In response to the denials of many hunting writers, who apparently don't know much about either guns or hunting, that Traditional Muzzleloaders are effective game getters, we offer this hunting photo gallery. You can take any game in the world with a traditional muzzleloader, but first you must learn how to shoot. Of course, if a hunting writer does know how to shoot and he continues to write this garbage anyway, well then, he must be taking money from the modern, non-traditonal front-loader manufacturing companies in return for lying to you about the effectiveness of these traditional guns. In any event, a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some of our pictures.
what some of America's most widely read gun writers have to say about traditional roundball hunting and then look at a few of our pictures.
AJ/OH With his Sandhill Crane
Billy: With his 180 pound bear harvested with a custom "Hawken" style muzzleloader loaded with a .570 patched round ball. Billy took his bear on May 24th, 2000. It was his first bear hunt.
Carl/NYC: With an Eastern North Carolina buck taken in October 1995 on a Lyman Deerstalker loaded with a Lee REAL bullet and 100 grains of 2fg.
Carl/NYC: 300 pound black bear taken in October of 1999 on a patched .530 ball with 100 grains of Elephant 3fg behind it. The rifle was a Lyman Deerstalker in percussion with a Green Mountain barrel on it.
Carl/NYC: 200 pound Russian Wild Boar taken on November 19, 2004 on a patched round ball.
Chris A: A Hide co-moderator with a 175 pound black bear taken on October, 1999 on a .58 caliber Navy Arms Hunter Hawken loaded with a home made conical bullet and 100 grains of 2fg powder.
Chuck/Utah: Wisconsin whitetail doe taken on cold November opener using .535 home-cast round ball, .015" prelubed patch, 110 gr FFg black powder from a Lyman Great Plains Rifle.
DannyB/AL" 20 pound Alabama turkey with a 9" beard and 3/4 inch spurs taken on a 12 gauge flinter!
David/Mo: with an 11 pt. buck, killed 12/2/01 while walking out draws. "I got to be on stand on this draw and had this buck run to and by me at 40 yds. Gun is a Hawken 54 cal. 1 1/8 barrel, using 535 rb ahead of 90 gr. 3f elephant powder."
David/Mo's son Joshua: with a doe he killed 12/2/01 while standing on a drive. He was shooting a Lyman GPR in 54 cal, using 535 rb ahead of 80 gr. 3f elephant powder. He hit her in the neck as she ran by at 20 yds. Joshua can take this doe on a roundball yet some of today's most widely read hunting writers can't. Interesting.
Ed Omak: with a Bull Elk he took using his October Country .69 caliber, Great American Sporting Rifle loaded with 220 gr of Goex with a 460 gr rouind ball and a wad. Ed says he never felt the recoil but the ball went through two ribs and the bottom of the spine, putting a hole in both lungs and breaking the offside shoulder. The Elk didn't take so much as a step after being hit.
Fred: Elk kill in Northwestern CO with a traditional round ball. This 6 X 5 bull was taken with a 0.610 round ball, 0.016 prelubed patch and 170 gr of Goex ff in a custom percussion rifle. The big bull fell 30 feet from the point of impact, 15 feet of which was truly involuntary motion.
Go: Quebec moose taken in 1995 with .58 trail guns armory double rifle. 46" spred. being caped by butcher. 2 shots after calling in on lake with birch bark call from canoe.
Go: Took this bull elk he took on a .62 caliber custom underhammer roundball rifle made by Leonard Day. Here is a picture of the Elk with the rifle.
Go: took this incredible buck in year 2000. It's 23 pts. 18 are over 1" scored 159 B/C and weighed #193 and had a 32" neck. Was taken with his Cheney .54 leman with rb and 130 gr. ffg. It was taken in N.Y.
Go:Took this 400 pound black bear in Rangely, Maine in the fall of 1999 on a .62 caliber underhammer rifle that he bought from me and on a .610 ball made by me! He used 140 grains of 2fg and he shot the bear at a distance of 18 feet as it was quartering toward him.
Jeff: Shot this mule deer buck in Oct.2000, in Wyoming, using his TVM Tennessee percussion rifle with a .535 rb,90 grs. of goex 2f and .15 prelubed patch.95 yds. offhand.When they planned this hunt the two modern weapon hunters in the picture thought he was going to be at a disadvantage.
Jeff: With an eight point Whitetail buck he took on Wisconsin's opening day in November of 2000.
Jeff: with an antelope he shot in October, 2001. He made the 140 yd, shot with his TVM poor boy in 54 cal.90 grns. of 2f with a 535 rb.It was the 1st day of his 1st hunt for antelope.
