What is it???

[Blu Max]

I inherited a BP percussion rifle. On the left barrel it say "Springfield Stalker 44 cal", on the right side it says ""Haarrington & Richardson" and on the plate it says "US Springfield". I have not been able to find out anything about it. Does anyone have any info on Mfg dates, loads, etc?

[overdahill]

There is a great forum for muzzleloading that you might find some info. modernmuzzleloader.com

[W. C. Quantrill]

You might check that again,

Harrington & Richardson made those a while back. They were made in .45, .54, and .58 calibers. They were a kinda sorta replica of an 1861 Springfield rifle. It was a replica that was ahead of its time. I think they were brought out in the 1970's.

It is a replica of a traditional side hammer muzzleloader. It will handle about 60 to 70 grains of FFFg black powder. It has a nipple for a #11 percussion cap. The originals were .58 caliber and used a hollow based minie ball or minie bullet. Yankees now want to call them conicals.

If you wish to shoot it, you should obtain the proper components for shooting it, and that is black powder. NO to pyrodex, NO to all the funky substitutes, order you a can or 5 of real black powder from Goex or Track of the Wolf, or Powder Valley or any number of black powder suppliers. I am not sure how H&R rifled the barrel, most likeley it is not rifled properly for a period rifle. Springfield used a shallow 3 groove barrel, and I would bet that is not the case on the H&R. Bullets should be cast from pure lead or not harder than 1-20 tin/lead alloy. If it were me, I would get some lubricated 405 grain hollow based bullets from one of the bullet suppliers and start it out with 55 grains of FFFg Goex. That would approximate the carbine load of the .45-70 Springfield Trapdoor. That should put you on paper at 50 yards which is the operating range for that rifle. If you put a couple thousand rounds through it and get real intimate with it, then play with other loads. It should be completely adequate for deer or black bear with the 405's. If I were going to head out with the intent of killing something other than a paper sillywet, then I'd push in a load of somewhere between 60-70 grains of powder. I would say that 70 grains should be the upper limit for that rifle. It was not designed for, nor should it be used with anything other than real black powder and soft cast round ball or hollow based bullets. It was not designed for pyrodex or copper jacketed bullets.

Use it like it was supposed to be used, and you should have a handy little shooter.

Modernmuzzleloader must not be much of a site, it wont open.

If you want to get true information from the guys who really shoot traditional muzzleloading rifles, I am going to list two sites. Do not even mention the word modern or inline or you will be immediately banned.

Muzzleloadingforum.com
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/fusionbb.php
Traditionalmuzzleloadingassociation.com
http://www.traditionalmuzzleloadinga...pbb2/index.php

This is where the guys who really shoot muzzleloaders hang out. You may ask about your springfield there, and you will get lots of true reliable information.

There is another site where the purists hang out, the guys who hand build their own rifles and some actually hammer their own barrels. It is the Americanlongrifles site.

Make smoke.

[mykeal]

Do not even mention the word modern or inline or you will be immediately banned.

Come on Quantrill - The Muzzleloading Forum is not that unfriendly. Claude (or one of the regulars) will simply remind you of their rules. And they'll do it in a friendly way. They're not storm troopers. If you persist, then yes, Claude will take action, but just mentioning inlines will not cause an immediate ban.

[W. C. Quantrill]

Might as well go in with your eyes and your mind open. No use to come in to get scolded.

[mykeal]

Might as well be accurate instead of using hyperbole.