Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Where There is Smoke, There is a Muzzleloader

Sometimes, having a little junk around is handy. One day, you might, for example, decide you’re going to practice loading and shooting a muzzleloader and need a target. This very scenario played out yesterday when Tad St Clair dropped down to the lake to practice with his Grandpa Leo’s black powder rifle. Fortunately, the area immediately surrounding Leo’s old shop is replete with a virtual moat of “goodies” surrounding it.

Kevin and I joined Tad in shooting the muzzleloader. Before doing so, we located a coffee can and an old bed spring in the moat to stand upright and fix the target can in place. The time and effort required for loading the old-timey firearm make it abundantly clear that when hunting (Tad’s ultimate goal), you want to place an accurate first shot.

I am sharing a photograph of Tad and Kevin loading the rifle, followed by a brief video of me touching off a round. Happily, my ball put a decent hole in the can.

Loading the Rifle

Me Shooting 

—Mitchell Hegman

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