Black Powder Cartridge News Winter 2018

With the recent appointment to the Supreme Court of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, gun owners can take comfort in the fact that the Court now seems to be comprised of a majority of conservative justices who view the Second Amendment as a vital and necessary part of our Constitution. ...Read More >

This issue’s cover comes from friend Harvey Pennington, avid participant in the Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Shoot for many years. ...Read More >

In a conversation about .22 rimfire single shots with a relatively new subscriber, the subject of Arthur Hubalek came up. I was surprised to learn that the reader, a somewhat experienced single shot rifleman, had no idea who Arthur Hubalek was, or that he made arguably the best .22 rimfire barrels of his era. We decided to publish some pertinent information on Hubalek to hopefully educate those who are lacking knowledge on this great shooter, barrel maker and gunsmith. ...Read More >

The 2018 BPCR National Silhouette Championships were held July 28 through August 3 at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, New Mexico. As always, it was a true test of marksmanship and an excellent opportunity to enjoy old friendships as well as make new ones. We saw some changes to the Nationals this year, and I couldn’t help but feel there was a new, fresh attitude toward the matches throughout the week. ...Read More >

This is certainly not how the firing line at the “The Quigley” was expected to look on Saturday, the first day of the 2018 match.For many of us who enjoy competing at long range with black powder cartridge rifles, the place to be on Father’s Day w... ...Read More >

If Harry Callahan from the movie Dirty Harry had carried a .577 howdah pistol by any one of the numerous makers in the United Kingdom, perhaps his reputation would have been a bit more famous. What do I mean by that? ...Read More >

We could say that a lot of things started with the .50-70. Born in 1866, it was our country’s first centerfire cartridge in general use by our military, and it served our nation officially until it was replaced by the .45-70. The .45-70, of course, was introduced in 1873 but a lot of .50-70s remained “on duty” in the field for several years afterward. All of this time it was well-recognized as a sporting cartridge and is credited with taking a leading role in the buffalo harvest, especially during the early 1870s. Some noted historical figures selected the .50-70 as their personal choice, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and George Armstrong Custer being among them. ...Read More >

The remaining information with the above-mentioned engraving on the top rib of this lovely double rifle includes the 59 St. James’ St., London address, and in front of the blued two-leaf rear sight is engraved “From H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES K.G. G. C. S. I. INDIA. 1875 & 1876. This 9-pound, 4-ounce rifle chambered in .500 (3) Black Powder Express (BPE) is one of several gifts that the Prince took along on his ambassadorial trip that, as we shall see, included quite a lot of big-game hunting. ...Read More >

Beginning in April 1871, Joel Asaph Allen embarked on a nine-month trip to collect specimens for the Museum of Comparative Zoology. He took with him two assistants; Richard Bliss, a fellow student at the Agassiz Museum and Caleb W. Bennett, of Springfield, Massachusetts. Bliss returned to Cambridge about the beginning of August while Bennett, acting as hunter and taxidermist, remained with Allen until the end of the expedition in January 1872. ...Read More >

Steve Garbe, a dyed-in-the-wool black powder cartridge rifle enthusiast, developed SPG Lube in 1984. When black powder cartridge rifles did not perform well with the conventional “hard” lubes then available, Steve was motivated to solve the problem. It took Steve two years of testing and approximately 8,000 rounds fired from various black powder cartridge rifles to settle on the final formula that is available to shooters today. In the development of SPG Lube, he tested loads in subzero conditions as well as high-temperature environments. ...Read More >

For the past few months, I’ve been using some of Cat’s Shooting Sticks and now I feel prepared to offer you a good review of these shooting accessories. Even before using these cross-sticks, I was quite impressed with their workmanship. Both sets I reviewed are made of strong oak and are 48 inches long. That makes them designed for shooting from the sitting position and they are long enough for me to use while seated on a low “turkey hunter’s” stool. We could say that one of these sets of sticks is a bit more deluxe than the other, while the plainer set is more straightforward. Both sets are truly excellent. ...Read More >

Gunsmithing in general, and “best quality” gun work in particular, has a pretty steep learning curve. In days gone by a young man apprenticed himself to a master gunsmith and over the course of several years learned the trade, at least to the point that he could hang out his own shingle. However, being technically trained in the art of gun building, it still took many years of practical experience before the young gunsmith was recognized in the trade as truly a master craftsman. ...Read More >