Many people who are considering getting in to muzzle loading are bewildered by the vast array of muzzle loaders that are available! Very often they rush in and purchase a muzzle loader, only to find that the gun they have purchased is not suited to their particular needs. The aim of this article is to briefly discuss the various types of muzzle loader available in South Africa, with the aim of aiding the prospective buyer in making the correct decision. In-line or Cap Lock (side lock)
In a previous article the difference between these two types of muzzle loader was briefly discussed, but a more in depth discussion is necessary in order to really help a prospective buyer in making the correct decision. The most obvious difference between these types of muzzle loaders (at least in terms of the muzzle loaders available in South Africa) is that most in-lines appear very similar to modern rifles or shotguns (either bolt action or break barrel – see Figure 1) whereas most cap locks are replicas of, or at least are built along similar lines to, old fashioned muzzle loaders (see Figure 2.).
The major effect of this difference is that these guns look, feel, and handle much like a conventional fire arm of similar design, and thus are more familiar to shooters who have handled conventional firearms. It is also generally much easier to mount a scope the in-lines, which is a major attraction to many who wish to use the rifle for hunting.
Most in-lines are already drilled and tapped, or have conventional grooving to allow the mounting of a scope. It is possible to successfully mount a scope on a cap lock, but this may occasionally require some gunsmithing. Having said that, some of the “hunter” rifles come pre-drilled and tapped (here I am referring to cap locks based on replicas of original guns, but which are modernised in terms of stock shape and the addition of rubber recoil pads and the elimination of reflective materials such as brass and copper which is often much in evidence on traditional guns – In Figure 2 the rifles labelled A are in hunter configuration, whilst the rifle labelled B is a more traditional style).
Another major difference between cap lock rifles and the in-lines is that most cap locks have no safety mechanism, other than a half cock notch, whereas most in-lines do have a safety catch that can be applied after cocking the muzzle loader, and which will prevent it from firing should the trigger accidently be pulled. To clarify, the hammer of a cap lock can be drawn roughly halfway back where a notch will engage and hold the hammer there. This is to facilitate capping (placing a cap on the nipple) The gun will not discharge if the trigger is pulled or if the hammer is drawn further back and then released (as long as the trigger is not simultaneously pulled). However, most shooters choose not to trust this “safety”.
The points previously discussed are the most obvious differences between the cap lock and the in-line. Many shooters, particularly those who have no interest in the historical appeal of muzzle loaders will, based on these points, lean towards purchasing an in-line! Before this decision is reached, the shooter must consider a very important point. Most in-lines are designed, in terms of their rifling (the type and the rate of twist) to shoot sabotted bullets! A sabotted bullet is a an under -calibre bullet (i.e. the bullet is too small to engage the rifling) which is enclosed in a plastic sabot, which is designed to engage the rifling and so impart spin on the bullet. Once the bullet leaves the barrel the sabot drops away from the bullet leaving it to travel on its way (Figure 3.).
It is probably best at this stage to briefly discuss rifling and bullets. In very simple terms, as you increase the rate of twist of the rifling (which is basically the distance required for the rifling to complete one complete revolution, and is usually reported as a ratio), one either has to increase the velocity of the projectile, or increase the projectiles length (and thus weight) in order for the projectile to stabilise. Thus a low rate of twist will stabilise a short light bullet at moderate velocity, or a longer heavier bullet at higher velocity. A fast rate of twist requires a heavy bullet at moderate velocity or a lighter bullet at higher velocity. This is a very simplified discussion of this complex subject, but it should help the reader to understand what follows.
