The Norwegian 12 mm Remington rolling block rifles were sold out of service in the early 1900s and were mainly used as hunting rifles. Read more about the civilian history of the Norwegian Remington by clicking the link below.
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With the technique called lead lapping pitted or damaged rifle or pistol barrels can have new life. In short, the process involves casting a lead slug into the barrel. Apply abrasive to the slug (or lap) and work it back and forth in the barrel until the bore is polished.
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Did you know that loading paper cartridges in a percussion revolver is both historically correct and time saving? This new article explains the use and history behind the military use of paper cartridges and how you can make your own, both with conical balls and roundballs.
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June, 1863: As the American Civil War raged on, a newly made percussion revolver passed the gates of the E. Remington & Sons factory in the small city of Ilion, New York. One of the first of the Remington New Army model, the revolver was purchased by the Union army which had a colossal demand for firearms in the stalemate war against the rebels in the south. Exactly 150 years after the old veteran became mine. Now it was time to bring it back to life.
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In order to load match-grade black powder cartridges it is important to compress the powder. This allows for more powder in the case, as well as improved combustion and accuracy. There are several methods for compressing black powder, but pouring the powder through a long drop tube is one of the simplest and most efficient methods. This article and accompanying video shows how you can make a sturdy drop tube stand with simple tools.
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Regardless of how boring and messy it may be, cleaning spent black powder brass is a necessary evil. Hot soapy water has traditionally been used for this, but in the last couple of years ultrasonic cleaners have become increasingly popular. This article and video shows how ultrasonic cleaners work.
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The Jarmann rifle was one of the first bolt-action repeating military rifles. This article focuses on the Swedish naval Jarmann rifle, which is quite similar to the one issued to the Norwegian army. As well as learning the background history, you can also follow the quest for the perfect accuracy.
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A special year for Norway, 2014 both marks the bicentenary of the Norwegian constitution and – perhaps slightly less celebrated – the beginning of the union with Sweden. This article presents the military black powder small-arms that were used in the 91 year long Norwegian-Swedish union – a progressive period that saw the transition from flintlock firearms to rapid-firing machine guns.
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In the beginning of the 19th century large parts of Europe were wrapped in a blanket of white black powder smoke as the great powers pounded each other with muskets and artillery. 200 years after the peace many shooters still use the guns of these conflicts. This article describes the use of the smooth-bore flintlock musket - the general-issue infantry firearm during the Napoleonic Wars.
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The book From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms will be published in November. blackpowderbook.com now presents a summary of each of the book's 20 chapters – with some sample photos too. The book is an historical introduction to the use of black powder firearms, from the primitive smooth-bore musket to breech-loading cartridge guns, as well as a primer on their practical use for today's black powder shooters.

By subscribing to the email list you can win a free copy of the book, of course, shipped free of charge to wherever you are in the world. Click the link below to learn more.
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In connection with the publication of the book From Musket to Metallic Cartridge, the website blackpowderbook.com has been released. While the estimated date of publication for the book is approximately November 2013, the website will be frequently updated with information about the project – so make sure to check it every now and again!
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Norwegian mountain man Jo Tjøstolsson Kleppe (1794–1884), also known as Jo Gjende, was a legendary reindeer hunter and a crack shot. A hermit for the better part of his life, he lived a lonely life in his cabin at Gjendeosen in Jotunheimen (The Home of the Giants) – a mountainous area in southern Norway. He had the reputation of being a crack shot, and the practiced every day by taking a shot or two with one or more of his guns.
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The web is full of informative and interesting videos on black powder shooting, firearms and accessories. This article has collected a few slow motion videos from YouTube that you might find interesting, such as a paper patched bullet exiting the muzzle of a Gibbs rifle. » Read more

The MLAIC 2012 World Championships is held next week in Pforzheim, Germany. 399 shooters from 23 nations are participating, and about 25,000 shots will be fired from muzzleloading rifles, muskets, pistols, revolvers and shotguns. Click the link below to find out how to follow the championships. » Read more

A new book on black powder shooting and historical firearms with the working title From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms will be published by The Crowood Press in England in late 2013. Written for the gun enthusiast, the book will present the practical history of black powder firearms from the late medieval ages to about 1900, with focus on American, English, Scandinavian, German and French firearms. » Read more

The MLAIC black powder world championships takes place in Pforzheim, Germany in August 2012. Muzzleloading shooters from all over the world will be competing in various competitions for pistols, cap & ball revolvers, rifles, muskets and shotguns. Are you attending, or just interested in what it's all about? Read more by clicking the link below.
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From time to time you stumble across things you can't manage without. One such thing is Jeff Tanners powder dispenser. It's simple, cheap, and best of all: it's incredibly time-saving. I've used mine for a couple of years now, and my old Lyman No. 55 is used less and less
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A new article on paper patched bullets is now published. The article discusses bullets loaded in black powder cartridges, but such bullets can be used in muzzleloaders as well. You learn how to make a paper template, how to patch, loading and how to achieve acceptable accuracy with paper patched bullets and black powder. Note that some of the pictures are hidden. To show them, click on a picture and use the arrows to navigate back and forth in the picture gallery.
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The 2010 Nordic Black Powder Championships were held this weekend in Orivesi, Finland, just outside Tampere about 200 km north of Helsinki. Click the link below for pictures and a report from the championships where Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway competed in muzzleloading and black powder cartridge competitions.
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A svartkrutt.net Facebook page is now created. By following svartkrutt.net on Facebook you are allowed to read all the latest news, discuss with other users, and post messages. Click "Read more..." below to become a fan of svartkrutt.net on one of the world's largest social sites!
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You can now read a short report from this years Norwegian black powder nationals and the Nordic black powder championships. We shoot according to the MLAIC muzzleloading regulations, with some Norwegian and Nordic black powder cartridge and percussion breech-loader competitions. Click the link below to read more in the forum!
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The user databases of the English and the Norwegian forums are now merged. This means that you can log on to both forums with the same user name and password. The Norwegian forum is currently closed for the public, but now international users are allowed see what is going on there. There are some interesting gunbuilding threads there right now with a lot of pictures. Good luck!

Norwegians have for centuries had a tradition of inauguration Christmas with three shoots from a firearm. One shot was fired by the house, one by the barn and one by the stable. Some only fired one shot, but it was considered bad luck to only fire two shots. » Read more

During the last couple of months svartkrutt.net has been regularly updated. The most important changes are done in the English section. The Norwegian and English pages are now quite similar regarding content, and all articles are translated to English. » Read more

I'm in a productive mood these days, and I have added yet another article. It is in two parts and describes the history of the Norwegian 10.15 x 61 Jarmann rifle. This was perhaps the worlds first bolt action repeating rifle adopted by a regular army. Part covers the background history, while part two goes into detail about shooting and reloading.
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