Traditional Muzzleloaders.

  When we talk about traditional Muzzleloaders, we are talking about muzzleloaders that are not activated by 209 primers, and modern day technology.  We are talking about Percussion Cap, FlintLocks, MatchLocks, WheelLocks and others.

   Since most of us cannot purchase anything other than Percussion Cap and Flintlocks, Traditional Muzzleloaders usually mean these two kinds of weapons.  These weapons are replicable , can be found at most gun shows, can be purchased as working replicas from many sources across the United States.

   One of the questions that keep coming up is: "Which one should I purchase?"

  In order to answer this question, you must first determine what you really want to do with it. You must also determine how much work you want to put into your gun.

    Some things to remember:

 1. BOTH Percussion Cap AND FlintLocks will take the same amount of time to clean,.
 2. Both guns can shoot just as accurate as the other.
 3. Both guns can take down big game just as easily as the other.
 4. When properly done, both guns are just as reliable as the other.
 5. FlintLocks will take a little more fiddling than a Percussion.
 6. Both use the same powder as the main charge.  A Flintlock uses 4F for a priming pan.  That means you will be carrying some extra stuff. . . .like a pan primer and extra 4F powder for the pan.  It also means you will probably carry some extra cotton to clean off the residue from the flash pan, to insure proper spark.