How To’s

Wayne Stormer is an experienced muzzleloader who posted this on FaceBook.  It is reproduced here with his permission. He retains all publishing rights.  Wayne and I are both interested in seeing newer black powder shooters get a good start. CLEANING YOUR GUN It keeps popping up on other sites off and on all the time. I see all sorts of concoctions and magical spells being used by novice and seasoned black powder ... Read More »

You’ve opened up a new dimension in muzzle loading with a new flint rifle. Being experienced with a percussion gun is a good start because you know procedures dealing with loading and cleaning a round ball gun. The lock, however, brings new challenges. Our discussion here is not meant to cover everything you need to know about shooting a flintlock. That would take books, and much of what you are about to ... Read More »

Well, you’ve done it. You had your first shooting session with your new rifle. You are smart enough to watch the old timer down the bench clean his rifle and he mentions that you shouldn’t forget to clean yours. One of the first things a new shooter is told is to clean the gun after shooting is over. That is good advice, and today we will talk about cleaning your rifle after ... Read More »

Examine the grain when selecting a wooden ramrod…… When I choose a ramrod I look for one in which the grain in the wood doesn’t run out the side. Good rods are made from split blanks; made this way the grain should follow the length of the rod without running out the side. Don’t be afraid to sort through a bunch to find a good one. A good straight-grained hickory rod will last ... Read More »

Your first time shooting at a National Shoot in Friendship should be a highlight. If you are inexperienced, it would be good to introduce yourself to the Range officer. He is interested in your safety as well as everyone else. His suggestions will assist you. Developing safe habits as you practice are strongly recommended. Here are some examples: The muzzle of your firearm should be pointed up and be higher than your ... Read More »

Raising a front sight lowers where the bullet will hit. . . “I filed and filed on my front sight and it still shoots high.”  This line was an inside joke at our muzzleloading range years ago.  The rule of thumb should be to move the front sight the opposite direct you wish to move the bullet’s impact.  Raising a front sight lowers where the bullet will hit.  Lowering the front raises the ... Read More »

Move the front sight the opposite direction you want to move the impact. . . Adjusting windage on a front sight uses the same thinking process as in the tip above. Moving a front sight left moves the impact to the right. Care should be used as you drift your sights, front or back. Hopefully your sights are movable with a modest blow. A brass drift pin is ideal. If your sight moves ... Read More »

Dry-firing a percussion firearm. . . . Care should be used in dry-firing a percussion firearm. If the hammer is dropped on an empty nipple, the nipple is very likely to upset and develop an oversized rim. Caps may no longer fit properly. (The only exception to this that I know of is the Ruger Old Army, whose hammer is stopped just short of the empty nipple.) A common sign of this is ... Read More »

Your ramrod is a safety tool …….. One of the first tricks that I was taught years ago was marking my ramrod. Place your ramrod into the barrel. We want the ramrod tip resting on the breech plug, with the barrel empty. Make a scratch mark on the ramrod even with the muzzle. I lay a sharp knife across the muzzle and rotate the ramrod against the blade. I want a visible mark ... Read More »