What Muzzleloader are you using?

[bigboreblr]

Curious what folks are going out there with. What you're loading into it, what is your zero and max distance. Maybe even what distance you need minimum to hunt ok.

I got a T/C Omega with 1.5-45x32 bushnell elite 3200 scope. Currently put 240gr XTP's in it with 100grs of FFFg blackpowder. 3 inches high at 100 yards. Still need to play with the gun more to see what it does long distances. Used to say 150 yards was good. That was before hunting very open farmland though.

Also use a lyman great plains flintlock in 54 cal with 80grs FFFg blackpowder. Hits dead on at 100 yards. Try not to go past 125 yards with that gun, but can hit 150 yards decent with it. Got a peep sight on it.

I know soe of you guys are hunting elk out there with blackpowder.......

I bounce around thinking I'm good, to I need more range, to working up a semi-modern saboted flintlock for PA.

 

[Native Hunter]

I’m shooting a custom, smokeless 45 cal Hankins that launches 275 grain bullets at 3,000 fps. Accuracy is a ragged hole at 100 yds.

 

[gjs4]

Got a few. CVA Accura, Savage ML and "black Mamba" a rem700 based action, 45 cal with a 25.5" mcgowan barrel, al chassis with carbon thumbhole, dnz single base and rings , leupold vxr....68gr 4198 and fury x2 bullets., 2800 fps, A kill right at 500, couple in the low 400s...gimmee a good rest and chit dies

If youre ever in wNY swing by and check it out buddy

 

[Telemark]

I have a Knight Wolverine. I think my dad has a Knight Disc. They're excellent rifles. I can't remember the load unfortunately, but I shoot sabots.

 

[Maddog66]

I shot a knight for years. Great shooter and very waterproof but seriously sucks to clean.

Now I’m using a short CVA called a “mountain rifle”. I like it with a 2-7 VX3. (3- 777 pellets, and Hornady SST bullets, and Winchester 209 primers).

Both have worked great for our mostly sub 150 yard shots in WI. But honestly most of the deer I’ve killed with my ML were in bow range.

I was in Utah this fall. Now those cats have some front stuffer hardware!! They claim 6-800 yard elk kills with smokeless!!

 

[goatman]

I have a LHR Redemption 50cal (Later sold to Thompson Center and called a Strike). Shoot Harvestor Scorpion PT gold 240gr with a crushed rib sabot in it with 63gr of weighed Blackhorn 209 pushing it. I also pickup my Thompson Center Impact once in awhile just because muzzleloading doesn't have to be expensive. Triple seven pellets and a powerbelt.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Also use a lyman great plains flintlock in 54 cal with 80grs FFFg blackpowder. Hits dead on at 100 yards. Try not to go past 125 yards with that gun, but can hit 150 yards decent with it. Got a peep sight on it.

I bounce around thinking I'm good, to I need more range, to working up a semi-modern saboted flintlock for PA.

I shoot a 50 cal Lyman GP flintlock too. Are you shooting round balls? Is yours the slow twist or fast twist "hunter" barrel? I have the slow twist, but have a brand new hunter barrel for it too. I rarely need to shoot far enough to require a sabot or PA conical, so the spare barrel stays new. I'm not confident enough to shoot over 100, if I could even have the chance.

 

[356]

I have three Muzzleloading rifles and use them all at various times. My first (and oddly, my favorite to shoot) is a Traditions “Timber Ridge” that came in a Blister pac at Cabelas. It’s accurate, put a pain to clean. The Thompson Center Impact is a great rifle and one I feel comfortable to 150 yards. The CVA Optima V2 is one I‘ve had just over a year and is still not dialed in. During the off season I will be adding a Leupold or Vortex scope, with a goal of 200 yard accuracy. I’ve done kills at 120 with the Timber Ridge and 140 with the Thompson Center. Both ended up very close to point of aim, with short (40-50 yard) blood trails.

I shoot Hornady Bore Driver FTX 290 grain using two White Hot pellets In the Timber Ridge and three pellets in the Thompson Center.

​

 

[Angus 1895]

I’m shooting a custom, smokeless 45 cal Hankins that launches 275 grain bullets at 3,000 fps. Accuracy is a ragged hole at 100 yds.

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That’s incredible!

what bullet do you use?

what powder ? Ignition system?

what center fire has those ballistics?

how would it do with a heavy slug?

