Muzzleloader

[Socky Sockski]

I’m working up a load for a muzzleloader I have acquired. It’s a Traditions Buckskinner in 50 caliber, manufactured in the early 2000’s. This gun was given to me and I’m planning to squirrel hunt with it. If it is accurate enough, I’ll deer hunt with it when the season rolls around.

“50 cal is a little overkill,” you say? Well, you’d be right. But I’m at that point in my life where I hunt more for fun and nostalgia more than for food, although I do enjoy the food. I enjoy taking my dogs to woods the most. And think about it, not many of our ancestors had different caliber weapons for different game. They loaded and shot accordingly.

I shot some bullets from a mold I have had for several years out of the gun today with 30 grains of Triple 7. It was pretty good from 30 yards, but not good enough. I have ordered a round ball mold in the proper caliber and am hoping that a patched round ball gets me to squirrel head sized groups.

I’ll post a picture of the little gun in the comments.

Nothing more fun than murdering animals because you're bored

[leaningright]

Smoothbore or rifled?

Rifled…1/20”

[leaningright]

Those should be rifled. Not sure of the twist rate though, I think it varies by model and barrel length. Lots of literature and forums on the internet to give good recommendations for starting loads.

1/20”

[T. A. Gardner]

Rifled…1/20”

Then using Minie balls is the way to go. Far greater accuracy than patched ball ammo.

There are plenty of sellers and you can easily get a mold to make your own. Here's one at random off the internet.

https://www.octobercountry.com/minie-balls/

Dixie is a well-known company for these products.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/...lanks?view_all

A good Minie ball design is far more stable and accurate than any round ball will ever be. Oh, I don't recommend any lube that is wax based to use with them. Fat based ones are far superior.

[leaningright]

So after molding some conical bullets and some round balls, I decided the gun probably won’t shoot good enough at 30 yards. I will keep tweaking the patching to see if I can improve accuracy but I need to be able to hit a squirrel in the head every shot. After working with the gun this evening and shooting about 20 rounds through it I was confident enough to walk a short circle behind my house. Found a cottontail and the gun performed well for that shot. Plus I got supper.

[Taichiliberal]

I’m working up a load for a muzzleloader I have acquired. It’s a Traditions Buckskinner in 50 caliber, manufactured in the early 2000’s. This gun was given to me and I’m planning to squirrel hunt with it. If it is accurate enough, I’ll deer hunt with it when the season rolls around.

“50 cal is a little overkill,” you say? Well, you’d be right. But I’m at that point in my life where I hunt more for fun and nostalgia more than for food, although I do enjoy the food. I enjoy taking my dogs to woods the most. And think about it, not many of our ancestors had different caliber weapons for different game. They loaded and shot accordingly.

I shot some bullets from a mold I have had for several years out of the gun today with 30 grains of Triple 7. It was pretty good from 30 yards, but not good enough. I have ordered a round ball mold in the proper caliber and am hoping that a patched round ball gets me to squirrel head sized groups.

I’ll post a picture of the little gun in the comments.

Just for clarification: you eat squirrels? You prepare them yourself or do you have a local butcher do it for you? If so, what's it taste like?

[leaningright]

Just for clarification: you eat squirrels? You prepare them yourself or do you have a local butcher do it for you? If so, what's it taste like?

Yes sir. I hunt and eat squirrels, rabbits, deer, wild turkeys and pheasants. I clean, butcher and cook them myself.

I probably kill 50 or so squirrels a year. My son and I are the only ones in our household who eat them. My wife doesn’t like them because she doesn’t like the dark meat of the chicken, which is the closest way I can describe the taste to you…and really it’s more the texture than the taste. On the other hand, she does like cottontail rabbits because they are textured more like the breast of a chicken. Rabbit is a drier meat. I much prefer squirrel over all the rest of the game that I hunt except for turkey.

[Phantasmal]

Yes sir. I hunt and eat squirrels, rabbits, deer, wild turkeys and pheasants. I clean, butcher and cook them myself.

I probably kill 50 or so squirrels a year. My son and I are the only ones in our household who eat them. My wife doesn’t like them because she doesn’t like the dark meat of the chicken, which is the closest way I can describe the taste to you…and really it’s more the texture than the taste. On the other hand, she does like cottontail rabbits because they are textured more like the breast of a chicken. Rabbit is a drier meat. I much prefer squirrel over all the rest of the game that I hunt except for turkey.

I love pheasant! My mom use to brine it in milk, then fry it like chicken. Delicious!

[RB 60]

Yes sir. I hunt and eat squirrels, rabbits, deer, wild turkeys and pheasants. I clean, butcher and cook them myself.

I probably kill 50 or so squirrels a year. My son and I are the only ones in our household who eat them. My wife doesn’t like them because she doesn’t like the dark meat of the chicken, which is the closest way I can describe the taste to you…and really it’s more the texture than the taste. On the other hand, she does like cottontail rabbits because they are textured more like the breast of a chicken. Rabbit is a drier meat. I much prefer squirrel over all the rest of the game that I hunt except for turkey.

