muzzleloader

American  

[muhz-uhl-loh-der] / ˈmʌz əlˌloʊ dər /

Or muzzle-loader

noun

1. a firearm that is loaded through the muzzle.

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Other Word Forms

• muzzleloading adjective

Etymology

Origin of muzzleloader

First recorded in 1855–60; muzzle + loader

Example Sentences

The rustling in the brush was loud, so Brian Christman raised his muzzleloader for the deer he expected to emerge.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2023

Marine, said “I’ve never used a muzzleloader before, and certainly couldn’t load one in the dark in a storm with a mad moose.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2022

In fact, over the last 40 years many more modern firearm hunters have switched to bow and muzzleloader hunting because it allows them to spend more time afield, and hunters love to spend time afield.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2018

Additional deer will be harvested during the late southeastern season, which runs through Nov. 30, and the muzzleloader season, which begins Nov. 29 and continues through Dec. 14.

From Washington Times • Nov. 25, 2014

Rufus’s father arrived on a flat-bed wagon, carrying his familiar long rifle—an old muzzleloader, I realized.

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler