Muzzleloading ShotgunsSimple joys in life are one of the keys to being happy

 Muzzleloaders are about as easy as they capture and blackpowder shotguns for most users are twice as fun.  The best news is, Mississippi's woods are available for'front stuffer' scatterguns.Going back to the days of the Pilgrims,'fowling pieces', easy muzzleloading smoothbore muskets that could be stuffed with powder, wad, and shot, and set off by flint or game, were the typical mantelpiece weapon in the home.  All these were nothing but primitive shotguns, capable of taking any sized game from squirrel and rabbit to turkey and deer, with the shooter simply adjusting the strength of the powder load and dimensions of the shooter shotgun slugs.  Today, these firearms are still about and harken back to this clean, simple way of life.How do they work?  Much like a conventional muzzle-loading rifle, the crude shotgun is loading throughout the front.  In effect, every time you load a BP shotgun, you build a shot shell within the barrel, only without a strand.   Some modern users include a shotcup if using a fine shooter like No.8 to spread the pattern. 

For a wad in today's BP shotguns, most use 1/8-inch over powder cards or nitro cards plus a fiber cushion wad, named as a result of the fact that this card goes'over' the powder and also before the shot.  Finally, a different card extends over the top of the shot and it is all tamped down.RegsMuzzleloading shotguns are much more flexible than their gun cousins are.  Everywhere in Mississippi which you are able to use a regular modern shotgun (deer season, small game, dove, etc.); you might also take your front-stuffer.  The MDWFP claims further that blackpowder shotguns can be used during the crude weapon deer season so long as they're loaded with one ball or slug.  These guns can use either blackpowder or replacements like pyrodex.

This puts the muzzy scattergun as a workable instrument to take from the woods of the country from September through February, and can even be used on night searches -- with No.6 taken less-- for nuisance animals year round.  Just about any shotgun created before 1900 is going to be a blackpowder gun.  There are lots of inherited Parker, Hopkins and Allen, Fox and others who are muzzleloaders (not capsule split action firearms ) that sit in closets and gun racks throughout the state.

  These guns, properly checked out by a gunsmith, are usually still capable of taking game with light loads and the proper amount of blackpowder.  Go gently on those old timers, as they'll usually have barrels of'laminated steel' or Damascus steel and thus not capable of harsh use.  Nonetheless, there is a good nobility to bagging a couple of drops with a shotgun which was constructed a century before you're born.New models Speaking of Pedersoli, they make almost a dozen different versions that range from a Baker Cavalry Shotgun with 11-inch barrels (NFA rules don't apply to blackpowder firearms ) to elegant English pieces that run several thousand dollars.  Dixie Gunworks sells both 10 and 12-gauge blackpowder kits that are both an interesting weekend building project and also a functional gun for approximately $400.

  Grantedthis is more than the expense of a new 870, however it's a working slice of history that can be shipped straight to your door.If you'd like a more modern look, CVA creates its Optima series of muzzleloading shotguns that utilize 209 primers and have fiber-optic sights, camouflage finishes, and toaster railings for about $350.  Employed CVA and Knight 12-gauges can be had for as little as $150 if you shop around and find somebody on the right day.  As with everything hunting related, the best deals are found at the spring just after the end of the rifle seasons.No matter which option you go with, a muzzleloading shotgun can be a blast.

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