Black Powder Firearms... gunnery as an art form...

aleshanee

aleshanee

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i always said the only kind of guns i think i would ever be comfortable with is black
powder muzzle loaders.. ...to me it seems like more of an art form compared to the
science of shooting modern guns.... .... (when i teach archery i use the same
comparison between the science of shooting compound bows versus the art of
shooting traditional stick and string bows)...

and, similar to the case with traditional bows, the art form of black powder
shooting is more than just the artistry and skill one must obviously have to know
how to properly prepare and load these guns.. and make an accurate shot... but
the firearm itself is a work of art as well...

at this point i don;t have any plans to actually acquire a black powder firearm and
start learning about it.... but i still love to watch these videos.... .

what is your opinion of black powder guns?.... does anyone here have experience
with them?..... .
.
 
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My dad had black powder pistols and muskets, and I recognize their prominence in firearm development history as well as the beauty of their art form, but I couldn't get into that much work to make things go bang. 😁
 
ALAYMAN said:
My dad had black powder pistols and muskets, and I recognize their prominence in firearm development history as well as the beauty of their art form, but I couldn't get into that much work to make things go bang. 😁
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it definitely requires more work... .not only in all that has to be done to set up a shot - but also work
to learn the specific skills required..... and also a lot of patience.. ... combined with close attention
paid to details so that the time and work to set up a shot is not wasted on a miss caused by a hastily
or improperly loaded gun.... and of course.. the obvious thing.. when you only have one chance to
take a shot - you must plan and aim that one shot much more carefully than you might if you knew you
had a quick follow shot up available ..in the form of another cartridge in your pocket... or a whole
magazine full of follow up shots that your semi-automatic loaded into the chamber for you....

among hunters today using modern firearms, there;s that popular phrase - "getting more bang
for the buck"...💵 ..but in hunting with a black powder muzzle loader the phrase is more
like "more buck for the bang"...🦌. ... it;s "one shot one kill"... or go home hungry 😏


 
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so after watching people at the shooting range... ..which is a short walk from the archery
range... ..i think i have decided when and if it ever became possible... or legal... for me
to own or even handle a black powder firearm... . that it would be one of these... ...
..... a matchlock arquebuse. ..:)....it;s simple... basic... and in my opinion totally
awesome... ..all the qualities that i like about primitive traditional archery...🏹
.

but until that day comes i;ll just keep making and shooting traditional arrows from
traditional bows.... no hearing protection required for that... and less clean up..:cool:
 
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this matchlock musket is pretty awesome too... though much heavier than the arquebuse
so much heavier in fact that it requires a special prop to hold it up and in place in order
to make an accurate shot.... and.... because it requires having an open flame there
is also a regimented procedure shooters of both firearms went through when firing
matchlocks that is slightly different than what is required for shooting other black
powder firearms such as flintlocks and caplocks...
.
 
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here;s the full video on the matchlock arquebus.... in case anyone is interested...
.it;s probably not for everybody.... and some might wonder why a subject like this
should be in a fighting fundamentalist forum at all..... but there is a lot of history
in this video, and also behind this little firearm pertinent to christian armies that
fought against the ottoman empire in the early 1500s.. .to me both the history and
the primitive technology behind this is fascinating....
.
 
17th century - wheel lock - paddle shaft - cavalry carbine....
...wow.... i never knew such guns existed... . they came in between the matchlocks
and the classic flintlocks that are still popular with black powder enthusiasts today....
.
 
there a lot of similarites in this style of spot and stalk on the ground - black
powder rifle hunting - and the way we hunt with traditional archery gear...
.. for one we are always on the ground and always on the move... never
positioned in a tree or stand... and 2 - you have a good chance of going
home empty handed more often than not... so your success has to be
measured in different ways...

this video has a lot of good advice in it... especially the part about
obeying your wife if she tells you to go hunting... ;)
.
 
though it uses cartridges... and it;s lever action makes it much easier to get off a
follow up shot than it would be with a flintlock muzzle loader.... this old 1886
winchester 45/70 black powder rifle is still considered a primitive hunting tool..
and i know from experience that when hunting something on the ground that
can come after you or which is just likely to become the hunter itself rather
than the prey... there is no shame in giving yourself a few advantages.. :sneaky:

 
aleshanee said:
though it uses cartridges... and it;s lever action makes it much easier to get off a
follow up shot than it would be with a flintlock muzzle loader.... this old 1886
winchester 45/70 black powder rifle is still considered a primitive hunting tool..
and i know from experience that when hunting something on the ground that
can come after you or which is just likely to become the hunter itself rather
than the prey... there is no shame in giving yourself a few advantages.. :sneaky:

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Years ago, I actually had to load and fire an old fashioned style black powder rifle as part of my requirement for a state hunting license. I heard they quit doing that, but I’m glad I got an opportunity
 
Huk said:
Years ago, I actually had to load and fire an old fashioned style black powder rifle as part of my requirement for a state hunting license. I heard they quit doing that, but I’m glad I got an opportunity
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that;s pretty awesome.... i think they should include that in the training required for owning and carrying a gun.... ..it goes back to the basics of what makes any firearm... even modern firearms... work.... ..i have never loaded a black powder gun..... but i:ve watched it done so many times i could probably get one loaded correctly and even manage to fire it, if i had to.. ..and without blowing myself up of course..

