First muzzleloader questions

[Prairie Acres]

This year I finally have the time to participate in Wisconsin's muzzleloader season at the end of the regular rifle season. I don't know anyone who uses a muzzleloader so I've had to do my own research. I've decided that I'll buy the CVA Optima V2 with a scope.

I only plan on shooting the muzzleloader enough to get it sighted in and take it hunting. I don't plan on shooting it for fun so hopefully not a lot of shots. Is the added cost of Blackhorn 209 worth it in my circumstance? The powder is more expensive, harder to find and I would also need to buy a special breech plug for it.

Where to buy my powder and bullets? Anyone order from Natchez Shooting and Outdoors? They seem to have really good prices.

Thanks.

 

[Bszweda]

I have the same muzzle loader as you, and use 209 primers, triple seven pellets, and power belts. I also only shoot it a few times before hunting to make sure it's sighted in. I cleaned it with boiling water as soon as possible after shooting. If you shoot it and don't clean it within a few hours you can have misfires. It's also a good idea before you go hunting to shoot an empty 209 primer through it. I've order from Natchez without problems. Why not purchase stuff from BPS or a local gun shop?

 

[swat1018]

Don't discount the need for cleaning fairly promptly after firing.

 

[Telemark]

Powerbelts can be picky when it comes to velocity. I have seen them act like a frangible when driven to fast, and like a pencil when driven too slow. You will probably get more consistent performance with a .44 cal bullet and sabot combo. Hornady XTP is a good one to try. I use .44 cal bullets with a sabot, and it knocks the everloving crap out of the deer.

 

[bigboreblr]

IN 2024 it's hard to get a bad muzzleloader. They pretty much all shoot well. In general loose powder is cheaper to shoot than pellets. I actually use goex real blackpowder in my modern inline. Got a Thompson center omega and a CVA wolf. I use the real stuff because I shoot old flintlocks more often. I use 80gr FFFg blackpowder in the thomspne center with harvester sabots and 44 mag 240gr hornady XTP hollow points. The CVA is a loaner gun for the family. I put only 60grs powder and 180gr 40 cal bullets in it.

No need for more than 100grs of powder unless you need all the range you can get, or your shooting something bigger than deer.

This is what I do to clean. Cut open a soda bottle and fill ti up a bit with soap and water. I push a nylon brush up and down the barrel. I cover the scope with plastic and rubber bands. You can also spray some windex down the barrel and use the brush and patches. I do that on the road away from home. Clean the threads and wipe down the trigger group. I usualy clean it with the stock off. Wipe down the outside of the barrel and the scope too. Put some patches down the barrel until dry. I spray some WD40 on a patch and push it down the barrel. Store the gun muzzle down.

The breech plug never sees a drop of oil. Buy either a 3mm or 1/8" drill bit. Clean out the fouling with the drill bit with your fingers. Then wash the breech with soap and water. The threads I use a little bit of that paste threadlocker. I used to fire a cap before using. But keeping it squeaky clean I have never had a misfire with the gun.

If buying a gun, stainless is the way to go. While my flitlocks are all regular steel, its worth it having the stainless. MY barrel looks brand new in my omega. Probably 16 years old or so.

Before I used real blackpowder I used loose triple 7 powder. 209 is also good too. White hots are the cleanest that I know of. Primers, I use use plain old shotgun 209's. Work just fine.

 

[Prairie Acres]

This is what I do to clean

Thanks for taking the time to post this, it's very helpful!

 

[buckdeer1]

I won't buy anything except stainless barrel and it makes it alot easier to clean.I use powdered pyrodex,100 grains a a sabot.Be sure and put thread grease on your breech plug. and I always shoot a cap at a piece of paper on the ground to dry out and to make sure breech plug is open.make sure you know where on your ram rod is an empty gun VS a loaded gun.Get a powder measure tube and starter handle.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

IN 2024 it's hard to get a bad muzzleloader. They pretty much all shoot well. In general loose powder is cheaper to shoot than pellets. I actually use goex real blackpowder in my modern inline. Got a Thompson center omega and a CVA wolf. I use the real stuff because I shoot old flintlocks more often. I use 80gr FFFg blackpowder in the thomspne center with harvester sabots and 44 mag 240gr hornady XTP hollow points. The CVA is a loaner gun for the family. I put only 60grs powder and 180gr 40 cal bullets in it.

No need for more than 100grs of powder unless you need all the range you can get, or your shooting something bigger than deer.

