New Yorkisstan Opossum Cops & Park Rangers Wave A Wand Management

Ah the good ol political arm of Gov. Cuomo. Remember when NY had Game Wardens and Park Rangers? Remember when the Game Warden went to Super Trooper...I do.
 Remember when the Park Rangers with the help of the FUDD's pushed for Park Rangers to carry sidearms? I do...
Remember when the NYS Troopers who's pay was supposedly substandard? Remember when the NYS police promoted a whole bunch of troopers to Major then they retired at a higher rate of pay? I do....

  BPB
Living in Georgia one of the original 13 colonies , just like NY is. Cept a whole lot better.


New York ECOs forced to cut back enforcement


By Larry DiDonato

 For Columbia-Greene Media  July 19, 2019


In last week’s column entitled, “The Thin Green Line,” I extolled the value of our dedicated NYS Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs), to the residents of New York.

I explained that “…highly trained Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs)… are fervently patrolling every corner of the state 24/7, 365 days per year.” Well, apparently DEC Commissioner, Basil Seggos, doesn’t think that should continue to be the case. 
As of the end of June 2019, ECOs are NOT allowed to patrol a huge swath of the state. Almost all of the state lands of NYS are off limits to ECOs to combat poaching and protect your natural resources on those lands!  That’s not a misprint, or mischaracterization.
Under these new restrictions, ECOs can only proactively patrol private land, and a few campgrounds in Lake George in Region 5.

 Why you ask?

 These are the campgrounds NYS Forest Rangers do not want to be responsible to keep the peace there during peak camping weekends. Forest Rangers want to be solely responsible for fish & game, and all other enforcement on all other public lands, and the Commissioner is making it happen.

This stops ECOs from enforcement on public lands they routinely patrolled in the past. None of the reasons for the drastic change are very good.
For those who are unfamiliar, the majority of Region 5, which runs from Clifton Park to the Canadian Border, consists of state lands, the majority of which are in the Adirondack Park. That includes Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) where hunting is a primary use and where pheasants are stocked. It also includes forest preserve, and wilderness areas.

A similar situation exists in the Catskills and elsewhere throughout the state, where state land can make-up the majority of ECO sectors. What are the ECOs to do if they cannot proactively patrol these millions of acres for poaching and environmental quality violations?
In many cases, an ECO’s entire patrol sector is comprised almost exclusively of state land. ECOs used to routinely run roads on state lands, arresting deer poachers, road hunters, dumpers, and much more. Your sporting license dollars, to the tune of around $30 million annually, pay for some of these ECO’s salaries, which are meant to fund, support, and protect legal hunting, fishing and trapping in NYS. What are you getting for all that money?

So, with this ridiculous restriction, the public, including all sportsmen and women, are losing protection of our precious resources on public lands across the entire state. All because favorites are being picked and civil service rulings either ignored or circumvented.
NYS Forest Rangers are experts in Search & Rescue, Wildland Fire Management and Suppression, and the Incident Command System (ICS). They are the preeminent experts in these areas. We are lucky to have Rangers highly trained in aviation-hoist operations, swift water rescue, rope rescue, flat ice rescue and much more.


This is especially true when it comes to overland searches for lost persons, and dangerous technical rescues. Forest Rangers spend most of their training time dedicated to these noble pursuits, and little, if any, on combating poaching, pollution and the myriad duties ECOs spend a career learning, honing, and aptly delivering to the people of the State of NY.

I can speak from experience, that after more than six months at a police training academy covering topics ranging from fishing and hunting enforcement tactics to illegal radioactive waste detection, it takes at least five years to become a fully functioning, effective ECO.
I will take the educated guess the same is true for Forest Rangers in their areas of expertise. So why would Commissioner Seggos want Forest Rangers to do work they have not been trained to do, and stop ECOs from doing the work they are uniquely qualified to do?
Several years ago, with the wave of a political wand, the Criminal Procedure Law was changed to make Forest Rangers Police Officers without their receiving any additional training. Under Commissioner Seggos, DEC Executive is about to make NYS Forest Rangers into ECOs with the stroke of a pen!

Both these measures are being taken to justify an increase in salary for Forest Rangers. In my opinion, the substantial, specialized expertise required to be a Forest Ranger and the level of service they provide in their traditional search & rescue and wildland fire suppression role, is more than adequate to justify a pay increase for Rangers.
Instead, DEC is taking away critical functions of ECOs and diminishing fish & game as well as environmental quality enforcement in this state. All in order to circumvent the legally proscribed administrative process through NYS Civil Service regarding salary upgrades for the Rangers. This is absolutely ludicrous.


