18 New and Noteworthy Black Powder Guns for Hunters and Collectors

CVA Accura MR black powder guns — The .50-caliber MR (Mountain Rifle), with its 25-inch, fluted, nitride-treated stainless steel barrel, is 3 inches shorter than the PR and almost a pound lighter at 6.35 pounds. The rifle offers maximum maneuverability and neutral balance. It has all of the standard Accura features like the Quick-Release Breech Plug, which is removable with only your fingers, even after 20 shots. It also has a reversible cocking spur to clear your scope and a solid aluminum PalmSaver ramrod. The Accura MR is drilled and tapped for optics and comes equipped with a one-piece Dead-On scope mount.

CVA Accura PR black powder guns — This .50-caliber, in-line muzzleloader, with its fluted, 28-inch barrel, falls between the standard top-shelf Accura V2’s 27- and 30-inch barrel lengths and is intended to deliver long-range accuracy without sacrificing handling and balance. CVA uses Bergara stainless steel barrels and guarantees its rifles to be the most accurate you have ever shot or your money back. It comes standard with either a black or Realtree Max-1 XT camouflage stock.

CVA Wolf black powder guns — CVA’s lightest and shortest .50-caliber muzzleloader is now available with a rustproof, nitride-treated, 416 stainless steel barrel with either fiber-optic sights or a Dead-On scope mount. The Wolf is the most affordable break-action muzzleloader in the CVA lineup, and it comes with an ambidextrous composite stock featuring a CrushZone recoil pad. The Wolf is currently available with a number of finish options.

Dixie Gun Works Parker Hale Whitworth black powder guns — Dixie Gun Works is now offering an excellent replica of the Civil War’s deadliest sniper rifle, which fired a unique hexagonal bullet. Made by Pedersoli in Italy, this .451-caliber rifle even bears reproductions of the original 19th-century markings. The rifle has an American walnut stock and forend as well as a 36-inch barrel with hexagonal, 1-in-28-inch-twist Whitworth rifling. The ramrod is equipped with a guide to protect the muzzle from wear during loading, which preserves accuracy. The gun also has a color casehardened lock, a brass triggerguard and buttplate, and a blued barrel and hardware.

EMF 1851 Captain Schaeffer black powder guns — Pietta created only 500 units of this custom .36-caliber revolver exclusively for EMF. The whole gun has bright polished steel that contrasts with the brass triggerguard and backstrap. The barrel is only 3.5 inches long. The gun has deep laser engraving with a floral pattern on most of its barrel, frame and loading lever. The cylinder has the regular naval engagement roll engraving. The grips are faux ivory.

EMF 1851 Navy Deluxe Brass Engraved black powder guns — With a brass frame and trigger-guard combined with a blued steel barrel and cylinder, this 1851 Navy from EMF suggests a firearm used by the Confederacy. While the cylinder has the expected roll-engraved naval scene, the frame and barrel display deep laser floral engraving. It also has a color-casehardened trigger, hammer and loading lever. The grips are smooth, and the barrel is 7.5 inches long. Available in .36 or .44 calibers, this is another exclusive 1851 made by Pietta for EMF.

EMF 1858 Buffalo Bill Commemorative black powder guns — Another Pietta exclusive for EMF, this pistol is blued with laser engraving and gold-plated details. It has a brass triggerguard and checkered walnut grips. A likeness of the Western icon appears on the cylinder, and you’ll find the initials “B.B.” on the recoil shield. It comes in .44 caliber with an 8-inch barrel.

EMF 1858 Deluxe Texas Nickel Engraved black powder guns — This revolver has a historically correct look of elegance with laser engraving, full nickel plating and faux-ivory grips. Another Pietta exclusive for EMF, it comes in .44 caliber with an 8-inch barrel.

EMF 1860 Army Deluxe Engraved Old Silver black powder guns — This revolver dazzles with a bright cylinder, loading lever and trigger combined with a brass triggerguard and blued barrel. Vintage-style laser floral engraving decorates the frame and barrel, and the usual naval engagement roll engraving covers the cylinder. One more exclusive by Pietta for EMF, this gun has an elegant and authentic 19th-century custom look with walnut grips. It comes in .44 caliber with an 8-inch barrel.

Pedersoli 1858 Remington Pattern Custom black powder guns — For those looking for the Maserati of cap-and-ball target pistols with proper historical form and match-grade accuracy, Pedersoli now offers a hard-chrome version of its competition revolver with a tuned action and a crisp, sub-2-pound trigger pull. Pedersoli’s gunsmiths tapered the mainspring and hardened the upper edge of the trigger and its corresponding contact point on the hammer to inhibit wear and ensure smooth functioning. The cylinder, frame, trigger, hammer, cylinder pin and barrel are hard chromed for extreme durability.

