Muzzle-loading

Muzzle-loaders are technically any projectile launching device that loads and ejects the projectile from the same end. Old fashioned canons, mortars, and old-fashioned long-guns are all examples. A characteristic feature of the muzzle-loading rifle or canon is the ramrod, which is used to push the projectile and propellant into the barrel.

For the purposes of this essay I will be focusing on muzzle-loading rifles that have been used by people for the last 250 years. There are many different types for muzzle-loaders. Some are truly antique, being manufactured hundreds of years ago. These are all side-locks, which have an external hammer that ignites the powder. The oldest side-locks use the Match-lock mechanism.

Such guns are improvements on what was known as a “hand-canon.” Very early hand-held muzzle-loaders were ignited with a piece of fuse placed near hole that led to the powder. Some clever person had the bright idea of fashioning a hammer that clamps a piece of lit fuse. This hammer was connected to a primitive trigger. The result was that he could steady the firearm with both hands and then fire by squeezing his fingers, greatly improving accuracy and reliability. This is the first example of a true “gun.”

Later, the Flint-lock was developed. This was a substantial improvement over the Match-lock. It was more reliable and durable. You no longer had to keep your fuse lit. A loaded gun would be ready for action after simply cocking the hammer. It also freed the pioneer from buying or making his own fuse. Several pieces of flint could be kept and would last through hundreds of shots. The ubiquitous Brown Bess, the backbone of the English Empire, was a Flint-lock



I believe that the golden era of American rifle-making existed during the Flint-lock era. Colonial and pioneer Americans all used Flint-locks, the contemporary guns of the time. Masterful German immigrant gunsmiths (living in Lancaster Pennsylvania, not Kentucky) fashioned what I consider the masterpiece of American muzzle-loading rifles, the Kentucky Rifle. The Kentucky Rifle was uniquely American and suited for the vast, deep woods of the American Frontier. This made range and accuracy far more important to Americans than it ever was to the Europeans, so the Kentucky Rifles were made with unheard of barrel-lengths. Thirty inches is usually a minimum for such guns. The long, carefully rifled barrels squeezed every last drop of energy and accuracy out of the hand-made 50 caliber lead balls available to the American pioneer. The Kentucky Rifle stacked up brilliantly against the smoothbore, shorter British Brown Bess in the Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812) where “Hunters of Kentucky” inflicted brutal casualties with their accurate, long-range guns. It was also important to make the gun as carry-able, durable and handy as possible. Every bit of a Kentucky Rifle is simultaneously beautiful and functional. The Patch-box (on the butt-stock) is a good example. It was an innovation. It allowed for quick access of patches and faster loading times, but it was also beautifully engraved. Most American hunters dulled the shiny brass to prevent reflection of light, but this made the patch box fit the overall ruggedly elegant look of the gun. The stock was extended to almost to the end of the muzzle to make the balancing and steadying of the rifle easier, but it also gave the gun a sleek look that no other gun matches. The Kentucky rifle did away with bulky locks and unnecessary weight, making it lighter, more carry-able, and less likely to snag in dense forests.



Shorter versions of the Kentucky Rifle, like the “Hawken,” were popular with American trappers who needed a more compact, carry-able gun, but even longer versions were made for plains pioneers, which needed to kill large game (buffalo) or Indians from very great distances. Examples include the “Plains Rifle.”

The next innovation in Muzzle-loader design is the percussion cap. This is similar to the modern primer found on a center-fire rifle cartridge, the percussion cap rests on a nipple (essentially a hole leading to the power). When the hammer strikes the percussion cap, it bursts with a little flame in one direction. This flame then ignites the powder. The percussion cap is a more reliable ignition mechanism than the Flint-lock because it does not need to be adjusted carefully before use, and it works better in rain or extreme cold, but a carefully maintained and tuned Flint-lock can approach percussion cap reliability. Many older Flint-lock rifles were fitted with percussion cap ignitions, and many hunters today prefer the percussion cap, but my heart lies with the Flint-lock. As you can see though, the development of different mechanisms has been organic and gradual and traditional. At no point was the old design abandoned; it was simply improved.

A major development (perhaps rupture?) in muzzleloader design was the development of “in-line” ignitions. The vast bulk of new muzzle-loader sales are of the in-line design. This is a modern development that came after the development of breech-loading cartridge rifles, and, in my opinion, they are silly. They are essentially modern single-shot rifles that load from the front (the muzzle) instead of the rear (breech). The people who buy these rifles are trying to hunt during “muzzle-loader only” time, so they get the most unsporting, deadly muzzle-loader they can. They want a “muzzle-loader” that is stainless steel, waterproof, and composite-stocked so it is easy to clean. They want to use modern nitrocellulose powders instead of black powder. They want scopes. They want to be able to kill a Moose from 200 yards instead of having to creep up to 50. They want their rifle to fire even if it is freezing cold, they have not properly maintained their rifle, or if it is raining. This takes the joy out of muzzle-loading. The skill and patience required to operate the gun is lost, and the beauty is lost. I would commend any State for preventing these in-liners from killing everything during “muzzle-loader week,” and for encouraging the true sportsmen, those with side-locks, to maintain their traditions.

For those of you interested in muzzle-loading, I recommend the following links:

The largest muzzle-loading get-together, the Bi-annual National Muzzle-loading Rifle Association meet in Friendship, Indiana, is about 40 miles west of Cincinnati. This is a great place for the whole family. There are lasses clad in bonny vestments from the colonial period to the antebellum era. There are many pies from what I hear. Who doesn’t like pie? And there are muzzle-loaders! Re-enactments, too! Hopefully there won’t be to many in-liners. The meetings are in June and September.

Here is an unsual basic guide to constructing a muzzle-loading rifle written by a model plane hobbiest.

Some rifle manufacturers:

For an American-made, quality and safe replica Hawken try Thompson/Center.

For an Italian-made, quality, and safe Plains style replica (kit also available) try Lyman.

Track of the Wolf in Minnesota is the premier muzzloader kit manufacturer. Their replica and historic guns are of high quality. Their catalog is the source for muzzloading parts and information. I am probably going to buy one of their southpaw Kentuck rifles (since I am left eye dominant and right-handed) in the comming months.

Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply also makes high-quality stocks and locks for rifles and pistols using the same barrels as Track of the Wolf. They seem competitive and offer more left-handed models, which I appericate greatly.

Connecticut Valley Arms and Traditions, which both use Spanish import barrels, have models known to explode using recommended loads, and I would avoid such guns despite their low price. Certainly never overload such guns. Also, with historical models, make sure that a competent gunsmith examines them before firing. It is better to lose some money than lose a hand or eye.