Black Powder Cartridge News Spring 2019

I’d like to bring up a topic that I have touched on in the past, but I think it bears repeating. Recently, I had become curious about a different shooting discipline. Interested about what equipment was used, I thought I’d pick up a magazine that featured articles and results from several of the matches that were held across the U.S. I was disappointed, however, as the winners of each match were listed, but there wasn’t really much mentioned in the way of what they had used to garner the win. It actually took a good bit of looking on the Internet to draw some conclusions as to what was being used by the top shooters, how much the rifle and equipment would cost and who to contact in case I was interested in participating. ...Read More >

Our cover photo in this issue is from our good friend Mr. Tom Schiffer; black powder shooter, riverboat captain and general gun crank who is known to frequent the immediate area of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. Tom was there at Rabbit Hash when the Don Kettelkamp Single Shot Stalking Rifle Shoot was pulled off. The cover shows rifleman Jim Poyner addressing the “knock-down” target with his .450-.400 (23⁄8) Boss single shot rifle. ...Read More >

It is a regular habit of mine to peruse back issues of Shooting and Fishing magazine. There is so much information contained therein that I’m constantly amazed and entertained. These gems were found in the June 1, 1899 edition regarding the riflem... ...Read More >

Smithmoor Winter .22 BPCR Series Carpenter, Wyoming - November 10, 2018Smithmoor RangeThe first match of the 5th Smithmoor Winter .22 BPCR Series is over and it was a good one! The first match of the season is always fun as there are many shooters... ...Read More >

This shoot was originally conceived by Bob Woodfill, the African hunting enthusiast of Vevay, Indiana. It was respectfully named for Don Kettelkamp, a modern-day African hunter, who wrote prolifically about his African experiences with the late Don Malsen in a 1996 book, Hunting Southern Africa with Muzzle Loading Rifles. Don Kettelkamp also wrote black powder hunting articles, too numerous to mention, for Muzzle Blasts, the house organ of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. These articles started about 1980. ...Read More >

Last spring was the first time I heard about the LabRadar chronograph (myLabRadar.com). It is a ballistic doppler radar that will read a bullet’s velocity every 25 yards from the muzzle out to 125 yards. I showed it to Gayle and said, “If we were still shooting, I sure would have one of these.” Well, guess what showed up for my 66th birthday? Being “computer challenged,” it took a few trips to the range and some calls to the manufacturer to learn how to run it successfully. But, I endeavored to persevere, and I did! The LabRadar technicians were very understanding and helpful. ...Read More >

Horatio Ross was born at Rossie Castle, Forfarshire (near Montrose) about 35 miles northeast of Dundee, Scotland, on September 5, 1801. He was the son of Hercules Ross and Henrietta (nee Parish) Ross and named for his godfather Lord Horatio Nelson. Hercules Ross and Lord Horatio Nelson corresponded over the period 1780 to 1802 and their letters are in the Archives of the Royal Naval Museum. ...Read More >

We came across this short article in the December 1887 issue of The Rifle and thought that it would be of interest to our readers, especially those with an interest in the Sharps 1878 rifle. The sight mentioned was apparently controversial in the military rifle matches of the time, being protested at the 15th Annual NRA matches which were held at Creedmoor. The protest was not held up by the NRA Executive Committee, which incensed several competitors who felt the sight represented an unfair advantage over the other nonwindage-adjustable military sights of the day. ...Read More >

My interest in shooting black powder in the .303 British took root back in 2007 when I read that the cartridge’s original load was 70 grains of “fine-grained” black powder. I guessed I would have a few problems since the only rifle I had at the time was a No. 4 Mk I SMLE. Back when the cartridge was first being developed and black powder was used, Britain was employing the Lee-Metford rifle, which used the rounded Metford land/groove design. ...Read More >

D.N. Heizer was born on November 11, 1846, in Ross County, Ohio. His father Edward Heizer and all of his brothers moved to Iowa on the admission of Iowa as a state into the Union. He remained on the Iowa farm, which was located 15 miles north of Burlington, until he was 17 years old. He then enlisted in the latter part of the Civil War in Company M, Second Iowa Cavalry, served 18 months of active service and was mustered out at the close of the war at Selma, Alabama. When he returned home he spent a year on the old home farm, and during the next five years, he spent the greater part of his time taking courses at Iowa State University and teaching. ...Read More >

One of my all-time favorite movies is Quigley Down Under starring Tom Selleck. If you’re reading this magazine, there is a very good chance that you’ve seen it as well. It was Quigley that inspired so many of us to chase down our own Sharps rifle with dreams of hitting targets that seemed impossible. I guess for a lot of us we could consider Quigley Down Under a western superhero movie, only cooler. So, when a childhood friend of mine sent me a link to the Rockwall Gun Club’s Quigley Bucket Challenge, I was immediately intrigued. Not to offend anyone here in the Republic of Texas, but we are not heavily populated with black powder shooters, so this opportunity just couldn’t be passed up. ...Read More >

C. Sharps Arms is well known for making fine new reproductions of the Sharps Models 1874, ’75 and ’77, the Remington Hepburn, plus 1885 High Walls and Low Walls, but the company actually does much more. There is a lot of custom work that also goes on at the C. Sharps Arms shop, including shooter services that are not mentioned in its catalog. Allow me to describe some of these services along with showing some photos of very good examples. ...Read More >

Over the years, we have been frequently asked which stock finish we prefer on rifle-building projects. Like many gunsmiths, it seemed for quite a while that different finishes were used, or combination of finishes, for each rifle. For the last several builds I have used a product that I have become very satisfied with – Traditional Oil Stock Finish from Jim Chambers Flintlocks, Ltd. ...Read More >