This is what I do to clean. Cut open a soda bottle and fill ti up a bit with soap and water. I push a nylon brush up and down the barrel. I cover the scope with plastic and rubber bands. You can also spray some windex down the barrel and use the brush and patches. I do that on the road away from home. Clean the threads and wipe down the trigger group. I usualy clean it with the stock off. Wipe down the outside of the barrel and the scope too. Put some patches down the barrel until dry. I spray some WD40 on a patch and push it down the barrel. Store the gun muzzle down.

The breech plug never sees a drop of oil. Buy either a 3mm or 1/8" drill bit. Clean out the fouling with the drill bit with your fingers. Then wash the breech with soap and water. The threads I use a little bit of that paste threadlocker. I used to fire a cap before using. But keeping it squeaky clean I have never had a misfire with the gun.

If buying a gun, stainless is the way to go. While my flitlocks are all regular steel, its worth it having the stainless. MY barrel looks brand new in my omega. Probably 16 years old or so.

Before I used real blackpowder I used loose triple 7 powder. 209 is also good too. White hots are the cleanest that I know of. Primers, I use use plain old shotgun 209's. Work just fine.

Agree with all of this.

After my last shot on paper before I hunt I don't give the rifle a complete clean. I'll run a brush through it and then a patch with a very light solvent. Then a dry patch. I don't want any oil or solvent in the barrel if I get a chance to shoot a deer. I'm shooting a TC Omega and have not had any fouling issues at all in 15 or 16 years. Of course at season's end I do a complete clean. But with today's quality muzzleloader solvents and stainless barrels I skip the hot water bath and just clean the rifle like any other, and again, have never had any problems. The bore is as bright and clean as teh day I bought it.

One other tip....at the end of a day's hunt when I remove the primer, I always store the rifle on the muzzle pointing down. If the barrel is cold and you bring it into a warm house you might get condensation that you don't want running back down into the powder or pellet if stored vertically on the stock.

 

[KY wild]

I did all the things for years that the gentleman on this thread suggested until about 3 years ago. After hunting and firing muzzleloader I placed gun in my mud room to clean the next night and my wife complained people coming over so I stuck in gun cabinet to clean later, well 6 months later I found with used shot cap still on gun. I took it out and cleaned and could see some imperfections which had formed in the barrel, so went out and shot it a few times, it shot as good as new. My point they are tougher than we think, this gun was stainless and doubt if you could get away with it with non stainless. I don't recommend this treatment but they are not fine China

 

[bjseiler]

About 5 years ago I bought a Remington 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader. It uses special primer caps that look like .45 auto rounds without the bullet. I think it never took off and now finding those caps is a bit of a pain in the ass. I know there are some other guns like this now with their own proprietary caps. I'd probably go with a traditional muzzleloader instead of one of these in case the same thing happens.

 

[Tree Spud]

Good comments on the cleaning process. I also use Bore Butter to put a light coat on the barrel after the season.

 

[Prairie Acres]

About 5 years ago I bought a Remington 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader. It uses special primer caps that look like .45 auto rounds without the bullet. I think it never took off and now finding those caps is a bit of a pain in the ass. I know there are some other guns like this now with their own proprietary caps. I'd probably go with a traditional muzzleloader instead of one of these in case the same thing happens.

I thought about buying a muzzleloader that uses the Federal FireStick but decided against it for fear if Federal stops making them.

 

[bigboreblr]

To prevent condensation on the cold gun in a warm room, I leave a soft gun case out in the cold, put the cold gun in the case. Then bring it inside and cover the case in a blanket. If it slowly warms up it does not condensate.

Also, I put a elastic hair tie around my barrel to keep the ramrod from falling out. Sometimes I take the gun for an ATV ride out back at camp.

 

[bigboreblr]

Muzzleloader is a great adition to your hunting. I am very fortunate to live a decent ways away from pennsylvania. They have a month long muzzleloader season, a holdiay season too a few days in december. They also have an early week mid october. Tons n tons of land with good mature oaks, even foodplots in some places.

My area has numerous sunday blackpowder shoots too.

Range limitation does seems to be big for me with the inline. Sometimes the flintlock can have limitations. No scope/low light. Shoots great at 100 yards. Roundball starts to dive after that.

If I had to go down to just 1 firearm to hunt, it would be my thompson center omega. That gun harvests about 1/2 the deer I got over the years. Up in northen adirondacks in NY, there is a week of muzzleloader that is right before opening rifle season. Some years I hunt the muzzleloader and just keep with it opening rifle weekend.

I got more muzzleloaders I hunt with than I do rifles.