What is your recommended way to get started in the craft

I think universally regardless of your budget or your area of interest you can start building your research library start investing in books and first-hand documentation where it's accessible to start reading and learning up on whichever aspect of the muzzleloading craft and its associated crafts that you're interested in. It's a really easy way to get started for like 20 bucks a time, you can pick up a few good books starting at that price range and they really go up from there but the more you research the more you're going to understand once you're able to to get into and start buying supplies and start working on things. You're going to know more of what you want to make what you want to build and it's going to be a little more accurate if that's what you want to go for. I personally think that research is super important and can oftentimes be left a little bit to the wayside as we get excited about getting out and burning powder and going camping and making things. It's always good to have some books on your library especially for the cold winter months when you may be stuck inside and need something to do research is a great thing to do to broaden your horizons.

From there I really recommend that folks get started with a cheaper muzzleloader kit. Right now the predominant affordable kit out there is going to be from Traditions. They have a variety of hawkin-esque muzzleloaders as well as a couple pistol models. I recommend getting started with an affordable kit because you can build an understanding of your muzzleloader. If it's your first muzzleloader you're going to come out of that kit building process with a ton of great insights into how that muzzleloader works how it functions how it's put together. This is going to give you a crash course in just about everything involved with muzzleloading because you're going to be hands on with it from start to finish. I try to reiterate this a lot, your first set of gear is not going to be perfect and that's okay! You need to start somewhere and that first introductory kit and the accouterments that you make or purchase for it are going to get you going and it's going to get you out having fun with a lot of great people in the community.

When are Investarms kits landing in north America?

I've had some talks with folks at Traditions and muzzleloaders.com and it's a little bit of a grab bag right now on when they get a container of things and what's in that container. To my understanding things in Europe still are fluctuating with supply chain and logistics issues much like we're seeing here in the United States but if we're able to see a similar trajectory as previous years I think you're going to start seeing kits in soon as we head towards April and May and really the summer months typically we see a shipment of kits from most of the manufacturers within the next one or two months. Don't hold me to that, like I said, things are a little crazy right now but that's when I expect to see some more kits in the states

Do silk patches make for more accurate muzzleloader shots?

It’s really just hollywood BS guys, I mean it's that's all it is. The rest of the movie is really cool, there's some farby stuff in there but really the silk patch thing, I don't know where they got that or why.

What are your possibles bag essentials?

I like to keep it really simple, I'm not going out for multiple months or weeks at a time. I’m usually less than a mile from my car where I have a crate full of tools and things that I need. In my my shooting pouch I will typically carry some balls patches powder measure, the chambers multi-tool, I also carry my short starter, my priming horn and my horn alongside my shooting bag. My possibles bag which I really consider an auxiliary pouch, I'll have a set of period pliers, my flint wallet with three or four extra flints, my ramrod jags and a period screwdriver For a flintlock that gets me everything that I need, I can tear down and work on something if I need to I can replace something that may go wrong.

Why is it so hard to find original guns that are fireable?

We're really past the age now where people are discovering these original pieces. Over the course of the 1900s a lot of them were found I would really dare say most of them probably, we don't really have any documentation to support that but most original pieces now are going to be in collections and it's hard to find original pieces, especially those that are fireable or operable is because you have to wait for that collection to cycle. Not to be morbid about it but these collections usually aren't broken up until the original collector passes away and even then some of the pieces might leave the collection, or more commonly, the collection is passed down to a group of family members and the public doesn’t really have an opportunity at large scale to rediscover some of these pieces and add them to our own collections. Now I will say through watching several of the american auction houses here over the past couple years there are quite a few original pieces that go through there that are operable and do go for an affordable price. They're not going to be the premier pieces of the gold standard but they are going to be original pieces with some historic significance. If you take care of them, you check them out they're going to be good to go for you know an affordable price.

50 caliber conical or 54 patched round ball for elk out to 100 yards trying to decide between the Lyman great planes rifle or great plains hunter

I've never hunted elk so I can't say with any definitive authority i will say though that it seems to me that over the years plenty of elk have been killed with both a 54 caliber patch round ball and a 50 caliber conical at 100 yards though I think most contemporary marksmen are going to tell you to go for that conical in terms of accuracy out to that distance but if you're shooting the conical or the round ball at 100 yards you're going to lose a lot of velocities so I really encourage you to do some testing on your own as far as the penetration goes to make sure that you're taking an ethical shot and one that's going to bring that animal down. As always you want to make sure before you go out for a hunt with your muzzleloader that you know that rifle in and out you know how it's going to perform in any condition that you can possibly test and that you can place that shot where it's needed.

Do you recommend pre-measured black powder pellets or loose powder in the field?

