Once a week to the range, at least - more often in warm weather - which is here at last. Just last long weekend - I shot 3 days in a row- many different guns- had a blast. Even shot the longrifle one day and the squirrel rifle the next. Mostly upper range shooting.
I shoot 3F during the winter in both the .45 and .40 and am down to 2 pounds out of 14 pounds starting last November. I've also gone through 4 pounds of 2f during the same time - which means 14 pounds of black powder since Nov. - so - 6 full months (including 1/2 of October) and 16 pounds of black powder along with 3 pounds smokeless. 19 pounds of powder in 6 months - just over 3 pounds per month average. 75gr. in the .45, 65gr. in the .40 and 70 to 120gr. 2F in testing the new .58 - mostly 70 to 75. I have to carry 2 powder horns or a horn and a flask when shooting the trail with the .58 as my 2F 'hunting' horns don't carry enough to feed it for 4 hours on the trail. On average - about 3/4 pound for each day on the trail which is every Sunday and sometimes on Monday as well.
A 'good' trail, as LB indicated is 70 to 85 shots. We're getting to where we shoot a couple to several stations from each post, as these add 'flavour' to the trail. You have to pick a spot through the branches to see a gong, let alone hit it. Lots of fun and teaches one to have steel underneath the sights or the ball goes astray. It is interesting to see the little .40's hitting as often or more often than the bigger balls from rifles or smoothbores. The .69 excels at this sort of thing - brush bucking. Last talk with Brad might find that rifle back in my sweating hands sooner than at his leaving this world.
Oh yeah- flints - a good flint lasts normally 2 trails plus a bunch of 'clatching' at home, sometimes more & of course, depending on the lock - and flint. The same 2 trails uses up 1 1/2 tins of caps and at current $6.95 per tin, I'd say the flinter is cheaper to shoot at 1/4 the cost.
