I specifically chose this site to get info on a possible new interest. I would like to start black powder shooting. The only thing holding me back now is I have no idea how severe a 50- caliber rifle is going to hit my chest. Any opinions cheerfully solicited.
nice but no cigar. when they crank open your chest and split your breast bone, a lot of muscles etc. are disrupted. scar tissue results. heavy shocks to the chest are also not good for some parts the doctors put in there so I need to limit recoil. That is why I have been shooting nothing but rimfires for the since I returned to shooting.
First things first, you can shoot a muzzleloader with reduced loads and have very little felt recoil, my 7 year old grand daughter can shoot my .54 Hawken with a 20 grain load and a loosely patched round ball comfortably but that load isn't going to be able to take a deer cleanly.
If you just want to plink at targets a .50 with reduced loads would most likely be comfortable for you.
As you get used to shooting it you can increase the charge little by little until you find out what you can handle.
I'm not sure about Washington hunting regulations but here in Oregon .40 is legal for deer and .50 for elk, I built myself a neat little squirrel rifle in .40 and it's not much different than a .22 magnum for recoil at full loads and like shooting .22 at reduced loadings, the kids like shooting that one too.
There are some factory made guns out there in .32 to .45 caliber but they are mostly out of production in favor of .50 and bigger so you'd be wanting to look at used guns for a smaller caliber rifle or step up to a custom made gun.
Since you're new to the sport a good used gun is probably your best bet.
Go to a site called The Gun Works Muzzeloading Emporium, they have a large selection of both new and used guns and Joe and Suzy are great to deal with, there is also going to be a black powder Rendezvous in Monroe Washington this spring, that would also be a good place to look for a decent black powder rifle.
How long ago did you have your surgery? I had mine over two years ago and in some ways am not over it yet but I've been shooting full strength loads in My Hawken and Sharp's not to mention modern guns for well over a year.
That muzzle loading show will be March 7-8 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, I think it's geared more to the traditional flint and side lock guns rather than modern inlines but it might be fun for you to go and browse the tables and look at all the play pretties on display and you never know, you just might spot a sweet little gun you just can't pass up.
i agree, i can load my rifles down way under shotgun and centerfire rifle laods just for plinking. same with revolvers. have loaded as low as 12gr so that my wife will shoot them.
For "plinking" with my .50 inline, I shoot 365gr REAL bullets with 70grs of RS Pyrodex behind it. I'd say it's a bit more than my AR's, but not as much as the 12 gauge.
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