So I'mfinding the firearm is the cheap part of the BP equation!

[Fat_46]

I picked up my first BP rifle - an Euroarms Hawken in 45. Now Dixie Gun Works is getting a ton of my money! Starters, cappers, flask, measure, balls, ball-ets, patches, cleaning stuff, a ramrod/cleaning rod for range use, etc etc etc


And i STILL haven't purchased caps or powder!

I can't wait to shoot this thing!

 

[junkman_01]

What did you expect? You can't shoot it if you are not prepared!

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Care and feeding of a muzzleloader can be an expensive or cheap proposition depending on your mindset.

In the anxious wait to actually shoot your new acquisition, it is too slow to actually make some of the accessories. For many of us long time shooters, part of the satisfaction comes from doing and making our own. It is easy to spend as much as the gun on accessories. Then again, there are the following ccategoies:
a: most absolutely essential = powder, patches, balls, caps, ball starter, powder measure, horn or flask
b: required for care of the gun = proper cleaning jag, ball puller, cleaning patches,
c: real handy to have nearby = pliers, nipple wrench, small oil vial, patch puller, range rod, extra nipple, screwdriver, extra barrel wedge,
d: really nice to have = possible bag, CO2 ball discharger, small vial of grease, cleaning solvent, small file, tackle box for all of the above.
e: sometimes used: nipple pick, different size balls, different thickness of patches, small bottle of cleaning patch solvent/cleaner (moose milk, etc)
scissors, small knife, small piece of scrap carpet to protect the butt plate at the range,

I've probably forgotten somethings.

You can either make or scrounge up nearly everything on the list. A ball mold costs around $15 to 20 and you can make your own projectiles for the cost of 2 boxes of commercial stuff. Bullet starters, ball boards, possible bags, etc are all easy to make. You can buy cloth at a fabric store for patches for about 1/10th the cost of commercial stuff. Old sheets and other items make good cleaning patches. (wash the cloth before cutting and use.)

 

[arcticap]

After the first muzzle loader is purchased, then the cost of most of the accessories is no longer a factor because they usually last a lifetime.

 

[Busyhands94]

or you could just make your accessories! it's not that hard to do and there is a lot of room for creativity! you can even merge two or more tools into one!

 

[JoeMal]

The gun is always the cheap part, whether BP or modern firearms.

Ammo, holsters, magazines, lights, sights, rails, pods, sticks, bags, eyes, ears, rests, targets, scopes, rings, attire, tools, training, cleaning supplies, safes, cases, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, get very expensive over time

 

[Prairie Dawg]

The only difference between us and the animals, is our ability to accessorize.
(Olympia Dukakis said this in the film Steel Magnolias)

Welcome to the wonderful world of Muzzleloading.
Accessorizing is half the fun!
--Dawg

 

[Busyhands94]

good point! i love all the gadgets and accessories that go with BP guns! all the neat tools!

 

[darkerx]

BP guns are really something different... you have to build a true relationship with your gun... it's your baby, you have to feed it, to clean it... and you will always be amazed by his/her reactions....

(a baby costs you only pleasure to have it... then it will cost more... and for a very long tiime... )

 

[wittzo]

Over time as your skill level increases you'll figure out what you need and don't really need. What works for some is a hindrance to others and you learn tricks either on your own or from reading about it here.

 

[Busyhands94]

darkerx, i treat my gun like i would treat my baby (if i had one) i clean it, hold it, rub oil on it, take excellent care of it, take extreme care not to drop it, the only difference is that when i have kids i won't be sticking powder and bullets in them, and using them to pick off small targets from a long distance.

 

[Pancho]

You might look at this way, you're actually taking on two hobbies. One is shooting the other is hand loading with the benefit that you hand load at the range and get instant results.
Imagine your sticker shock if you were to buy a 308 rifle and all the equipment needed to hand load your own ammo.

 

[Fat_46]

Pancho - you hit it right on the head for me. I reload thousands of smokeless rounds every year, and have accumulated and upgraded my equipment over time. Whenever I pick up a new smokeless rifle or handgun, I automatically add $100 to the price if its in a caliber I don't have dies/brass for.

Thanks for putting it in perspective for me

 

[junkman_01]

You are being very conservative adding ONLY $100 for reloading supplies!

 

[ForumSurfer]

I've found the firearm is always the cheapest part of any equation...no matter if it is a revolver, a semi auto pistol, a rifle, a shotgun or a bb gun.

They get us with all the ammo and accessories...and all the fun that follows after sending fast moving projectiles downrange.

 

[Foto Joe]

Whenever I pick up a new smokeless rifle or handgun, I automatically add $100 to the price if its in a caliber I don't have dies/brass for.

I recently tried something a little different. I ordered a new turret press and it came with a set of dies. Well, I had all the dies that I needed so I figured why not get a set of 45ACP dies. About a week after the press arrived a miracle happened....

You guessed it, I happened to be browsing the case at a gunshop and into my hands fell a S&W Stainless 1911. Never questin Divine Providence.

 

[mykeal]

So, if you buy the dies, they will come?

 

[USAF_Vet]

I got lucky. I got a BP percap carbine for my birthday last year, which included a jug of Pyrodex, several dozen caps, a couple nipples, nice powder flask, sabots, measuring brass, handful of quick loads and a few other itmes I'm probably forgetting.

I want to get into BP shooting more, and am looking for a C&B pistol. I don't shoot it as much as I could due to the fact that the possibles vastly outweigh the gun in terms of long term cost. but that seems to be the case with all guns, not just BP.