During this winter cold spell, I have enjoyed rereading my copy of The Muzzle Loading Caplock Rifle by Ned Roberts. I would encourage anyone who is interested in muzzle loading guns or the history of shooting to find a copy. Originally printed in 1940, it has been reprinted many times and is not too hard to find.

Of course Ned Roberts is remembered for developing the 257 Roberts but he grew up at the end of the muzzle loading era. The book has lots of information about the old US gunmakers like Perry, Wesson and Brockway. He covers the development of bullets from the round ball to the paper patched bullet in many forms, to the naked grease groove bullet. And he tells some great stories about bear hunting in New England with muzzleloaders. A great read.