NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/760935
DECEMBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 73 Tips for Muzzleloading Season Follow these simple instructions to make this season your best ever. By Julie Geiser T he muzzleloading deer season runs the entire month of December, and hunters will be hitting the field with traditional and the newer inline guns. Keep these tips in mind regardless of which muzzleloader you shoot. Cleaning After purchasing a new gun, remove the oil from the gun by cleaning the barrel. This same process can be done to clean the gun after shooting. Use a tub of very hot water mixed with a drop of dishwashing soap. Put the muzzle end of the barrel into the water and pump a rod with a cleaning patch, moving it up and down the inside of the barrel. This action creates a vacuum and will pull the water up into the barrel to clean it. This works for both types of muzzleloaders. On an inline, remove the breech plug and soak it in breech plug cleaner while cleaning the barrel. Use a toothbrush to clean the threads where the breech plug screws in. Use a small wire to clean the fire hole in the breech plug. Inlines don't require the tub bath and are simple to clean with bore cleaners for inline guns. For caplocks, remove the nipple and soak it in the tub of hot water while you clean the barrel; clean the port in the nipple with a nipple pick to remove any oil or debris. The hotter the water the better when cleaning the barrel; it will dry the barrel faster as it heats the metal, but run several dry patches through the bore until they come out dry. Next, run a patch with bore butter through the bore to season the barrel and protect it from rust, which keeps the gun accurate. Bore butter is a non-petroleum based lubricant that will season the barrel. For inlines use breech plug grease on the threads before screwing the plug in the barrel. Then reassemble the gun. Shooting Always remember the powder, patch, ball combination for caplocks; even with inlines the powder always goes first. This mistake is usually made by every muzzleloader shooter at some point. To remedy this problem purchase a CO2 cartridge load remover. It beats trying to pull a chunk of lead back up through a barrel. These tools attach to the breech of the muzzleloader and fire the load out the muzzle with ease. In addition, choices for powder and bullet combinations are sometimes overwhelming as there are so many types to choose from. The best advice is to read the manufacturer's suggestions for proper bullet and powder amounts and types. You can always tweak powder loads and bullet types the more you shoot, and it is a good starting point. From there you can find which combinations shoot most effectively from your muzzleloader. Once you find the loads that work best in your rifle, load the gun the same way every time. When starting a ball or bullet use a short starter first. If using bullets or sabots, use a short starter that will not deform the bullet tip, and don't start the bullet crooked. Then proceed with the ramrod to seat the load, marking the ramrod after it is loaded. This tells you that the powder and ball or sabot is seated in the same spot every time. Keeping the powder dry can also be a challenge. There is nothing like hearing a fizzle instead of a kaboom when you squeeze the trigger. Place a piece of electrical tape on the end of the barrel. Cut the tape so it fits over the muzzle and press it down firmly; shooting through the tape has no effect on the shot. On inlines the breech is fairly protected from moisture getting in, while caplocks are not. I place a dot of fingernail polish on the nipple of my caplock to keep moisture out. When you are ready to fire, simply pluck the polish off and place the percussion cap on the nipple. When shooting, increase your success with open sights by trying a peep sight. Peep sights help prevent aiming errors by increasing the sight radius, or the distance between the front and rear sight. Using fiber optic sights is another option for aiming and is better than using plain iron sights. Also, invest in a few speed loaders – these gadgets will decrease loading time when getting another shot off quickly is crucial. Pre-load these plastic tubes with powder or pellets, patch and ball or a bullet. Finally, know the rules and regulations before you go hunting. The Nebraska Big Game Guide lists legal weapons, calibers and scope use for muzzleloaders on page 48. ■ PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER