HARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners met today at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters to hear public comment and take action on several items.

One of the items up for the commission’s consideration was the allowance of a “captured powder cartridge” in a muzzleloader during the regular muzzleloader season. This “captured powder cartridge” seemingly represents the Federal Premium Firestick, a plastic powder cartridge that contains Hodgdon Triple 8, a blackpowder substitute.

Read the committee conclusion below:

MUZZLELOADERS USING CAPTURED POWDER CHARGES APPROVED

Legal definitions that prohibited hunters from using muzzleloading firearms accepting breech-loaded, captured-powder charges have been amended through a vote of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners.

The board today gave final approval to a measure that will permit hunters to use muzzleloaders accepting captured-powder charges beginning in the 2023-24 season.

As their name suggests, muzzleloading firearms typically are loaded from the muzzle. And previous law prohibited any muzzleloaders accepting cartridge ammunition.

Some modern muzzleloaders, however, accept charges similar to cartridges, but that contain only powder. The captured powder charges are loaded from the breech while the projectiles are loaded from the muzzle.  But those muzzleloaders were prohibited because of the prohibition on cartridge use in muzzleloaders.

The commissioners have said the prohibition on cartridge use in muzzleloaders originally was intended to restrict modern firearms that accept cartridges containing both projectile and powder. Amending the law to allow muzzleloaders that accept captured powder charges preserves that original intent.

Hunters using captured powder charges in appropriate firearms also might find greater convenience in the ability to more easily unload their muzzleloader without firing it.

This hybridized loading technology that combines muzzle loading and breech loading methods was popularized by the Traditions Nitro-Fire in 2020. Since, Traditions has been working with state game commissions to allow the Nitro fire to be used in hunting seasons. Some states however have restricted the Fire Stick and the Nitro Fire to the centerfire rifle season and have not allowed the combination to be used in the muzzleloader season. Pennsylvania is a big state for the hunting industry, Traditions and Federal will certainly see this as a win.

Is the the Federal Fire Stick allowed in the PA Flintlock Season?

No, the Federal Firestick and the Traditions Nitro Fire are NOT allowed in the Pennsylvania flintlock only season. This change ONLY affects the earlier, generic “muzzleloader” season where modern muzzleloaders of a variety of makes and models are allowed.

Those happy about the change

Pennsylvanian’s happy about the change range from newcomers to muzzleloading as well as hunters who see the Federal Firestick and compatible muzzleloaders as an introduction into hunting with a different way. Since the release of the Fire Stick and Nitro Fire, we’ve seen many new shooters and hunters go deeper into muzzleloading after first trying the Nitro Fire, so it is possible though numbers are not available.

This change will likely lead to an increase of funds for the PA wildlife programs. The ‘easier’ muzzleloading system could bring in more hunters, which means more licenses, more permits, and other auxillary funds being spent in the Keystone State.

The change does not mean muzzleloading hunters who currently hunt with an inline or traditional ‘sidelock’ muzzleloader have to change their methods, though it may mean more competition and busier hunting grounds on public land.

Those not happy about the change

Hunters and enthusiasts unhappy about Pennsylvania allowing the Federal Fire stick in the muzzleloading season see it’s admittance as a further degradation of the muzzleloading season. Across the United States, modern hunting seasons were started with sidelock muzzleloader seasons. Some say this was due to the limited range and skill needed to take game with the percussion or flintlock muzzleloading rifles. Over the years some say the skill level needed has been lowered as game commissions, like PA, have allowed modern muzzleloaders with inline ignitions, modern scopes, and modern bullets to ‘compete’ with traditional enthusiasts for the same game.

For those unhappy about this change, it is another modification or alteration to the state’s definition of what a muzzleloader is, diverting from historic terminology.

I’m not a citizen of Pennsylvania, so I don’t really have a horse in this race. I hope to see as many people that want to use a muzzleloader, enjoy them safely. As of writing, 22 of the 50 states allow the Traditions Nitro Fire and the Federal Fire Stick in their ‘Muzzleloading’ seasons, these seasons are not “Historic” or “traditional” only seasons and allow the use of a variety of modern muzzleloaders.

We’re seeing several states, I believe in an effort to bolster hunting numbers, allow single shot cartridge arms in a “single shot” or “historic” seasons, replacing the “muzzleloading” title entirely. While this doesn’t stop anyone from using a muzzleloader, I do like the idea of the United States having muzzleloader seasons as a way to connect to our ancestors.

It has been a fear for some time that modern muzzleloaders will make their way into the Pennsylvania “Flintlock Only” season, but the game commission looks to be continuing the tradition of keeping that season truly Flintlock Only.

Read the full committee statement here