Black Powder Cartridge News Summer 2018

While cruising one of the Internet forums dedicated to single shot rifles, I noticed an oft-repeated topic. A poster was bemoaning the fact that many of our “Schuetzen” matches were becoming largely benchrest competitions. A variety of reasons were given for this phenomenon, the main one being that a large portion of our current enthusiasts were of the age where offhand shooting was not an option, physically. Of course, there was the usual discussion about how we need to attract more young people to Schuetzen matches (assuming that they would be interested in offhand shooting) and the various ways that we could do that. ...Read More >

This issue’s cover comes to us from long-range muzzleloading enthusiast Rick Weber and shows competitor Rod England lining up for a shot at 600 yards with his Alexander Henry-style rifle during the 2018 Oak Ridge Long Range Muzzle Loading match. Besides being an avid shooter, Rod is also well known in the muzzleloading clan for continuing to produce the exceptional Alexander Henry kits formerly done by Don Brown. ...Read More >

In 1878, William Lyman invented the Lyman Tang Sight to correct the problems associated with sights of his day, and the Lyman Gunsight Company was born. Lyman Products Corporation continues its legacy 140 years later by employing a team, many of whom are shooters and handloaders themselves, dedicated to the goal of developing and producing products to improve the shooting and handloading experience of its customers. ...Read More >

Have you ever seen a sequel movie that was as good as, or maybe even better than, the original? Well, I am not sure I had until now. What started as an attempt to find a cheaper and easier way to practice regular NRA Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette has evolved into a popular sport with its own governing association and many dedicated, enthusiastic competitors. A discussion of the status of the sport and description of the equipment in use might encourage shooters to get involved in this sport. ...Read More >

Weather forecasting and shooting never mix well, and it’s the weather that is the main concern when competitors travel to match destinations. The Oak Ridge weather forecast was not good for Day One and only slightly better for the afternoon on Day Two. Therefore, it was decided to shoot the 200-yard match first, and if we could get the 600-yard match in on Day One, we would. ...Read More >

To be perfectly honest, it was really difficult to get out of bed and head into the woods on the next-to-last day of the 2017 Kentucky deer season. My hunting buddies and I were seeing very few deer. This was due partly to a disease that had hit the deer population pretty hard that summer and early fall. After hunting the first few days of deer season without even having seen a buck, and finding far less sign than usual, I was simply feeling a little discouraged. The prospect of filling the freezer with venison seemed remote. After downing a few cups of coffee, however, getting dressed and picking up my old Winchester .45-70, a little hope managed to return. ...Read More >

Shooting black powder cartridge double rifles is a splendid thing. The “express” rifles chambered in .360, .400, .450, .500 and .577 are accurate, have fairly mild recoil and even the rather plain rifles are truly works of art. The 8- and 4-bore large-bore rifles are only fun at reduced loads, as full-house charges of black powder and bullets from 875 grains to over 2,000 grains can produce frightful recoil. ...Read More >

The .50-95 Winchester was introduced in 1879 as the largest member in the line-up of cartridges for the Model 1876 Winchester repeating rifle. All of the cartridges chambered in the 1876 Winchester were considered short-range rounds compared to the mid- and long-range cartridges that were available only in single-shot rifles at that time. The .50-95 was an express cartridge with a rather lightweight bullet shot at high velocity, making it a powerful hunting rifle for thin-skinned game within 200 yards. ...Read More >

Most black powder shooters know of the .38-55 cartridge. It is almost as common today as it was more than 130 years ago when it was one of the most popular target and hunting cartridges. The .38-55 evolved from the original .38-50 Ballard cartridge that Marlin created for its single shot rifles in 1876. ...Read More >

Rath and Company (represented by Charles Rath,Robert M. Wright and James Langton), Myers andLeonard, and the Cator Brothers filed suit in the U.S.Court of Claims for the recovery of losses they sufferedduring and after the battle of Adobe Walls.&n... ...Read More >

Sir Henry Seton-Karr, Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG), Deputy Lieutenant (DL) and Member of Parliament (MP), was an English explorer, hunter and conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906. Born on February 5, 1853, he was the son of George Berkeley Seton-Karr of the Indian Civil Service. He was educated at Harrow School and Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford where he obtained a Master of Arts in Law. ...Read More >

We stopped by Steven Dodd Hughes’ shop the other day to catch up and see what he had been doing in the way of gun work. Steven is a friend of ours and long-time member of the Custom Gunmakers Guild who always has an interesting project on his bench. In the course of an enjoyable conversation, he mentioned that he was now a distributor for top-quality woodworking rasps made by Liogier, which are handmade in France. ...Read More >