As mentioned earlier most in-lines are rifled in such a way as to handle sabotted bullets. They thus have a fairly fast rate of twist. As sabotted bullets are sub-calibre, and are usually either composite (i.e. lead core with copper jacket) or non-lead mono-metal (copper) they tend to be lighter than a conventional muzzle loader conical bullet which would usually be of pure lead, or a lead alloy(Figure 4.). Due to their lighter weight, they can be driven at higher velocities for any given charge. At the recommended loadings for most in-lines the sabotted bullets achieve a reasonably high velocity and so easily stabilise in the fast rate of twist. The reason for the desire for high velocity is that these in-lines are designed for the American market, where they are purchased by hunters wishing to take advantage of the extended hunting seasons available to muzzle loader hunters. These hunters seek rifles which can approximate the performance of their conventional rifles, and so seek maximum velocity (which they hope equates to a flat trajectory, and thus extended effective range). This may seem very desirable to the local shooter, until they see the extremely high costs of these sabotted bullets. The usual reaction is then to revert to conventional lead conicals, but most shooters are very disappointed at the performance achieved with these projectiles in the in-lines. Basically the purchaser of an in-line must either be content to use the expensive sabotted bullets, or they have to accept less than excellent performance of the lead conicals. The most success reported so far with the in-lines and lead conicals is with very heavy conicals and fairly high charges! While this may give reasonable accuracy, recoil could become fairly unpleasant (remember – recoil is a factor of the amount of propellant and the weight of the projectile).
Those hunters who opt for using the sabotted bullets report a fair degree of success. Shooters must bear in mind that, when purchasing bullets to use with sabots, they must ensure that buy strongly constructed bullets from reputable companies. One practice is to use revolver bullets in the sabots, but this can be problematic as the velocities achieved in the in-line rifles is often much higher than that achieved even in maximum revolver loads, resulting in bullet failure and in wounded and lost game.
One other factor to consider when choosing between an in-line and a cap lock is that most in-lines have an easy to remove breech plug, whilst cap locks generally have a breech plug which, while removable, should not be tampered with, unless by a competent gunsmith. The result of this is that thorough cleaning of the in-line is much easier, as it is done in much the same way as a conventional rifle, i.e. by pushing a cleaning rod through the gun from breech to muzzle. A cap lock must be cleaned from the muzzle, and is generally more difficult (time consuming) to clean effectively. Cap Lock Muzzle Loaders
There are a huge variety of cap lock muzzle loaders available in South Africa. The choice of which cap lock to purchase depends on a variety of factors. First and foremost the buyer must decide what the principal use of the muzzle loader will be! If the buyer wants to participate in formal target shooting, then the muzzle loader purchased must be suitable for one of the many classes of target shooting! This will usually be a more expensive muzzle loader. Usually, the more one spends, the better quality one will get, and the more competitive one will be! It must be noted that many of the muzzle loaders purchased for formal target disciplines will serve adequately in the hunting field. If the potential buyer has no wish to participate in formal target shooting, then his or her choice can be dictated by several factors! Does the shooter simply wish to shoot a muzzle loader, in which case one of the fairly low cost replicas of American muzzle loaders will meet their needs adequately. However, should the shooter wish to take their immersion in the world of muzzle loading a step further by wishing to emulate some particular historical era or group, then this will require a study of the muzzle loaders used by that group! The muzzle loaders represented by the replicas of American guns played little or no part in South African history. Fortunately replicas of most of the important guns in South African history can now be easily be obtained. Choice of which cap lock to purchase thus simply comes down to what does the shooter want! Unfortunately, many buyers rush out and make a purchase before they have thought carefully about what they actually want!
Rate of Twist
Cap lock rifles come in a variety of rates of twist ranging from fast twist rifles with twists of around 1:22 (i.e. 1 complete revolution in 22 inches) to fairly slow twists of 1:66 (1 complete revolution in 66 inchs). As a general rule of thumb, where the shooter will use only pure lead projectiles (i.e. putting aside sabotted projectiles), the faster the rate of twist, the heavier and longer the projectile must be in order to stabilise! If we consider a fifty calibre muzzle loader, a 1:30 twist rifle will require a lead conical of around 450 grains, while a 1:66 twist will be more suited to a round lead ball.
A very popular rate of twist in many of the replicas of American rifles seems to be 1:48. This seems to be a compromise twist, which in fifty calibre performs with lead conicals of around 350 to 400 grains, but which can also shoot round ball at moderate velocities.
Once again, the buyer should have a good idea of what they wish to do before setting out and buying a muzzle loader. If one wants to mainly hunt kudu one would not buy a slow twist fifty calibre. A buyer who is looking for a purely recreational muzzle loader for paper punching, would do well to consider a forty five calibre rifle with a slow twist, as this will mean that he or she could use patched round ball which is probably the most economical projectile!
