Trip to Dixon's

Today I took my accumulated spare change up to the bank and got back about a hundred bucks worth of "free" money, then headed up to Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop in Kempton, PA and bought a few things.

I've been in need of a possibles bag to go with my longrifle (pictures).  He had several nice ones in stock and I wound up buying a Leatherman Scout Bag.  I also got a Leatherman Universal Rifle Sling, which fits my rifle nicely.  The bag strap and the sling are made from a cotton/jute blend.  Both items are well made.  To preserve the leather parts and make them more water resistant, I rubbed Sno-Seal into them after I got home.

In the past I've used .490" patched round balls in my .50 caliber rifle.  These are accurate but after a couple shots, hard to load.  I noticed that Dixon's had a few boxes of Hornady .480" balls, so I grabbed one.  I'm hoping that accuracy will be acceptable out to 100 yards, while being easier to load into a fouled bore.

Finally, I also picked up a pound of FFg Goex black powder.  It's up to $20 per pound so I winced a bit when Greg Dixon told me the price.  I load from 70 to 80 grains of powder per shot, so that gives me 86 to 100 shots per pound (7,000 grains per pound).

On a side note, if you've been paying attention to the news since the election in November, you're aware of the surge in gun sales, along with the resulting shortages.  The gun shortages were not in evidence at Dixon's, which specializes in black powder and antique guns.  While there were plenty of guns in stock I did notice that his selection of reloading components was a bit sparse, though he actually had some primers behind the counter.