Muzzleloading makes you a better shooter.

I figured putting this in the black powder forum would be preaching to the choir, but please move if it needs to be, Mods.

First of all, this isn't a kick against cartridge guns. I own bolts, pumps, semi autos and single shots. I also had a nice Winchester .44 lever I was dumb enough to sell. I enjoy firearms in general, but think that shooting muzzleloaders can help the interested shooter improve their skills.

Getting started is no more expensive than buying a cartridge rifle. Used rifles are available if you can check out the bores before buying them, to lessen sticker shock. A few essential acessories are needed, but a lot of things are just convenience items. A jag, screw, flask and measure are all you really have to have.

Price per shot is the first place a smokepole really shines. The only thing cheaper to shoot is a .22 rimfire, or the Red Ryder in the back of your closet. This means more trigger time, which is a big bonus right out of the gate. You can shoot all day and go through forty bucks worth of powder and round balls. That's less than two hours worth of shooting for most centerfire guns.

The bane of frontstuffers is also a great training aid. The old "Click, Boom" forces you to concentrate on the front sight and follow through. If you can shoot a muzzleloader offhand, you've got your bolt action deer rifle down cold. This is especially true of flintlocks, because ignition is a fraction of a second slower than a caplock and the flash from the pan can be distracting. Focus, Grasshopper.

Your muzzleloader will either teach you proper shooting form or you'l be reaching for the IcyHot and begging for a backrub after a few hours. Most muzzleloaders are front heavy and require you to get your off elbow under the barrel to support it. This will break your "chicken wing" habit and then your feet will move to support your new upper body position. Ignore this lesson at the peril of your lower back. Take it from a slow learner.

After you get that good shot off, you'll be moving a bit to reload. Swab, charge, load and prime. You just lost that sweet spot and have to find it all over again. Good practice for getting into position quickly when that whitetail, whistlepig or walnut rat comes around.

I'm not a stickler for "traditional" muzzleloaders, although I do personally prefer them. You can get flintlocks, percussion locks, sidelock or inline. Iron sights, fiberoptic sights or a scope. Strictly target gun or a larger caliber for hunting deer and pictures of deer. Somebody makes what you're looking for.

See you at the range, if you can find me through the smoke.

Agreed, but...

Hoppy590 said:
that seems to be similar to the same mindsets that opposed the M1 Garand, and years later the M16. proper training makes every round count. actions only allow those rounds to count more per minute

Agreed, but shooting a rifle that will quicky ingrain those good habits and training is never a bad thing. All the equipment in the world won't make up for a rifleman who doesn't know how to put those rounds on target. The best marksmen I personally know are blackpowder shooters, to a man. I know some good shooters who never got into BP, but they're not among the best I know.