The cost of shooting Black Powder vs centerfire. Why do you do it?

[45 Bravo]

Centerfire vs percussion

We obviously all like shooting because we are on this forum.

But why black powder?

Is it because of the cost savings in these high priced ammo days? (it USED TO be immensely cheaper to shoot black powder.)

Is it because of the smell & smoke?

Or is it to have a physical link to the shooters of the Old West or Civil War?


I was buying some more powder with some friends and we are splitting a shipment (25 lbs.) between 3 of us due to the cost.
It got me to thinking of the cost comparison.

For a person new to black powder revolvers, coming into the hobby from a centerfire background or even from no handgun experience the cost of owning/shooting the percussion revolvers can quickly add up.

Assuming you have not shot back powder before, just to begin, you will probably order some stuff on line and some from a local supplier (local gun store, or larger retailer that carries muzzle loading supplies.)

Looking at the list of essentials just to shoot your gun, if you just have the gun only.

Percussion revolver:
The price may vary, but using Sportsman’s Warehouse online prices as an example.

Powder : Pyrodex P $17.99 per pound (without the hazmat fee and shipping) a local
retailer here sells it for $19.99 a pound plus tax.
Goex 3F $15.99 a pound online(plus hazmat and shipping)
Local retailer here sells it for $19.99 a pound when they have it.
Balls: Hornady .451 $12.99 per 100 (plus shipping)
Caps: CCI #11’s $6.99 (local retailer here sells it for same price plus tax)
Lube: Wonderlube $8.99 (same as local retailer here plus tax)

Your initial investment just to pop a cap is at least $50 above the cost of the gun.
IF you buy the felt wads, add another $10 to that price.

That does not even go into the accessories.
Nipple wrench, about $10 (one with a nipple pick so that doesn’t have to be bought)
A powder flask, $13 for a cheap polymer one
A powder measure, about $8 for a revolver measure (5-50 grain size)
A bag or box to carry it all in, $0 to as much as you want to spend.

A cleaning kit, assuming you don’t have one, about $10 and up.


Once everything is bought, the only recurring cost is powder, balls, caps, and grease.

Casting your own balls, and making your own lube can reduce this cost.

You can make your own caps, (a Tap-O-Cap used to be made for this) but for most people, the store bought ones are easier.

You can make your own powder, but there again, for the average enthusiast, that is not cost effective.


Centerfire:

Assuming you didn’t have to buy a revolver (which can be substantially more expensive than most black powder pistols.)

The cost breaks down something like this.

For a .44 special (not too far off on ballistics from a .44 cap and ball with a conical and a heavy load)

The ammo:
.44 special cowboy loads: $23.50 per 50 or $27 per hundred plus shipping or tax

The same cleaning kit as above cost $10 and up.

That’s about it..

I am not taking into consideration reloading, as someone just starting out won’t be doing that.
But the cost of the loading equipment can rapidly add up if you were to pursue the hobby heavily.


But breaking the cost of the Black powder down, with 7,000 grains in a pound, at 28 grains per charge, you get about 250 shots per pound, taking into account, spillage while loading, and filling the flask several times, guess on about 200 shots per pound.

So $9 for powder per hundred,
$8 for caps per hundred,
$13 per hundred balls.
__________________
$30 per hundred shots

In either platform (centerfire or percussion) the consumables are similar,
Powder
Bullets
Primers


I order my balls online from a shooter on one of the forums for $6 per hundred. (I used to cast my own, but no longer have the equipment to do that)
I make my own wads from old 100% wool hats found at Goodwill or other thrift stores and I make my own lube.
I like reliability, so at this point in time, I do not make my own caps.

These few simple things can reduce the cost of shooting black powder.


Why do we do it?
Certainly not for the cost savings.

I do it because I enjoy the smoke, and the smell.
I do it because I enjoy the people I meet while shooting the old guns.
I do it because I enjoy shooting a piece of history.
I do it because it is not the easiest way to do it.

But to me it is the ONLY way to do it.

45 Bravo

[Randy C]

:coffeecom
I'm not going there.

[Fly]

Well I make my own powder for about $3 a lb.Buy scap lead for about .80 cents a lb.Cap cost the most.
so put your math to my cost.I know this this ammo shortage has not slowed me down one bit,Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Fly :bigsmyl2: PS if you are paying over $5 a can for caps your getting screwed!

[oldracer]

Cost has nothing to do with it for me. I like the fun of the challenge.