The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ran a piece on December 27, 2018 entitled, “DEC Wants to Consolidate Ranger and ECO Titles.” The article quotes DEC Public Information Officer, Ben DeLamater, as stating in an email, “DEC has been working with the New York State Department of Civil Service to support an upgrade of the Ranger title.” The quote continues, “…Forest Rangers and ECOs receive similar training and perform similar duties and functions but were not in similar civil service titles.”


Stating that ECOs and Forest Rangers “…receive similar training and perform similar duties and functions,” is simply not true and entirely misleading. As I described earlier, the highly specialized training, function, duties, and roles of ECOs and Forest Rangers could not be more different. Each has a unique specialization requiring entirely different expert level training.

In that same article, Willie Janeway, Director of the Adirondack Council, indicated the “…forest preserve role of the Rangers will suffer. We should pay the Forest Rangers more…without consolidating the Rangers with the Environmental Conservation Officers. Janeway said, As a former DEC Regional Director, I have seen the value of the independent and complementary roles of the Rangers and the ECOs.”


This is not the first time civil service procedure has been circumvented by Commissioner Seggos. A few years ago, there was a vacancy for the DEC Director of Fish & Wildlife. Despite  having his pick of a number of extremely qualified DEC senior biologists at the top of the civil service list with extensive experience in the position, Commissioner Seggos selected someone outside the department that was not on any civil service list.
Just over a year ago, Commissioner Seggos similarly disregarded the list for the Director of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement. Ignoring a list of nine extremely qualified ECO majors and captains within the division, he chose a director that was not even on the list; forever politicizing the leadership of both divisions, thereby guaranteeing loyalty from of his newly appointed chiefs.

Throwing ECOs off state lands and handcuffing their efforts to fight poaching and pollution for political expediency is wrong. Asking hunters, trappers and fishermen to pay for it is not only insulting, it’s a call to take appropriate action to prevent this from going forward.

Happy Hunting & Fishing until next time.

Remember to report poaching violations by calling 1-844-DEC-ECOS.
News and Notes
There will be a pistol licensing course on July 25 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Craryville Rod & Gun Club. Cost of the course required to obtain a NYS pistol permit is $50. To sign up, contact Kevin Hill at 518-821-4747, or Mike Kutski at 518-651-5866.
**You will need to get an application before this course at the Sheriff’s Office in Greenport.
The next Lake Taghkanic Bass Tournament will be held at West Beach at Lake Taghkanic, on Saturday, August 10 from 4-11 a.m. All are welcome to compete. For more information, call Bill Johnson at 518-537-5455.
Save the Dates:
Greene County Youth Fair at Canna Park in Cairo - Thursday, July 25 through Sunday, July 28
Come visit the DEC “Living Stream” tank with “Trophy the Trout,” talk to fish & wildlife technicians and identify furs, and animal tracks, and try your hand at the NY Bowhunter’s Archery Booth, or “I Fish NY’s” casting and fish ID game.
You can see about participating in the Youth Pheasant Hunt coming up in September and talk to veteran sportsman volunteers and ECOs to help you get out hunting, fishing, trapping, and camping. All while taking in everything the free fair has to offer including animal shows and displays. Don’t miss this free, fun event.
Roe-Jan Creek Boat Club Annual Chicken BBQ - August 11
This event will take place on August 11.  Grounds open at 1 p.m., dinner at 3 p.m. Cost for adults is $12, kids $6. Call Barbara at 518-828-7173 for more information, or the club at 518-828-5954 and leave a call-back number.

Ballistol is it a Magical Black Powder Elixir or an Over Priced Concoction?

 

Picture is for you're viewing pleasure.

