Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders How many extra loads do you carry when hunting?

I usually carry 3 quick loaders in a ziplock bag when hunting in addition to the charge in my gun. I was hunting with a bunch of other guys late last year during muzzy season and we were comparing notes. Most of them only carried one extra load. One guy had none which didn't make any sense to me but he said he's never needed a follow-up shot.

Depends on what gun and what game I'm hunting. Typically, I hunt traditional style and carry a shooting bag and powder horn. Small game, I carry more rounds than for big game, wing shooting the shotgun or smooth-bore offers more shots so, I carry more stuff.
Years ago, I would carry the rifle and one or two speed loaders. I gave that up a long time back.

Three speed loaders, but I have powder,bullets, primers in the saddle bags

5 speed loaders. Keep one in my right coat pocket with ball starter. Others are in my shoulder bag.

I carry 5 speed loads of powder, 15 primers and 15 extra sabots and bullets in my possibles bag.

Maybe 5, usually. Also carry enough stuff to give the barrel at least a quick and dirty wipe out so a reload goes in easy, after a bad experience hunting in a "wintry mix".

3 speed loaders and a tin with a few caps.

Never too many.
5 might be right. Probably have components for more.

Have been a main actor in 2 real [bleep]. Both ended up
with the very last round I had being reserved for what had to be
a killing shot. One, I started, the other fell in my lap.

Also know of 3 instances of guys running out of ammo
in the middle of a rodeo. One who isn't much of a hunter,
wounded a cow elk, and shot darn near a box of ammo trying to kill
her. Poor bullet performance/choice played a big part. He found
someone to give him rounds, then found the elk and finished it.

The other two?

Both experienced hunters that would brag that "One is all it takes,
never needed more than two."

When it went bad,
They came up short.

One never recovered his deer.
The other also found ammo, then finished an elk.

I carry 3 . If I cant do it in 3 shots, I should go home.

I havent needed a floow up shot in forever, but I still carry one in the gun, 1 in the pocket, and 3 or 4 more in the pack. I figure things go wrong and its better to have than not. Plus, nice to be prepared for random target of opportunity (coyote).

I carry 2 patched balls in a block around my neck. A flat horn in my pocket with the powder measure. That's all when I hunt.

So far I have never needed to fire a 2nd shot, but I ALWAYS reload as soon as I fire.

My ML hunting is exclusively upland hunting with a 16 gauge fowler. I carry half a dozen reloads. Chances are I will never need that many but “chance” being what it is, I still carry them.
Pete

3 speeloaders with inline, shooting bag for 58 cal has a horn with 1lb of powder, enough balls, caps and olive oiled ticking material for 50 shots, short of the buckskins and moccasins that would get you shot in the woods today, ii like to hunt and carry my Hawken the way the Mountain Men did.

I carry three, if I miss 3 times that guns getting heaved into the pond..........

I only carry two or three T/C quickloaders, but I have a small 1 1/2 oz container of FFFFG any time I have the flinter with me so I can change the priming powder if I even think it might rain about 2:30 next Tuesday afternoon.

A horn ‘carries’ quite a few!

Those who think they only need 1 or 2 shots should read my above post.
I have been been hunting a couple times and killed a couple deer.
Most with one shot, some took two.
2 of the 3 guys posted about have also hunted a bit.
With similar results.

Extra ammo, for me, isn't about how many times I miss.
Used to be my thought, until I experienced the first rodeo.

Now, it's about a wounded deer. One that, suddenly seems bullet proof.

My dad wounded one with a sabot. Angled shot, through the chest,
exit, re-entered the hind leg. Made her sick.

I went after her, figuring to dress and drag her out.
Got in the woods and found her by a rotten log, looking at me.
She jumped up and ran. A quick desperate shot hit, but she stumbled
and trotted off. Reloading on the run, I was losing ground, and it was
getting toward dark. She paused 100 or so yards out. Winded and
unsupported I took the shot. I think I missed. I shot once more,
She finally slowed down enough that I was gaining. The last load was
in the gun, and it absolutely had to finish her. And, at this point my
adrenaline was maxed, and confidence was 0. So, I chased until
I got within 10 feet or so. Whole show went far enough that I took her off
the opposite side of the ridge and walked to cell coverage to get picked up.

I NEVER want to experience that again.
But, if I do, I carry more ammo.

Depending on the area I am hunting I could end up being a long ways away from my vehicle so I do not want to chance hiking back to get more charges to finish off a wounded animal. The elk this year was 5 kms (3 miles) from my truck. It was a one shot but if something had gone wrong without carrying extra supplies I was a long way from my full kit.

I have had problems with caps / primers in the past so my spares are a special container of caps or 209's in my pack and three speedloader charges. In my pants or jacket I carry two speedloader charges and a little rubber sealed holder for about 10 primers / caps. I change out the powder and primers in the spares container at the start of every fall and so far I have not had to use anything in there. The container is small, light (compared to first aid, water etc) and gives me comfort just knowing it is there.