 

[Native Hunter]

That’s incredible!

what bullet do you use?

what powder ? Ignition system?

what center fire has those ballistics?

how would it do with a heavy slug?

I use Pittman Bullets. The gun comes with a sizing die that you run the bullets through to get them the exact size of the bore. This is very easy. These bullets are what Jeff Recommended. Link = https://www.pittmanbullets.com/

The powder is IMR 4198. When you buy the gun he will give you the max grains.

The Ignition system is Jeff's own design. Link to Jeff's ignition system = https://hanksprecisiongunparts.com/p/hankins-ignition-system-his-complete-kit-5-8-18-tpi

Ballistics will be somewhat similar to a 375 Remington Ulti Mag shooting a 260 grain bullet at around 3,000 fps. Jeff has worked out all the numbers for scope settings at different ranges. See my picture above shown on the scope.

A heavy slug? I'm already shooting a 275 grain bullet at 3,000 fps, so I'm not interested in shooting anything heavier - especially after I gut shot a coyote full of ripe persimmons. My stomach won't take a bigger mess than that was.

 

[bigboreblr]

I shoot a 50 cal Lyman GP flintlock too. Are you shooting round balls? Is yours the slow twist or fast twist "hunter" barrel? I have the slow twist, but have a brand new hunter barrel for it too. I rarely need to shoot far enough to require a sabot or PA conical, so the spare barrel stays new. I'm not confident enough to shoot over 100, if I could even have the chance.

I shoot roundballs. I weigh each ball and toss out any light ones. I use .018" patches soaked in 1:7 ballistol/water, then let them dry. I shoot cloverleafs at 100 yards.

Saw a huge 10 pointer in PA state forest in 2018. 150 yards. Didn't shoot, but had 2 or 3 minutes to make a shot. Got home, put a gong out at 150. ding. next shot. ding. 3rd shot ding.............

 

[Booner21]

That’s incredible!

what bullet do you use?

what powder ? Ignition system?

what center fire has those ballistics?

how would it do with a heavy slug?

Mine is something similar. This is exit from a little slower (my 8year old shoots) load going about 2250 with a 275gr bullet.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Telemark]

I talked to my dad, and he said we were using XTP bullets with Hodgdon Triple Seven pellets, sighted in at 100 yds. Performance has always been excellent with these bullets. Apparently we are running low on the XTP bullets, so I will probably try out a box of ELD-X bullets next, since I've had such great experiences with them in my 308.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

T/C Triumph Bone Collector w/ 3-9x40 Nikon bdc (looking to upgrade scope this offseason) 110 grn Blackhorn 209 w/250 grn barnes TMZ. I don't exactly love the gun. I would like to have one with a thumbhole as i find most stocks uncomfortable to shoot. It shoots fantastic so I have no reason to "upgrade"

 

[Mtyhunter]

My smoke pole is almost 20 yrs old. Thompson Omega 50 cal, laminated stock, thompson scope. shooting 100 grain pellets with a 270 grain powerbelt platinum bullet. zero'd at 50 yds, maybe 2 inches low at 150. Not enough scope to shoot to 200. It is and has always been amazingly accurate and has never misfired.
Note that one year, while hunting, i pulled it out of the case and the damn trigger was broken in half, had no idea what happened. It was prob 10 yrs old at that time. Sent it in to Thompson, and they not only put a new trigger in it, but they also said they recoated the barrel for me, all at no charge.
Have seen some cool muzzleloaders, ^like Native's Hankins^, but no need for me to upgrade.
I love the thumbhole stocks too ST. Have bought 2 from Boyds, both laminated, and have had zero issues. Note that both of these were lefthanded stocks to fit on righthanded rifles.

 

[chickenlittle]

I used to be big into ML and have more of those than centerfire guns. Didn't get any out this season. I only got out hunting a couple times and used a new Howa Mini in 6.5 Grendel that I bought for my daughter's first rifle.

I have a bunch of White Rifles inlines that i purchase 15-20 years ago. A .410, 2 models in .451, 3 or 4 in .504. I use #11 caps, 777 powder, and shoot large conicals from No Excuses. My favorite is a .451 thunderbolt that I converted to the model 91 action. Shoots great out to 200yards but a 460gr conical is dropping fast at that distance. 2nd favorite is a .504 Bison model with a bull barrel. I occasionally see a Bison in .540 cal on Gunbroker but I haven't got one yet. A whitelighting in 0.504 has a shortened stock for my girls to use at some point.

