Muzzleloader

A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the bullet is loaded from the muzzle of the gun (open end of the gun barrel).

Modern muzzleloading firearms range from reproductions of sidelock, flintlock and percussion long guns, to in-line rifles that use modern inventions such as a closed breech, sealed primer and fast rifling to allow for considerable accuracy at long ranges. There is even a clever selective fire muzzleloader with electronic ignition in development, known as the Metal Storm. Mortars are a type of short-range artillery that are muzzle-loaded.

Muzzleloading can apply to anything from cannons to pistols but in modern parlance the term most commonly applies to black powder small arms. It usually, but not always, involves the use of a loose propellant (i.e. gun powder) and projectile, as well as a separate method of ignition or priming.

Loading

. In general, the sequence of loading is to put in:

gunpowder, either by inserting premeasured pellets, pouring in loose powder, or by inserting a pre-measured bag of gunpowder usually called a "cartridge"
wadding, soft material like cloth or paper; in shotguns, this is placed in before and after the shot. With round balls, it is wrapped around the base of the ball and called a "patch", the purpose of which is to grip the rifling and impart spin to the loose fitting ball. In the Enfield rifle and other Minie rifles, no patch is used as the projectile has a hollow base which expands to grip the rifling.
the projectile, which may range from a solid lead ball to jacketed sabots to shot. The gunpowder used is typically blackpowder or blackpowder substitutes like Pyrodex.

Since the items are generally tight-fitting, and the barrel long, a tool called a "ramrod" is used to push the items down.

When aiming for ultimate accuracy, Muzzle-loaders are usually cleaned ("swabbed") before reloading, so that there is no residue left in the barrel to reduce accuracy, though in competitions run by the international governing body, the MLAIC, this is prohibited. Large calibre muzzle-loaders such as cannon are always swabbed between shots to prevent accidents.

Muzzleloading

Muzzleloading is the term used to describe the sport, or pastime of firing muzzleloading guns. Muzzleloading guns, both antique and reproduction, are used for target shooting, hunting, historical re-enactment and historical research. The sport originated in the United States in the 1930's, just as the last original users and makers of muzzleloading arms were dying out. The sport received a tremendous boost in the 1960's and 1970's, and a flourishing industry manufacturing working reproductions of historic firearms now exists in the United States and Europe, particularly in northern Italy near Gardone.

The National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association holds two national tournaments a year at Friendship, Indiana.

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Muzzleloading

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