ok lets see how many black powder shooters we have on this site

list you name bp guns owend and tell us your favorite one
and why example (shot first big game with it or first bp rifle).

The only black powder I currently have is a 54 cal caplock, built primarily with Renegade parts. I have had several, some of them real good shooters, my personal favorites always seem to be 54 cal. I like to shoot patched round ball most of the time, although I have been known to try the conicals, sabots, maxi's, etc. The 54 with a patched round ball seems to be able to take just about anything I want to shoot, loads easy and fast, and using FFFg black powder, doesn't foul quickly.



One of the things I have found is that BP is just a lot of fun. It is more fun than just about any other rifle or pistol I have owned and shot. Each gun I have owned has it's own personality, and in the 54 cal I have found rifles that demand different round ball size, and different patch type and thickness for best performance. I seem to stay on the primitive side of BP, just my personal preference, as the modern in-line should be the experimenter's delight. I have always enjoyed the "hands on" approach to hunting, load deveopement, general shooting, and primitive black powder seems to fit my desires pretty well.



Just out of curiousity, is there anyone making thier own black powder out there? I am particularly interested in the final grinding/granulation step, if anyone would share.



Deer, many hare, quail, pheasant, and other birds have fallen to my BP, in addition to coyote, feral dog and cat, and ground hog, and many a jackrabbit. Jackrabbit with black powder, now there is a training sport if ever there was one, pertaining to fast reload, quick shooting, and followup.



BTW, I finally figured out what the little Ford gal is saying, "You got a Chevy?!!!?!!!!!" Just kidding, FordFreak!

My Pa and I built one of those TC Hawken 54 cal kit guns when I was a teenager. Didn't own another one til a few years ago. I won a 54 cal TC ThunderHawk inline at an RMEF banquet. It has been a hoot to shoot and I am glad I am getting back into smokepoles. Still more of a novelty for me at the moment, but a lot of fun to play with while my other rifles cool down.

Cheers,
Canuck

cool canuck how far are you from victoria bc i have only 1 friend that lives out that way he moved out there years ago i think hes a house painter/drywall guy he dose a bit of hunting he hangs out at the real tree forems under the name buckee nice guy

A buddy of mine got me into BP hunting a few years back. It has been great! I love using this type of gun to hunt with. Being a LH shooter, finding LH rifles can be a pain, but this is what I have.

1. Lyman Deerstalker 50 cal flintlock. Very handy and light rifle. Shoots well to.

2. Lyman Great Plains 54 cal flintlock with 1:60 twist for roundballs. This is my favorite rifle for PAs late season flintlock hunt Very acurate and drops whitetails in their tracks!

3. Left Hand TC Renegade 50 cal percussion. Found it on Auction Arms.

4. Left hand TC Renegade 54 cal percussion. Also found on Auction Arms.

5. Knight 50 cal Wolverine 209. very handy rifle. I have a Williams receiver sight on it and get 2" groups at 100 yards. I killed a doe with it the last day of teh PA rifle season. If I head out to Colorado during the ML season this is the rifle that I would use.

You guys are way over my head but I have had several smokers along the way. My current one is a 50 cal Black Knight inline. It is by far the most accurate ml I've ever owned or shot. It takes unfair advantage of the original intent of ml seasons because of it's range IMHO but it's legal here and I have it.

I really am not into these weapons like you guys at all.

Cabelas 58
TC Hawken 54
CVA Sporter 50
CVA pistol in 50
Sharps 45/70

When I was a very young person I was first introduced to BP shooting (this would be about 1962 or so) by a game biologist for the state of WV (a family friend). Due to the historical connections, I've long had an interest and when I finally had some money of my own decided I'd have representative pieces. I'm now saving for a really good fusil.

I currently own:
- A Thompson Center Seneca with .36 (original) and .45 (custom shop) barrels. I use this gun for squirrel hunting and sometimes (not often enough) for deer hunting.
- A Thompson Center New Englander .54. My usual ML deer gun.
- A Lyman brand 1858 Remington New Model Army .44 cap and ball revolver. I have hunted with this and taken a couple of squirrels and a groundhog. One can hit a US Army E type silhouette at 100 yards 5 out of 6 shots, no problem.
- A Pedersoli/Dixie Gun Works "Indian Gun" (a Brown Bess "carbine") .75 cal smoothbore flintlock. I use this gun to squirrel hunt and take it deer hunting with patched round ball at least once each regular gun season (the only time it is legal here in Virginia). I've actually killed a groundhog with this gun. Used my squirrel load to dump a sow at 15 yards with my squirrel load!

I've shot LOTS of other rifles (and owned one or two) including the usual Civil War reenactment pieces and even helped friends get in-lines of various makes to shoot well for them. Based on that experience I've not felt the need to get an in-line but I would like to get a good Enfield 2-band and one of those .45 Whitworths.

The fusil I'm "shooting" for will be 20 gauge (yes, smoothbore), flintlock and period correct to 1763 or thereabouts.

For BP guns I have,,,
.54 Carolina Flinter built myself
.50 Deer Creek Plains percussion rifle not a great gun
.45 Underhammer built by myself - probably the ugliest gun ever, but shoots extremely accurately with 475-550 gr paperpatched bullets. Three deer so far.
.45-100 Shiloh Sharps #3 sporter
.38-55 original Winchester Highwall
10 bore WC Scott and Sons double hammer gun
12 bore Cashmore double hammer gun
16 bore Evans double hammer gun - currently missing in TX somewhere
16 bore Tisdale double hammer gun - currently stuck in New Zealand

Black powder has been one I could shoot for years, lets see
muzzle loaders
8 bore underhammer
12 bore
58cal hawkin,built by the Williamsburg Smithy
50 cal mule ear
36 Thomspon center
working on building a 62 cal canoe gun
cartridge guns
50-140
50-90
50-70
45-120
45-70
40-65
43 mauser
45 WhatChier
38-56
most are rolling blocks the long boys are Sharpes

I have only 1 a Rem 700 54 cal with fiber optic sights with 209 conversion. It has accounted for 2 elk in Colorado using Hornady Great Plains bullets. I'm looking forward to trying the Powerbelts in it.

Around '67 I got my first ML, a .58 Zouave. Never used it
for hunting, but we had a lot of fun shooting it. After
moving from Nebraska to Iowa where CFs are forbidden for
deer hunting, I got a .50 CVA Hawkins -- it had problems
so it got replaced with a .54 Lyman Trade Rifle. The Lyman
took several deer and I still have it. A friend was having
a LOT of luck with the Encore 209x50 and I liked the concept
of getting several barrels for one gun. It has since taken
several deer both with the original barrel and a custom 209x50
VVCG barrel. The custom barrel is more accurate and I really
like getting decent groups at 150 yards with it. Never
satisfied, though. I'll probably keep trying different
bullet types until she will give me consistant groups in
the one inch range at that distance.

arty here. I have owned many caplocks and a couple of inlines. My current favorite deer rifle is a Black Diamond that I use in all the gun seasons here. It has accounted for many deer.