Modern Muzzle-Loading Rifles and Equipment

In the last 30 years or so, there has not been a lot of change in firearms. The one area where there has been a lot of improvement is in the area of muzzleloaders. Going back just those 30 years, you would find that most muzzleloaders were either flintlock, or percussion cap. Both of these designs are built on the side lock action. That means that there is a hammer that sits on the side of the gun, which descends on either the priming powder in the flintlock, or the musket cap in the percussion cap rifle. However, the emergence of the "inline" muzzleloader changed that.

With an inline muzzleloader, the firing cap, which is now typically a .209 shot gun primer, sits directly behind the powder charge. It is struck with a firing pin, much like in a center fire rifle. Many manufacturers now make a sealed breech rifle, which means that there is little chance of moisture getting into the chamber, dampening the powder, and keeping the rifle from firing. In the old style muzzleloaders, it was common for some minor obstruction to either delay the firing of the rifle, or keep it from firing all together. That is not the case as much today, as the flame can reach the powder uninhibited, and in a much more direct (and thus fast) manner. It was not uncommon with a flintlock especially, for there to be a delay between the pulling of the trigger and the firing of the rifle. Now, with an inline muzzleloader, that delay is virtually unnoticeable, at least if you keep your gun clean.

Modern inline muzzleloaders have also made great strides in increasing range and accuracy. A flintlock rifle, firing a round ball, with black powder would be accurate out to 60 or 70 yards. In the hands of a really skilled marksman, he may be able to consistently hit deer sized game at about 100 yards. But, with the innovations of the new inline rifles, distances out to about 250 yard are a reality. Thompson Center actually advertises both their Omega rifle, and their Encore rifle as being capable of reaching out to those distances with good knockdown/killing power. This is a great advantage over the previous style of gun, as most muzzleloader seasons are late in the year, after the deer have been hunted for weeks. It can be difficult to get within the reasonable range of more traditional rifles.

The muzzleloader bullets themselves have also changed a lot in the last 30 years or so. Many hunters used simple lead balls (not unlike those used during the civil war) for their muzzleloaders. These were packed with cotton patches and grease to seal the barrel. The progressives may have used a sabot slug. But, today the bullets that are used are far superior, and far more accurate. Thompson Center makes the PowerBelt bullets that are easy to load, have a built in sleeve that works much like a sabot to seal the barrel, and are accurate out to at least 200 yards. There are several other great bullets available, and it is best to try a few different kinds and see which kind your muzzleloader shoots the best.

Another big change is with the powder used for firing the bullet. 30 years ago, the only choice was to use black powder for a propellant. However, today there are other choices that are much better than black powder. The two that stand out are Pyrodex and Triple 7 powder. Both of these now come in a loose powder form, or in a pellet form. If you want to fine tune your muzzleloader and get the absolute best performance out of it, you will want to go with the loose powder. You can adjust the load one grain at a time until you get the best performance for your rifle. However, the pellets are very convenient for hunting, and if you rifle performs well on either 100 grains (2 pellets), or 150 grains (3 pellets), this would be a great choice.

The changes made with powder have also lead to changes with cleaning the muzzleloader. It used to be a terrible, stinking job to clean the barrel of the gun. It involved hot soapy water, soaking the barrel, and then cleaning it with patches until all the black powder residue was cleaned from the barrel. It was a long job, and the smell was atrocious! However, with modern powders, and a breech that can be opened, the job is much easier. You can use products specifically designed for cleaning muzzleloaders such as Thompson Center's #13 Bore Cleaner. Once all the powder is removed, you can swab the inside of the barrel with Thompson Center's Bore Butter. The whole process can be done in 15 to 20 minutes.

Modern muzzleloaders are nothing like their predecessors. In fact, they more resemble the centerfire rifles of today. They are a great improvement over previous styles for reliability, range and accuracy. There are many traditionalists who do not like the modern innovations, but for the average hunter the modern muzzleloader is a step in the right direction. These rifles also offer another option for late season hunting, as well as hunting in states that don't permit the use of high caliber rifles. If you haven't tried modern muzzleloading, you might just want to check it out!