its been getting harder and harder over the past few years for any archery hunting. Compound bow was out 3 years ago. Now I think xbow is over also. I loved archery hunting, to be able to take a animal with an arrow had the most thrill, enjoyment, acomplisment, pride, self worth, etc. Now its out of the question if I don't have somebody with me that's willing to help a lot. If it don't go down right there were I can get atv to it im screwed. I will not let one go to waste so I do it anyway. By the time I get it out of the woods Im in so much pain cleaning it is a whole nother problem. Guess Im gonna sell all my xbow stuff and just rifle hunt. This really bothers me, at 51yrs old I still should be able to do these things.

HB, with out the help of my great hunting buddies I too would not be able drag a deer very far. I then have to watch the heart rate. I now have a dam computer chip in the chest. It is tough to give up what you love to do the most but some how we need to adapt and find a way to stay in the woods. Pain is tough!!! I hope you can figure out how to keep hunting, good luck HM>

got all my archery stuff up for sale. Think Ill get a muzzle loader and give that a try.

HB now you're talking! Nothing better than a little smoked venison BP hunting probably gives me the most hunt for my money especially when it's flintlocks with snow on the ground and 3-4 good buddies in camp. I hate to see you give up the archery hunting but what ever you can do in the woods is a far cry better than a day sitting in the house. Keep us posted on what you plan on doing and if you need any help on black powder stuff let me know and I will do my best to steer you in the right direction. Glad you are thinking about hunting!!!!!!Send me a pm on what you are thinking, if nothing else it will be good conversation.

HM, Whats a good starter rifle? Im thinking 50cal. best barrel length and twist rate? I know nothing about BP rifles. total virgin. Needs to be some what simple to start with so I don't get discouraged with it if it gets to technical.

Qualifier- I have shot BP rifles a couple of times, this is my weakest knowledge in firearms shooting....

1. You want an inline percussion system if your State allows it for hunting. Some don't let you use modern ignition systems during BP seasons.

2. Use pyrodex pre-made pellets. These come pre-made in the caliber of your rifle. Usually 50gr per pellet. Most rifles use either two or three pellets per charge.

3. Use sabot bullets if you rifle twist rate is compatible with them. A sabot bullet uses a plastic casing to contain a bullet until it leaves the barrel. Many times a reduced diameter pistol bullet is the inner bullet. Some rifles will shoot them very accurately, others don't like them.

4. Black powder and its substitutes are hydroscopic(absorb water) and are corrosive. Many newer BP rifles are made with stainless steel barrels which make a lot of sense as these are more resistant to corrosion.

5. Unlike shooting a smokeless cartridge rifle there can be a delay in the actual firing of the rifle after the hammer or striker moves forward. This delay felt strange to me as a rookie BP shooter.

6. In the States that I have read the regs a black powder rifle is not considered loaded until a cap is placed on the nipple making it ready to fire. This is again weird to walk around with a rifle loaded, but not considered loaded.

7. My buddies that have switched over to the DARK SIDE of BP shooting love it. I have at this point resisted the DARK SIDE of the FORCE.

Karl

I agree with most of what Karl mentioned except I wouldn't use Pyrodex pellets, in my opinion, pyrodex is the dirtiest and hardest to clean....
I would use Hodgdon Triple Seven pellets instead they burn a little hotter and cleanup a lot easier.

and Cleaning after every use is extremely important.

I'm a huge Fan of Traditions Muzzleloaders, I have a Traditions Vortek .50 cal in Full Camo and I can say this is the most accurate muzzleloader I've ever shot.
I'll suggest it every time. not to mention it's lightweight and comes with all the most advanced features.
Good Luck...

HB, Good input all around. I would add that for 150.00 you can pick up a lightly used CVA, TC, or Traditions inline rifle on sites like Gunbroker.com. If you want to start out at the very lowest cost that's how I would proceed.I use Black Horn loose powder as it has additional weather coating on it. One thing to be careful using pellets is not to crush them when seating the bullet. I like 250gr TC shock wave bullets. I'd put a scope on it and know that you have a rifle that will shoot 150 yds no problem. Just make sure the inline fires with 209 primers. BP rifle recoil is mostly a straight push back and virtually no barrel kick up. Pellets have the least recoil vs loose Black Horn powder but for me I get the best of everything using it. Let us know what you get and we can help out on the loads ect. Most in-lines fire a 1- 28" barrel twist. I like 90-100 grain load of Black Horn. However, you could start out using 80 grains and work up. 50 cal is the most used caliber.