Random thoughts on the future of inlines

[michiganmuzzy]

Yes, sir. I visited. I told them that it was stupid to call that the ml forum if it's just for fantasy role playing games. Then they banned me. Now, if I Google a question and the answer is on their site I have to go incognito. The hermits over there were so pleased with my banishment that they were rolling with laughter on the dirt floors of their living rooms.

That's what getting into muzzleloading has been like. I'm mostly still in the hobby out of spite. If there even are any primitives in my area, I want them to see my shiny new 80's gun out there this ml season. That'll make those primmies sad.

Dont let some crab-asses keep you from getting a Hawken or any old style(traditional) ML. I have one and want a couple more. Modern Muzzleloader doesn't mean we are anti-traditional ML. Lots of side-lock and flintlock shooters here.

 

[snapbang]

Modern Muzzleloader doesn't mean we are anti-traditional ML. Lots of side-lock and flintlock shooters here.

Ive said before I have killed more deer with my sidelock than any other gun. Figure I killed 4 a year from the time I was 30 til now at 67. I love my sidelock.

I think with all the deer they need killed there should be plenty of time for a traditional archery, modern archery, traditional MZ, Modern MZ, and gun. In Michigan I see no problem with having a MZ season the first two weeks of January. Love to have the snow for a small advantage.

 

[SteveH]

I hate to admit it but I think that muzzleloading is going diminish to almost nothing with a few niche producers. I started the ML game in the early 2000s when there were 4 or five U.S. companies - Remington, Ruger, Savage, Knight and T/C. CVA and Traditions were the Spanish upstarts. What do we have now? Remington, Savage, Ruger and T/C are no more, Knight seems to be on life support. Traditions seems to be the big seller, at least in the big box stores, with CVA a little behind. The remaining ML makers are boutique shops. BH209 is selling for around $10 for an ounce when you can find it.

Perhaps smokeless will be a thing, but not until someone steps up to again make a production model and I doubt any will due to liability issues. Any state that allows straight wall cartridges in what is currently a ML season will attract +95% of the current and future ML shooters. We are not the norm here, most just want an easy shooter.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

I'm an unrepentant inliner and I hunt with my Firehawk in any season its legal to do so.
The after Christmas flintlock season here in Pennsylvania was hard fought for and I will resist ANY attempt to allow sidelock percussion or inline muzzleloaders to be used in that season. It's not a muzzleloader season. It is a FLINTLOCK season.To say it's discrimination is rather silly really. A muzzleloader tag is required for the October antlerless and bear season. If you want to go after Christmas, get you a flintlock. My Renegades are aperture sighted and I shoot sabots.
Sabots, the other sub caliber adapter...

 

[FredB]

Inline, sidelock, flintlock, blunderbuss, boomerangs, whatever. The more seasons I get to hunt, the better. If they can make it more restrictive, better yet. If that deters other hunters, that's more game for me.

 

[Harley469]

I live in IL, and they just began to allow single shot straight walls. I bought my daughter a CVA 350 Legend for general firearms seasons, but she will still be using her Traditions Buckstalker during muzzleloader season. I will admit, she much prefers the 350 Legend due to the minimal recoil. I on the other hand love all my muzzleloaders equally and only use those during all firearm seasons, but I am in the minority among my hunting friends. As long as there are muzzleloader seasons, muzzleloaders will still be in demand, but possibly not as much in a state like mine where muzzleloader season only lasts 3 days.

 

[Brewcrew]

I live in IL, and they just began to allow single shot straight walls. I bought my daughter a CVA 350 Legend for general firearms seasons, but she will still be using her Traditions Buckstalker during muzzleloader season. I will admit, she much prefers the 350 Legend due to the minimal recoil. I on the other hand love all my muzzleloaders equally and only use those during all firearm seasons, but I am in the minority among my hunting friends. As long as there are muzzleloader seasons, muzzleloaders will still be in demand, but possibly not as much in a state like mine where muzzleloader season only lasts 3 days.

I wish PA would have a straight-wall season. Years ago they talked about making everything south of Interstate "80" a Shotgun Slug only area. That never got off the ground. I'd support the straight-wall season for sure! I love my 45-70 and have taken a couple deer with it.

 

[Harley469]

I wish PA would have a straight-wall season. Years ago they talked about making everything south of Interstate "80" a Shotgun Slug only area. That never got off the ground. I'd support the straight-wall season for sure! I love my 45-70 and have taken a couple deer with it.

You can't hunt with bottle neck cartridges in your area of PA?

 

[Brewcrew]

You can't hunt with bottle neck cartridges in your area of PA?

