How much gunpowder can i own

Black powder guns are also cheaper to shoot, both because of the price of the firearm and, chiefly, the ammunition. If they have a permit they can have 25 pounds, otherwise 5 pounds. Per state law, you may possess up to 20 lbs of smokeless powder and up to 1 lb of black powder, however, your local city or county ordinances may impose additional limits. There is no benefit to leaving a muzzleloader loaded, except for those that are too lazy to handle their firearms properly.

It is basic, fundamental gun handling to understand that a muzzleloader is considered unloaded when the ignition source is removed AND the powder and projectile are removed from the barrel. You really need to clean the barrel and breech plug after every shot or every other shot. NOTE: I actually shoot two times before cleaning. Once with the clean barrel at one target and once with the dirty barrel at a second target. Consistent shooting requires consistent loading and cleaning.

Firing a primer will foul the breechplug but not the barrel. I fire a couple of primers before I load the gun to dry the breechplug of any leftover oil or solvent, and to clear whatever residue is in there. Never smoke while shooting or loading or when near a powder horn or flask. Load a muzzleloader directly from a calibrated powder measure—do not load from a horn, flask, or other container.

A loose spark or glowing ember in the barrel can cause the powder to explode. Load only one charge at a time. Just like ammo you can get duds, but they should not ever go bad. I had some 25 plus year old musket caps a few years ago that I sold to a collector and they worked fine. If you get a cap wet or damp they will not work like Multi said, but primers are pretty much waterproof.

Most of the time, misfires occur because we get lazy, complacent or forget why we should have a checklist for loading our guns, storing our supplies and knowing when to simply use a fresh load.

Loads — When poor muzzleloader accuracy is due to your load, it can most often be blamed on a magnum grain powder charge. The first number is 45 caliber, the second is the powder charge. They never went higher than … or grains of black powder!

Yes, some twists will shoot sabots in the and less range very well. Any other use of the Pistol Pellet is not recommended. During muzzleloading hunting seasons in California, shotshell primers and sabots are legal to use, but pelletized powders, scopes and electronic scoping gear are prohibited.

In fact, no electronic or battery-powered devices may be attached to the muzzleloader. While black powder and black powder substitutes are perfectly legal, smokeless powder is not.

As for owning the actual powder itself, state laws allow citizens to possess 5 pounds or less of black sporting powder. Naturally, this powder must be for legal use and not for resale, and intended for loading arms of. There's no fee to file this document, and it can be found and downloaded on the California Natural Resources Agency's website.

In California, a black powder-powered muzzleloader is mostly subject to state-authorized methods for hunting big game. As a freelance writer and small business owner with a decade of experience, Dan has contributed legal- and finance-oriented content to diverse sources including Chron, Fortune, Zacks.

Reviewed by: Michelle Seidel, B. Explosives, Part 1.