[Good Cheer]

Casting bullets, patching them, sizing them and slowly shooting them... What's not to like?

[45 Bravo]

A lot of us that have been into the hobby for a while do things to cut our cost, or simply for the sense of accomplishment to say I did it my self..

But that doesn't apply to the peron who comes on here and says " hey, just got a new 1858, can you suggest anything?"

Or hey, thinking of getting a colt, any suggestions?

45 Bravo

[bob208]

powder i get for about $250 a 25 lb. keg. that is about $10.00 a lb. balls i cast myself. the last caps were $56 a 1000. a small can of crisco $ 2.00 and i lub my rifles and pistols with it. plus if i want a 61 navy or a 58 remington or anyting else. i send a check and it comes to my house. no dealer to mess with. i guess you can call that freedom.

now i have a lot of center fire guns and ammo for them. and they have their place. like if i have to repell boarders i will use a 94 winchester or a 03 or a mauser. but for every day shooting the muzzleloader is better. when done i clean up the gun and i am done. no brass to sort to clean and reload.

[45 Bravo]

I enjoy shooting black powder, I also enjoy cleaning the guns (call me crazy)

It keeps me busy.

[mooman76]

Allot of it is the simplicity. You take your time and shoot. Experiment with loads making changes to your load right on the spot.

[Sergeant Earthworm]

Allot of it is the simplicity. You take your time and shoot. Experiment with loads making changes to your load right on the spot.

Everything already said. Plus the fact that shooting BP forces the shooter to slow down thereby making it a more relaxing experience, unlike smokeless.

[DIRT Farmer]

I was ask Sunday why I shoot flint. My reply, Because I'm a smart adze and I can.

[bigted]

well lets see here. as a kid I watched Daniel Boon with Fess Parker and all the adventures he fell upon ...skip a few years ...

found an old CVA Kentucky kit in 45 cal and proceeded to build it in my grandfathers wood shop. as I worked on that kit I dreamed of being in the frontier and building it for a customer in ol kentuk. after building that cheap kit I shot it as often as I could and surprisingly it had the capability to hit almost everything I pointed it at. I could bust a pop can at 100 yds with uncanny frequency. as I would load a shot id think about an episode of Dan Boon and with my coon skin cap id line up the sights on the offending can and squeeze it off thusely doing in the danger and threat.

skip a bunch of years ... don't remember what I traded that kit rifle for but it was very important to obtain im sure... I obtained an old Italian 44 army model 1860 cap-n-ball revolver which was so worn out that it would spit 3 shots outta the cylinder each time I squeezed the trigger ... then with the second lining up of the next chamber it would spit the other three out there thusely peeling lead onto the wedge and screw along side the barrel. dad made me sell it when he seen me skinning off the lead from the side of the revolver.

several years later I landed a 36 navie and box's of caps and lead by the ton it seemed. powder was easy to come by and I burned it by the ton as well...LOL

landed a Hawkin kit from CVA and upon building it I was again in the woods as a mountain man.

lets just say that the reason I shoot the magical properties of Black Powder is from nostalgia ... history ... joy ... cheaper cost ... all the things that have been stated above. muzzle loading and shooting bp in my bpcr guns is by far the best time to have for an ol man with the wish's of yesteryear but the conveniences of today.

after I stopped spraying bullets around with various black guns and shooting shotguns with copious capacity as well as autoloaders and handguns by the ton I fell into a slump and when I awoke the bp bug hit me again and I doubt ill ever swerve away from it again as the smoke wafts over me as the shot is taken and the fondling of the rifles and revolvers around a campfire...

yep the dream is still alive for me!!! ... that's all.

[Ajax]

I have always had a affinity to black powder since i was a kid. Growing up watching Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett on TV didn't help. I was never able to get a BP rifle as a young man. Fast forward to the Navy and women, BP was no where near my mind. LOL. One day I was watching a old rerun of the Alamo with John Wayne and got the itch. I got a inline muzzleloader and wasn't happy, one day at the range one of the guys there had a Lyman GPR and he let me shoot it and i found what i was missing. Fast forward 10 years and I find this site and Waksupi and fishhwak along with Dean D. in chat rekindled my itch and next thing i know Ric is building me a rifle . I much prefer shooting BP over anything else due to the connection with my ancestors and the feeling of accomplishment of doing it all myself. I make my own balls, lube, patches and am working on making my own flints, powder is next on the list.

