What you need for muzzleloading

By: Joe Arterburn

Caring for a black-powder shotgun is fairly simple. All you really need are percussion caps, powder, wads and shot, and a way to carry it to the field.

Powder - You’ll need something that will keep your powder or Pyrodex pellets dry and readily accessible, such as a powder horn, as the traditionalists call them. A flask, either in the classic tear-drop shape or the popular cylinder shape, is what you need.

Shot - How did our ancestors carry a supply of shot in the field? In shot flasks and shot snakes, which are long leather pouches, usually attached to a sling, with some sort of shot-measuring device at the end. For turkeys, try doses of 4, 5 and 6 shot at the range to see which patterns best.

Percussion caps - There’s all kinds of percussion cap or primer holders—cappers, as they are called. Simple versions can be made by punching a piece of leather with holes slightly smaller than the diameter of the caps. Caps can then be pressed into the holes and carried until needed, then you simply fit the cap over the nipple and pull the leather carrier away, leaving the cap in place and ready to fire.

Wads - Wad materials vary from pre-lubed felt to punched-out cardboard and there is a host of ways to carry them. Small leather bags for the traditionalist, or choose a bag with interior pockets, which you can use to sort the various wads and cards.

Make sure you thoroughly clean your gun every 3-5 shots because powder build-up can create erratic shot patterns.

*Content courtesy of The National Wild Turkey Federation.