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Muzzleloader guys... chime in...

Hailey_Phillips

Hailey_Phillips

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Messages
803
Location
Wesson, MS
So here in Mississippi the orange army is kicking in good.. I myself like to rifle hunt, just not quite as much as bow hunt. Well the wma I hunt is primitive weapon only, so for guns, my .300win mag stays at home unless I’m hunting private ground. Well I sold my .45-70 like a dummy, so I’m back to using the Thompson Center Omega muzzleloader. Even though a second shot with a muzzleloader is rare, they do happen sometimes (such as the infamous Jeff Foxworthy hunt). Whether it be a finishing shot, or a miss and opportunity to get a second shot off, how do you reload a muzzleloader from a saddle? I can see if your using an actual platform, you can stand the gun up there, but what about from say, ameristeps or screw in steps? Use the top of your foot? I was getting the TC out and making sure I had some reloads ready, and that’s when it dawned on me... so what do any of you muzzleloader guys do? It’s probably not as complicated as I’m thinking it will be..


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Use a step, top of your for on said step or the top of your last stick. I can reload my 60" Flintlock, thats cutting a patch at the barrel.

Thanks,
Boswell
 
Depending on how hard it is to seat the bullet on your second shot I would say you’re overthinking it. My muzzleloader is about 18” long but a full length I would probably squeeze between my legs while pouring powder and starting bullet. Then set it on my foot to seat the bullet.
 
Thanks guys, I figured it wouldn’t be too hard it’s just something I haven’t thought about until now. I may shoot once or twice at home Saturday morning from my sitdrag and ameristeps just so I will at least know what to expect


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Kind of have been wondering this as well. Haven't muzzleloader hunted in 15 years(thanks to MS ridiculous "primitive weapons" laws), but recently bought one and set it up for this year. Have a couple of places that I hunt that require a muzzleloader and look forward to using it.
 
thwack16 said:
Kind of have been wondering this as well. Haven't muzzleloader hunted in 15 years(thanks to MS ridiculous "primitive weapons" laws), but recently bought one and set it up for this year. Have a couple of places that I hunt that require a muzzleloader and look forward to using it.
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Yeah I think all wma is MS still requires primitive, but I always used my single shot .45-70 there. Private land is now any gun except the early primitive season. I’ve got a .50cal TC muzzleloader that I’ve always used for primitive until they changed the law, and I also ended up getting the .45-70. Well since I had a lapse of judgement and sold it, I’m now back to using the TC for early primitive on private and to use at wma. I think it’ll be fine just putting the gun on my foot to reload regardless of platform/step choice. I just never tried it and didn’t know if there were any unforeseen issues with doing it that way. Where at in MS are you? I’m in Copiah County.


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Hailey_Phillips said:
Yeah I think all wma is MS still requires primitive, but I always used my single shot .45-70 there. Private land is now any gun except the early primitive season. I’ve got a .50cal TC muzzleloader that I’ve always used for primitive until they changed the law, and I also ended up getting the .45-70. Well since I had a lapse of judgement and sold it, I’m now back to using the TC for early primitive on private and to use at wma. I think it’ll be fine just putting the gun on my foot to reload regardless of platform/step choice. I just never tried it and didn’t know if there were any unforeseen issues with doing it that way. Where at in MS are you? I’m in Copiah County.


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I'm in Montgomery County. However, I have in-laws just to your south and hunt down that way a time or two a year when we visit for holidays.
 
I'll just use the top of my foot if needed but that is rare. Most of the time I can reload on the ground before I start tracking.
 
thwack16 said:
I'm in Montgomery County. However, I have in-laws just to your south and hunt down that way a time or two a year when we visit for holidays.
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Well if you come down this year and get a chance to hunt, let me know. We can hit Copiah County WMA.


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redsquirrel said:
I'll just use the top of my foot if needed but that is rare. Most of the time I can reload on the ground before I start tracking.
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Yeah it’s very rare, I’ve never been givin the opportunity of a second shot with a muzzleloader, but I’ve also never needed one either. Like I said, just something that came to mind. I’m gonna shoot and reload from my sit drag Saturday when I get home from work before I head to the woods, just to see how it goes.


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Hailey_Phillips said:
Well if you come down this year and get a chance to hunt, let me know. We can hit Copiah County WMA.


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Thanks man. I know I'll be down and hunting public in the area the weekend after Thanksgiving and the weekend prior to Christmas.

I have hunted deer or turkey on each of the three wmas down there, parts of the NF, and even gone over to the refuge on the river. If I had my choice, I'd probably hunt the refuge, but its a haul, the wma you mentioned is my next choice. I was actually just looking at maps yesterday trying to get some locations in my head for that hunt in two weeks.
 
My wife works both of those weekends so I’ll have my little boy all weekend so I probably can’t hunt either one haha, me and him could still ride out there and meet up with you and I could show you a few places I’ve found


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