Good discussion. I think I'm good with the 3 speedloaders in addition to the charge in my gun. I carry extra primers, a nipple pick, a cleaning jag, and a few patches as well as a short bullet starter.

Five tubes with a premeasured powder charge. A thing that holds two tubes of 5 bullets ea. A little plastic snuff can looking thing with probably 20 209's.
Keep a couple .50cal bore cleaning mops too though I haven't used them. I'm bad for carrying more [bleep] than I need normally though.

My brother was hunting in PENN rifle season many years ago and heard a shot close by. He heard a guy cursing and walked over to see what was going on. The guy had knocked a pretty good size buck down and it was still alive and he had a spent shell stuck in the chamber. My brother offered him his pocket knife and he got the shell out, chambered another round and finished the deer off. He said the whole incident lasted less than a minute if that, and my brother said it never occurred to him to offer to let him use his gun to finish the deer off. it turned out the guy knew my dad and dropped off a case of beer later that night for my brother.

Well, my little story ended with a head shot from the .38 snubby on my belt. Put the red laser dot on her punkin' and POW!

I carry 3. One time I needed all 3 made me more careful on the last shot.
I have needed one of the quickloads a couple of times. I always reload after shooting and refill the quickload after the hunt.

I carry 3 extra speedloaders plus some extra 209 primers.

BTW, the three speed loaders for my inline have 209 primer holders built into themselves, I carry the 209 primer for the loaded rifle bone dry under the Butler Creek flip up rain cap on the front of the scope, the soft aluminum cap material will not scratch the glass, a simple opening of the BC cap to retrieve the 209 cap when time to enter the woods has always been handy for me, don't kill, fingernail the cap back off the rifle, put back inside raincap and head in.

My ML hunting is with a flintlock.

I carry three premeasured charges in tubes and then 3 patched balls in a loading block, plus the shot in the gun. When I'm hunting the farm country around home, that's all I carry for reloads. I do generally keep powder/balls/patches somewhere in the truck or otherwise somewhere I can get to if I need them semi-readily.

When I go into bigger woods and places where I can't or won't be back to the truck all day, I'll carry the same tubes/loading block, but then also a horn with a measure, a shot bag with a handful of round balls, and a baggie with some precut, prelubed patches. That lets me restock my reloads as needed. I usually have a small backpack or similar with me then and put that stuff in there. I don't need it in a hurry, I just need it if I blow through my reloads.

For supplies, I carry spare flints, and brass hammer/turnscrew that will let me service the gun and sharpen the flint, a ball puller, a few patches, and some alcohol wipes. I usually have a cow's knee stowed somewhere, too, just in case it's needed....and with a flintlock, when you need a cow's knee, you need one.

I carry a back pack when hunting with the in-line. Have a plastic case that will hold 20 measured blackhorn premeasured tubes. It usually has just what ever left after checking zero on gun. I think I had 14 in when I started. Same with bullets, just a baggie with 8-10 left from pkg.

Four or five, with more back at camp. Once, I was hunting in VA with an open-sighted Hawken loaded with PRBs and a turkey flew up in a tree, right at the edge of my range. I was standing behind a big pine, took a rest on the side of the tree and cut loose, clean miss.

The turkey just stuck his head up and looked around but didn't see me. So I re-loaded and shot again, same result. IIRC, I was reloading for a third shot when one of the guys down at the cabin came up to see what was going on and spooked the bird. If he hadn't done that I'd probably still be shooting....

For me, when I actually ML hunt anymore, it's the 1/4 pound capacity horn buckled to the straps of my shooting bag (in lieu of the 3/4 pound horn used at "rifle frolics"), a handful of balls and pre-cut pre-lubed patches, and a couple spare flints (or a Ted Cash capper as the case may be- the one I've been using for nigh on 40 years now) and the brass powder measure. The bag is a double bag with compartments for each necessity, and after decades of use and many shots loaded from it, my hand dives unerringly into it for what I need- a reload is accomplished very fast. I could do it blindfolded.

The only time I resorted to pre-measured loads was when I carried an 1861 Springfield (original) or a repro .577 Enfield (Parker-Hale)- in which case it was a minie ball and 60 grains FFFg in a historically accurate paper cartridge.

I usually have a loading block on a piece of braided twine or buckskin around my neck. They have 5 holes drilled thru em. 5 greased-patched round balls. Antler or brass powder charger hanging off powder horn. I seat ball with my wiping stick, prime and go!

I carry a hunting pouch too! I take my time. I’ve learned that if you have time for a second shot, take your time and reload. Besides you don’t wanna walk up on a "dead" critter with an empty gun!

Unless to are going to dispatch em with your hirschfanger! 😉. That can get sporty!

I carry 3 speed loaders for my renegade, plus more supplies back in camp.

