I suddenly have the urge to buy a couple of blackpowder pistols and maybe a rifle or two. I can't say I'm ever going to shoot them, probably will eventually but they look neat. I know alot of guys are shooting them to open up the hunting season a bit but I don't hunt and can't really say I ever will. Anybody else do blackpowder as a hobby?


Can I still buy black powder firearms directly from the distributor (like Midway for instance)? Are pistols & rifles the same as far as purchasing & shipping goes.

They don't have to ship through any special channels like FFL dealers right?

Any restrictions that I should know about?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Just wanted to add that I'm thinking about the old west style firearms not the modern ones designed for hunting.

they are messy.
yes you can order them thru the mail.  it's just like living in  a free country.

i got a TC scout a few years back.  it's ok, i don't shoot it as much as i would like to because every time i get back from the range i have to break the gun down and clean the hell out of it before i put it away.  it just takes too long.  

yes you can order them thru the mail. it's just like living in a free country.

Within Federal guidelines, that is. Some locales and states restrict them just the same (for instance, no mail order BP handguns to North Carolina).

Black powder is restricted fairly heavily by the D.O.T. as an explosive, vice a "flammable solid" as smokeless powder and BP substitutes are. Consequently, shops may only have so much BP on premises and even then it must be stored in a special roll away cabinet. On top of that, BP is a terrible fouler as compared to substitutes like Pyrodex. Unless you're shooting a flintlock, don't even consider BP over a substitute, it SUCKS.

i don't shoot it as much as i would like to because every time i get back from the range i have to break the gun down and clean the hell out of it before i put it away. it just takes too long.

You know, I've heard this for years. T/C once gave advice that most of the cleaning issues are USER induced, rather than the nature of the beast. They recommend using natural cleaners and lubricants (like hand soap, Crisco, animal fat, etc.) instead of petroleum-based stuff (they have no place with a BP firearm). After a time, the metal becomes seasoned like a frying pan and fouling is less adherent. Cleaning is VERY easy.

Picked up another shortcut from Mike Venturino concerning cleaning. He suggests lowering the hammer over a patch on the nipple. Set the gun on its butt and fill the bore with whatever solvent or soapy solution you're using and let the gun sit for ten minutes or so. After that, pour out the bore, dismantle the gun and clean with hot soapy water. Works good. You can have the gun cleaned, lubed, and back together within half an hour or so.

I just ordered a Uberti 1858 Remington .44 from Midway.  It should be here on Thursday.  It will be delivered to my apartment manager's office where all the UPS stuff goes.  She gets pissed when I order cases of 9mm and 5.56mm.  

As a teenager I shot a lot of black powder.  20 years later, I'm getting back in to it.  I have owned one of just about everything in the last two decades.  Now I only own 4 firearms counting the incoming 1858 New Army .44.

I shot a buddy's junky CVA Hawken kit rifle about 8 months ago and have been wanting another coal-burner ever since.  
We only shot two guns that day and the other was my M16.  It was an odd contrast firing a machinegun and a muzzle-loading rifle.

Thanks for tips on shooting and cleaning black powder firearms.

I definitely think its something I would like to experiment with.

Get a Dixie Gun Works catalog.  It usually has a lot of information, such as regs governing transportation & storage of black powder.  Some of the black powder substitutes, like Pyrodex, are not as messy as the genuine article.  FYI, these powders work well with percussion cap igntion, but the only thing that works reliably in flintlocks is real black powder.

Not a high rate of fire, but launching a 385 grain lead hunting round from my .50 cal with 115 gr of powder is satisfying.  If you can connect, you only need one shot anyway.

I agree with getting an 1858 Remington.  That's what I just got.

I disagree with the importance of getting stainless.  If you take good care of your stuff, as has been described, stainless is purely a cosmetic difference.  If you can't get your coal-burner cleaned pretty soon after shooting then, IMO, stainless is worth paying more for.  For me it would be a waste as my guns are only ever used on a range.  I don't compete, reenact or murder harmless fluffy animals so except for the post-shooting stop for beer I have no excuse to have a dirty rusty pea shooter.  

You could also use one of the spray-and-bake moly finishes instead of Aluma-hyde and probably get better results.

Added:
I've had several Colt replicas.  No more.  Screw that takedown wedge nonsense.  Sure, they look elegant but I want a shooter not a looker.  I dig the 1862 Police but will probably get one only as a wall hanger.

My dad has been building muzzle loaders for years, and shoots every weekend. He uses some stuff called "Nitrosolve" or something to that effect, followed by CLP. Never have had any problems. Knowing him, he would never use any BP substitute - he's just kinda old fashioned that way!
The only parts of his guns he doesn't make himself are the barrel and in most cases the lock. He has one or two that he built the locks himself as well!  

Here are some of his:

Gus - They are some nice looking rifles. Just curious, what's wrapped around the ends of the rods just below the barrels?


I ordered a copy of the Dixie Gun Works catalog. And will take into consideration everything posted above.

Quoted: Gus - They are some nice looking rifles. Just curious, what's wrapped around the ends of the rods just below the barrels? I ordered a copy of the Dixie Gun Works catalog. And will take into consideration everything posted above.

I got the latest DGW catalog last week.  They're always worth the $5+$2 just for the reading.  Ordering cool stuff is just icing on the cake!

Three parts hydrogen peroxide, three parts rubbing alcohol, one part oil soap. Keep it in the peroxide bottle. Beats the hell out of soap and water and the rest of them. Your gun is usually clean (and lubed by the oil soap) in 6 patches. A lot faster than disassembling the beast.

Quoted: Gus - They are some nice looking rifles. Just curious, what's wrapped around the ends of the rods just below the barrels?

They are strips of cloth, I think he uses cotton bed sheet material, still wrapped around the ramrods from having applied CLP after the last cleaning. Next time the gun is being shot, the cloth patches will already be there, and will be run down the barrel after each shot to extinguish any remaining hot embers before more powder is poured in. Nothing worse than having 100 grains or so of FFF going off in your face when you reload!

Quoted: yes you can order them thru the mail. it's just like living in a free country. Within Federal guidelines, that is. Some locales and states restrict them just the same (for instance, no mail order BP handguns to North Carolina).

It's ok to mail order BP handguns in North Carolina.

It's ok to mail order BP handguns in North Carolina.

I thought that there used to be a rather prominent warning in all of the mail order catalogs regarding BP handgun shipments to North Carolina. No? I've got a buddy in Salisbury (Liddy Dole's hometown) who said the same.

From the NC Justice Dept. web site www.jus.state.nc.us/NCJA/guns.htm "Specifically exempted from the provisions of this permit requirement are the transfer of antique firearms or historic edged weapons. An "antique firearm" is one that was manufactured on or before 1898, or a replica thereof.  It also includes any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1898, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade." BP firearms don't require permits so its ok to mailorder. My friends and I have ordered from Dixie Gun Works without any problems.