Smooth or Rifled
Although relatively few smooth bored rifles (i.e. smoothbores which are not actually shotguns) are available in South Africa, some of the low cost replicas of muzzle loaders which played significant roles in the history of South African are only available as smooth bores. I refer particularly to the replicas made by Delhi Gun House (DGH) who produce replicas of the Brown Bess, the Enfield rifle in a variety of configurations ( 1, 2 and 3 band) and the Bobbejaan Boud. While many American shooters get amazing performance from smooth bore “rifles” one is pretty much limited to using patched round ball, and accuracy is usually not as good as in a rifled barrel. If competing against other smooth bores, then this is not an issue, whether in formal or social competition. The implication for the muzzle loader who wishes to hunt is that the effective range at which game can be taken is reduced. Cap Lock vs Flint Lock
While there are generally speaking less flintlocks available in South Africa than there are cap locks, they do occasionally come up for sale, often as second hand, and often at a very reasonable price. This is usually because the previous owner purchased the muzzle loader without proper thought or consultation. Whereas just about anyone can become proficient in the use of a cap lock or an in-line with a bit of basic instruction and some careful reading, the proficient use of a flint lock is an entirely different story. I would definitely not advise a first time buyer of a muzzle loader to consider the purchase of a flintlock. Not only does the disconcerting flash of the powder in the pan igniting require a huge amount of practice to ignore (Figure 5 - even experienced muzzle loaders jokingly refer to flint locks as flinch locks), but simply getting the powder in the pan to flash (i.e. ignite) requires a certain degree of skill in terms of fine tuning the flint and the frizzen (Figure 6.)! And furthermore, a flash in the pan does not always guarantee ignition of the main charge in the barrel (the term “a flash in the pan” used to describe something that is less than successful stems from this exact occurrence). While many dedicated muzzle loader shooters eventually graduate to flint locks I certainly would not recommend them for first time muzzle loaders, unless they are part of an active community of flint lock shooters who can guide and mentor them through this steep learning curve. Conclusion
I trust that this brief discussion of some of the main aspects to consider when purchasing a muzzle loader for the first time, although by no means exhaustive, may help prospective muzzle loaders to make an informed choice when it comes to choosing their first muzzle loader. It is important for the choice to be the right one, as a poor choice may result in an unhappy shooter, which may mean that the muzzle loading fraternity in South Africa fails to gain a new member!
In a previous article the difference between these two types of muzzle loader was briefly discussed, but a more in depth discussion is necessary in order to really help a prospective buyer in making the correct decision. The most obvious difference between these types of muzzle loaders (at least in terms of the muzzle loaders available in South Africa) is that most in-lines appear very similar to modern rifles or shotguns (either bolt action or break barrel – see Figure 1) whereas most cap locks are replicas of, or at least are built along similar lines to, old fashioned muzzle loaders (see Figure 2.).
The major effect of this difference is that these guns look, feel, and handle much like a conventional fire arm of similar design, and thus are more familiar to shooters who have handled conventional firearms. It is also generally much easier to mount a scope the in-lines, which is a major attraction to many who wish to use the rifle for hunting.
Most in-lines are already drilled and tapped, or have conventional grooving to allow the mounting of a scope. It is possible to successfully mount a scope on a cap lock, but this may occasionally require some gunsmithing. Having said that, some of the “hunter” rifles come pre-drilled and tapped (here I am referring to cap locks based on replicas of original guns, but which are modernised in terms of stock shape and the addition of rubber recoil pads and the elimination of reflective materials such as brass and copper which is often much in evidence on traditional guns – In Figure 2 the rifles labelled A are in hunter configuration, whilst the rifle labelled B is a more traditional style).
Another major difference between cap lock rifles and the in-lines is that most cap locks have no safety mechanism, other than a half cock notch, whereas most in-lines do have a safety catch that can be applied after cocking the muzzle loader, and which will prevent it from firing should the trigger accidently be pulled. To clarify, the hammer of a cap lock can be drawn roughly halfway back where a notch will engage and hold the hammer there. This is to facilitate capping (placing a cap on the nipple) The gun will not discharge if the trigger is pulled or if the hammer is drawn further back and then released (as long as the trigger is not simultaneously pulled). However, most shooters choose not to trust this “safety”.
