Fans of Muzzleloader Magazine have noticed a delay in receiving the November/December 2023 Issue of their magazine. Some have speculated that the magazine is going out of business, but we are happy to share that those rumors are not true.

According to the magazine editor, the delay was just that - a delay and nothing more. The issue was mailed on December 8th, 2023 and is already arriving in mailboxes across the country. Read the full announcement below:

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you all are well and I would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas! Unfortunately there was a delay with the November/December issue, the delay was my fault and I apologize for the tardiness. The good news is that the issue was mailed out on December 8th and I have heard that many of you have received the issue. I think the issue came out pretty well and I hope that you all enjoy it!

Also we have some exciting stuff coming in 2024, James Crutchfield, Nathan Kobuck, and Jim Parker have been added to our staff. James and Nathan will be supplying their well-written and impeccably researched historical articles and Jim Parker will be authoring a Gunsmithing article to appear regularly in the magazine. These will be great additions to MUZZLELOADER!

Thank you,

Jason W. Gatliff

ON THE COVER:

Detail from "Out of the Mist," an original oil painting by Bryant White.

CONTENTS:

3 Letters from Our Readers

5 Doin’ It Yourself How About a Hand Made Bowie Knife For Christmas — T. C. Albert

13 Shooting the Bull A .50 Caliber Lancaster, My “Trailblazer” — Mike Nesbitt

23 Dispatches from New England Retracing My Steps — Vincent C. Spiotti

31 18th Century Traveler A Percussion Gun — Matt Wulff

40 Wallace Gusler — The Gunsmith of Williamsburg — James Wright

59 A Perilous Winter Journey; a Contract, a Deadline and “The Death of a Dog” — Part I — Gary J. Peterson

73 Wild Rice… The Provision They Chiefly Depend Upon, Part II — John W. Hayes

81 Masonic Mountain Men 2023 Raffle, Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Hawken Shop & the Hawken Rifle — James Parker

93 Classified Ads

96 Index of Display Advertisers

Disclosures: Muzzleloader Magazine is a sponsor of the I Love Muzzleloading Podcast.