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I hope there is a lot of muzzloaders on the boards to discuss this subject.
I bought a muzzleloader at the first of the year and plan to muzzleload next year. I have read alot and spent time on the range and can shoot accuratley with my muzzleloader. I shoot 100 grains of Pyrodex RS and a 275 grain Maxi-Expansion Conical. I have had very good results on the range and have learned alot, like that if you don't clean your barrel frequently you will lose accuracy. I run 1 or 2 cotton patches down my barrel every other shot. I have heard that conicals sometimes don't have the knockdown power needed. Is this true? There are many different choices and many different opinions when it comes to bullets(conicals, sabots, powerbelt, roundball) and powder(triple 7, pyrodex, pyrodex pellets) choices. [#ff0000][/#ff0000][#ff0000][size 2]What do you think the most accurate and effective load is for a 50 cal. muzzleloader and how many times do you shoot before cleaning you barrel?[/size][/#ff0000]
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I've found wih my 50 that the abslute best load for accuracy at any range is 2 50 grain pyrodex pellets and a sabot bullet. I hit dead on at 200 yards. Also, when ever I reload, I run a patch just above the sabot, that I pull right back out. It cleans up all of the execess powder. I might also add that I shoot with a scope. That alll makes all the difrence.
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I'm in a bit of a different boat than you guys. I'm a little more "traditional" I guess. I use a .50 cal also, but the twist in my barrell isn't tight enough to shoot a sabot. I like to use a patched ball behind 70 grains of pyrodex. I also use the iron sights. I can hit a paper plate every time at 100 yards and that's good enough for me. I might be able to hit something farther out with some practice, but my eyes can't handle open sights out that far. :-)
I run a patch through it every 5 shots or so and make sure that I clean it with boiling water and dish soap after every trip.
I won't be deer hunting this year though :-( No time or money.
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I shoot a 50cal TC BlackDiamond,stainless and have found the best load for my gun is 2pyrodex pellets 100gr and a 300gr Barnes expander"sabot"The bullets I have recoverd after shooting an animal have been at least 90% of the weight that they were before they were shot.I am also impressed with the 295gr powerbelt,both are a good choice!!mine stays accurate untill you shoot about 6 times then it starts to veer off!!M.H.
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If you are shooting an inline you might want to start shooting Pyrodex pellets, they will give you a more accurate charge. i would also experiment with Sabot's. Ive had good results with Barnes expanders, Hornady's new sabots and Powerbelt bullets have given me good accuracy.
I shoot a Thompson Hawken with a peep sight and a green mountain barrel with a tighter twist rate that lets me shoot Sabots more accuratly, but i cant use pellets.
100 grains of Pyrodex select and a barnes expander 300 grain sabot's will give me 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards.
Im pretty picky about finding out where my bullet is hitting after one fouling shot. I will completely clean my barrel and then fire a fouling shot, reload and see where that next shot hits. ill do this five or six times right before opening day so i know where my first shot after my fouling shot is going to impact.
Im lucky, i can shoot that first fouling shot in my backyard at 4am on opening morning "no neighbors"...then drive to where i hunt without having to spook deer by smoking out my hammer gun there.
Ive been lucky enough to take 5 deer with my muzzleloader, 3 dropped like they were hit by a piano from above, and the other 2 never made it more than 200 yards. those barnes bullets are worth the price as far as im concerned
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If you shoot a conical accuratly then i wouldnt worry.
A 50 caliber conical will hit like a mack truck with even little expansion.
big bullets make big holes.
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I know that most of the newer inline's can handle a bigger powder charge. Personally I shoot a traditional 50 caliber Thompson Hawkin, with my gun 85 grains is the most accurate load and anything over a hundred is just a waste of powder. Just experiment a little and see what shoots the best out of your gun.
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In keeping with Lundman's earlier post:
I have a White's stainless 50 caliber and I plan on using it to FISH the Green River with next week. The action is a little stiff, but it works great on those big browns. LMAO
Wise Acre, Kayote
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It all depends on your gun. You need to talor your load with the gun you own. All guns and all 50 calibers are not created equal.
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Well said! I shoot an inline. What kind of gun do you shoot and what load?
Just want to get everyones ideas.