The points previously discussed are the most obvious differences between the cap lock and the in-line. Many shooters, particularly those who have no interest in the historical appeal of muzzle loaders will, based on these points, lean towards purchasing an in-line! Before this decision is reached, the shooter must consider a very important point. Most in-lines are designed, in terms of their rifling (the type and the rate of twist) to shoot sabotted bullets! A sabotted bullet is a an under -calibre bullet (i.e. the bullet is too small to engage the rifling) which is enclosed in a plastic sabot, which is designed to engage the rifling and so impart spin on the bullet. Once the bullet leaves the barrel the sabot drops away from the bullet leaving it to travel on its way (Figure 3.).
It is probably best at this stage to briefly discuss rifling and bullets. In very simple terms, as you increase the rate of twist of the rifling (which is basically the distance required for the rifling to complete one complete revolution, and is usually reported as a ratio), one either has to increase the velocity of the projectile, or increase the projectiles length (and thus weight) in order for the projectile to stabilise. Thus a low rate of twist will stabilise a short light bullet at moderate velocity, or a longer heavier bullet at higher velocity. A fast rate of twist requires a heavy bullet at moderate velocity or a lighter bullet at higher velocity. This is a very simplified discussion of this complex subject, but it should help the reader to understand what follows.
As mentioned earlier most in-lines are rifled in such a way as to handle sabotted bullets. They thus have a fairly fast rate of twist. As sabotted bullets are sub-calibre, and are usually either composite (i.e. lead core with copper jacket) or non-lead mono-metal (copper) they tend to be lighter than a conventional muzzle loader conical bullet which would usually be of pure lead, or a lead alloy(Figure 4.). Due to their lighter weight, they can be driven at higher velocities for any given charge. At the recommended loadings for most in-lines the sabotted bullets achieve a reasonably high velocity and so easily stabilise in the fast rate of twist. The reason for the desire for high velocity is that these in-lines are designed for the American market, where they are purchased by hunters wishing to take advantage of the extended hunting seasons available to muzzle loader hunters. These hunters seek rifles which can approximate the performance of their conventional rifles, and so seek maximum velocity (which they hope equates to a flat trajectory, and thus extended effective range). This may seem very desirable to the local shooter, until they see the extremely high costs of these sabotted bullets. The usual reaction is then to revert to conventional lead conicals, but most shooters are very disappointed at the performance achieved with these projectiles in the in-lines. Basically the purchaser of an in-line must either be content to use the expensive sabotted bullets, or they have to accept less than excellent performance of the lead conicals. The most success reported so far with the in-lines and lead conicals is with very heavy conicals and fairly high charges! While this may give reasonable accuracy, recoil could become fairly unpleasant (remember – recoil is a factor of the amount of propellant and the weight of the projectile).
Those hunters who opt for using the sabotted bullets report a fair degree of success. Shooters must bear in mind that, when purchasing bullets to use with sabots, they must ensure that buy strongly constructed bullets from reputable companies. One practice is to use revolver bullets in the sabots, but this can be problematic as the velocities achieved in the in-line rifles is often much higher than that achieved even in maximum revolver loads, resulting in bullet failure and in wounded and lost game.
One other factor to consider when choosing between an in-line and a cap lock is that most in-lines have an easy to remove breech plug, whilst cap locks generally have a breech plug which, while removable, should not be tampered with, unless by a competent gunsmith. The result of this is that thorough cleaning of the in-line is much easier, as it is done in much the same way as a conventional rifle, i.e. by pushing a cleaning rod through the gun from breech to muzzle. A cap lock must be cleaned from the muzzle, and is generally more difficult (time consuming) to clean effectively. Cap Lock Muzzle Loaders
There are a huge variety of cap lock muzzle loaders available in South Africa. The choice of which cap lock to purchase depends on a variety of factors. First and foremost the buyer must decide what the principal use of the muzzle loader will be! If the buyer wants to participate in formal target shooting, then the muzzle loader purchased must be suitable for one of the many classes of target shooting! This will usually be a more expensive muzzle loader. Usually, the more one spends, the better quality one will get, and the more competitive one will be! It must be noted that many of the muzzle loaders purchased for formal target disciplines will serve adequately in the hunting field. If the potential buyer has no wish to participate in formal target shooting, then his or her choice can be dictated by several factors! Does the shooter simply wish to shoot a muzzle loader, in which case one of the fairly low cost replicas of American muzzle loaders will meet their needs adequately. However, should the shooter wish to take their immersion in the world of muzzle loading a step further by wishing to emulate some particular historical era or group, then this will require a study of the muzzle loaders used by that group! The muzzle loaders represented by the replicas of American guns played little or no part in South African history. Fortunately replicas of most of the important guns in South African history can now be easily be obtained. Choice of which cap lock to purchase thus simply comes down to what does the shooter want! Unfortunately, many buyers rush out and make a purchase before they have thought carefully about what they actually want!
