New Muzzleloader

[Louis]

Aside from the State muzzleloader certification course I am not aware of any organized muzzleloader training in this area (I'm assuming you're in the Fairbanks vicinity) There is a muzzleloader club here, the Midnight Sun Muzzleloaders. They're actually having a shoot today at the South Cushman Range. I believe it's going on right now so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. It was advertised as a pistol shoot so I didn't go, lacking a black powder handgun. Those guys could probably give you some helpful hints.

I was not aware of a snowshoe club having any association with muzzleloaders. That would be fun, however. I know there's a "Primitive Biathlon" in Vermont which involves snowshoes and traditional muzzleloaders. I wonder how something like that would go over here.

I hate to admit it, but I drew the Creamers Field hunt for last January/December and was not successful. Hoping for another chance in the future.

[Chez]

We don't always have RSO's but during busy times they will have one on the main rifle range.
It's a 1,000 yard range so you really need to be sure it's clear.
They did add red flashing lights to indicate a cold range.
We had a guy start shooting with others downrange and he is now banned from the range membership revoked.
If they catch you shooting modern guns at the black powder range you could also be banned.
They are currently building a covered shooting area at the black powder bay.
It's at the end of the range and quite a large bay. They have a large gong for us to shoot and several target stands.
The shooting benches are new as well.
Our whole range has been getting improved for all shooters the last couple years.
Rifle,pistol,shotgun,and black powder.

When I got my membership in Jan I checked the box to be a volunteer and for emails but I never heard another word from anybody about anything?

Anyway, like you I shoot everything although I sold my BP's (a divorce thing) I plan on getting back into them. I hope to get out there Monday afternoon to play with a 1911 and maybe a rifle

[bows4me]

Sorry Louis, the club I was referring to was the snowshoe gun club off the Kenai spur highway, between Soldotna & Kenai.

[kasilofchrisn]

When I got my membership in Jan I checked the box to be a volunteer and for emails but I never heard another word from anybody about anything?

Anyway, like you I shoot everything although I sold my BP's (a divorce thing) I plan on getting back into them. I hope to get out there Monday afternoon to play with a 1911 and maybe a rifle

Maybe try showing up at a monthly meeting to see what's up?
Most of their volunteer work happens in the warmer months.
So I'm not suprised if they haven't got much of those days going on now.
I don't normally volunteer as my slope schedule usually conflicts with the days they're working on stuff out there.

[kasilofchrisn]

Does the snowshoe club run any entry-level black powder courses? It's always been something I've been curious about, and I drew DM783 this year, which is the bow/muzzleloader hunt in the highway corridor from N. Pole to Delta. I had drawn this hunt about 5yrs ago and hunted it with my bow, but was never able to get any closer than about 80yds, due to the windblown nature of that area limiting the snow cover. It was about like walking on potato chips...I'd take a step, the moose would take a step. This pattern continued until they eventually just out walked me every time. I swore up and down that if I ever drew this tag again I would use something that could reach a little further than the self-imposed 50yd limit I use when I bow hunt.
Well, wouldn't you know it I was fortunate enough to draw it again, so the BP option is once again in play. Any info/advice is appreciated.

I'm not aware of any new muzzleloader classes but to be honest I haven't really looked.
They do have the hunters muzzleloader certification class coming up in May.
They have a great setup for one and plans are in the works to make more improvements.
I'm new to muzzleloading as well. I bought a good book on it and use that for reference when I shoot. I bought the lyman blackpowder handbook and it's pretty good.
I would love to take a muzzle loader course with Brownbear as the instructor.

[Louis]

No problem. That clears things up. I thought I would have heard about a snowshoeing muzzleloader club in Fairbanks if one existed!

[Louis]

I would love to take a muzzle loader course with Brownbear as the instructor.

Sign me up for that one too!

[elmerkeithclone]

Yes sir BB is a feller who has every spectrum of the front stuffer shooting all sorted out! Us gun nuts are a different breed anyway but when BB gets done talking muzzleloaders I have to get one down and fondle it a bit. My wife came home from one of her old ladies outings a while back and there I sat in my lazyboy with it back as far as it would go. I was sound asleep and and had Ole Bessy laying across the arms of my chair on top of me. She said it looked like I fell asleep while guarding the joint. I wasn't guarding anything just admiring a primitive shooting stick....sorta!