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My .50 is a CVA hunterbolt. I shoot 80 gains of Triple 7 with a .45 pistol bullet and a sabot. It is very inexpensive and shots great. I clean after every shot if i am sighting my gun in and then after that i clean it after every other shot. I took my first Blackpowder deer last year with this setup. My only word of caution is be careful if you have the cheap plastic of plastic fiber sights get rid of them. I was shooting last night and on my 2nd shoot i was 2 feet high. I shot a third and i was still 2 feet high. I looked down and my sights had moved. They were twisted down as tight as i could get them and they still moved. I went home and order the williams firesights that are all metal.
Happy hunting and good luck.
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I bought a 50 cal CVA ultra mag that's nickel plated and a flutted barrel. I use a 1X red dot scope for simplicity not accuracy. I shoot 150 grains of pellets and a 295 grain hollow point sabot. I haven't notice much different between 100 grains and the 150 except distance is shorter and bullet speed not to mention the kick. I wouldn't load anything over what your gun is recommended for powder. Most guns are made to handle 150 grains because they are machine from one solid piece not two pressed pieces.
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Hey wetwaders,I shoot a White Rifle. They are made to shoot dirty. You can shoot ten rounds into a paper plate at a hundred yards and clean your barrel when the hunt is over without ever forcing the ramrod down.
Don't even try to use pellets with a White. They need to be smashed into the nipple cavity. I use 100 grains Pyrodex and a Shooting Star sabot. Very accurate.
The biggest problem with accuracy in a muzzleloader is consistancy. If you don't seat the bullet with the same amount of pressure every shot, you can't be consistant.
Thats why the white is a great rifle. You just push the bullet down till it makes a nice ring on your hand and you get a good load.
oops, my fishing partner is here,,,gotta go to Deer Creek.
C-YA
WALLEYEBOB
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Never heard of a blackpowder rifle that can be shot that many times without cleaning. Thats awesome!
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I've got a White super 91 in 45 caliber. With 100 grains of Pyrodex select and a 460 grain Super slug I have no trouble keeping 5 shots inside of two inches at 100 yards. I clean after I get home. Usually 5 to 10 shots.
The deer I've shot with it have died before they hit the ground. Two years ago, my nephew had knocked a big buck down and it was still breathing after the third shot. I delivered the coup de grace from ten feet away. 240 lb deer rolled completely over with the shot. I'm convinced that sabots and pistol bullets are not for me.
Fishrmn
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What type of bullet is a super slug? Thats a big hunk of lead.
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The bigger slugs/sabots have more control and accuracy. If you notice that your slugs/sabots hit sideways or begin to tumble, get a bigger size or a better made sabot. Muzzleloading is just like bow hunting with regards to practice and consistency. If you can't do either you shouldn't be hunting with a muzzleloader.
Muzzleloaders and archery equipment is the better you buy the better the results. In other words, if you buy cheap expect cheap results.
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Wetwaders,
The super slug is made by White Muzzleloaders especially for their guns. They are three times as long as the diameter or the bore. They are actually fairly soft and they are actually undersized for the bore. That way they can drop down the bore. You don't need a bullet starter, and they will actually drop several inches down the bore of a clean gun. They advise a fowling charge of powder before you begin loading the gun. The soot helps give the bullet a little bite Then when the powder is ignited, the percusion causes the slug to obturate. It shortens, and gets bigger in diameter. This is the first time that the super slug actually contacts the rifling. The slug is in almost perfect alignment with the bore. It makes the guns that can shoot the super slug very accurate.
White rifles are made for the job. They have fairly shallow rifling, and a very fast rate of twist. The most common rate of twist in the new in lines is 1 turn in 28 inches. The Whites have a one in 24 rate of twist. Most guns that shoot both patched round balls and short conicals have a one in 36 or slower twist. The rate of twist for the old flintlocks and some of the replicas is one turn in something like 72 inches. You just want a round ball to revolve slowly, or it becomes like a cuve ball thrown by a pitcher. The longer a projectile is, the faster you want it to spin on it's axis.
Good luck on the hunt, and good luck with the loading process.
Fishrmn
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I have an older 45-70, I use black powder with linen patches lubed with mink oil. I have had good success on larger carp out to about 10 feet, any farther out and they don't penetrate the water. I have not had any luck using it on my downriggers, the powder keeps getting wet and the cap falls off. I have mixed luck on the minnows at renegade, sometimes I can get 3 or 4 with one shot.
The real problem I have is that the float tubers get really ticked when I get too close to them in the spring or fall when the big cutthroats are shallow enough to shoot.
FDG
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i shoot roundballs on a tradtional muzzleloader so i can help with those loads. as for the inlines i cant help at all never used them. but if you have questions about traditional loads just drop me a line.
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