Ballistol some love it, others can do with out the 16$ per pint cost of the "white mineral oil" with smelly stuff added.
One warning is this: Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Then one chemical used in the aerosol is Isohexane C6H14 & propane as the propellant . DANGER: FLAMMABLE, causes CNS effects, irritates skin & eyes. The funny part is it is manufactured in Martinsburg WV by Chem-Pak. It's also flammable especially in aerosol. You visit the Ballistol facts page and it states no harmful chemicals. Yet if you read a number of MSDS reports and you'll find a totally different conclusion. Ballistol is based on medicinal grade white mineral oil, (CAS # 8042-47-5) which has been classified "Class 3" by the IARC. This means that there is insufficient evidence for this substance to cause cancer in animals or humans. Ballistol does not contain any substance currently known to be a carcinogen. ---- Because of the high Ph 8.5-9.5 Ballistol states it is good for galvanic corrosion,salt water and acidic protection -- [IMPO to a point]. So while some think it's Great, I tend to shy away from high priced cleaners that advertise one thing and are another. Really here is a list of chemicals used in Ballistol. pharmaceutical white oil: CAS RN 8042-47-5 Oleic acid: CAS RN 112-80-1 C-5 alcohols: CAS RN 78-83-1; CAS RN 137-32-6; CAS RN 100-51-6 different essential oils to perfume Ballistol Mineral Oil Potassium Oleate Ammonium Oleate Benzyl Alcohol Amyl Alcohol Isobutyl Alcohol Benzyl Acetate Anethole Isohexane (aerosol only) A quick search of Ballistol MSDS and you will find several reports. MSDS I have to ask why would a skinflint muzzle loader fella spend 16$ or more dollars on a pint of cleaner. When you can get a whole gallon of food grade white mineral oil for 20 bucks? For that cost you can get a little bottle of smelly oil and add it to the mix if you really want a cute smelling cleaner. IMPO: In My Professional Opinion, working smart using less money to achieve the same outcome should be foremost in any shooters budget. One reason I know about all kinds of lubricants is I have attended hundreds of hours formal class room training in the use and make up of oils,lubricants and greases. When a vendor wants to sell you a drum of mineral oil as the best and it cost 3 times as much you were paying. It's time start looking for another vendor that is willing to show and explain the differences to you. Really folks you use a flavored butter that is sold as all "natural" non-petrolatum. Then you use mineral oil is a liquid by-product of refining crude oil to make gasoline and other petroleum products. This type of mineral oil is a transparent, colorless oil, composed mainly of alkanes and cycloalkanes, related to petroleum jelly. My God man buy a bottle of Baby Oil it's already scented & save some cash!!

Oh yea Ballistol is an Over Priced Flav-Aid. Thank You for years of honest service Davis-Howland oil Rochester NY. Regards, BPB FFL 30+ years

Bore Butter Muzzle Loader Myths-Just the Facts Man!

Bore Butter ain't it so..... 

Flavored Chapstick 


Tired of typing this story and found it here Frontier forum Bore Butter

Enjoy BPB

I just wanted to copy and paste it because it may be gone one day. This is something good to always keep on hand for those that ever come by asking about it.

I have worked for several years on lubricants for muzzle loading rifles
and just received this from a good friend of mine and he asked me to
comment on it and provide my input---he has used my lubricant for
competitive shooting and will not use anything else to shoot and to clean
with--i thought it would be a good subject to start a good discussion
about---and the pro's and con's of the different type of lubricants and
what is the majority of the peoples preference in a lubricant.

 I know we
have had some discussion in the past so this may add to the base of
knowledge---it was real interesting to me and brought out some
interesting points---my personal feeling is there is a difference in
patch lubricants depending on hunting and target shooting---yet you must
have one you can do both with and not have to rezero your gun for eather
type of shooting---have tried everything including the web terry teflon
ticking and each has its place in different types of shooting and
requirements.

please feel free to provide me your input even offline if you wish--again
thanks for your future input--no flame wars only positative discussion
and what you feel is a good and proper patch lubricant and why---note i
am not hammering on the products mentioned only trying to establish a
good base line for proper patch lubricants--

Subject: Re: lube


I tried the Wonder 1000 theory, and I'd love to see someone
actually do that. I've watched 5 different guys try it, and the record
is 8
shots, same as I got. Of course, another way to look at it is: on any
given day that I am hunting deer with it and I get off 10 shots and
don't have a deer to show for it, I probably ought to go home and give
some serious consideration to what I am doing wrong.

Tony,

You have no idea how much humor has come out of Ox-Yoke's claims on the
1000 Shot Plus lube. To the point where some of us now call them
Ox-Joke. With any of my three BP rifles "an historic feat" is getting the
4th ball down the bore without resorting to a bigger hammer.
I'll run you through the full story since the snow has started to fall.
Lets go back to the early 1980's.

