Traditions Firearms took the lead when it developed the industry’s first capsule-style ignition system muzzleloading rifle. Now, the company claims another win with the world’s first bolt-action muzzleloader to utilize Federal’s Firestick technology. Meet the all-new Traditions NitroBolt.
by Rob Reaser
I’m sure that somewhere, maybe many “somewheres,” there are old-timey mountain men spinning in their graves — or would be if they knew the current state of muzzleloader rifle technology.
It was some kind of wonderful when the first inline and removeable breech muzzleloaders hit the scene. Along with the ignition system improvements — contrasted to percussion cap or flint sidelock designs — this new crop of muzzleloaders proved massively easier to clean and maintain and allowed for integration of many modern rifle features like precision triggers, conventional stocks, and magnified optics to take advantage of the latest bullet designs.
If trappers and explorers in the vein of Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, John Coulter, Hugh Glass, Jedediah Smith, and other men of renown had access to our current crop of muzzleloaders, there might have been a significant alteration of history. Whatever the case, muzzleloaders of today aren’t what they used to be, which has led to more people hunting for longer than the traditional centerfire rifle seasons, and that’s a good thing.
As convenient and accurate as conventional muzzleloaders are, the state of muzzleloaders got a huge boost a few years ago when Traditions Firearms teamed up with ammo manufacturer Federal and powder manufacturer Hodgdon to develop the first capsule-style ignition system for muzzleloaders. The resulting collaboration brought forth the Federal Firestick and the Traditions NitroFire muzzleloader rifle. You can read the full breakdown of the NitroFire rifle and the Firestick technology here from my first outing with the gun. I liked it so much that, despite being an old-school, ball-and-patch muzzleloader guy, I have used this setup in place of a centerfire rifle on numerous hunts since.
This year, Traditions ups the ante with the release of their all-new NitroBolt muzzleloader rifle. Powered, again, by Federal’s Firestick charged capsule, the NitroBolt introduces a bolt action, three-position safety system, and a new stock to the Nitro series.
For those of you who haven’t paid attention to the new Firestick technology, a short introduction is in order.
The Firestick consists of a polymer capsule containing a precise charge of Hodgdon Triple 8 — a powder developed specifically for the Firestick. There is a primer cup molded into the “head” of the capsule that accepts a 209 primer. On the other end, a plastic card and roll crimp seal the powder in the capsule. Upon ignition of the primer, the flash burns its own firing channel in the capsule, igniting the powder and thus pushing the bullet down the barrel.
Federal offers the Firestick in three load equivalents: 80-gr., 100-gr., and 120-gr. What’s more, the capsule is completely waterproof, so there is no chance of environmental degradation of the charge. Drop it in water…no big deal.
One of the big advantages of the Firestick, though, is that it can be removed from compatible rifles without discharge. That makes for a safer and more convenient muzzleloading experience. With the original NitroFire rifle, you simply break open the action and pull the capsule out of the breech if you want to render the gun “clear” and safe — no discharge shots needed and no powder mess to clean up.
Now, the new Traditions NitroBolt rifle takes this concept to the next level with the new bolt-action design.
The NitroBolt’s bolt is a sturdily constructed piece that is easy to disassemble for cleaning. Lockup comes via three rear locking lugs. Stout stuff right there. Here, you can see the ejector pin on the far side of the bolt face and the extractor claw on the near side. In a nod to the late-season nature of most muzzleloader seasons, the bolt handle is oversized and deeply grooved for easy operation with gloved hands.
As with the original NitroFire rifle, the new NitroBolt is a conventional muzzleloader in that the bullet must be loaded from the muzzle. Start a .50-caliber sabot bullet into the muzzle and push it with a ramrod until it seats on its shelf located just forward of the charge chamber. Should you wish to remove the bullet without firing, the bullet can be pushed out of the barrel from the breech end with a ramrod. Simple.
With the bullet seated and the NitroBolt’s bolt open, the Firestick can now be inserted into the chamber through the ejection port.
Next, push the bolt forward and rotate to its closed and locked position.
In its loaded condition, the NitroBolt functions like any other conventional bolt-action rifle. Move the safety lever located just behind the bolt handle all the way forward to the fire position and pull the trigger.
A smart feature that Traditions’ engineers factored into the new rifle design is a three-position safety lever. The full rearward position places the gun in safe mode. The full forward position is fire (indicated by the red dot). There is also a third position midway between the two. Here, the gun is in safe mode, but the bolt can be opened and pulled back to allow for safe removal of an unfired capsule. Note the cocked indicator at the back of the bolt.
After firing, rotate and pull the bolt back to eject the empty capsule. I found it interesting that despite the capsule rim being make of polymer, it holds up to engagement with the steel extractor claw, allowing it to be removed efficiently and smoothly from the chamber.
The NitroBolt features a barrel similar to that of the NitroFire in that it is made of chromoly steel with a tapered and fluted profile. It comes with a 1:24 VAPR twist for optimal stabilization of a broader range of .50-caliber bullet weights. Overall barrel length is 24 inches. The free-float barrel comes threaded so you can add a muzzle brake.
The stock is definitely an upgrade in the muzzleloader world. The rubber butt pad offers a plush cushion for recoil mitigation, and included spacers allow for custom length-of-pull adjustment — a definite plus when wearing heavy cold-weather clothing. The cheek riser is also adjustable to give you perfect eye alignment behind the scope. Traditions supplies pre-installed sling swivel studs for no-fuss sling-up. Finally, the stock is pillar bedded for a solid barreled action union.
My time with the NitroBolt involved a two-day whitetail hunt during Ohio’s bonus season. The temperature, combined with an obnoxious wind chill during sight-in, was brutal and our makeshift shooting bench had much to be desired. All challenges aside, I was able to zero the gun with one shot to establish scope adjustment and three for group verification. At 100 yards, the NitroBolt delivered an easy .75 MOA with Tradition’s Smackdown ELD-X 340-grain bullets and 100-grain Firesticks. I was duly impressed, although I should not have been since I get that same accuracy from my Traditions NitroFire when shooting the same 100-grain Firestick with Hornady’s 290-grain Bore Driver FTX bullets.
Bottom line, Traditions gets it right. These guns shoot.
The new Traditions NitroBolt is, for sure, the apex of muzzleloader technology today. This gun is super-accurate, easily customizable, convenient in operation, and as safe and hassle-free as it gets. If you’ve been holding off on jumping onto the Firestick bandwagon, the NitroBolt might be the excuse for which you’ve been waiting.