Jim/PA: Here is a pic of my 1st flintlock buck. 5 point. Taken on 1-7-02 in PA. School was canceled due to snowstorm. I'm a highschool Junior. Notice it has white on the legs. I used my 50GPR Flintlock with a 490RB and a pillow ticking patch over 90grs of FFg. My very first year muzzleloader hunting and i'm hooked. The deer was taken near my home in Central PA. The exact spot to remain a secret (BG). Dad was also along on the hunt.
John Herald: Here's a pic of the first goose I got with my muzzle loading shotgun! - I used a load of 120gr. 2F black a wonder wad with a 3 1/2 steel wad and BB steel! The goose was about 40 yards up and he hit the ground dead! The gun is a Thompson/Center New Englander 12ga. and I used a mod. choke tube! John Herald in North Eastern Oregon
John Shorb: had been runnning around telling people how powerful his Forsythe rifled muzzleloaders are for years and he finally figured he'd better find out if his story was true, so he loaded with a patched round ball and killed this bison bull! Rifle was .72 cal Great American Sporting Rifle, .715 ball .015 special Ox Yoke Wonder patch, used a 12 ga lubed cushion wad. All that sat on top of 200 grains of Ffg Swiss. RWS musket cap ignition. They estimated the bull between 8 and 9 years old, and weight to be about 1,750 pounds. Horns measured about 17 3/4 inches long and 14" in circumference.
MDK_WV took this nice buck at 80 yards on a round ball with 80 grains of 2fg Goex behind it in November of 2008 after a discussion on the board about keeping his powder dry in heavy rain. Fortunately the rain turned to snow on the second day of the hunt.
Keith Miller: With a nice deer taken on 12/29/01 in Venango Co. in NW PA. using custom .54 cal copy of a Dickert style Penna Longrifle. Used .018 patch, Lehigh Valley Lube, self cast ball, and 75 gr 3F Goex. Approx 60 yds.
Noah, with his 1st ML deer.He shot it on opening day of the regular gunseason this year in Wisconsin.He was using a Traditions Ozark Spingfield Hawken 50 cal.80 grns.of 3f and a 490 rb.
OHilljack: 5 Point roundball buck taken on October 30th, 1999 in upper Florida using a caplock 45 Cal, custom made. One shot, dropped in tracks, broken neck. 55 yards.
OHilljack: Turkey taken at about 30 to 35 yards, 45 Cal round ball, broken neck at the top of the shoulders. Taken in December of 1999.
OHilljack: (Bill Marney) Blacktail...160 Lbs...11 point...Heart shot at 45 yards in a creek bed...opening morning... Shot with a 40 cal caplock English...So much for they won't kill, animal went about 25 yards... Near Eugene Oregon...
Rob:This one is a 120 LB. doe taken at 80 yds. with a 50 cal. Round Ball. The picture was taken on Dec. 3, 2000 on the second day of Vermont's muzzleloader season. The rifle is a Thompson Center New Englander.
Rocket: November 2001 Wisconsin Regular Rifle Season 8:30 Opening Morning 70 yard shot quartering towards me. Shot it with my Pacific Rifle 62 caliber English Zypher with a home cast .600 ball with a Ox-Yoke Wonder Lube Patch .015" over a Wonder Wad cushion wad and 165 grains of FFG Goex. The ball went completely through the deer lengthwise the deer took a couple steps and fell over. Robby looked up and excitedly yelled, "You got em DAD!"
Steve/In: Steve took these Bushytails with his muzzleloading side-by side.
Tim/Ohio: Two shots, two rabbits. Tim got these two rabbits with his .32 caliber flinter. Both were head shots, one at 6 yards and one at 25! Man! GOOD shooting!
Thomas Krupinski: It's a 6 x 6 bull taken east of Cedar Flats in Arizona on Saturday, November 10, 2001 during the muzzleloader hunt. Was hunting alone on this hunt and took a broadside shot, 91 yard shot through a tunnel in the cedars and juniper patches on a hill top using a .54 cal. T/C Renegade with 430 grain maxiball on top of 110 grains of FFg Elephant brand black powder. The Maxiball, that I cast using an old T/C mould, went through both sides of the bull taking out both lungs. He went about a 150 yards after being hit leaving a good blood trail.
William Young: This buck was taken in south Montgomery Co, Alabama, 1/29/95. Scored 138 pts. and was sixth place (at that time, anyway) for bucks in Alabama, Muzzleloader Category. The rifle (of my making) is my little hunting rifle, an Ohio fullstock, .58 cal, load was .572 RB, 100 gr of FFg C & H powder, and .020" ticking patch, with Young's 103 lube.