No we can use bottleneck cartridges. Having an early straight-wall season would stop the gold rush for the first day of buck rifle season. Although the hunters are far fewer than there were years ago, it's still a mad rush for opening day. Years ago 80% of the deer were in the mountain areas of PA. Today most deer are near the rural and city areas turning into back-yard pests. Erie Insurance of PA charges every auto ins. customer a premium fee for PA deer risk damage. Every hunting and non-hunting driver should not have to pay a penalty for deer damage if the Game Commission was properly managing the deer herds. In western PA there are literally dead deer all over I-79 Norh and South and I-80 East and West. Every day we see small bucks dead on the highways. Many of these are spikes and fork horns that you are not allowed to harvest in western PA.

 

[dozer_xj]

, but possibly not as much in a state like mine where muzzleloader season only lasts 3 days.

7 days. You can use your muzzleloader tag with a muzzleloader during second season

 

[cook]

Well at the rate the various governments and agencies are going with over regulations and banning lead bullets etc. then hunting may be a dying pastime. Then the activist environmentalists getting unlimited funds to sue everyone to death. Plus toss in diseases like chronic wasting disease etc and it isn’t looking promising.

“Hunting may be a dying pastime”; what a great pun!

 

[Harley469]

7 days. You can use your muzzleloader tag with a muzzleloader during second season

Yes, I know-I was referring to actual muzzleloader season in IL, which only lasts three days. I hunt with my ML during all the firearm seasons.

 

[dozer_xj]

Yes, I know-I was referring to actual muzzleloader season in IL, which only lasts three days. I hunt with my ML during all the firearm seasons.

You can use your MUZZLELOADER tag during second gun season and muzzleloader season.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

Seems I really opened up a can of worms here!
It's a good conversation though!
I still think breechloaders are a passing fad...

 

[11th Corps]

The club where I shoot has almost no front stuffers being used anytime, not inlines or side locks. I shoot flintlocks, percussion and inlines but have never had anyone walk over at the rifle range and ask me about my guns/loads etc.

 

[gregdaws]

Living in Southern Ontario Muzzleloaders offer an additional way to hunt dear. It's illegal here to kill dear with a rifle. In Northern Ontario hunting deer with a rifle is legal. So it's bow, crossbow, shotgun, slug gun or muzzleloader.

I was in my local gun shop last week and heard one of the staff tell a customer that they wouldn't take his muzzleloader on concession as "nobody is interested in them these days". I had another dealer in Manitoba that I purchase from state that they don't take too many muzzleloaders on concession because it's tough asking asking $300 for a used rifle when you can buy new for not much more.

I think I am the only one shooting black powder at my local gun club. Apparently someone tried to get a black powder section going but it never went anywhere. The funny thing is though that every time I turn up with my Omega I get comments ranging from "what a beautiful gun" to "that looks like ton of fun" as I obscure the target with a cloud of smoke. It doesn't matter what others are shooting, my stainless Omega in it's laminate stock always steals the show.

Muzzleloaders in general are in decline, we only have to look at the number of manufacturers that are bringing out new models to see that. However, I believe that there is an interest and there are people who want to try it but find it daunting. I'm hoping to get our Black Powder section going at the club in the spring.

 

[MrTom]

The club where I shoot has almost no front stuffers being used anytime, not inlines or side locks. I shoot flintlocks, percussion and inlines but have never had anyone walk over at the rifle range and ask me about my guns/loads etc.

There's a fair following at the club I belong to and I see one every now and again. I've never seen or met another smokeless shooter there though and have opened some eyes of shotgun slug shooters, even those with the Savage bolts.

Based on what gets stocked locally at the two primary sources for muzzleloading powders, bullets, and other accessories and the guns themselves, I know we have a serious contingent of muzzy shooters/hunters here in SE Minnesota. The earliest firearms season is in late October and most of the muzzy stuff in the stores is stripped of the good stuff by then.

We here in the SE corner of the state also have the most deer seasons and the highest concentrations of deer in the state too. I know several people personally who hunt here and use muzzies over shotguns during the two main firearms seasons and the several special seasons offered for firearms hunters. Our muzzleloader season begins the last Saturday of the second firearms season and runs for 16 days. If it loads from the front, is rifled and is over .40 cal, except for revolvers, it can be used and there are a lot of people in the woods then. Generally speaking we have a serious deer hunting crowd, but new and young hunter recruitment is sorely lacking and that includes the front stuffers. I blame a lot of the new hunter decline on football and especially soccer because we have such a huge season for it. That's fine though. The pussified kids can play kickball, the tough ones learn to hunt and fish.

 

[Brewcrew]

“Hunting may be a dying pastime”; what a great pun!

This is seriously funny!

 

[Mnt monkey]

In relation to the topic ,what are each of you doing to support and spread your particular passion within muzzle loading, how are you affecting the future?

 

[Confederate rifleman]

I teach Hunter/Trapper Ed. courses here in Pennsylvania. I usually get the muzzleloader section and I start with " Muzzleloaders are more fun than a human being should be allowed to have."
It generates a lot of questions at break time and when all's done.
I shoot them in the " off season" too. I get curious looks in the summer when I'm laying down a smoke screen. Sometimes, questions too!