Offical 2013 - 2014 Muzzle Loader Thread

[ted_kennedys_liver]

Last year this topic really picked up steam since they added the "Otherside of the Ranch". Figured I would start it off since unfortunately January will be here before we know it and for those who have already got into the sport, you know how difficult it is to find that "special" flavor your muzzie likes. From bullets to sabbots to powder to pellets to fouling a barrel to cleaning.

Read some really scary threads last year...I mean REALLY scary. These things are controlled pipe bombs basically and can be very dangerous.

Just a few tips from what I recall last year. If you have to hammer in your sabbot with bullet - your sabbot is too thick.

Mark your ram rod so you know where proper seat of bullet and sabbot is each time so you dont load twice or leave gap between poder and bullt/sabbot.

Black powder substitutes such as Triple seven use water based solvents. Powders such as Blackhorn 209 require oil based solvents (avoid anything with kerosene such as Hoppes and DO NOT use water based solvents), Montana Extreme is best I have found.

Generally you need to clean barrel after every shot with the powder substitutes due to smoke ring build up and crud in the barrel. Blackhorn (in my muzzie) can go up to 12 shots without cleaning.

Foul the barrel with a primer or two on a clean barel before shooting.

Clean and load the barrel same way every time. Consistency is key to accuracy. I weigh my powder loads and pour them into the ez load tubes.

Their is a difference betewwn 100 grains of powder by wight vs volume. BE CAEREFUL FOLLOWING OTHERS THREADS on loads they use.

More powder isnt always better.

I will post more later but this will be a good starter.

I shoot a TC Triumph Bone Collector Edition.

[Hoggslayer]

This is good info. My wife gave me a muzzleloader a few years ago for Christmas. I shot some at the range once just to sight it in. The sabot and bullet is a booger to get down the bore I never had to hammer it but I had to put some arse on it just to get it moving. I took it out hunting one morning and it was really cold out, I broke the ramrod trying to load the dang thing. I put it in my gun safe and haven't shot it since. Maybe I'll get it out and try it again.

[1borntohunt]

This is good info. My wife gave me a muzzleloader a few years ago for Christmas. I shot some at the range once just to sight it in. The sabot and bullet is a booger to get down the bore I never had to hammer it but I had to put some arse on it just to get it moving. I took it out hunting one morning and it was really cold out, I broke the ramrod trying to load the dang thing. I put it in my gun safe and haven't shot it since. Maybe I'll get it out and try it again.

just let me know when you're ready

[fishnhuntdad]

I really like shooting them. So far I've shot a javalina and a doe. I just bought a REAL lee mold and I made up some bullets. They are 320 grain I figured I would use 100g pyrodex. My rifle is an open sight cva buckhorn.

[Phillip Fields]

Some good info above.

I shoot either a Thomson Center Encore ProHunter .50 cal or a Lyman Great Plains sidelock .54 cal. In the Thompson I use 3 of the 50 grain Pyrodex pellets behind a Hornady SST sabot with 250 grain bullet. In the Lyman I use a .530 round ball patched with .015 pillow ticking in front of 110 grains (by volume) of FFg black powder. I have taken half a dozen deer with the Thompson and 30-35 with the Lyman. I took my first game (250 lb pig) with a muzzleloader in 1977.

I season and lubricate the bores with Thompson Bore Butter and clean with Thompson No.13 solvent or very hot water. I never use any petroleum based lubes or solvents on any of my muzzleloaders as they will destroy the seasoning of the bore butter.

The Thompson sabots were very difficult to load in my Thompson and I had to swab the bore before I could load another round. With the Hornady I can load 5 or 6 times before I have to swab the bore.

As stated above do not confuse weight and volume when deciding on a load, muzzleloader charges are usually stated in volume. Consistency is the key to accuracy with a muzzleloader.

[Hoggslayer]

I was using the Thompson sabots in a 50cal NEF. I'll try some of the Hornady and see if they load a little easier.

[RTC]

I have a T/C Hawken 50 cal, like to shoot round ball and patch. I have not use it in a while but use Pyrodex back then. What would you guys recommend as apowder?