And 3 flintlocks - a .54 Lyman Great Plains, and a .50 Traditions deerhunter, and a 12g fowler. Didn't get out for flintlock season this year. I admire the pretty flintlocks but I never got serious about buying or making one. I liked what I saw on youtube recently of Kibler's CNC machined locks. His locks look pretty slick.

 

[birdog]

Encore Pro Hunter with an ASG smokeless .45 barrel. 60gr of IMR 4198 and a 275gr ASG NSR bullet. Shoots just under 2600fps. Vortex Viper 4-16x44 for glass. I will size up some Pitmans in the spring just for fun to see how they shoot. No problem out to 300 with this set up.

I also have two Knight .45 Discs that shoot very good bullet to bore with 120gr/v of BH209 and a sized 265gr Fury STB on top of a veggie wad. One is black nitride with a Jeff Fisk custom two piece breech plug and a tungsten bushing. This system seals very well with no issues. I converted my other disc to a Lehigh breech plug that uses vent liners. After shimming the primer pocket this seals up great also. Both of these Knight rifles are very good shooters and right at moa.

 

[bigboreblr]

Some of you guys are shooting ICBM's here. Almost bought a remington 375 mag, had a gander mountain closing by my house. Sorta glad I backed out. Thinking some of these guns put some hurt out.

Telemark, find more XTP's if you can get them. I think they work great. I really like my omega. One spot I hunt is very open and deer are scarce once the corn is chopped. If I could shoot it plenty of 350 yard shots and a few 500 yards ones too.

Sold off all my IMR4198 when I got out of reloading. Used it for 30-30, 450 marlin, and 7.6x39. Used to shoot local military matches with the bad guys gun, a SKS. Every 3rd year or so, it goes up to camp for rifle season.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Encore Pro Hunter with an ASG smokeless .45 barrel. 60gr of IMR 4198 and a 275gr ASG NSR bullet. Shoots just under 2600fps. Vortex Viper 4-16x44 for glass. I will size up some Pitmans in the spring just for fun to see how they shoot. No problem out to 300 with this set up.

I also have two Knight .45 Discs that shoot very good bullet to bore with 120gr/v of BH209 and a sized 265gr Fury STB on top of a veggie wad. One is black nitride with a Jeff Fisk custom two piece breech plug and a tungsten bushing. This system seals very well with no issues. I converted my other disc to a Lehigh breech plug that uses vent liners. After shimming the primer pocket this seals up great also. Both of these Knight rifles are very good shooters and right at moa.

I've got the same encore setup with a preferred (rather than brux) barrel blank but i went and messed up my barrel this year. Loaded a round, hunted with it a couple days, never shot. It sat in the safe for a few weeks and I took it with me to the range next time I was going to shoot my centerfires to get it empty for the season. I pulled the trigger on it and it just walloped me with recoil, enough that I knew something wasn't right! Broke the action open and the primer dropped out of the module. Upon closer inspection I had a small bulge in the barrel. Luke told me the bullet can cold weld to the barrel if left there for too long and that's likely what happened. I didn't worry about leaving a rifle charged with smokeless/jacketed bullets for a few weeks but damn if that wasn't an expensive mistake! Never had any inclement weather, moisture, or even really humidity though.

 

[birdog]

I've got the same encore setup with a preferred (rather than brux) barrel blank but i went and messed up my barrel this year. Loaded a round, hunted with it a couple days, never shot. It sat in the safe for a few weeks and I took it with me to the range next time I was going to shoot my centerfires to get it empty for the season. I pulled the trigger on it and it just walloped me with recoil, enough that I knew something wasn't right! Broke the action open and the primer dropped out of the module. Upon closer inspection I had a small bulge in the barrel. Luke told me the bullet can cold weld to the barrel if left there for too long and that's likely what happened. I didn't worry about leaving a rifle charged with smokeless/jacketed bullets for a few weeks but damn if that wasn't an expensive mistake! Never had any inclement weather, moisture, or even really humidity though.

Wow, sorry to hear that. I would have thought leaving a load in for a few weeks would have been no problem. Mine's the Brux barrel and I cleared mine after our muzzleloader weekend even though i had planned to use it 3 weeks later for late season. I thought about leaving it in and then talked myself out if it.