Muzzle loading shooters use firearms which are loaded from the muzzle end with gunpowder, wad and bullet or shot rather than with complete ammunition at the breech end as in modern breech loading firearms. These firearms date from before the middle of the nineteenth century when breech loading firearms were developed. Muzzle loaders are principally interested in how these old firearms shoot and are therefore not re-enactors although they are sometimes known to dress up!
Many people have their first experience of shooting muzzle loaders at country events like game fairs. The man in the picture above is shooting a Brown Bess musket for the first time at the Highland Field Sports Fair which is held at Moy, South of Inverness. The Fair will be held this year on Fri 1st and Sat 2nd August 2008 and we will be there as usual! Hope to see there you if you are in the North of Scotland. If you do come along you can have a go too. One spectator very kindly sent me a video of us in operation. Please be patient - it takes a minute or two to load.
See my report about the 2002 Fair for more pictures.
The firearms are classified by their method of ignition.
Matchlock. Matchlock
firearms ignite the charge with a piece of burning string. The string is soaked
in Potassium Nitrate so that it keeps burning.
Flintlock. Flintlock
firearms use a flint and steel to make a spark which ignites a priming charge
which ignites the main charge.
Percussion. Percussion
firearms, which were the final development before breech loading systems were
invented use a small cap containing a sensitive explosive. The flame from the
explosive burning sets off the main charge.
Competitions. Like all shooting enthusiasts muzzle loaders like to compete against each other. These competitions range from the World Championships to small local competitions.
The Scottish Clay Pigeon Championships for muzzle loaders is held each year at the Scottish Clay Shooting Centre in Fife.
Getting Involved. If you are interested in getting involved in muzzle loading shooting you can contact the Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain for more general information. You will also need to get into the firearms shooting world. The way to do this is to contact and join a convenient shooting club. There are very few clubs which just do muzzle loading shooting but you can readily do your own thing in a more broadly based club. I have described the process in my Starting Shooting page.
If you already hold a Shotgun Certificate and/or a Firearm Certificate then all you need do is obtain a suitable gun or for a Section 1 firearm (a pistol or rifle) obtain a suitable gun after getting a variation of your FAC. I give advice on obtaining a variation in my Variation Page.
Black Powder. An additional bit of bureaucracy you will have to go through is to get yourself licensed to use Black Powder. This is a straightforward procedure but, like so many firearms related matters is prone to confusion because even some of the Firearms Licensing offices do not understand what is involved. What you need is an Explosives License to "Acquire and Keep" Black Powder (BP). You apply on the appropriate form which you get from the Firearm Licensing Office where your SGC and FAC come from. Your FAC or SGC as appropriate are your authority for having BP. There is no fee for the certificate and you should receive it quickly as no additional investigation is required. The certificate will authorise you to acquire the BP under its United Nations code number 0027. [This is under the international hazardous goods regulations which Britain signs up to] You will be required to keep the BP at your private premises within the quantity limits specified in the Explosives Acts. As a general guide these limits are:
But no more than 25 kilograms in total.
This is only general guidance. The Health and Safety Executive is the authority which controls the carriage of explosives. They issue guidance on good practice for private individuals using explosives. Their advice on carriage is here.
Finally, when you receive your BP Certificate you will need to obtain an authority for transporting it around the country, for instance from shop to home and home to range. The document is called a "Recipient Competent Authority Transfer Document" - a nice easy to remember title! It is easier to get than say. Fax a note to the Health and Safety Executive in London asking for a RCATD and also fax your BP Certificate.
Address your fax to: Health and Safety Executive - Attention Cherry Knight. Fax number 0207 - 717 - 6690. Your document will invariably arrive by return of post, a quite astonishing piece of efficiency in this field of human endeavour.
New Explosives Regulations. New regulations came into force on 26 April 2005. They give advice on how to store black powder and are worth studying in detail. The full text of the regulations is here.
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Updated: 2 May 2008