Bob Wilson, a retired history teacher, fires his muzzleloader on the range at Camp Shooters Inc. in Chatsworth, Ga. Wilson can fire up to three rounds per minute. He puts the solid lead balls in his mouth and then spits them into the rifle barrel after pouring black powder down it.Murray County residents John Bandy, Bob Wilson and Eddie May are keeping history alive with muzzleloaded rifles.
Wilson, 69, got his start with them 33 years ago.
“My wife ordered me a set of parts in 1969, and I put it together,” said the retired history teacher, noting that he and she have built nearly 20 muzzleloaders from kits.
He’s also developed skill in shooting the old-fashioned guns. He can get off two and sometimes three rounds a minute, which is no small feat in light of the steps one must go through.
While there are variations, generally one pours a measured amount of black powder down the barrel and then, using a ramrood, stuffs it with a lead ball wrapped in a small piece of cotton material. Additional gunpowder then goes in a “pan” before the rifle can be fired.