A shooter/buckskinner by the name of Young, living in California, went
to the range one day and forgot his patch lube. In utter desperation he
whips out a tube of Chap-Stick and smears it on a few patches. Lo &
Behold it worked better than the lube he had been using. Several of his
buddies tried his idea and reported it worked well.

So Young then tracked down the source of Chap- Stick which is a common lip balm
formulation that has been floating around since the late 19th century.
Chap-Stick is petrolatum (petroleum jelly) with 5% cetyl alcohol and
water. The cetyl alcohol acting as the emulsifier. With the cetyl
alcohol the water forms minute beads within the petrolatum. Without the
cetyl alcohol you can't get the water to mix in any way with the
petrolatum. Huge quantities of cetyl alcohol are used in the production
of PVC emulsion resins used in kitchen flooring. (My old job was as an
R&D

Tech. on these resins.) The petrolatum is the moisture barrier and
carrier for a topical agent used to soothe chapped lips. The water
emulsified into the petrolatum reduces the drag of the "stick" when you
apply it to your lips and acts as the moisturizing agent. Young then
finds a place to buy Chap-Stick in bulk and packages it as Young Country
Arms 103 Lube.

That his lube and Chap->Stick are identical in every
respect, right down to the color, suggested he simply bought from the
makers of Chap-Stick in bulk quantities. Now Ted Bottomly had started
Ox-Yoke and made pre-cut patches and packs of patch cloth. He wanted a
patch lube to round out his line. He bought the first Ox-Yoke lube from
Young. When I first saw them I was at the late C.P. Wood's house in West
Virginia. Woody was looking at a 4 ounce container of Young Country 103
and a 3 ounce container of Ox-Yoke's patch lube.

Both were identical in every respect, including color. You paid the same
price for 3 ounces of Ox-Yoke's lube as you paid for 4 ounces of Young's
lube. The logical conclusion would be that Ox-Yoke was buying from Young
and the missing ounce was Ox-Yoke's profit on the deal.

Both were advertising their respective lubes in the magazines. Young
advertised that you could fire a hundred rounds without wiping the bore
with his lube. Three months later, Ox-Yoke would advertise that when you
used their lube you could fire 200 rounds without wiping the bore. The 3
month lag time in the mags being the lag time in getting adds scheduled.
This went on, each one upping the ante, so to speak.
Those of us connected with the Buckskin Report discussed this in letters
and thought it a great joke.

The others in the field at that time were Hodgdon with their "Spit-Patch"
which was nothing more than beeswax emulsified in water with a soap.
Then there was T/C Maxi-Lube which was nothing more than the same
petroleum grease they used to grease the bearings in their machines.
Blue and Grey products was selling an automotive wheel bearing grease
that had been pigmented, not dyed, blue. I receieved several letters from
Doc Carlson. He was seeing BP muzzleloaders come into his shop with
balls or slugs stuck in the bore just ahead of the powder charge. You
could not pull these projectiles by any normal method.

He would have to remove the breech plugs, pull the charge and beat them
out of the bore, toward the muzzle with a heavy rod and a hammer. He
described the presence of a black tar-like film in the bore where the
projectiles had been frozen in place. The common thread in this being
that the shooter had used one of the "petroleum-based" lubes. I had to
explain to Doc that the petroleum greases were nothing more than
petroleum lubricating oils that had been "bodied" by the addition of
metallic soaps such as calcium or cadmium stearate. With a petroleum
lubricating oil, or grease, anytime you heat them to a high temperature
in the presence of sulfur you get asphalt. The way asphalts were
produced was to take crude oil and sulfur in an autoclave.

Heat the
mixture to 600 degrees for about 8 hours
and you had road tar. Which is about what was happening in the gun.
Since the repackaged Chap-Stick was a petroleum wax it did not form
asphalt with sulfur and high temperatures. I then wrote an article for
the Backwoodsman magazine and compared the behavior of the two Chap-Stick
lubes to the behavior of sperm whale oil when it had been used in black
powder guns.