[ted_kennedys_liver]

I shoot 45 cal 300gr speer gold dots, 100 gr (BY VOLUME - cant recall eact weight) of blackhorn 209 with Harvester H5045 SB sabots (will have to double check on that but have had good luck with the crushed rib as well) and Remington STS primers out of my TC Triumph. The Triumph has one of the tightest barrels of the 50 cals which is why its a booger finding what it liked. I have less than 1/4 " group at 100 yds. as of last season after three years of 3" - 4" groups. I got better group out of that than I did my Kimber

Order an assortment of sabbots from Harvester. I contacted them directly and they sent me a sample pack of about 10 each.

I unfortunately dont have any experience shooting the blackpowder subsitutes (eg pellets) so wont be able to help much on that one.

Blackhorn 209 is the way to go. You can shoot up to 10-12 times without cleaning. I generally go 8. I just hate cleaning these things.

All of the Northern Muzzie hunters swear by the gold dots. To date I have not had the opportunity to kill anything with it but all of the ballistics out to 150yds - 200yds make this the bullet of choice. the guys up north who can oonly use Muzzies know there stuff. Check out the black powder section of www.hunting.net - those guys know there stuff and can be a tremendous help with whatever muzzie you have.

The right sabbot is the one that requires a firm grab but steady push down. Shuld be able to push it down with one hand with a little bit of difficulty. It should not be so tight it requires two hands or grunts to get it seated. It also shouldnt just slide down with little effort. You will know the feel when you find the right sabbot.

Cleaning. I know it sounds crazy but it works.

First take breach plug out and let it soak in a pill bottle full of blackhorn or Barnes solvent before you start cleaning barrel this saves a lot of time and makes breach plug cleaning much easier

Only use a tipton or Dewey cleaning rod. Brass rods jack up barrels. I run through probably 5 dry patches to get most of the residue. I then use use Blackhorn Blackpowder solvent or Barnes CR10 (Dont use Hoppes or anything with Kerosene. It creates a film in the barrel that takes forever to get out after you cant figure out why you cant get a consistent group. You will feel the sabbot drag then slide as you are using ramrod.... dont ask me how I know I use a brass cleaning rod as the ramrod from a 50 cal cleaning kit. Once you get barrel spotless. i run two dry patches through to catch any remaining solvent. Then a run 1 alcohol soaked patch through, this help dislove and dry out any remaining solvent or powder. I then pop two primers in cleaned barrel. I then take a dry patch and run it through barrel from breach side and outend of barrel (DO NOT DRAG IT BACK - you are simulating the path the bullet/sabbot will go plus not dragging all the debris into the threads o wherethe breach plug screws into.

Cleaning breach plug. I have two breach plugs that I use to sight in. the dirty one wil soak in a pill bottle full of solvent. I use pipe cleaners to clean flash alley and a small drill bit to make sure breach plug flash hole is clear (The bit is exact size of hole so dont want you to think you will be enlargening flash hole. I use very fine steel wool and solvent to clean depressed area of flash hole. Its tough to clean so it takes a bit.

Now you are ready to pour and load.

[ted_kennedys_liver]

Just remeber more powder isnt always better. I know of some guys that get better accuracy with less than 100gr. Where I hunt my shots with the muzzie are 150 yds max. Dont know about shooting one further but they are good out to 200-225. Only thing is their is a big difference between 150 and 200yds with these rifles and bullets. wind plays havoc

[cbrown]

I shoot a Knight Revolution 50cal. Using 300gr Hornady SSTs over 3 pellets (150gr) of 777.

Do not use 3 pellets of 777 unless your muzzleloader is magnum rated.

[ted_kennedys_liver]

Ttt

[ted_kennedys_liver]

Here is a pic from two years ago of quite a few shots with the tc triumph and toying with 110 gr of bh209. Honestly thought I had broke my shoulder. Softball size knot came up. This was 2 weeks after. I definitely slightly dislocated it that day. The blue which later on turned to green as shown in pic goes down to nipple and just shy of elbow. Thing kicks like a mule. You should see the recoil pad I have on it and the recoil harness I wear at range. All I can do to get eye in scope range. 100 gr is good enough for me

[ted_kennedys_liver]

ttt

[ted_kennedys_liver]

ttt - getting about time to burn some powder

[ted_kennedys_liver]

ttt