Andy

[drhall762]

I'll give a different aspect. For me, modern CF firearms are tools. I can and do use them. Pick the right tool for the job.

BP firearms are elegant, artistic pieces from a time that I really want to believe was filled with far more chivalry than we see today. I find them relaxing.

[Junior1942]

bigted, you da man!

[7of7]

For me, it is just fun to shoot the black powder guns.. My Hawken 54,.. is great to shoot.. and my replica Remmy 1958,.. well, it always makes me smile.... I just wish I could actually hit what I aim at without having to hold so darn far under... Black powder is pretty forgiving when compared to smokeless... I managed to get 30 grains of it under a 230 grain flat base 45 cal bullet, and it shot it with no problem at all... as far as expense.. my powder cost is about 20 cents per shot, and with the patch and cap,... it is about 30 cents a shot. But the more important thing, is it is fun. The sound, the smell, The big as holes in the paper...

[leeggen]

I'd like to get into shooting anvils just so I can smell that black powder!!! YES
CD

[quilbilly]

The joy of either.

[HARRYMPOPE]

its not cheap at all compared to similar power loads in CF cases per shot.When you consider you shoot slower and use less components it probalby is cheaper per range session.I really like it but its just another way to launch a lead bullet.For real savings and marksmanship practice buy a quality German or English spring powered pellet rifle and up to 50 yards its impressive.

[slim1836]

If I had to explain, you wouldn't understand.
:-P
Slim

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

riddle me this , why would any one search for a particular make and model , that is 30+years old , dig around bone yards and the internet , then spend months or years and or tens of thousands of dollars , so that they can drive a car that cost 2500.00 new , that doesn't ride as smooth , or as quiet or as reliably , that needs more maintenance that doesn't go as fast , lacks air conditioning, or even a fm radio, and can't be driven all year , that lacks current safety equipment. think about the cost of taking your gal to the drive in movie in your restored 57 chevy. so why do it.

cause life would be very boring if it was only about going from point A to point B , it is about the journey.

If birth is point A and Death point B , I want the longest , most interesting journey possible.

[451 Pete]

Reasons for shooting black powder? Well, I can think of quite a few. 1.) It is very cool to do things exactly the same way that they were done many years ago in the past. 2.) The old rifles are, IMO, works of art and functional ones at that. What could be better than spending some quality time in the field or at the range with an old gun? I know you have heard it before, but man if only they could talk, the tales they could tell. 3.) I never have felt I was hunting or shooting at any great disadvantage because I am using a black powder shotgun or rifle. I always figured that one well placed shot is worth a lot more than a whole high capacity magazine full of misses. If you think about it only having a single shot will make you a better shooter and marksman. 4.) History was always my favorite subject back in school. What could be better than going out and hunting and shooting with a piece of history? 5. ) Muzzle loading is doing something that is unique today. Take a modern rifle or shotgun to a shooting range and nobody pays you any attention. Take an old muzzle loader and they are always asking questions and wanting to know about what you are doing. 6.) Have you ever considered that black powder guns have been around for about 500 plus years while smokeless is something relatively new at 130 - 140 years old? A lot more game over the years was shot with black powder than ever has been shot with using smokeless powder. 7.) You can make most of what you need to shoot with a muzzle loading gun where you cant with a modern rifle or shotgun. 8.) Did I mention that front stuffers are just plain fun to shoot?

Pete

[starmac]

I LIKE THEM and that is all the reason or excuse I need. lol
It would be great to get powder prices like yo guys quote, then I would like it even more.
Where is this guy online that sells balls for 6 bucks a hundred?????

[45 Bravo]

Unfortunately, from what I understand, He only does it as a part time thing.
and he has quit taking new customers..

I made it in just under the wire before he cut off taking on new business.

Since he was nice enough to let me in, and they are nicely cast, i will keep buying from him.

[starmac]

There is more than one way to skin a cat, just buy me a few hundred from him. lol Just kidding, and I understand his position too.

[45 Bravo]

Right now I am trying to find a source for .433 or .435 balls
Just about 50 of each just to see which shoots best out of a new barrel I am getting, then I will need more of what works best..

[garbear]

I have enjoyed shooting muzzle loaders for awhile. My newest is a T/C 56 cal SB. It is a rush to break clays with it while everyone else is shooting pump and semi autos shotguns. The best part is I can load a prb and hunt deer and elk with it. I am saving all be it slowly to get me a kit and from track of the wolf. Then I'll save even longer to pay for a builder to build it. The cost is actually cheaper but I have molds and lead. Caps are my biggest expense. So th next muzzle loader will be a flinter. Besides who cares about cost it is fun.
Garbear

[KyBill]

.We as BlackPowder shooters can reload on site I consider this cost effective .