Well, Old Ted Bottomly jumped right onto that one. three months later
he starts advertising that his lube is "all-natural, non-petroleum" and
authentic, using what our ancesters had used. At that point I figured
his parents were to Christian to call him asshole so they settled for
Bottomly. By about 1984, Bottomly and Young had a falling out over
pricing. The one ounce shy thing with Ox-Yoke pushed most of the
customers to Young's lube. Same thing, same price but more of it with
Young Country 103. And by this time we were up to 800 rounds between
swabbings. Technology marches on. Bottomy came out with his first Wonder
Lube. Years of research went into this lube, or so he claimed. Now at
this time Ox-Yoke was located in West Suffield, CT.

 A short time later I
was searching the drugstore shelves looking for petrolatum-based skin
care products or salves that I coulde repackage and become a millionaire
. I spotted this tube of something
called "Mineral Ice". Menthol in petrolatum. Made by a Dermatone
Laboratories located in Suffield, CT. Out comes the map. just by a
mere coincidence both companies were located just across the river from
each other.

This of course raised doubts as to the "years of research"
comments out of Bottomly. The new Wonder Lube went into the lab. Proved
to be mineral oil, paraffin wax, a yellow dye and oil of wintergreen. A
book at work on fats, waxes and oils nailed this one down to a common
chest rub preparation for those with head colds who could not tolerate
camphorated oil. Again it was billed as "all-natural and non-petroleum".
Never mind that paraffin wax comes from paraffinic crude oils and mineral
oil comes from napthenic crude oils, the yellow dye and the oil of
wintergreen should convince anybody that it is all-natural and
non-petroleum. Given the wax and oil, I simply refer to this type of lube
as a remanufactured vaseline. With the yellow dye the rubes will swear
it is beeswax.

One thing about con artists is that they are never content to leave a
con artest for any length of time. In 1990, Bottomly comes out with a
new version called 1000 Shot Plus lube. High-technology now made
possible a lube that eliminated fouling, eliminated the need to clean and
would totally stop bore corrosion. Bottomly searched the world for this
modern technology and found it in Germany after years of searching.

This
advance in this lube was made possible by this
secret micronizing agent. It gave the lube a micron particle size that
made all of this advancement possible. At that point his chest thumping
ego trip gave away the formula. This secret micronizing agent is no real
secret and has been around for over 100 years. It is nothing more than a
fossil wax mined in Germany. The same time of wax used to be mined in
Utah as Utah Wax but the mine closed for lack of business.

Paraffin wax is a hard brittle wax that forms huge crystals. When you
look at a block of paraffin wax sold for food canning you see lines on
the surface of the blocks of wax. Those are the lines denoting crystal
size. It had been found that if you added this fossil wax to paraffin
wax it would reduce the size of these crystals, though nowhere near a
micron in size. Paraffin wax was limited in which skin care and salve
formulations it could be used in because of the macro-crystallinty of it.
This made it unsuited to preparations where hardness and brittleness
were objectionable. By using the fossiol wax addition the paraffin wax
could replace more expensive waxes in these products. But when you lay
this type of Techno-Nonsense on a bunch of ignorant rube BP shooters they
will beat a path to your door, wallet in hand.

Now, to get back to an historic feat of 3 shots without swabbing the
bore. The problem with this type of lube is that as long as the surface
temperature of the bore is above the melting point of the wax, about 40
to 45 C, the fouling deposited by the combustion of the powder will slide
off the metal when pressure is applied to it. When the surface
temperature of the bore is below the melting point of the wax it will act
as an adhesive and hold the fouling to the surface. The unburned
charcaol in the powder fouling will adsorb most of the mineral oil
present in the lube. This turns it into an oily sludge that simply
builds up in the breech with repeated loading of the gun. After a few
rounds are fired in a flinter you have the oily sludge being blown out of
the vent which then coats the flint and frizzen. Lubricated flints
strike no sparks.

Now for the real punch line. With the addition of the micronizing agent
they doubled the amount of dye used so the new lube was more orange in
color, compared to the lemon yellow of the previous version, and they
doubled the amount of oil of wintergreen. Convince the rubes that it is
now even more natural. During the past few years there has been much
bitching about the quality of Ox-Joke's pre-lubed patches. I have seen
packs in the store where the lube had turned hard and brown. The mineral
oil migrates out of the paraffin wax into the low density polyethlene
used in the bags. This makes the lube hard and brittle. It goes back to
paraffin wax properties. With these an historic feat is getting the
second ball down the barrel without wiping. Ox-Joke supplies T/C with
Bore Butter which is only a slight modification
of Ox-Joke's standard formula.

