Got my first muzzle loader.

[Madcow]

I got a pedrosoli 1861 Enfield Musketoon. It's coming in the mail. Was wondering what y'all would recommend as must haves besides musket caps and powder to get started shooting this. I have clean no gear, and in anticipation of ordering my bullet mold I have been saving all the pure led I come across. Mostly in the form of shower pans and roof vents. I got this for mostly hunting purposes. I wanted something that would toss huge chunks of lead and hit hard, but didn't want to blow a ton of money doing it. I got this at a real nice price. Thanks in advance for any input and happy 4th.

[Rustyleee]

Congratulations. You'll find black powder is like an illness. Once you inhale the smell of that smoke you'll be hooked. I always like loading and cleaning with a good one piece range rod with a muzzle protector on it. It just makes life easier. They clean easy with a little dish soap and hot water. Using Hot water helps it to dry better when you're done. Cleaning and oiling well when you're done is an absolute or you'll ruin your rifle in short order. If your rifle doesn't come with one make sure you have a nipple wrench too.

[WRideout]

I have only shot my inline 209 muzzleloader at the range, but I have found that a ball starter really helps. That is a short piece of dowel, on a handle big enough to smack with the palm of your hand. Getting the ball started down the bore with the full-size ramrod is a real pain. Also, I don't know about the quality of the ramrod on your new smokepole; Mine came with a tubular metal one slung under the barrel. It is relatively lightweight and weak. I recently made a one-piece out of birch dowel, which is far better. If you don't have a powder flask and measure, you can shoot at the range with a coffee cup full of 3F and a scoop of appropriate size, however that may not work for hunting.

Wayne

[rfd]

that's a minie bullet gun, not a patched ball gun. i'd make sure to get the pedersoli .577 nose pour, hollow base bullet mold used for the enfield musketoon. it's a greaser and should be easy to load with the supplied ramrod. other than that and as mentioned already, keep it clean and oiled, and it'll outlast yer lifetime.

[Nikkisdad]

Sent you a pm I have exactly what you need for the Enfield

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

the kit I would recommend

a caliber specific accessories kit , jag , brass brush , patch worm and ball puller

a range rod

a powder measure

a short starter

a bunch of patches

lube

remember you need to clean it when your done shooting for the day if that is 1 shot or 100

hot soapy water , patches, rags, bore brush, tooth brush , a fresh water rinse , a good dry and re-oil is all that is needed for cleaning

a powder horn or flask is nice but you can pour from the can into the measure

always cap your powder as soon as your done measuring

[Geezer in NH]

the kit I would recommend

a caliber specific accessories kit , jag , brass brush , patch worm and ball puller

a range rod

a powder measure

a short starter

a bunch of patches

lube

remember you need to clean it when your done shooting for the day if that is 1 shot or 100

hot soapy water , patches, rags, bore brush, tooth brush , a fresh water rinse , a good dry and re-oil is all that is needed for cleaning

a powder horn or flask is nice but you can pour from the can into the measure

always cap your powder as soon as your done measuring+1 also you can shoot a patched RB with less recoil and as much fun and maybe better accuracy.

[waarp8nt]

Congrats on the purchase!

The Muzzleloading Bug is much like the Love Bug, once bitten your typically hooked. The best advice I can give if you've been bitten by both the Muzzleloading Bug and the Love Bug...is to clean the rifle outside. While there is a little odor to the old smoke pole while shooting, it is much, much worse during the cleaning process. Cleaning your muzzleloader outside will keep the other half of the Love Bug bite happy.