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

not sure i see the huge expense ,

caps 4.65 per hundred 4.65 cents
patch fabric is about 6.60 a yard but makes about 600 patches 1 cent
the lead , while technically i didn't pay for it , it is the same as the center fire round
powder when compared to h4895 at 27 dollars a pound it is about equal to black at 14 dollars a pound thats kind of a wash

brass cost , there isn't any
gas checks at 3 cents each , for the cartridge


the whole thing is about the same as loading a round of 30-06 component wise for me , but the muzzle loader doesn't need dies , or a scale i suppose it does need a powder measure

still about a wash , it just shoots up the money slower

[John Boy]

Why I don't shoot Black Powder

Understand that from the time I could put together a rational thought, I've been fascinated by guns. My mother used to prop me in front of the little round picture box as a baby so I could watch men on horseback shooting at each other with guns...

The first "real" shooter I owned was a Mattel Fanner 50... it shot Mattel Shootin' Shells and used Greenie Stick 'Em caps. I was greased-lightning fast and Grim Reaper deadly with it... for my punishment of erroneous deeds my mom would take the gun away for a few days... dad, on the other hand, used the gunbelt for a more heartily applied punishment to the South end of this Northbound cowpoke.

It seems like that gunbelt got as much [applied] use as that Fanner 50. Who knew old people would jump that high when you shot them in the butt? Sorry, Nana... but the bone china tea set dad bought to replace the one you were carrying was much prettier and newer than that 150 year old set you were always bragging to Aunt Gladys about... And Cousin Peter? Sorry about the eye, buddy. But at least it kept you out of the army...

When I was twelve I was shipped off for the summer to church camp, where I was introduced to the joys of the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. There were six shooters in my squad and we could choose from the six semi-auto and two bolt action rifles available. Even then it was evident I'd be a purist: I was the only one to choose a bolt action. While the other kids were busy shooting hundreds of rounds of ammo downrange as quickly as they could, I carefully aimed my bolt action in the general direction of the targets... while actually shooting birds over by the pond like Gary Cooper taught George Tobias to shoot turkeys in Sgt. York- "sorta from back to front...", and imagining each of those evil birds was wearing a German helmet. I still say the counselors should have told us on Orientation Day. I mean, who even knew there WERE swans, huh? They looked like big ducks wearing holdup masks, if you really want to know the truth.

Dad didn't see it that way, though... especially since he had to pay for the swans- and they didn't refund the seven weeks' unused camp tuition when they expelled me, either. Did I mention what dad used my Fanner 50 gunbelt for? After my exposure to the real thing at camp- albeit for only a brief period- I wasn't too interested in playing with the Daisy BB guns my friends had. I was above owning one of those childish things... but not above borrowing one to play with every once in awhile. And Ritchie? Sorry about the eye, buddy. But at least it kept you out of the army...

I finally turned eighteen and could [legally] own my own black powder revolver, but I was just a bit short in the savings department. Not being the patient sort, I chose the most expedient means to get the money. As I look back now, I suppose I am sorry those junior high kids couldn't turn in their paper route money that week...

I'd been looking at a pretty, brass-framed BP revolver in the case at Shattuck's Hardware for a couple of months, and boy! Was I ever proud the day I went in and plunked down the money for it! Eleven dollars in one dollar bills... and eighteen dollars in quarter and dimes. Old Man Shattuck was a great old guy, whose eyesight, thankfully, had gotten really bad over the years... otherwise he'd have chased me out of the store like he used to after he caught me stealing that Barlow when I was thirteen... but he didn't recognize me as he sold me the .36 caliber pistol... he even threw in a box of pure lead balls with the pistol and percussion caps when I bought the pound of black powder. I told Mr. Shattuck that I was anxious to shoot it and was heading straight for the dump, and asked him to show me how to load the gun. "It's pretty simple," I recall his telling me. "You measure your powder into the cylinder chamber, put a bullet over it, ram it down in with the hinged thing under the barrel, put your cap over a nipple, and you're set to shoot." I thanked him for his help and headed for the door.

