250 yard zero muzzleloader

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5 year old buck +
Anybody have a pretty flat shooting muzzleloader from a typical 50 cal? I've been using hornady XTP 240gr hollowpoints and 100grs of FFFg blackpowder. Prefer to keep around 100 grains of powder. Probably need to use white hots to get more speed.

Gun is a T/C omega, 28" barrel, pretty sure 1:28 twist.

Thinking about going from .429" down to .357" maybe. Might have to upgrade the gun, but prefer not to. Been a very good gun, shot my 1st deer with it.

About 2 high at 100, 4 low at 200, and around -24 low at 250. Would like to be 3 high at 100, and be 6 low at 250. Just put the crosshairs at the top of the back good a good 250.
 
Assuming you are getting 1850 fps at the muzzle (possibly not?), what you want is not possible. To get 6” low at 250 yards, (with scope 1.5” above barrel) you would have to zero at 229 yards. Putting your earlier yardages MUCH higher than you want.

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Looking at it from the other direction, if you want 3” high at 100 yards, you will drop to your desired 6” just over 180 yards, IF you zero at 144 yards. Then dropping to 26” by 250 yards. Black powder (or equivalent) are just not shooting that bullet that flat.

Edited to add: I'm happy to run your actual numbers if you want to provide scope height, muzzle velocity and current zero. Happy New Year.

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Anybody have a pretty flat shooting muzzleloader from a typical 50 cal? I've been using hornady XTP 240gr hollowpoints and 100grs of FFFg blackpowder. Prefer to keep around 100 grains of powder. Probably need to use white hots to get more speed.

Gun is a T/C omega, 28" barrel, pretty sure 1:28 twist.

Thinking about going from .429" down to .357" maybe. Might have to upgrade the gun, but prefer not to. Been a very good gun, shot my 1st deer with it.

About 2 high at 100, 4 low at 200, and around -24 low at 250. Would like to be 3 high at 100, and be 6 low at 250. Just put the crosshairs at the top of the back good a good 250.

Not sure your appetite for upgrading your gun but there is a builder doing smokeless conversions on the omega frame pricey but great rifles. May also look into a 45/70 conversion if smokeless is legal in your state. You won’t find a flatter shooting rifle.


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I was playing around with hornady's ballistic calculator online and going through their bullet inventory. A 357 would need to be moving 2300 to get that. Not happening with that rifle. Even IF I can get that velocity, I don't have the twist to stabilize it.

Looked at these guys.


IF I get a 45 with 100 grains of powder, 3 high at 100 and 6 low at 250 seems possible.

Might scrape up a 45 omega, or maybe swap out the barrel on the cva 50 I have.
 
I would recommend a ballistic reticle, or learn to dial for distance.

I personally found adding more powder causes less accuracy. Been told much over 90 grains is iffy that it gets burned.

Best of luck.
 
I think you need to step in to the smokeless muzzleloader arena to get what you are asking for. There is s muzzleloader forum somewhere that has a smokeless muzzleloader section in it. Your omega from what I understand can be retrofitted with a smokeless barrel.

I am still using 777 with a 250gr Hornady XTP. Very lethal under 100yds.
 
Not muzzleloader related, but the goal for an ultra-flat shooting muzzleloader reminds me of a similar thing that has always intrigued me… maybe someday making a custom rifled “slug gun” 410.

With 3” brass casings over-filled with powder, and a rifled barrel, you could essentially create a straight walled 41 caliber rifle that is legally defined as a shotgun. A “shotgun” 41 magnum, if you will. The barrel would probably have to be custom to handle the chamber pressures, but you could end up with one HECK of a rifle (I mean shotgun) for shotgun season. Probably easiest to do with a break action?


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How about the 444?
 
I am sure it's been done. Any break action gun could be converted quite easily, just pick your parent case and go. Straight walled deer cartridges seem to be the rage in the states that prohibit bottle neck rifle cartridges for deer hunting.
 
I have a Savage 10ML-II. It's a hell of a ML, the ceased production. If you can find one they are a little steep, I've been kicking around selling more.
 
Use holdover with BDC/MOA/MIL reticle or a dialing scope. Even with my 45 cal smokeless conversion pushing a high bc 275 grain XLD bullet 2560 FPS I'm approaching 5" high somewhere between muzzle and 250 yards if I were zeroed for 250.
 
Check out the CVA paramount. It's a long range muzzleloader.
 
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