I have always had a love/hate relationship with muzzleloaders. Since I was a teenager, I have been a fan of traditional hunting methods and gear. It began when I shot my first deer with a recurve bow around the age of 16 or 17. From there, I moved on to the longbow and then old-school muzzleloaders soon followed — percussion cap and flintlock ignitions in the classic Hawken and Kentucky rifle styles.
The downside to the latter was always the hassle. So much ancillary gear and supplies are required to support and maintain traditional muzzleloaders, and the cleaning regimen is nothing short of austere. I still relish my time in the woods with a .50-caliber sidelock blackpowder rifle, but EVERY evening after the hunt requires the dreaded chore of cleaning the barrel. Traditional muzzleloaders demand a discharge after loading, which means fouling in the barrel, which means you must clean it well or risk rust and pitting in the bore. Time to bring out the bucket of hot, soapy water and scrub, scrub, scrub.
It’s almost enough to take the fun out of a quick evening hunt.
The introduction of in-line muzzleloaders changed much of that. With a removable breech plug, the cleanup process greatly simplified, and it eliminated the need for discharging the weapon after an unsuccessful hunt.
But even conventional in-line muzzleloaders do not solve many of the challenges common to the old-style frontstuffers. You still must carry powder into the field. Unloading still demands some cleanup even if you don’t ignite the powder charge. You also waste the powder or pellets, and the powder is still susceptible to getting wet or drawing moisture.
Safety is another issue. If you need to transport the firearm, for example, the powder charge first should be removed. Simply removing the primer is insufficient.
The good news is that there is now a muzzleloader on the market that eliminates ALL the hassles, challenges, and safety issues typically associated with traditional sidelock and conventional in-line muzzleloaders. It’s called the NitroFire from Traditions Firearms. I’ve spent the last few months shooting the NitroFire and even have used it for Nebraska’s rifle season opener this year, taking a fine mule deer on the first morning. Let me just say this … I still love shooting heritage-style muzzleloaders, but the new NitroFire has absolutely changed the game when it comes to no-hassle acquisition of venison for the freezer. If you are planning to get in on the action, here’s a rifle you need to consider.
A New Charging System
Fundamentally, the NitroFire is only marginally different in design than conventional in-line muzzleloaders. In fact, most folks can’t tell the difference between them from just a passing glance. It is in the breech/chamber area where the magic takes place.
The NitroFire has no breech plug at the back of the barrel. Instead, the breech is open and machined (or chambered) to accommodate the new Federal Premium FireStick.
The FireStick is a revolutionary concept in muzzleloader charging. It consists of a polymer capsule that is filled with a precise amount of Hodgdon’s new Triple 8 powder (available in 100- or 120-grain equivalent) and sealed to prevent water and moisture intrusion. At the back of the capsule is a pocket that accepts standard 209 shotgun primers, which serve as the ignition source.
Easier to Use
Now, the elephant in the room might say at this point, “Hey, how is this a ‘muzzleloader’ when you’re loading from the breech?” Simple … the bullet must still be loaded from the muzzle, as with any muzzleloader. Forward of the chamber area is a small ledge that the bullet seats onto. Just start the bullet into the muzzle and use the ramrod to seat it onto the ledge. The only difference between the NitroFire and conventional muzzleloaders in this regard is that the powder loads from the breech instead of the muzzle, yet the bullet still loads from the muzzle. So, yes, the NitroFire is technically and functionally a muzzleloader. The concept is still under review by some state agencies, but you can check this link for the status of the NitroFire in your state as it relates to muzzleloader season compliance.
Obviously, having your powder charge pre-measured and self-contained means you no longer must carry loose or pelletized powder into the field nor do you need to prepare speedloaders. With the break-action design of the NitroFire, you simply pull the lever in front of the trigger guard to open the action and insert a FireStick into the breech. Insert a 209 primer into the FireStick’s primer pocket and the system is ready for ignition.
Safer to Use
As you can easily imagine, the NitroFire/FireStick system is not only more convenient than conventional muzzleloaders but is also safer. The ability to quickly remove the powder charge and render the rifle inert is a big deal, such as when crossing a fence, climbing into or out of a treestand, transporting in a truck or ATV, or when traipsing through difficult terrain.
Improved Accuracy
Experienced shooters understand that there are many variables that contribute to accuracy in firearms of all types. For muzzleloaders, achieving a consistent powder charge is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) factors in accuracy. A few grains up or down or variations in the tamping pressure of loose powder (or accidentally crushing pelletized powder) can cause havoc with accuracy.
Since the FireStick technology used in the NitroFire is precisely measured at the factory and powder density is consistent within the capsule, two of the biggest accuracy variables in the muzzleloader charge are rendered moot. All the shooter needs to do is to try different bullet designs and weights and match that to the 100- or 120-grain FireStick to determine which combination delivers the most accurate results.
It doesn’t get any easier than that.
The Many NitroFire Flavors
Traditions offers the NitroFire in ten distinct models. All feature a 26-inch lightweight, 1:28 twist chromoly steel fluted and tapered barrel finished in Cerakote and bored to accept .50 caliber bullets or .45 caliber sabot bullets. Also standard across the NitroFire lineup is the new Traditions Elite XT trigger. This system features a rebounding hammer and a manual cross-block trigger safety, which lets you open the action when the cross-bolt safety is engaged.
Variations of the NitroFire cover different camo schemes on the ergonomic furniture, including Realtree Edge, Mossy Oak Break Up Country, Go Wild Rockstar, and Black. Other package variations include rifles with no sights, Traditions’ 3-9×40 package scope, Leupold’s 3-9×40 VX scope, or Sig Sauer’s 3.5-10×42 Sierra BDX scope.
In the Field
As mentioned, I’ve had the pleasure to spend a few months with the NitroFire, leading up to a recent mule deer hunt in the Nebraska Sandhills.
At the bench, the NitroFire/FireStick system proved to be an absolute pleasure to work with — especially when compared to shooting sidelock or conventional in-line muzzleloaders. The loading process is simple and doesn’t require the big box of support tools and supplies I usually must take to the range. It also significantly shortened the time required to zero the rifle.
Although this is somewhat subjective, the NitroFire/FireStick system seemed to shoot much cleaner, allowing more shots between barrel cleaning and, overall, much less hassle than I usually expect from a session on the muzzleloader bench. Once I found the right load and barrel combination, accuracy revealed itself with 1.5 MOA groups.
In sum, the NitroFire represents a significant leap in muzzleloader technology — one that addresses all the challenges we’ve learned to accept from the platform while advancing safety and accuracy to new benchmarks. As a candidate for muzzleloader seasons where the technology has been accepted by legislative authorities, the NitroFire is a no-brainer. As a substitute for centerfire rifle seasons at a time when factory ammo is practically non-existent … again, a no-brainer. The Traditions NitroFire truly does change the game.
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