"One last thing!" he called to me as I was running out the door, "Don't forget to put grease over your balls! Crisco works fine!" I didn't understand the need for the last part, but I stopped at Tony's Grocery and bought a little blue can of Crisco grease. And now... to the dump! Where bottles and cans, rats and crows were just waiting for this ol' cowboy to do 'em in!

I replayed Mr. Shattuck's instructions in my head as I laid out all my gear on the smoothed-out, brown paper bag at my feet. The first thing I realized was that I didn't have anything to measure the powder with... UNTIL I remembered my knife! I carried one of those folding stag handled camper's knives- you know, the ones with a fork on one side and a spoon on the other? The spoon was perfect for what I needed! Very carefully (thank heaven there wasn't any wind blowing) I poured a spoonful of powder from the can into the spoon, then tipped the spoon up and tapped the powder into the cylinder. Sure, I spilled a bunch over because the spoon held so much more, but what the heck! Powder was cheap, back then... and I had plenty to spare... Being a methodical kind of kid, I filled all six chambers with the powder, managing to spill as much around my feet, I suppose, as I was getting into the cylinder. I can laugh now, but when I bent over to get the bullets all the powder fell out of the cylinders onto my boots... so I had to fill them all over again!

I managed to get all the chambers filled with powder and then stuck a bullet into the first cylinder... I had to really tap it in with my knife to get it started... then shoved it in as far as it would go with the rammer thing. I lost a little powder in the process, but eventually I had all six chambers loaded and ready to go. Then I put percussion caps over the things sticking out the ends of the cylinders... Oops! I forgot a couple of things! Now, I'll admit my ignorance about a lot of things... but why I was supposed to smear Crisco on my balls is still a mystery to me. But I figured Old Man Shattuck knew what he was about, so I looked around to make sure I was alone, then dropped my pants to my knees, opened the can of Crisco and began to smear it over Lefty and Righty. Standing there in the hot summer sun, slowly massaging soft, silky grease into my scrotum... gee WHIZ! I guess the old man knew what he was talking about after all ! Welcome to the joys of shooting! I had to force myself out of my reverie... One last thing and then I'd be ready to shoot... I took my baseball cap off and stuffed it inside my shirt over my left nipple. Okay... I guessed I was ready (except, of course, that in my haste I'd forgotten to pull up my pants...)

Well sir, I crooked my left arm out in front of my face, rested the trigger guard of the pistol in my right hand on it, drew a tight bead on an old Four Roses bottle, and squeezed the trigger. I remember a bright flash, a burning sensation on my arm and face, then something hit me square in the forehead and the lights went out.

It must have been quite sometime later when I awoke. I was laid out across the back seat of Sheriff Miller's car (I knew this from the plexi-glass partition and a previous ride when I'd been sixteen), the rider's side door was open and my feet and lower legs were hanging out. As I raised my head to look for the source of the voices I heard I felt like someone had hit me in the head with a sledgehammer. I could see two men in the dim, evening light, just outside the door and within my range of vision. At least, I thought they were two men... I could hear two speaking but they were sorta spinning around and they looked like six. From the voices I knew they were Sheriff Miller and my Dad. "... busy on another call so the volunteer fire department was the first out here," I heard the Sheriff explaining to my dad. "Mabel Krutchner called it in... said she saw smoke comin' from the dump and had heard an awful explosion over this way. "Near as I can tell from what the firemen say, when they got here they found your boy lying over there. At first they thought he was dead. The dump was on fire all around him, his left arm and face were all black, his boots were scorched pretty badly, he had a HUGE knot on his forehead where somebody'd cold-cocked him... and... well, we think the boy's been... well, taken advantage of."

"What do you mean 'Taken advantage of?'" I heard my dad ask.

"Well, Al, it's like this," the Sheriff said. "The first men to get to your boy said he was unconscious; they found part of a gun by his body; his pants were down around his ankles, his crotch was all greased up-- and he was sportin' a boner..." Then I heard Mr. Shattuck's voice. "I always knew there was something wrong with that boy... This will probably keep him out of the army..."

And THAT'S why I don't shoot black powder...

Boston John Doucette
March 18, 1952 - June 23, 2008

[Lead Fred]

Black powder, make it for pennies
Boolits make for pennies
flint, nap for pennies
Patches old undies the Medium Woman sez have to go.

Even is I shoot it in that new fangled 45/70
1000 primers were $30 bucks
and the rest from the above pile

[Dean D.]

