5 MUZZLELOADING INNOVATIONS FOR 2020
A flintlock muzzleloader uses an old-school gunlock consisting of a flint fixed in the hammer to produce a spark that ignites the charge when fired. What made this ignition system less popular than that of a modern in-line rifle? The answer, of course, is innovation.
Innovation is the action or process of introducing something new, a change to the original design with the intention of improvement and benefit to the user. Someone typically leads innovation with a vision of a better solution. It is human nature to want to try and ‘build a better mousetrap.’
Fast-forward more than 150 years to the time when “modern” muzzleloading rifles were born. In the 1980s, Tony Knight of Knight Rifles pioneered the innovation of the modern “in-line” muzzleloader. In-line designs had been tried in the past, but not with the technology that Knight utilized.
The heart of this innovation was an ignition system that used a 209-primer loaded from the breech. It lined up directly behind the powder charge and bullet, which loaded from the muzzle. With all components