Rate of Twist
Cap lock rifles come in a variety of rates of twist ranging from fast twist rifles with twists of around 1:22 (i.e. 1 complete revolution in 22 inches) to fairly slow twists of 1:66 (1 complete revolution in 66 inchs). As a general rule of thumb, where the shooter will use only pure lead projectiles (i.e. putting aside sabotted projectiles), the faster the rate of twist, the heavier and longer the projectile must be in order to stabilise! If we consider a fifty calibre muzzle loader, a 1:30 twist rifle will require a lead conical of around 450 grains, while a 1:66 twist will be more suited to a round lead ball.
A very popular rate of twist in many of the replicas of American rifles seems to be 1:48. This seems to be a compromise twist, which in fifty calibre performs with lead conicals of around 350 to 400 grains, but which can also shoot round ball at moderate velocities.
Once again, the buyer should have a good idea of what they wish to do before setting out and buying a muzzle loader. If one wants to mainly hunt kudu one would not buy a slow twist fifty calibre. A buyer who is looking for a purely recreational muzzle loader for paper punching, would do well to consider a forty five calibre rifle with a slow twist, as this will mean that he or she could use patched round ball which is probably the most economical projectile!
Smooth or Rifled
Although relatively few smooth bored rifles (i.e. smoothbores which are not actually shotguns) are available in South Africa, some of the low cost replicas of muzzle loaders which played significant roles in the history of South African are only available as smooth bores. I refer particularly to the replicas made by Delhi Gun House (DGH) who produce replicas of the Brown Bess, the Enfield rifle in a variety of configurations ( 1, 2 and 3 band) and the Bobbejaan Boud. While many American shooters get amazing performance from smooth bore “rifles” one is pretty much limited to using patched round ball, and accuracy is usually not as good as in a rifled barrel. If competing against other smooth bores, then this is not an issue, whether in formal or social competition. The implication for the muzzle loader who wishes to hunt is that the effective range at which game can be taken is reduced. Cap Lock vs Flint Lock
While there are generally speaking less flintlocks available in South Africa than there are cap locks, they do occasionally come up for sale, often as second hand, and often at a very reasonable price. This is usually because the previous owner purchased the muzzle loader without proper thought or consultation. Whereas just about anyone can become proficient in the use of a cap lock or an in-line with a bit of basic instruction and some careful reading, the proficient use of a flint lock is an entirely different story. I would definitely not advise a first time buyer of a muzzle loader to consider the purchase of a flintlock. Not only does the disconcerting flash of the powder in the pan igniting require a huge amount of practice to ignore (Figure 5 - even experienced muzzle loaders jokingly refer to flint locks as flinch locks), but simply getting the powder in the pan to flash (i.e. ignite) requires a certain degree of skill in terms of fine tuning the flint and the frizzen (Figure 6.)! And furthermore, a flash in the pan does not always guarantee ignition of the main charge in the barrel (the term “a flash in the pan” used to describe something that is less than successful stems from this exact occurrence). While many dedicated muzzle loader shooters eventually graduate to flint locks I certainly would not recommend them for first time muzzle loaders, unless they are part of an active community of flint lock shooters who can guide and mentor them through this steep learning curve. Conclusion
I trust that this brief discussion of some of the main aspects to consider when purchasing a muzzle loader for the first time, although by no means exhaustive, may help prospective muzzle loaders to make an informed choice when it comes to choosing their first muzzle loader. It is important for the choice to be the right one, as a poor choice may result in an unhappy shooter, which may mean that the muzzle loading fraternity in South Africa fails to gain a new member!
