not very. you see people have the ability to reload munitions why would they need a singleshot muzzleloader? I will be repping a 30-30 for people and .22 for food watwat

Depends how hard the shit would need to hit the fan, why would technology go backwards? why would we lose that knowledge?

>>10373173
alright, challenge time, /k/ go build cannons and other types of heavy weapons. post pics

>>10373242
I just tested out my miniature cannon made from a pen, a bottle rocket, and an airsoft pellet. It was an immense failure as I lost the pen, the pellet didn't move, and whoever was holding the tool would have injured their fingers.

A cannon? Not so much.

Now, a muzzleloading flintlock? That would be a handy game-getter. Saves your modern ammo for other purposes.

I think a sort of blunderbuss would probably be popular, as long as there was a consistent source of propellant. When ammo is way more valuble, it would make sense to have something you could just load with a handful of stuff you find on the ground and use it as an easy deterrant

>>10373306

Now is the time to practice making gunpowder and not cause yourself serious injury while doing so.

Not very useful. It was useful back when because they were shooting ships, walls, and large groups of soldiers arranged in squares. If you want to take something big out now you use a rocket, which is easier to carry, load, aim, and fire. In SHTF you're unlikely to come across anything that requires a rocket or cannon.

The cannon would be about the same. The differece would be in the ammo and explosives. You'd make your shot cylindrical rather than spherical, like modern bullets. The explosives would be pre-packed and could be shoved in the barrel in just a second (it would be kinda difficult to keep the explosives with the shot, in SHTF you'd probably only have duct tape). Not sure about the firing mechanism.

they had breech-loading rifles in the 16th Century.

there's no reason you could'nt make a blackpowder, breech-loading rifle with modern ergonomics, accuracy etc, with modern machining techniques.

If it gets *that* bad, just adopt longbows and crossbows.

>>10373181
Because getting your hands on mercury fulminate is difficult when there's no UPS or stores to sell it.
>>10373173
Pretty useful. Even though flintlocks don't go off every time they would still be great for taking down some of nature's larger 4 legged creatures and the like.
As for defense, it's kind of a crapshoot. But I would rather have a flintlock that also works as a spear and a handy club than most other things.

>>10373401
I'm fucking retarded. Missed the point of OP's picture,


Cannons and flintlocks would be pretty useless in combat. Unless the cannons were improvised mortars or something.

>>10373420
Imagine a swat team at your door, you aim your cannon at the front door...;and....

>>10373437
... you hit two of them, demolishing you door in the process allowing the other 5 to storm in

>>10373448
Not to mention the situational awareness you would lose from going deaf. BECAUSE OF FIRING A FUCKING CANNON INDOORS.

Although modern cartridges can be reloaded, it would be impossible for the average person to manufacture to-spec primers, powders, and jacketed bullets. Even if you could do it, casings wear out after a few uses and hand manufactured ammo is much more likely to kb a gun than factory ammo due to human error. It's much easier to make black powder and mini-balls so I think rifled muzzle loaders would be a good way of saving cartridge ammo, which would only be used when absolutely necessary.