New powder shooter. requesting help.

[RTFM]

I must give a robust THANK YOU to the Southern Idaho Muzzle Loaders Association for sharing their rifles pistols patch and powder with me this weekend.

I’ve been shooting cartridge guns since 1982. Feb 24 2007 was the first time I have ever had a chance to shoot a black powder (both cap and flint) rifle and pistol.

WHAT A GOOD TIME!

Most people I have shot with over the years, give no thought to the old percussive rifles, and dismiss them as ancient tools no better than stone axes, so I did not pay them much heed.

Now I need an education please.

I was able to consistently hit the “gong” at 75 yards, shooting a variety of offered guns. Oh what a good time!

I have searched for resources, but a better place to start is here. Keep in mind that I am starting out, so I’m looking for an initial out lay of $200 - 500 I am leaning slightly towards flint (flinch) lock rifle for now. But should this pan out, I would like to add a matching pistol in the same caliber.

The calibers I shot this weekend, ranged from .32 to .54 not one appeared or shot better to me than another. So what are the differences, I need to know?

Keep in mind, I am not a game hunter, this rifle will solely be for paper and metal silhouette so effective killing is not needed.

Help me out, what links can you provide to a new shooter? I need resources to choose a gun, powder, and anything else I may need.

Thank you all.


RTFM

 

[hildo]

When I started out, not long ago, I googled at lot and founds many of interesting sites this way.
Have been reading old posts on forums as well. They are literally stacked with learning material.
Part of historic guns interest, for me, is not just the guns themselves but also the times and places in where these arms we actually used. Can be very interesting as well.

The information it readily available on the internet and it can surely keep you reading for years to come!

Hildo

 

[Plink]

Black powder shooting is one of the most addictive things I've ever found. Welcome to the mother of all addictions! For a first gun (or 20th gun!), I can't think of a better choice than the Lyman Great Plains rifle. It's well within your price range, well built, very accurate and a good shooting gun overall. If you're only going to target shoot, the smaller calibers don't beat you up as badly and cost a bit less to shoot. The Lyman is available in .50 which is a good compromise and the most common of all calibers, so supplies are easy to find.

As for difference in calibers, well, ball size is really about it. The smaller calibers are more sensitive to wind and foul faster. The larger ones work better on larger game. I don't think there's any magic caliber for best accuracy. I tend to prefer .45 for target shooting because it's a nice compromise between handling crosswind, light recoil and not fouling too often.

Flintlocks are their own discipline and there's a lot of little tricks and tips that make shooting them more rewarding. For flinters, I'd avoid the lower dollar guns like Traditions. Some of them work really well, but some don't. Though their percussion guns are great values.

Here's the best source of info I know of and a great place to ask questions to friendly, knowledgeable folks with a lot of experience. If you go through the link, I get a "referral credit", whatever that is!
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/fusionbb.php?referral/9048/