Originally Posted by
oldred
Of course I am not suggesting using smokeless in a ML or or cap&ball and I think we all pretty much understood this was about cartridge loads.
My point is if real BP is not going to be used why bother with a sub? Why not just use a BP equivalent smokeless load and avoid the hassle of using the sub? Neither smokeless nor the sub is like BP and if you use a sub your shooting is different than either smokeless or BP! Of course smokeless does not load, shoot nor smell like BP but then neither does any of the subs and while the smokeless is noncorrosive, non-fouling and cleaning of the gun and cases is not critical any one of the subs is all of those things while shooting any of them is still not like shooting real BP so why bother? Don't get me wrong it's your rifle so enjoy what you like, that's what this sport is all about and my intention was not to belittle anyone for their choices but I honestly would like to hear the reasons why folks would choose these subs over smokeless if they decide to pass on BP?
I guess my point is that by shooting smokeless a person is going to miss out on what the BP sport is all about, the real tradition behind it, the way it was experienced "back in the day" and what these rifles/cartridges are all about, that's the reason we shoot BP right? But sometimes a person may just want to shoot their rifle without the extra care that BP requires, I do fairly often even though BP has become my first choice. Just as with smokeless by choosing any one of the subs the shooter is STILL going to miss out on everything BP is about, the old way of doing things, the loading procedures the way it was done, the way BP shoots and even the way it smells but the "extra care" required is going to be even more critical with most of these substitutes and you STILL miss out on the reasons why we shoot BP in the first place!