Taylor's & Co 1858 Black Rock black powder guns — The corrosion resistance of nitride-treated steel is a natural for blackpowder firearms. The professionals at Taylor’s & Company Firearms have debuted the first of what I hope will be many firearms with its trademark “Black Rock” (nitride) finish. While darker than bluing, the Black Rock finish is a better alternative than stainless steel. Made by Uberti, the 1858 Remington New Army Black Rock from Taylor’s combines the best of modern metallurgy with a historic design that is arguably the best and most practical revolver of the cap-and-ball era.

Thompson/Center Impact black powder guns — The Impact is an entry-level, composite-stocked, external-hammer, in-line muzzleloader with an adjustable comb length (via a removable 1-inch spacer at the butt) that kids or smaller adults will appreciate. The barrel is 26 inches long, and the stock is available in black or Realtree Hardwoods camo. The metal is blued or finished in Weather Shield for rust resistance. It has a steep pitch thread on the breech plug for easier removal. It comes with fiber-optic sights and sling swivel mounts.

Thompson/Center Strike black powder guns — This striker-fired muzzleloader has a 24-inch barrel with a 1-in-28-inch twist rate as well as Thompson/Center’s Adapt breech system, which threads over the breech like a cap rather than screwing into it like a plug. This feature eliminates seized breech plugs. There are two inserts, one for caps and the other for standard 209 shotgun shell primers. The Strike also features a Quick Load Accurizor muzzle, which is counter-bored with the rifling crown purposely set back to form a guide that allows for easy, consistent seating of the bullet. The stock is available in walnut, black composite or G2 camouflage. Finally, the Strike comes with adjustable fiber-optic sights and a Weaver-style scope mount.

Traditions 1851 Navy .44 black powder guns — This fully nickel-plated revolver from Traditions Firearms has lots of laser engraving. Pietta, the maker, has included a 7.5-inch barrel and black laminated wood grips that contrast with the bright nickel finish.

Traditions 1851 Navy Sheriff’s .44 black powder guns — Relatively reserved laser engraving on the frame and barrel combined with the standard Colt roll-engraved cylinder give this revolver a frontier gunsmith/folk artist flavor. It has bright polished steel with a brass triggerguard and backstrap as well as a casehardened loading lever, trigger and hammer. The grips are laminated wood, and the barrel is 5 inches long.

Traditions PA Pellet Ultralight black powder guns — This 21st-century flintlock has a 26-inch, fluted, chrome-moly barrel with a rust-resisting nitride finish inside and out. The 1-in-28-inch twist rate maximizes accuracy with new conical projectiles and saboted bullets. The stainless steel Accelerator breech plug has a separate thread-in flash vent screw that makes for easy cleaning. The rifle also sports adjustable fiber-optic sights and a synthetic stock with a rubber buttpad for better handling. Checkering decorates the pistol grip and forend.

Traditions Prairie Hawken black powder guns — This new offering honors the rifles that armed 19th-century trappers and mountain men. It blends classic historical lines with some modern improvements. Available in flintlock and percussion versions, elegant octagonal guides hold the wooden ramrod in place. Dual pins surrounded by oval escutcheons secure the barrel. The heavy octagonal barrels have 1-in-48-inch twist rates like original Hawken rifles. A scrolled triggerguard protects the double-set triggers.

Uberti 1858 Buffalo Bill Centennial black powder guns — Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Buffalo Bill’s death, Uberti is doing a limited run (500 guns only) of revolvers that are lavishly hand-engraved by Cesare Giovanelli. Floral designs cover the gun from muzzle to backstrap. The gun is finished in a deep blue with a casehardened hammer, a brass triggerguard and smooth simulated-ivory grips. Both sides of the barrel have gold inscriptions marking Buffalo Bill’s birth and death years.

Black powder has been around since the 9th century, but it never ceases to amaze me that each year brings more new products related to this ancient explosive. Blackpowder hunting and historical replicas represent opposite ends of the market. Hunting prompts remarkable technological innovation while the demand from shooting enthusiasts, collectors and reenactors keeps designs from the 18th and 19th centuries in catalogs year after year.

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For example, the major trend I’ve noticed this year was increasingly more black powder guns, old and new, covered with nitride. The corrosion resistance of stainless steel made it the ideal metal for blackpowder firearms, but it’s more expensive than standard carbon steels. Nitride treatment makes even standard steel nearly impervious to rust and wear because it draws nitrogen and carbon into surface layers, boosting strength, lubricity and corrosion resistance. This treatment is popular on high-wear surfaces like camshaft lobes. But for a black powder rifle, CVA determined that a nitride-treated barrel is not likely to wear or rust in your lifetime, so the company guarantees them for life. That’s saying something.

Other trends honor history, like beautiful deep-laser-engraved cap-and-ball revolvers. The classic 1858 Remington New Army revolver also gets a lot of attention, with special editions from Pedersoli, Uberti, Taylor’s & Company Firearms, EMF and Traditions. So without further ado, scroll through the gallery above to see what’s new and noteworthy in the world of black powder guns.