I understand the convenience of black powder pellets, being able to just drop one or two or three into your the barrel of your muzzleloader and go on your way. In terms of hunting, I can see the speed and efficiency there but really for me I’ve never had a use for it I've always had good access to true black powder. So I personally don't really see the necessity for myself to use the pellets but i understand their use of practicality in hunting i will say though that the pellets are often dirtier than you're going to find even the powdered black powder substitutes. You can find it to be a little bit tougher to clean your bore because they are produced in mass there are going to be some inconsistencies there. I don't know that anybody claims that their pellets are exactly the measurement that they're advertised I'm sure that there is a little bit of one way or the other there.

If you're looking for an alternative to those pre-measured pellets there are a variety of charge tubes you can purchase from retailers all over the US. You can pre-measure your black powder charges before you go to the range or go on a hunt it's going to give you the similar speed of a of a black powder substitute pellet but it's going to be the powder. It's going to burn a little bit cleaner and I think you're going to enjoy it more.

Are Italian black powder guns worth it?

I really think so you're not going to find a muzzle loader in that price range really that isn't Italian or Spanish made. All of them that I've had my hands on and that my friends have used for many years now really no complaints in terms of accuracy and performance on them. You do get what you pay for, it's not going to be the same as getting into a custom muzzleloader made by an original maker here in the states, but it's going to be a great place to get started and get into something that you might not otherwise be able to find. A lot of these Italian makers are reproducing historic arms a lot of military arms from all eras and it's hard to find somebody reproducing those one at a time apart from those that we see imported from Italy, so I'm a fan. There are people out there who might not be I have heard reports of some variances in fit and finish which you're going to see in every production muzzleloader out there so it's not really particular to the Italian muzzleloaders that are out there, but your mileage may vary.

I've got a 58 caliber muzzleloader how much powder should I start with to develop a load?

I really recommend folks start with pretty close to the caliber of their muzzleloader in grains of powder so if you've got a 50 caliber muzzleloader I recommend you start with 50 grains of powder since you've got a 58, you can go ahead and adjust that up to starting with 60 grains if you want, but I do recommend that you start a little low even if you do have a 58 start, at 50 see how it performs as you work your way up in five grain increments . So I like to start with you know for example with a 58 caliber start with 50 work my up to 55 60 65 70. see where it's going

Best movie with muzzleloaders?

I'm a big fan of last the mohicans you also have The Patriot, Black 47, and the 2012 The Revenant.

Is barrel cooling between shots important for accuracy in a flintlock like it is in a rifle?

I would say yes if you're noticing a change in accuracy. If you're out shooting on the fourth of July and it's 110 degrees you are probably gonna see a little bit of distortion in your accuracy there but I wouldn't worry about it too much until you got to the point where you were noticing an accuracy difference and the barrel was warm to the touch. If you're doing hard competition, it might be good to let your barrel cool a little bit between relays maybe taking a relay off here and there to let things cool down but if you're shooting your muzzleloader that much it's going to feel pretty warm and it's going to start to get uncomfortable.

What would you recommend for a first flintlock long rifle build?

There's some complaints out there when it comes to imported flint locks the functionality of them and people have some issues with them, I personally haven't experienced any of that, so you can step into an imported flintlock kit and get started with a brand like Traditions, Lyman, Investarms, or Pedersoli and go from there. If you're looking for something that's a little bit more premiere, I really recommend getting started with a Kibler flintlock kit, he has two options right now but they're both super easy to put together and pretty historically accurate and they're really comfortable. His lock performance is incredible, From there if you're looking for a little bit more selection I really recommend the Jim Chambers family of flintlock kits, a lot of great kits there that have been built for generations now they're they're wonderful.

Is a smooth bore easier to clean than a rifle?

Absolutely, at least the bore itself is. You're not dealing with those rifled grooves down your barrel. A lot of folks say they can just take a wet mop and shove it down the bore and it's ready to go. As far as the exterior goes around your lock and your sights and things that's going to be the same as as a rifle.

What is the best muzzleloader lube?

I'm really not too partial, I use spit patch a lot because it's really convenient. This spring I've taken to using some RMC Oxyoke “wonder lube” on some patches. I've also got some bear grease that I'm going to be testing out here which I’m really excited about. s

Would you personally feel comfortable hunting big body bucks with a 45 caliber round ball?

If I knew the rifle and I knew my limits as a marksman with it, absolutely. I think when we look at the history of hunting at least east of the Mississippi where we're not dealing with super large game, more bucks and more deer have been taken with a 45 caliber round ball than we can probably comprehend. That being said if you're feeling nervous about it, take your muzzleloader to the range put practice in. There's no substitute for putting rounds downrange in a thoughtful manner.

How does cleaning a muzzleloader compare/differ from cleaning a regular rifle?

Really for me it just feels like it takes a little bit longer, I don't see it as this laborious chore that a lot of folks do and it's certainly not going to prevent me from enjoying my muzzle loaders. If you take a little time, I mean really after a range trip 15-20 minutes and I'm really good to go. I don't really think it's that big of a deal as long as you have some cleaning solution and cleaning patches it's going to take you half an hour. Don't worry about it.