A History of Muzzleloading.

[wtrfwlr]

I ran across this article last night while researching so black powder stuff. I thought it was really interesting and gives a good history of gunpowder, primers and the development of firearms in general although the bulk of the article is concerning muzzleloaders. I'm not sure how many folks here fool with smoke poles other than woodscustom and myself but any gun enthusiast might find it interesting.
It's kinda long so I choose not to copy/paste it.
Enjoy!

www.whitemuzzleloading.com/history_muzzleloading.htm

[garret]

thanks for that, i love this stuff, history always interests me and the history of firearms even more so

[wtrfwlr]

Good deal garret, glad you liked it. I figured most everyone here is well versed on gun history stuff but not being so much of a gun expert myself, and found it interesting, I thought I'd pass it along.

[woodyz]

I have a knight .45 cal. I got about 10 years ago, I was really surprised at both the accuracy and the range. I went into my first year thinking it would be like a shotgun slug, although they surprised me as well. I am still amazed that during the civil war shooters were able to get off up to 8 shots per minute, kind of shoots holes in the need for a 30 round magazine.

Although, IMHO, people might be more accurate and use less bullets if they had to work a bolt between shots.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against large capacity, high volume/rpm "squirrel guns", its just I think a lot of people are under the false impression if they throw enough lead down range they have to hit something.

I have had my share of three shot bursts, but I am not a fan of full automatic. However, I used to love the sound of an M60 barking out rounds.

[USCGME2]

If you like the M60 Woody, you'd fall head over heels for the FN M-240 Bravo. I love to make Mr Thunder Stick bark fire!

[woodyz]

It looks good to me. I associate the sound of the M60 like a bugle call. For me it meant the cavalry was coming, 99% of the time with a helicopter attached to it.

The MP Company I was with experimented with putting a quad 60 rig in the back of a jeep mounted on spring steel (like a tractor seat), you talk about mowing down some jungle. But it didn't work as well as we thought because unless you were sitting still you were going to tangle up the feed belts and jam and the way the trigger was set up if one quit they all quit until you could get a single one loose. Not a good thing.

But hearing one firing I associate with hope when hope had been fast fading. You just knew that throaty growl was doing some damage somewhere.

[garret]

a friend of my dad was big into black powder in rifle and pistol, he had a pair of .54 hawkens (replicas) that i shot a couple of times plus a couple of underhammers, the fave thing to shoot though was a replica black bess blunderbus he had, you could load anything into that

[wtrfwlr]

Yeah I have a Navy Arms 32 cal. black powder revolver that is really fun to play around with, that is until you get tired of loading that damn thing up! I missed out on a heckuva deal with a double barrel 12 ga. black powder shotgun a few years back that I wish I had had the cash for. I'd love to have one of those to take to the duck swamp! I'd also like to get my hands on a 32 cal. Kentucky squirrel rifle, that would be fun too!

[hunter63]

I doan no nuting 'bout no front stuffers........LOL

.62 cal smooth bore trade gun French fusil Type 3.....


Thanks for posting the link.....

[wtrfwlr]

Ahhh, there you are Hunter I knew you were a flash pan man! I was hoping you was still around, hadn't seen you since I've been back on. I figured a thread like this would bring you out.

[hunter63]

Just got back from Rendezvous and survived a computer crash here a while back.....

Everyone should have a rock lock in the collection....for the time when shell, bullets, and primers get in real short supply.
Flint locks will still keep going "boom".....