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Trading my rifle for a muzzle loader

No, not really!  I love my rifle but I am on a mission this year to try new things and expand my hunting repertoire.  Up first, muzzle loading. 

My Uncle brought his Wolf Magnum 50 caliber gun to the house at Christmas (we celebrate all holidays by shooting guns) for us to try out.  Dad and I had never tried muzzle loading before so we need a tutorial on  how to load and unload the gun.

50 and 75 grain black powder pellets


Learning how to load the gun. 

I always make Dad shoot first

Uncle Jim and I before my first shot

It was a great gun to shoot and I really felt comfortable with it after the first shot.  One of my hang ups is knowing the trigger.  One of the 30-06s that we have has a hairline trigger.  The other one really needs a good squeeze to fire and to the nonhunter, this may not seem like a big deal, but when you are high on adrenaline and ready to make a kill, it matters.  This is why I make Dad shoot first.

I could see myself getting into muzzle loading but I would need to buy a gun first.  The perks would be that it would be almost guaranteed that we could hunt on snow after rifle season and the number of hunters in the woods would drop down to probably just us.  We may need a few more practice rounds but I could see Dad and I heading back into the woods after rifle season!  Watch out Bambi, I will get you!








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Comments

  1. Born in the wrong CenturyFebruary 10, 2014

    Erin, I have been shooting black powder for like 20 years and by far it is my favorite season. I also have been shooting CVA's for years and the Wolf is a excellent gun in my opinion. If you have any question I would be honored to answer them for you.

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    Replies
    1. ErinFebruary 10, 2014

      Thanks Rick! Once summer hits and I start to really think about hunting season (more than I already am) I may contact you for some advice on the how & whats to get ready.

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  2. Passinthru OutdoorsFebruary 10, 2014

    We are allowed to use our Muzzle loader now during the state land shotgun season and private land rifle/shotgun season and I chose my muzzle loader over the shotgun and rifle this year. Love using the ML, it's so much fun and they are extremely accurate - especially modern MLs and powder and ammo. You do spend more time cleaning them, but it's easy to do. Go for it, you will love it. Just remember you only have one shot so make it count!

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  3. JoeFebruary 11, 2014

    I really enjoy muzzle loader hunting. Most of the deer I've taken the past several years have been wiht a muzzle loader since our muzzle loader season comes in for two weeks right before our rifle season starts. Even been thinking about getting a new Thompson Pro Hunter this spring.

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