[BrownBear]

Seems like I'm doing more admiring than hunting these days too!

Thanks for the compliments. Not sure how much of a teacher I'd be, but it would sure be fun to get together and shoot sometime. I get that new 45 in my hands and the deer/snowshoe hunting is certainly going to get equal time with the admiring. But my days of traveling far to shoot bigger critters may be in the past. Getting too old, and we certainly don't need more meat than we get from one meezly deer a year. We just eat less and different with age. Kinda like I could knock off a six pack or two of beer at a sitting in my youth, but these days I likely won't get through a can before falling asleep, and two cans gives me a hangover. Only the tough grow old!

[hogfamily]

Hey BB. Anyone that does full barrel heat browning that you know of in Anchorage?

Thanks.

[BrownBear]

Never heard of anyone in the state doing it. As a matter of fact, most of the smiths doing it down south are using Laurel Mountain Forge cold browning. The smith building my 45 uses it, too. I've used it myself a few times with superb results.

[hogfamily]

Is that a home usable method?

Where do I get the ingredients?

Any suggestions on it's use? Prep work?

Thanks BB!

[BrownBear]

Is that a home usable method?

Where do I get the ingredients?

Any suggestions on it's use? Prep work?

Thanks BB!

It's a very good home prep method. The full instructions are there at the site I linked.

One thing I've found, you don't want the metal polished super smooth. The whole process works best if you sand the metal down with no finer than 320 grit paper. Some guys even go with 200 grit.

Another thing I've found worth passing along is the more humidity you can apply during the process, the better. I built a plywood box 1'x1'x4' on it's side with a lid, then poked a hole in one end and added a fitting for a light (60 watt incandescent). Plug the bore at each end and suspend the barrel in there, then put a wadded sopping wet towel in the bottom in the box. Close the lid, turn on the light and let it sit for 10-12 hours in each session. The rub backs should be done gently with something like a hunk of burlap (NO SANDING), then treat again. Generally takes 3 such sessions for a rich, uniform browning. Looks like rust, but rubs back beautifully. In fact, all browning is is controlled rusting.

It's so easy you can't believe it takes so little of the solution, which is basically like a liquid soap you add lightly. That little tiny bottle is plenty for browning a couple of barrels and all metal parts.

[hogfamily]

Thank you so much BB!

I will give it a go!

[akgun&ammo]

IMG_1580.jpgfirst shot 30 yards, or a little less.....

and double check your draw tag... you may find it is good south east only to mile 306 or there abouts

plus, several permanently closed areas to hunting

that is my new CVA that I bought because I just had to have another rifle

September 2016

Chris
Disabled Veteran

[Smitty of the North]

I'd take ANY course taught by BB.

Smitty of the North

[BrownBear]

Got word from the smith that the rifle that started this thread will be in my hands in a week.

To refresh your mind, it's a recreation of a LeMan squirrel rifle, built for the Eastern market at the same time LeMan was making so many rifles for the West in the fur trade era and afterward. It's 45 caliber and more of a "gentleman's" rifle than anything intended for a rough life on the frontier. The smith has rubbings of engravings taken from an original LeMan rifle on the lock, forend cap, patch box and trigger guard, and he's adding the same engraving to mine. A REAL gentleman's rifle along with the very high grade maple stock!

He sent me the attached pics of the fully assembled rifle. It's only had its first sanding in the photos, but a dark stain and browned finish for the ironwork is under way.

Really, really looking forward to having it in my hands. Tick, tick, tick goes the clock....

[Louis]

A beauty! Really nice wood.

[kasilofchrisn]

Very nice.
Love the grain of that maple.
It will look awesome when its finished.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

[BrownBear]

Here 'tis, the finished rifle. Couldn't be any happier with it, that us until I actually get it in my hands this weekend!

Full length view of both sides, but not close enough to show the engraving. Due to the 2-file limit for attaching, I'll add those in another post. Yeah, I'm smiling big time!