by the way.... i don;t know how many people are aware of this... but the BATF does not classify guns that use loose black powder and are loaded from the muzzle, as firearms... and even the most liberal of leftists have harped endlessly on how the 2nd ammendment was taking about muzzle loading flintlocks.. because that was the "arms" of the time... so in their protestations they have actually made comments that support a persons right to keep and carry at least that kind of weapon without infringement or regulation...

but what they seem to have overlooked is that the second ammendament simply says we have the right to keep and bear "arms".... it does not specifiy only firearms... ... and edged weapons such as dirks.. daggers.. hunting knives... and even swords were carried as personal arms back in the 1700s too - without restriction or regulation to how long they could be or whether they could be double edged or not.... .... but how many cities across the country... even in republican 2nd ammendment states... will let you walk around with a double edged dagger or a sword strapped to your side?....
 
this is a really good presentation of the LeMat black powder pistol first used by a few confederate
officers during the civil war.... ..and if you ever watched the hbo series west-world then you might
remember the character played by ed harris carried one.. (a modified version altered to use modern
cartidges).. ..i have never seen one of these in person... only ever heard of them.... but if they could
make a modern version of this a little better i think i would consider it as a bug out survival gun....:unsure:
.... ...maybe.... :sneaky:


38114404df781e43fe76401bae9a1c5d.jpeg
 
That's a nice looking version of one. The couple I have seen on display in Museums are pitted and rusted.
 
aleshanee said:
that;s pretty awesome.... i think they should include that in the training required for owning and carrying a gun.... ..it goes back to the basics of what makes any firearm... even modern firearms... work.... ..i have never loaded a black powder gun..... but i:ve watched it done so many times i could probably get one loaded correctly and even manage to fire it, if i had to.. ..and without blowing myself up of course..

by the way.... i don;t know how many people are aware of this... but the BATF does not classify guns that use loose black powder and are loaded from the muzzle, as firearms... and even the most liberal of leftists have harped endlessly on how the 2nd ammendment was taking about muzzle loading flintlocks.. because that was the "arms" of the time... so in their protestations they have actually made comments that support a persons right to keep and carry at least that kind of weapon without infringement or regulation...

but what they seem to have overlooked is that the second ammendament simply says we have the right to keep and bear "arms".... it does not specifiy only firearms... ... and edged weapons such as dirks.. daggers.. hunting knives... and even swords were carried as personal arms back in the 1700s too - without restriction or regulation to how long they could be or whether they could be double edged or not.... .... but how many cities across the country... even in republican 2nd ammendment states... will let you walk around with a double edged dagger or a sword strapped to your side?....
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I have a friend who hunts with a black powder musket and loves it. Similarly to archery hunting for white tailed deer, you have to get closer, and you normally only get one shot, so it is more of a sport than shooting with a semi-auto rifle with a 9 power lighted scope at 250 yards (Very common here). Anyway, I want to try it.
 
Bob Jones V said:
I have a friend who hunts with a black powder musket and loves it. Similarly to archery hunting for white tailed deer, you have to get closer, and you normally only get one shot, so it is more of a sport than shooting with a semi-auto rifle with a 9 power lighted scope at 250 yards (Very common here). Anyway, I want to try it.
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check this one out.... .. i have never seen a black powder breech loading flintlock
myself... . but i do know the u.s. army used them in the mexican american war...
and also against native americans prior to the civil war... but not many were used
in the civil war itself... this one was made in 1819,.. i;m guessing he will do a much
longer and more indepth video on it later... .. that;s what he usually does....


Model_1817_Hall_U.S._Contract_Breechloading_Flintlock_Rifle.jpeg
 
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I had a Kentucky rifle black powder kit (.50 cal) once. It was funny that I got it as a Christmas gift, but wasn't equipped or skilled enough to assemble it. I was only 14. So it languished on my shelves till I don't remember what became of it. My brother got an identical kit, but he found someone to assemble it for him. (Assemblage included woodwork and metal work).

I loaded and shot it once or twice. He actually took a deer with it. When I was 16, I ordered a Mosberg 550 pump action shotgun with variable choke through Montgomery Wards. Got it delivered in the mail.

It was the doom of a copious amount of clay pigeons, but many an opossum, raccoon, and feral dog fell victim to this most versatile of firearms.
 
Ekklesian said:
I had a Kentucky rifle black powder kit (.50 cal) once. It was funny that I got it as a Christmas gift, but wasn't equipped or skilled enough to assemble it. I was only 14. So it languished on my shelves till I don't remember what became of it. My brother got an identical kit, but he found someone to assemble it for him. (Assemblage included woodwork and metal work).

I loaded and shot it once or twice. He actually took a deer with it. When I was 16, I ordered a Mosberg 550 pump action shotgun with variable choke through Montgomery Wards. Got it delivered in the mail.

It was the doom of a copious amount of clay pigeons, but many an opossum, raccoon, and feral dog fell victim to this most versatile of firearms.
Click to expand...
.
.was it like this one in the picture below?.... ...i had never heard of a mossberg 550 before you mentioned it.... (only the mossberg 500)... . and when i looked it up it came up under the name western field / mossberg.... . but it;s pretty cool having the adjustable choke feature....
.
WESTERN-FIELD-MOSSBERG-MODEL-550-AR-12-GA-SLIDE-ACTION-PUMP-SHOTGUN-WITH-26-IN-VENT-RIB-BBL-a...jpeg
 
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