Federal Firestick – Braving the Cold
Andy Husek 12.22.20
People may think I am crazy, but I can honestly say that late muzzleloader season is my absolute favorite time to hunt deer! Now, keep in mind I don’t worry about getting cold and I know how to properly prepare to be in those type of late season conditions. Without the proper gear, it would be easy to see why someone would want to avoid the late season at all costs depending on where you are hunting.
For me though, it is the last “hunt” of the year. The last thing to look forward to before we go into deep dark winter and have to wait for at least three months before we can get out and chase spring turkeys. But also, the woods tend to clear out and you can kind of “have the whole place to yourself!” There is nothing quite like pulling up to some public ground, greeted by a fresh blanket of snow, and seeing that your tire tracks are the only thing in the snow besides last night’s deer travels. The animals are back to a somewhat sense of normal movement and you can go back to hunting them based on natural movements. The bucks are not running around possessed looking for a hot doe and there are not a ton of other hunters bumping deer from one section to another.
Not only did I recently get out and enjoy some beautiful scenery, I also got to test a couple new products that are set to be a game changer in the muzzleloader world. Federal Premium launched the all new FireStick at SHOT Show 2020 and are certainly turning some heads.
FireStick is a self-contained, pre-measured and removable muzzleloader charge. Hunting with “smokepoles” in the Midwest means one thing, cold, snowy weather. With FireStick you have the ability to remove the powder charge after every hunt or while in travels from one location to the next. This means that the days of leaving your muzzleloader out in the cold overnight so as to not introduce condensation to the powder are over. After each hunt you can easily remove the FireStick and store your muzzleloader as you see fit.
FireStick comes in both 100 and 120 grain charges and each are pre-measured and loaded with Hodgdon Triple Eight powder. All you need to do is load your bullet down the barrel just like all other muzzleloaders, add a 209 shotgun primer to the back of the FireStick charge, crack open the muzzleloader breach and drop in the charge and you are good to go!
Here is a complete list of key points from Federal’s website:
- Polymer charge filled with clean-burning Hodgdon Triple Eight powder
- Charges from the breech of Traditions NitroFire rifle
- Bullet loads from the muzzle
- Totally impervious to moisture and the elements
- Same tight tolerances and quality controls as loaded ammunition
- Fast, effortless loading and unloading
- Shooter inserts 209 shotgun primer (not included)
Federal partnered with Traditions firearms to create a line of guns that specifically utilize the FireStick ignition system. Currently, you can choose from 10 different options ranging from bare muzzleloaders to complete kits with optics already included, all of which are in .50 Caliber. I personally have been using the Realtree Edge patterned gun with premium Cerakote finish. This particular model came with no sights or scope as I knew I had a brand-new Vortex Viper I wanted to pair it up with to make my late season package complete.
Full specs for the rifle are as follows from the Traditions site:
- The only muzzleloader on the market that uses the Federal Premium® Firestick™
- 26″ Ultralight Chromoly Steel Tapered & Fluted Barrel coated in Premium CeraKote Finish
- .50 Caliber, 209 Ignition
- Elite XT™ Trigger System
- Fast Action Release Button
- Dual Safety System
- 1:28″ Twist Rifling
- Speed Load System
- Drilled & Taped for a Scope
- Solid Aluminum Ramrod
- Quick-T™ Ramrod Handle
The rifle itself has an MSRP of just over $600 but prices do vary based on what model and package you select.
I must say I was very impressed with several aspects of this FireStick and Nitrofire combination. The ease of loading and unloading is unmatched and is basically the equivalent of carrying around an O/U type shotgun. At some point in time I have run the full gamut of projectiles and powders, from pellets to lose powder. FireStick is an absolute game changer in terms of ease of use. There is no longer any need to carry around a powder horn, measuring tube, pre-loaded charges etc.
With this system you just need projectiles, FireSticks and primers and you are good to go!
Another thing that had me grinning from ear to ear was the out of the box accuracy. This was basically a three shot sight in process for me, and I can say the third shot was as result of me having fun and not wanting to put the gun away! At 100 yards I was holding sub MOA groups with ease. If you have done any bit of black powder hunting you know that a lot of times it can be quite the process to work up the “load” to get your gun shooting just right. And even after you have done that, it takes some serious attention to detail to make sure you are duplicating the exact same process to maintain this accuracy you just worked so hard to achieve. With FireStick, I was using the 100 grain charges and immediately had these results right out of the box.
First and fore-most, you definitely want to check the legalities of using FireStick in your home state. Here in Michigan, it is perfectly legal, but you are going to want to check your own state to be sure. At the very least, you are going to want to head over to FederalPremium.com and check out the FireStick for yourself. Both packages retail just under $30 and each contain 10 charges. Hopefully soon I will be posting a follow up article with some pictures of some late-season whitetail success, but until then I am all sighted in and ready to rock and can’t wait to get out there with the new Federal FireStick and Traditions Nitrofire for my favorite season of the year!