Remember the dbate about blowing down the barrel on the message boards.
My off line joke was that as long as you use the repackaged Chap-Stick as
a patch lube you would not get chapped lips from blowing down a cold
barrel.

Then their was Uncle Mike's Apple Green patch lube. Another paraffin
wax/mineral oil lube with methylsalicin in it. Nothing more than a
repackaged arthritis salve. I can tell you that is was very effective on
a knee suffereing degenerative joint disease. So if you are going to go
out in those North Woods in winter weather to hunt the elusive whitetail
you ought to take all three lubes along. Prevent chapped lips, take care
of chest colds and arthritic joints from all of the hoofing through the
snow. No reason for you to return home in anything less than the best of
health in spite ot the weather. Might be a good idea to take along one of
the ascorbic acid-based powders since that is vitamin C. Then Goex's
sugar-based powder might make an emergency trail food.

I joke with Dixon that it is bad enough we have to deal with the ATF,
what next with these products, the Food and Drug Administration too???
Well, time to go sit out on the deck for a smoke and listen to the snow
flakes fall.

Interview with Ron Dahlitz, the "Buffalo Bullet King"

Buffalo Bullet is out of business now since the owner has passed on. Industry rumors are alive that say they are gonna start back up. The last Buffalo Bullets I sold were in 2016 after picking up a lot from a guy who was hawking a lot of muzzle loader goodies.
Those bullets were a good 10 years old.

Enjoy the article 
Regards,
BlackPowderBill
=====

chuckhawks.com/buffalo_bullet_king.htm



Interview with Ron Dahlitz, the "Buffalo Bullet King"

By Randy Wakeman


Buffalo Bullets
Illustration courtesy of Buffalo Bullet Co.
I had the chance to catch up with the always busy Ron Dahlitz, the affable proprietor of the Buffalo Bullet Company, the largest market of muzzleloading projectiles in the world. Mr. Dahlitz graciously consented to this interview, and there is certainly a lot to learn about the Buffalo Bullet Company of Santa Fe Springs, California that isn't commonly known.

The Interview

RW: Ron, thank you for taking the time to chat. For starters, let me ask how a nice fellow like you began making muzzleloading bullets? Also, what was the story behind the original patented "Buffalo Bullet," that you applied for in 1981 (U.S. Patent # 4,417,521) and was awarded to you back in 1983?

Ron Dahlitz
Ron Dahlitz / Photo by Randy Wakeman.
RD: In 1989, I had the opportunity for my first deer hunt with a muzzleloader. I shot a fork horn with my .50 caliber Thompson Hawken using a patched round ball. It was a solid shot in the chest and still the deer ran almost a quarter mile before calling it quits.

I decided that a better projectile was required for a clean harvest. At that time, the only other commonly available projectiles were hard cast, unlubed bullets that just would not expand on anything short of a granite rock! My neighbor, close friend, and mentor was Frank W. Snow, the founder of Sierra bullets. When I discussed with Frank the problems I had witnessed with muzzleloading projectiles, he suggested that I design a better bullet.

After numerous prototypes, it wasn't until we added two gas sealing rings to the bullet that excellent accuracy was obtained with higher velocity loads. These gas seals proved effective in stopping gas from escaping around the bullet. It was then that I applied for, and was granted the "Buffalo Bullet" patent.

RW: It has been my view that pure lead has been generally the best muzzleloading material that you can use for North American game, assuming muzzle velocities are held below 2200 fps. Is it fair to say that you share that opinion?

RD: By using only pure virgin lead, our projectiles invariably expand retaining most of their original weight while still offering deep penetration. We believe the quality of the lead we use is vital; that's why we periodically send out samples to independent testing laboratories to assure we are getting what we pay for, and that our customers are as well.

RW: What are some of the shortcomings of jacketed bullets, in a muzzleloading application, that you have seen?

RD: Unfortunately, most jacketed bullets used in muzzleloaders are nothing more than revolver bullets. They usually have very poor ballistic coefficients and are not designed for long range shooting. With the deficient ballistic coefficient situation, they rapidly lose velocity. When that occurs, they can behave just like a full metal jacketed bullet with little or no expansion. The copper jacket has the tendency to retard expansion at most muzzleloading velocities. That is the primary reason we use unjacketed pure lead. Removing the jacket allows the lead to do what it does best, expand.

RW: I believe all of your bullets, whether round balls, conicals, or saboted projectiles use swaged lead that eliminates the problems of hidden voids, or casting marks such as sprues in round balls. How important is swaging versus casting, in your experience?

RD: Swaging or cold forming has many advantages over casting. Casting has a tendency to harden the lead, defeating the goal of optimum expansion we can achieve with cold forming. Due to the precision of forming our bullets under tons of pressure in precision dies, higher uniformity and consistency of performance is obtained as compared to other methods.

RW: Where does all your lead come from? I believe all your bullets are held to a weight variation of less than two tenths of a grain. How do you insure this?

RD: Buffalo Bullet's lead is mined and processed in the United States. Independent analysis assures us of a 99% purity level. The combination of consistent lead and precision tooling gives us the match grade weight tolerance of plus or minus two tenths of one grain, batch to batch, bullet to bullet.

RW: Your bore sized conicals are available pre-lubricated with a film that offers some unique benefits over messy Crisco or Bore Butter. Can you tell me a bit about what it is without giving up any trade secrets, and what it does?

RD: Our specific lube remains a "trade secret," but it is a non-petroleum formulation that has proven to be extremely effective.

RW: What is the effective velocity limitation of your lubed conicals?

RD: Provided that you have an extremely high quality barrel, you can use our conicals at up to 1800 fps with little or no leading. For most hunting applications, we look to the 1500-1600 fps area for the best accuracy. At the average distances most game is harvested, the pure lead bullet will expand to a degree that ensures a clean kill.

RW: What is the most "unusual" lead order you have had? What do you consider to be one of Buffalo's most disastrous products, and what do you consider to be your most successful contribution?

RD: We once had an order for a very complicated shotgun slug, so complicated we were not able to manufacture it.

Two of our most unsuccessful offerings were a 490 grain .50 caliber conical, and a 510 grain .54 caliber conical. In fast rate-of-twist barrels, however, they shot extremely well. The objection seemed to be the recoil associated with these heavyweights. Most shooters avoided them due to the kick, so we dropped them out of our line.

Our most popular products are our black powder revolver bullets, the SSB line ("Special Sabot Bullets"), our Ball-Et, and our muzzleloading rifle scope protectors.

RW: According to sabot pioneer Del Ramsey, the sabot used in conjunction with your "Buffalo Special Sabot Bullet" (SSB) was the first to have a reinforced portion to support the boat-tail. As a matter of fact, your SSB is, to my knowledge, the first muzzleloading projectile to offer a true boat-tail to the muzzleloading hunter. How did the Buffalo SSB come to be?

RD: When the Buffalo Bullet Company was founded, flintlock or sidelock models with 1:48 and 1:66 rate of twist barrels were the standard of the day. Round balls and shorter conicals addressed their needs adequately. With the introduction of 1:28 twist, or faster barrels as currently found in most inline muzzleloaders, it became apparent that long range projectiles were needed. To address this need, a spitzer boat tail bullet with a very high ballistic coefficient was required. The basic idea was inspired by Sierra's "International Match" bullet. Scoped muzzleloaders can better take advantage of this type of projectile, naturally, as the effective limits of most human eyes are exceeded.

RW: Generally, I've found your 375 grain Buffalo SSB to be one of the most forgivingly accurate bullets you can use, in a wide variety of guns. Has that been your experience, and could you share your thoughts on why that is?

RD: The 375 grain SSB is one of our most popular bullets. As you pointed out, this particular bullet is a very forgiving bullet in most rifles, including both inlines and sidelocks. This has been true even with slower, 1:48 rate of twist barrels as well as faster 1:28 barrels. It appears that many have found this bullet to be the "optimum" projectile for many (or most) muzzleloading applications.

RW: Having tested over fifty different models of muzzleloaders in the last few years along, it is obvious to me there just are no muzzleloading standards today in terms of barrel dimensions. What challenges does that present to a bullet manufacturer, such as Buffalo?

RD: Unfortunately, you are correct. There are no "standards" for blackpowder rifles, as SAAMI has for centerfires. The best muzzleloading bullet manufacturers can hope for is a happy medium to address the requirements of the "average" rifle's barrel dimensions. This is one of the reasons many competitive shooters use strictly custom barrels.

RW: There have been some wildly exaggerated ballistic coefficient numbers thrown about by other manufacturers. What are the ballistic coefficients for some of your Buffalo SSB bullets, and how were they arrived at?

