was at my local range and the jerk at the next table was stuffing 5 pellets of something down his in-line and then a large lead bullet. He was unable to hit the target at 100 yards and i over heard him saying he was increasing the powder. I left.
Smart Man. I have seen this type of thing before and there is no excuse for willful ignorance. Idiots are every where.
My research on the Indian ML imported in the last few years is ALL have had the tubing for barrels. I know India is perfectly capable of producing fine firearms and would gladly shoot a Peabody or Martini made there, even might shoot a 150 year old Enfield after checking it out. A friend of mine has and shoots it very well.
If you watch that video, they are basically saying, yes you can shoot them but if something happens they are not responsible because they are decorations, not firearms as the touch holes and fire channels are not drilled when they leave the factory!! After seeing the video and hearing how they are promoted, it is clear that this is pure subterfuge to increase sales. That is why I am so adamant about getting the truth out about these props.
The N-SSA has totally rejected these things based on safety issues. I am a member of the N-SSA and am proud of our safety record, namely 60 years of no serious firearm injuries at an N-SSA sponsered event. Re-Enactors of CW CANNOT say that where they only shoot blanks. (I don't know about Revolutionary or other re-enactors. )
SAfety begins with knowing your firearm and its capability. From what I have seen, these things are not even suitable for blanks because many of the things are not cleaned properly by their owners, which leads to trouble.
Sales hype is not always true and shooting something shipped as a decoration is insane to me. PT Barnum said it best: There's a sucker born every minute.
No Question, American firearms makers have produced quite a few pieces of junk. It is not place of origin but the product. Since Midsex and Loyalist don't identify MFG, I cannot identify them by name. Thus, all of the India made pieces are slandered with the same brush in the interest of safety. How else can they be described until we know names of MFG.. Identify the MFG. and I will happily use it when talking about these things.
I feel American law enforcement and\or products liability lawyers would shortly take care of American companies if they pulled this bull here.
I am not famillar with Dixon's or their reputation so I cannot give that any weight one way or the other. If I was friends with them, I would let them know about the video and give them a chance to reconsider selling these things.
One bad incident threatens all of us who shoot muzzle loaders. Safety is paramount!