Our old buddy Sharpsguy showed me that patched round ball carrier he has, pretty damn handy setup I must say.

I always have 5 tubes with premeasured loads ready to go. As mentioned before, one in a pocket with the bullet starter and the rest in a ziploc stashed away in the pack.

Loading blocks are great. I have a 3-hole loading block for my 62 rifle. Same for my 16ga fowler (648 cal ball).

For my 36 rifle (squirrels), I have an 8-hole block. My change in process till next season is patch cutting at the muzzle. You cut them on the block like it's a muzzle, but then I can carry a pre-lubed strip of fabric and if I empty my loading block, I still can carry a shot bag of round balls and start one on the strip of patch material, cut, load, continue. Beats the heck outta hand cutting patches all the time, I know that much!

I’ve always either cut patches at the muzzle or on the block too. But a while back I made a patch cutter that works for my 50 & 54 cal rifles out of a hole saw that works great on my drill press. Not something I really needed, was just bored and in the mood to make something. LOL! I carry prelubed precut patches and also dry strip of patch material in my pouch. But i seriously doubt I’ll run short of patching while afield.

Still use dry and pre lubed strip in my .40. Been using assorted wadding and such in my smoothies.

three

Hunt not too far from vehicle.
( Within a mile, usually half that- park central location ).
Loaded gun w three speedloaders. And more stuff in truck.

2

5 reloads.

Dang, you guys will be shooting squirrels and deer while I rummaging around in my bag trying to get my rifle re-loaded!

One COOOOOOLD azz morning on the Pecos river just upstream from the old Hackberry crossing. I was watching a buck trail these two does on a ridge just the other side of a hollow I was a-settin in. Chrystal clear and I bet 14 degrees. I was in buckskins, mocs, and a wool capote.

After about two hours that buck started moving up to the head of the draw where i had worked myself around to. I was setting behind this feeble excuse for a bush kinda on a big flat ground level rock. At about 60 yards buck stopped and looked right at me. I already had my wiping stick out and was using it as a rest for my flint Virginia rife gun of 50 cal. Perfect shot? I fired! Buck just looked at me. I stayed froze. I eased my way down flat on ground on my back. Buck started salking right straight at me. I poured another charge from my horn into charger and down bbl of rifle. Pulled out three-hole load block. Only one ball in it. Pushed in on powder. Pand primed pan with my horn. (Did all this laying flat on my back.).

Buck had walked up to about 25-30 yards from me a stopped. Lookin’ straight at me. I raised up threw rifle to shoulder. Stuck front sight on his briskett and fired. He got stiff legged and went straigh up in air. Fell to ground as dead a Julius Caesar. Secrets? Not really. I just took my time.

On the other hand, a real man only needs to set out in the morning with the one shot he has in the gun. Just sayin'.

Just a rank amateur here! 😉 cut me some slack!!! 🤣

Also depends on what one is hunting.

I am getting into shooting squirrels with a fowler.

Measuring shot in the field is a royal PITA. I may buy a shot snake or shot flask, but in the meantime, I made some "cartridges" from a brown paper bag and used those to hold 12 pre-measured shot charges in my shooting bag, and then I carried a horn for powder and a measure. That let me load semi-efficiently (loading a shot charge makes me feel like I'm all thumbs, lol) while hunting tree rats.

Shot snakes are great, IMO. You'll like it.

I'm sure, I just don't like the price tag, lol.

I have three custom flintlocks and I balk at the cost of a shot snake, but there it is.

I just carry three speedloaders and a snuff can of 209's, but I'm always totin' my 357 on my hip. Not completely traditional I must admit. 😂😂

Same here for me. I run a .54 cal CVA Hawkin percussion gun.

I carry three speed loaders, mostly because that's how many came in the package when I bought them. I'd never get the gun reloaded in time for any kind of a fast follow up shot. I always am deliberate in loading the gun. I'd be the one to seat a ball without a powder charge under it, I just know it. I also carry a little bit of extra powder, balls, and patches, probably enough for two or three more loads, but that's it.

I always reload after I shoot. You never know what might show up. I've had other deer or coyotes show up a minute after I shoot. Plus, God forbid, I wound one or miss.

Back before in-lines, I used to carry my .58 Zouave. I used to make pre-measured powder loads in a news paper tube that I'd roll around my powder measure and tape shut. When I reloaded, just tear it open and dump it in. I was using pre-lubed Buffalo mini balls and keep a few in my right vest pocket (I'm left handed) with a handful of caps. The ball starter in my left vest pocket. I'd generally carry 3 or 4 with one round in the gun.

Now, I carry one round in the gun, with 3 speed loaders on my belt. A handful of 209's in the right pocket and the ball starter in my left pocket. The rest of my ammo stays in the truck. I use a Power Belt Speed Clip for my speed loaders, it's real handy.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/PowerBelt-Speed-Clip-Loading-System/706305.uts?slotId=7