RD: Buffalo Special Saboted Bullet (SSB) does have some of the highest ballistic coefficients of any muzzleloading bullets on the market. Our ballistic coefficients are independently documented as true 100 yard chronograph to chronograph values using Oehler chronographs. For example, the .45/50 375 grain SSB has a real-world G1 BC value of .296, the 435 grain version is .342.

RW: Ron, when a new muzzleloading enthusiast is looking for the "better" performing projectiles for his gun on deer, caribou, bear and elk, what guidelines can you offer to help narrow the search down to four or five possible best performers from the huge number of bullets on the market?

RD: I feel that a pure lead swaged bullet that fits a particular rifle is a good start. As to what bullet is "best" in a specific rifle, only testing with different bullets and powder charges can determine that. The average whitetail will likely be taken under 100 yards. Given that scenario, the Buffalo Ball-et or the lighter SSB's will neatly accomplish the task. For larger game, with 1:28 rate of twist barrels or faster, we offer all lead conicals and the heavier SSB combinations.

RW: What are your thoughts on long-range muzzleloading, which I'll arbitrarily define as 200 yards or more?

RD: An experienced muzzleloading hunter with an accurate, scoped rifle and the proper bullets can be very effective to 200 yards. It does take a very experienced outdoorsman to estimate 200 yards, however. My own personal approach is to limit my shots to 150 yards, assuming no wind and everything "about right." Most of the fun and challenge in muzzleloading, for me, is to get as close as possible to the game before taking it. I'd much rather pass up a shot altogether than take the unnecessary risk of wounding or crippling an animal, and perhaps never recovering it.

RW: What have you found to be of general help in improving the accuracy of a muzzleloading rifle?

RD: One of the first things I do is with a new rifle is spend fifteen to twenty minutes with #0000 steel wool drenched in gun oil to very gently smooth out manufacturing tooling marks; that has given substantially good results for me.

I believe it is important to take an uncapped muzzleloader and open the action so there is an escape path for barrel air to the atmosphere prior to loading. When seating your projectile, you will hear the air escaping through your nipple or breechplug, as the case may be. If this is not done, in some cases when you remove your ramrod after bullet seating, compressed air will force the projectile away from the powder charge. It can destroy accuracy, and is potentially hazardous if it duplicates the "short-start" condition.

RW: What are your thoughts on "fire-lapping" in muzzleloading rifles?

RD: Don't do it. It is just too hard to control. Sanding metal back on is not an easy task, and eroding your barrel with valve-grinding compound is a haphazardous, high-risk maneuver. The #0004 steel wool approach I mentioned, if necessary, is a much more prudent approach.

RW: Can you offer any general preferences as to propellant type and charge amounts for today's inlines?

RD: It all depends on the projectile being used. I've had good results with Goex blackpowder, Hodgdon Pyrodex, and Hodgdon Pyrodex pellets as well. I don't believe in excessive charges of powder--those exceeding 100 grains by volume, or more than two pellets. I've never found them to be required to cleanly harvest game, and I'm not interested in exceeding published powder manufacturer's maximum loads. I feel the best approach is just to accurately place a shot, get an expanding bullet inside of your animal, and let your bullet do its job. That's all that I can ask for.

RW: What can we expect to see in the way of new products from Buffalo Bullets?

RD: Well, rest assured that we have several new items in various stages of development, and the consumer can expect to see several exciting new offerings from Buffalo Bullets. We are always looking for improved projectiles to offer our customers. We won't be specific until these new offerings have passed our final developmental and testing phases, of course, as only when we are totally satisfied with the final product will they become available. But, certainly, it is realistic to expect new products that raise the bar a bit to be available in the very near future.

In Conclusion

I'd like to thank Ron Dahlitz and the Buffalo Bullet Team for taking the time to give us a glimpse into their thoughts. I can certainly agree that for most muzzleloading applications inside 150 yards, the range where most North American game is taken, pure lead is the best projectile you can use to humanely turn your sprightly quarry into a tortoise with rigor mortis.

Buffalo Bullet Company has no website, but their products are available from your local dealer. For a catalogue or specific information, contact Buffalo Bullet at: 800-423-8069.

FS: Ruger RedHawk 44m With Rings

This is not in my possession you will have to contact the owner & make arrangements to meet.

44 mag shot 13 times carried in Alaska comes with scope rings NO SCOPE.
800$