My father and I always cleaned everything we hunted (except deer). His favorite was hunting duck and geese, they are too greasy for my taste, but my mother cooked them well according to him.

I could only imagine the look on a butcher's face if you brought in a rabbit or squirrel for him to clean and butcher

[leaningright]

I love pheasant! My mom use to brine it in milk, then fry it like chicken. Delicious!

Absolutely! Have to make about a 9 hour drive to hunt them but it’s absolutely worth it. Lots of good exercise and some good meals when I get back home.

[RB 60]

Absolutely! Have to make about a 9 hour drive to hunt them but it’s absolutely worth it. Lots of good exercise and some good meals when I get back home.

Used to be lots of pheasant on my dad's friend's farm when I was a kid, rabbits and woodcock too. Woodcock is a challenge! We got our share, I cherish those days with my dad.

I think I've only seen one pheasant in the last 2 years. Deer population has gone back up, but not to where it was when I was a kid.
I only hunt groundhogs any more. I got a 7 pointer a few years ago, but haven't been out since. Maybe I'll take the flintlock out to the
range this summer and get some practice. I'm low on powder, inflation has hit that, hasn't it? I burned almost all I had through my Uberti
1858 New Army .44 cap and ball revolver.

[leaningright]

Used to be lots of pheasant on my dad's friend's farm when I was a kid, rabbits and woodcock too. Woodcock is a challenge! We got our share, I cherish those days with my dad.

I think I've only seen one pheasant in the last 2 years. Deer population has gone back up, but not to where it was when I was a kid.
I only hunt groundhogs any more. I got a 7 pointer a few years ago, but haven't been out since. Maybe I'll take the flintlock out to the
range this summer and get some practice. I'm low on powder, inflation has hit that, hasn't it? I burned almost all I had through my Uberti
1858 New Army .44 cap and ball revolver.

I couldn’t get powder locally as far back as 20 years. Our local shops just wouldn’t carry it. I’ve been using 777 instead of black powder for that long. It’s a good substitute. I’m getting low on it now. Hoping I can find some without having to order online and pay the crazy hazardous shipping costs.

We still have woodcocks here but have never had pheasants. I’ve always had to drive to the panhandle to hunt them. Quail disappeared over 20 years ago or I would have listed them in the game I like to eat. I had bird dogs until then but haven’t hunted quail in so many years. Hunting them with my uncle used to be an every winter deal. Good times.

[RB 60]

I couldn’t get powder locally as far back as 20 years. Our local shops just wouldn’t carry it. I’ve been using 777 instead of black powder for that long. It’s a good substitute. I’m getting low on it now. Hoping I can find some without having to order online and pay the crazy hazardous shipping costs.

We still have woodcocks here but have never had pheasants. I’ve always had to drive to the panhandle to hunt them. Quail disappeared over 20 years ago or I would have listed them in the game I like to eat. I had bird dogs until then but haven’t hunted quail in so many years. Hunting them with my uncle used to be an every winter deal. Good times.

I generally get powder when the guys at my gun club order it. they get bulk. They post on the bulletin board in the clubhouse when and what they are ordering. Otherwise, there's a gun shop about a half hr. or so from me and they usually have some, but it ain't cheap.

[Matt Dillon]

I’m working up a load for a muzzleloader I have acquired. It’s a Traditions Buckskinner in 50 caliber, manufactured in the early 2000’s. This gun was given to me and I’m planning to squirrel hunt with it. If it is accurate enough, I’ll deer hunt with it when the season rolls around.

“50 cal is a little overkill,” you say? Well, you’d be right. But I’m at that point in my life where I hunt more for fun and nostalgia more than for food, although I do enjoy the food. I enjoy taking my dogs to woods the most. And think about it, not many of our ancestors had different caliber weapons for different game. They loaded and shot accordingly.

I shot some bullets from a mold I have had for several years out of the gun today with 30 grains of Triple 7. It was pretty good from 30 yards, but not good enough. I have ordered a round ball mold in the proper caliber and am hoping that a patched round ball gets me to squirrel head sized groups.

I’ll post a picture of the little gun in the comments.

Squirrel hunt with black powder .50 cal.

If you don't hit 'em the head, there ain't gonna be no meat.

[Matt Dillon]

Yes sir. I hunt and eat squirrels, rabbits, deer, wild turkeys and pheasants. I clean, butcher and cook them myself.

I probably kill 50 or so squirrels a year. My son and I are the only ones in our household who eat them. My wife doesn’t like them because she doesn’t like the dark meat of the chicken, which is the closest way I can describe the taste to you…and really it’s more the texture than the taste. On the other hand, she does like cottontail rabbits because they are textured more like the breast of a chicken. Rabbit is a drier meat. I much prefer squirrel over all the rest of the game that I hunt except for turkey.

Squirrel tastes about like rabbit to me.