The Black-Powder Rifle: Common Problems and Solutions

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dave Meredith, the PR Director at Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) in Norcross, Georgia, has hunted for more than 52 years, beginning at 8 years of age. Meredith enjoys hunting many species with black powder, particularly the white-tailed deer. He likes hunting with black powder because of the challenge of the sport, being in the woods with few other hunters and participating in a historical way to hunt like his grandparents and great-grandparents did.

Question: Can you list some of the most common problems that you have to solve each day for sportsmen who shoot inline black-powder rifles?
Answer: Most of the outdoorsmen I speak with who are having difficulties shooting inline black-powder rifles have mishandled them, have broken a part on them, don't know what bullets to use for the best accuracy, have used the wrong powder, don't know what primer to use to get the best effect, how to clean the gun, what to do when the gun doesn't go off and haven't unloaded their guns before transporting them.

Question: Most hunters just put their rifles in a closet after hunting season and don't do anything to them until the next season. What's the best way to store a black-powder rifle?
Answer: If you'll be storing the gun for a long while, I tell people to use good gun oils in the barrel because natural oils will break down within 30 days and then the gun will start to rust. Use regular, petroleum-based gun oil. The best way to store the gun is muzzle down so any condensation that forms will run out of the barrel. Before you shoot, degrease the barrel since petroleum oils leave a film. Take a cleaning patch, soak it in alcohol, and degrease the barrel again. On inline rifles, you can safely take the breechplug out, wrap it in a cloth or a bag and put it with the gun so you won't have any chance of the breechplug's rusting in place if moisture does form in there.

Question: What would you like hunters and shooters to know before they call you at CVA with a problem?
Answer: They need to know the name of the gun along with its caliber and model number -- information that makes our helping them much easier.

Question: If there's some problem we haven't covered, how do customers contact you to get answers for their questions?
Answer: The quickest way for customers to contact us is by phone at (770)-449-4687, 8:30 a.m. EST time to 4:00 p.m. EST. They can always reach me through CVA at www.cva.com. Remember: the only dumb question is the one you forget to ask.

For more information on CVA's quality black-powder guns, call (770) 449-4687; email info@cva.com; or, see the catalogue online at www.cva.com.