Just Curious???

[missionx4]

Im just wondering...I use a muzzelloader during shotgun season and muzzelloader season...Does anyone else and if so what type of muzzelloader you have? And how many grains of powder you use?

I have a Knight Wolverine II that i bought with my birthday money when i was 12. It has a bass pro shops $30 dollar special scope on it lol but i took a 9 point and 2 doe down with it last year...not counting the one i took down with a bow too!!! And i only use 100grains of powder with a heavy powerbelt bullet. Great knockdown power.

[daveedka]

I have several charcoal burners and only hunt with black powder during deer gun season here in Ohio. I have found the muzzleloaders to be far Superior to a shotgun in range, and shock delivery both.

I'm somewhat of a traditionalist and don't use in-lines, Currently I do Most of my hunting with a Cabela's Blue ridge rifle .50 cal percussion. I also own and have killed deer with my traditions Pennsylvania rifle and I have an old Hawkins that my uncle made from a kit that I've killed a few with. The Hawkins is marked as a monarch, and he bought the kit at K-mart years and years ago.

I make my own bullets and use Maxi's in the Blue ridge and the Hawken, and round ball only in the traditions. I also have a .50 Ky pistol I made from a kit and inlaid to match the PA rifle, but it only comes out for exhibition shooting and stuff we do with the boy scouts.

Dad uses a Remington 700 ss Synthetic .50 cal inline during the regular gun Season and a lyman Great plains rifle for Muzzy season.

Dave

[missionx4]

My papaw is the same way up until this year when it came to muzzies...He used percussion sidelocks. Then he got ahold of my dads optima inline and he loved it...i still dont think he got to get a shot off with it yet though. He cant complain though he shot a 13 point and a doe last year with a bow. His first bow kills and he gets those within 24 hours of each other...i was VERY happy for him this year. Was really surprised when we walked up on his big buck. Its now hanging on his wall with his other big one.

[mastercatter]

When I was hunting deer I went to a T/C Renagade .54 cal. Shooting 90grs of FFF DuPont ,percussion cap. Would shoot patched balls but changed to maxi ball then the buffalo bullet at 225 grs. Could get 3 to 4 shots off in under 60 sec with 3 to 5 inch spread at 150 yds. Rifled barrel was 26 inch with a 1 in 18 in twist for a more stable shot. ( most twist is any where from 1 in a 26 to 1 in 32 in ) The faster the twist the more accurate the shot. You shooting a 100 gr of powder is probally only burning about 87% and the rest is a waste, depending on length of your barrel. Even with the fastest burning powder it is not much more than about 92%. To prove this place a white bed sheet spread out on the ground about 10 yds in front of the barrel. Shoot from the prone one time then go and look at how much unburned powder is laying on the sheet ....This is because the round leaves the barrel before max pressure can build and all the powder is burned. You will find that if you start over in "sighting' in at 65 grs and increasing by 5 every 8 to 10 rounds with proper cool down of the barrel that your best charge and tighter group will be at between 75 and 90 grs. without any loss of enegry or knock down.. Just my personal experence of shooting of over 50 years and hundreds of thousands of rounds being shot.from all different guns and cals. One last thing and do yourself a very good deed...Wear a set of GOOD shooting muffs or shooter's ear plugs even when hunting. THEY DO NOT INTERFER WITH NORMAL HEARING and are designed for shooting!!!!

[missionx4]

Good Info!!! Yeah...hear protection is important and we never use it. Im 17 and can already feel the effects of shooters ear!

[daveedka]

Buy a set of the nice electronic muffs. I use them at scout camp with the Youth and they are great. I've started using them hunting the last few years also.

The twist rate of a barrel has different effects on different Bullets. Round Balls shoot best with a 1:66 or a 1:72 twist anything faster and they go whoopy on you. Maxi's do real well with a 1:48 but shorter twists don't shoot them well. The modern Sabot's and longer sligs shoot nicely with the 1:18 and 1:24 twist, but if you try to shoot them through a gun with a long twist the tumble. it' all has a trelationship and long twists are far more accurate with short bullets.

One of my favorite examples of this is the .308 verses the 30.06. Both are ballistically equal, both develope identical muzzle velocities with identical bullets. both shoot the same diameter bullets. The 06 is inherently more accurate at long ranges, and additionally it will shoot the long 220 grain bullets well while a .308 will not. The 308 however shoots short little 110gr bullets well and the 06 tumbles them. The 06 is standard production with a 1:12 twist and the 308 is standard production with a 1:10 twist. That 2" difference in twist rate has a drastic effect on their abilities, but both have certain bullet weights and types that show them to be superior.

Dave

[ray21465]

that is some very good info dave thanks alot