he couldn't find it. :shocked2: :youcrazy: I mentioned it to one of the guys running the shoot and after some discusion between the other club members ("Should we say something to him?) wiser heads prevailed and they had him pack up but the guy was offended and couldn't understand why what he was doing was dangerous. A couple of his friends left with him since they didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing either. :surrender: Some of the club members were worried about driving off some posible new members. :rotf: Glad that things have changed but I have always wondered if the guy ever had the gun repaired and if he kept on shooting - a new drum at the time would have only cost $1.50 (the cost of two nipples!) plus drilling and tapping for the nipple.

 

[Zonie]

Some folks say some of these thing even though they know they aren't right.
Take for example an old friend at the range named John. This guy used to stand behind me when I was shooting and say in a loud voice, "I just LOVE THE SMELL OF BLACK POWDER". Anyway, after I finished my .36 cal Northampton Flinter I said to John, "You ever fired a Flinter? I need someone who knows how to shoot to fire a three shot group". (At that time, my eyes were bad).
He said he would be proud to do it so I let him snap the set trigger a few times, loaded it up and primed the pan.
In each shot, the gun fired within a few tenths of a second after he pulled the trigger and he made a three shot group under 3/4 inch at 25 yards for me.
He was tickled pink and spent the rest of the day telling everyone who would listen how accurate and fast that gun was.

Several weeks later, I ran into him at a local gun show where he was talking to a bunch of his friends. When he saw me, he said "There is a fine rifle builder! Did I ever tell you about shooting one of his flintlocks? Why! I could have rolled a cigarette from a pouch and lit it before that gun went off!!" :rotf:
zonie

 

[bramble]

Zonie,
Round here fellers never let a little thing like the truth get between them & a good story. :rotf:

bramble

 

[RenegadeGuy54]

I was showing my Grandfather my PERCUSION CAP Renegade that i use for deer hunting, and he told me to go buy a slug 12Ga because that muzzle loader will have a couple second delay between pulling the trigger and it shooting. :hmm: :bull:

 

[Todd Rickard]

After showing a ml to a pilgram he says: "So, ya just load it with rocks or nails, 'er what??"