My odyssey into the world of BP started back when I was a kid in Boy Scouts and I read a book titled "My Side of the Mountain". Trekking (before it was called that) and living off the land was something I enjoyed as a teen and young adult. Later in my mid 20's a friend introduced me to Terry C. Johnston's "Carry the Wind" series which involved pre-1840 Rocky Mt. Rendevous and trapping. Fast forward 30 years and I find out about Buckskinning and meet Waksupi who sticks a flintlock in my paws and says "your shooting today". Stick a fork in him boys, he's done! I'm now the proud owner of a .54 Lancaster flinter that I built from a Track of the Wolf kit with a lot of help from Waksupi and Fishhawk. It won't be my last build.

I'm not much of a fan of percussion cap guns, I much prefer a flintlock. Like old Scratch in Johnston's book says: "You don't want one of them nipple-hugger guns, whatcha gonna do when ya run out of them nipple-huggers boy?" I hate being at the mercy of percussion cap suppliers.

I like my modern Cat'ridge guns, but they do not have the mystique or romance that my flintlock does. Besides, I sorta like the smell of Black Powder smoke!

To each their own, but that's how I feel.

[gandydancer]

Casting bullets, patching them, sizing them and slowly shooting them... What's not to like?

Ditto for me.been doing it for over 50 years. and will keep doing it until I get it right. plus its FUN.

[gandydancer]

......

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Ever popped a crow with a flinter ? Nothing like it as the sun is busting over the horizon.
But I shoot both powders. I cast all my boolits and am still attempting #6 shot (not so good yet).
One day when I am perminant US of A again I will make my own BP. When I run out of smokeless "That is all folks". Sell off all those "it has been interesting" items and end with what I began with.. Sooty fingers, face shirts,and pants.
Mike in Peru

[Lead Fred]

nice thing about a flinter shotgun (tradegun) is you dont even have to waste lead.
pebbles work great on birds
gets them stoned

[dondiego]

Nobody is going to comment on John boy's BP experience?

[Bent Ramrod]

Black powder has made me a better rifleman. With black powder cartridges, the investment in time and effort to prepare and load them was what finally induced me to open notebooks on the rifles, with weather, light, sight elevations and windage adjustments, etc., for each outing with the loads I'd developed. I'd kept data on smokeless load development, but once the load was reduced to practice, smokeless loading was so facile that it always seemed easier to toss a couple downrange each session to get the sight settings than to dig out a pencil and notebook and write things down. Now I'm doing what all the old rifle instructors and top shots have always recommended I do. I get on target quicker now and am quicker to find out when something is wrong, whether with my techniques or the gun's mechanics.

Another thing about smokeless loads is that you can more often get away with things like trigger yanking, slight flinching and lack of follow through. Not with blackpowder rifles, though. Not by a good, long shot.

[Dean D.]

Another thing about smokeless loads is that you can more often get away with things like trigger yanking, slight flinching and lack of follow through. Not with blackpowder rifles, though. Not by a good. long shot.

You said a huge mouthful in a very concise sentence there Bent Ramrod! So True.

[45 Bravo]

yes he did say a mouthful.
With a modern high velocity centerfire rifle, the lock time and barrel time is measured in milliseconds, when the sear breaks, it is just about on autopilot unless you flinch or jerk horrendously.

with black powder, when the sear breaks, things are just getting started..

More so on a flint lock..

the sight picture, the grip, the followthrough, everything has to remain perfectly still for a whole lot longer..

I am currently working with a friend of mine, he has a bad habit of closing his eyes, as he squeezes his trigger on his flintlock.

Also, even though he uses his set trigger, he pulls the trigger through its entire length of travel.
He has been shooting his flintlock for over 10 years, and never realized he was doing these things until i showed him on high speed video.

Bad habits are hard to break.

45 Bravo

[waksupi]

I absolutely detest a set trigger on anything but a target rifle. They have no use in the field. A properly hung single trigger will be much more contributory to your accuracy than any set trigger for off hand shooting.
Want to make a kid a great shot? Start him off with a quality flintlock, and iron sights. Once he masters that, he will be able to handle any firearm like a master. Back where I grew up, "boy's rifles" were common. Women also shot them, scaled to fit.
That could be an extremely interesting niche of collecting, as the majority were custom built. A lot of those rifles were labors of love, and true masterpieces.

[45 Bravo]

A friend of mine in tn. Still builds kids flinters and percussion rifles.
He calls the rug rat rifles.
Mike lange.
Hangs out on tradiionalmuzzleloadingonthecheap. Forum., google it.