Muzzleloader Season Newbie

While I have been a hunter my whole life, I am new to the blackpowder, muzzleloader side of hunting.

These firearms have always seemed so complicated and time consuming that I never dove into pursuing them as an option. That is until I was eating "tag soup" one year due to low deer numbers in our area and not harvesting my venison. I started looking into using a muzzleloader as an option to extend my deer season. There are still many blackpowder options--different calibers, styles and capabilities--but I quickly found one that I was interested in.

My husband has been a muzzleloader for years, so he was able to give me some input along with the tutorials I needed to get started. In Minnesota, muzzleloader season comes after rifle season so it's a great option to get back out in the woods and try to fill your freezer. I purchased my muzzleloader, the supplies I got from my husband's stash since our firearms were compatible, purchased my license (separate from rifle/archery licenses here), loaded up and headed out.

The process to load, unload and clean my muzzleloader is so simple and user-friendly, it's not intimidating at all! While scopes are now allowed on your muzzleloader, I have left open sights on mine. The season is much colder as it falls during December but I would encourage everyone to look into this as another firearm option and a way to broaden your hunting horizons.

Below is a quick step-by-step guide that's specific to my firearm. Had I known it was this simple, I would have become a muzzleloader years ago. Good luck and happy hunting!

Loading Process:

Use a pipe cleaner to select the number of charges (black powder or black powder substitute) you'd like loaded and drop these down the end of your gun barrel. TIP: Make sure you are using the right type for your firearm (FG, FFG or RS) as they are not interchangeable. I use two charges for site-in and three for in the field. The pipe cleaner keeps the oils on your hands from damaging the charge in any way.

Select the proper caliber bullet for your firearm and drop this (tip facing out) down the end of your gun barrel.

TIP: If the fit is very tight, a bullet starter may work better than your loading rod to start pushing it down your barrel.

Using the loading rod that came with your firearm, firmly push all charges and the bullet down until it seats against the breech plug.

TIP: Mark your loading rod with a line to indicate "empty," "two charge + bullet," etc to ensure you have pushed the charges/bullet down the barrel far enough. After firing your gun a couple times, it can be very difficult to push these items down the barrel and find the end.

Place primer in its designated location - mine is a break action and exposes the primer location in the breech plug for easy access and loading.

This firearm is now ready to be fired. If you do not fire the gun, you will need to remove the primer, charges and bullet from the firearm for safe storage. TIP: A bullet puller is a great and necessary tool for manual removal of the bullet for any reason.

Cleaning Process:

This is especially important for these firearms as the gunpowder is very caustic if left in the barrel. Each time you shoot the muzzleloader, the gunpowder/charge residue will accumulate in your barrel and create a great deal of fouling quickly. Unlike modern rifles, these guns need to be thoroughly cleaned after only a few shots.

After removing the primer, charges and bullet from your muzzleloader, run a bore brush (which typically attaches to your loading rod or a range rod) down through the barrel and back out the end to remove the fouling. Then attach one clean patch to this rod and also run that down the barrel and back out the end.

Remove the breech plug from the gun. Using soapy water (or cleaner of your choice), clean this with a small brush and pipe cleaner.

Make sure to clean the fire channel (small hole in the center of the plug) with the pipe cleaner or breech plug pick.

Apply anti-seize to the threads of the breech plug to ensure it's easy removal in the future.

Place the bore/barrel cleaner of your choice on a clean patch that's attached to your rod. Run this down through the barrel of your gun and back out the end. Repeat until the patches come out clean.

Oil the action and barrel of the gun to prevent rust, as you would with any other firearm. Reassemble and it's ready for storage.

ReelCamo Girl Prostaff Tara Hokuf
#earnyourwild