The muzzleloading rifles and black powder cartridge rifles proposal

As Paul Harvey used to say, “and now, the rest of the story” regarding my comments from last week about the proposal I submitted for Board of Game consideration. The proposal was to add muzzleloading rifles and black powder cartridge rifles to the list of legal tools for harvesting moose in the targeted hunts held in Game Management Units 14A and 14B. And, no, the proposal failed!

I was concerned that inaccurate comments posted in the department proposal comments document might influence the BOG’s decision. In fairness, the department presentation during the proposal’s deliberation was fair and unbiased. The problem came from the BOG chairperson and his take on the subject.

There was little discussion among board members during the deliberation. The chair then added his thoughts. He was “adamantly against” adding those two classes of firearms because both groups were, in his opinion, long-range hunting tools. He commented on how muzzleloaders were commonly used at ranges well over two hundred yards and that BPCR were commonly used out to five hundred yards and beyond.

I will not deny that both BPCR and ML long guns can be used out to the ranges listed and even beyond for target shooting IF you know what you’re doing, have the proper equipment, and have significant practice shooting at those ranges. Whether the respective firearm still had sufficient energy to humanely harvest a moose at those ranges is arguable.

Several things never came up during deliberations. One item was that a scope can’t be used on a ML during a ML hunt. That would significantly reduce the effective range. Another was, again, according to the department’s own hunter education information, the maximum effective range for a ML using round balls is around 125 yards. And, if the BOG wanted, they could have limited the MLs legal for this hunt to sidelocks with iron sights, eliminating the modern inline guns designed for longer range hunting in the Lower 48.

There was some discussion about how to tell if a BPCR cartridge was loaded with black powder. The trooper advising the BOG apparently didn’t know. It’s simple! You inform the hunters that their ammunition is subject to being checked by pulling a bullet on a cartridge and inspecting the powder to assure no smokeless powder is being used. That is a customary practice in BPCR rifle matches if there is any question about what type of powder is being used. Not many folks would use a BPCR simply because a decent traditional rifle normally cost four figures or more and not many folks spend that kind of money on a BPCR unless they are “hardcore” BPCR shooters that, typically, know what they’re doing.

Concerning long-range shooting with either a BPCR or a ML, both firearm types, because of their slower velocities, heavy projectiles, and subsequent rainbow projectile trajectories, require an excellent range estimation capability to be accurate. The furthest range I’ve ever shot my BPCR was an estimated 250 yards (hunting bison in Delta Junction), and the rear sight was cranked up almost three inches above the base. My cheek was not touching the rear stock when I lined up the sights for the shot. That is not a preferred hold for shooting a rifle in a hunting situation!

I could go on, but you get my point. The BOG could have put sideboards on the use of these tools to address any concerns they had, if they understood how these firearms functioned.

Now, let’s look at the capabilities of the already legal shotguns and rifled slugs allowed in this hunt. I own a rifled barrel, 12-gauge, single-shot shotgun that has a scope mounted and which shoots a legal saboted slug with rifle accuracy out to and beyond two-hundred yards. In fact, I recently read an online article on a National Rifle Association website which discussed the different types of shotguns and slugs developed and used for hunting in the Lower 48.

In the article, “How to shoot shotgun slugs accurately,” appearing on the NRA Family website, written by John Tertuliani, and dated August 3, 2021, the author states,” Your expected range of accuracy (for a field grade, front bead sight shotgun) for any box of slugs you grab in a store should be about 50 yards…A saboted slug maintains accuracy at a longer range--120 yards is not too much to ask from a finely tuned slug gun with a rifled barrel and scope, and some deer hunters feel confident out to 150 yards.”

So, what exactly is short-range?