I was at the range yesterday and found a pile of orange tubes with 209 shotgun primers in them. They looked like something LEGO and Mattel would make if they went into the firearms business together. Then, I found some packaging that described these things as being "Firesticks", made by Hodgdon.
So, when I got home, I looked it up. As I figured, they are the latest thing in the world of plastic inline "muzzleloaders". Not my thing at all. But, different strokes for different folks.
Everything I read, though, about these Firesticks just makes me ask "Why?"...
-They're expensive ($26.95/10 of them)
-They (supposedly?) can't be reloaded (that's a deal breaker right there!!)
-They are ultra-proprietary. In other words, the "planned obsolescence" is baked in.
Discontinue the gun or the firestick, and either is worthless. Given that only a small number of states have approved this gizmo for muzzleloading season, the chance of sudden discontinuation is very real.
-They just seem to be one more step in the "what is is?" redefinition of muzzleloading.
-And, just on a personal note, I could express my strong dislike for the aesthetics of the firearm for which they are intended. Does every gosh-darn thing need to be a cheesy Walmart/Big-Box store-looking piece of plastic?
Am I missing something?