Beginner Muzzleloader Question

[Elmo]

I have absolutely zero muzzleloader experience but have been thinking about getting into it so I read up a little bit about them. I'm hesistant because I'm not sure if the danger of handling loose gun powder and the maintenance required to clean it out weights the benefit of having an extra week of deer season.

#1. Can muzzleloaders be used in shotgun only areas during regular gun season?

#2. Read that you shouldn't jam the bullet and powder into the rifle but rather apply a smooth consistent pressure. Does accidents happen? Will the round go off? What can go wrong if I jam the bullet down too violently?

#3. Also read that after the first shot, the second shot won't be as accurate anymore due to residue until you clean it. How true is that and how much does it effect your shot?

#4. If I shoot a muzzleloader but don't clean it till the next day or two days later, how bad would it be.

#5. Are there any other dangers I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

PS: If I do decide to get a muzzleloader, it'll most likely be a CVA Wolf in .50 caliber and I plan on using pellets.

[Terry]

I have absolutely zero muzzleloader experience but have been thinking about getting into it so I read up a little bit about them. I'm hesistant because I'm not sure if the danger of handling loose gun powder and the maintenance required to clean it out weights the benefit of having an extra week of deer season.

#1. Can muzzleloaders be used in shotgun only areas during regular gun season?

#2. Read that you shouldn't jam the bullet and powder into the rifle but rather apply a smooth consistent pressure. Does accidents happen? Will the round go off? What can go wrong if I jam the bullet down too violently?

#3. Also read that after the first shot, the second shot won't be as accurate anymore due to residue until you clean it. How true is that and how much does it effect your shot?

#4. If I shoot a muzzleloader but don't clean it till the next day or two days later, how bad would it be.

#5. Are there any other dangers I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

PS: If I do decide to get a muzzleloader, it'll most likely be a CVA Wolf in .50 caliber and I plan on using pellets.

1) yes

2) I think that is more for accuracy than safety. I could be wrong.

3) Both have mine have held their accuracy up to 8-10 shots with 777 pellets.

4) Depends. It's always best to clean them ASAP, but I have let mine go a couple days without any ill effects.

5) Keep flames and sparks away from the powder. Practice gun safety. And common sense goes a long way

[tughillhunter]

good choice in muzzleloader. i have that and its a good gun.

[bubba]

the issue with packing the gun too hard is especially a concern with pellets. The pellets will get crushed if you pack it too hard. The key to accuracy in a muzzleloader is consistent loading. That means the same amount of pressure on loading. I would not expect to pull the gun out of the box and have the accuracy you would need. So, you may need to work with different powders and bullets to obtain maximum accuracy. As far as safety and powder exploding, in my over 30 years of experience, I have never heard of anything like that happening. Remember if one idiot does something foolish due to liability, they have to say do not do this. Kind of like dont curl your hair in the shower. My best advise is to find a friend who knows what they are doing and learn from them.

[WNYBuckHunter]

When at the range, dont leave open powder or pellets on the bench...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=7f5Aux1Mtsc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7f5Aux1Mtsc

[landtracdeerhunter]

Nice choice in guns.I drilled a few rounds out of a CVA Wolf. That sure was a nice accurate weapon. Spot on at 108 yds. They are sure a fun gun to use. I rather enjoy a muzzleloader over my shotgun any day. Used pellets for years, and easy to use. I'd start with them. Read the owners manuel, watch the video and get expect advise, as your doing, from the many members on here, that know mz,. like the back of their hand,

Edited October 15, 2012 by landtracdeerhunter

[PREDATE]

You shouldn't need to jam the bullet. If you do, then the barrel needs to be swabbed. Some fouling in the bore sometimes makes a difference for the better or worse. You'll just need to figure out what your gun prefers. I always load for hunting on a clean barrel, therefore I practice with a clean barrel. After you've swabbed the bore, fire a primer(no bullet or powder) to clean any moisture out.

I usually leave my ML loaded for up to 5 days. I recommend a barrel "condom".

Air tight speed loads are also convenient.

An observation I made on 777 pellets, The magnum(red box) were too hot and made for radical bullet patterns. I stick with the regular(black box) and get more consistant hits. I have good results with 250gr.T/C shockwaves. I'll never use powerbelts.

Edited October 15, 2012 by PREDATE

[Elmo]

I came across a lot of hate towards CVA products particularly from Randy Wakeman. Presenting a lot of cases of CVA guns exploding and causing injury. Any thoughts on this? Was it simply a smear campaign? CVA had a recall back in the mid-90's but the most recent case I saw was in 2008.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Elmo,

A muzzle loader is different than your shotguns or your rifles but the safety steps are easy and common sense.treated with respect you won't hav an issue. Bubba made an excellent suggestion in hooking up with someone to show you the ropes.

I think you would be fine with any modern major manufacturer. just like other guns there can be plusses and minuses but at normal hunting distances these ML's will perform better than we do...lol.. Cleaning after use is different than a modern firearm but is not difficult.

I would suggest to a beginner to get an inline sice the cleaning is easier to verify and easier to unload. IMO

[bubba]

I came across a lot of hate towards CVA products particularly from Randy Wakeman. Presenting a lot of cases of CVA guns exploding and causing injury. Any thoughts on this? Was it simply a smear campaign? CVA had a recall back in the mid-90's but the most recent case I saw was in 2008.

Randy wakeman is a joke. He only runs down a gun when the company will not pay him to endorse it. It the past there were some concerns with CVA muzzleloaders years ago. There was two years that were bad. They were all recalled and destroyed. Randy Wakeman used to praise savage smokeless and T/C until the stopped paying him to do so. Then he dissed their products too. You have nothing to worry about buying a cva today.

[Elmo]

Thanks for the advice.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Elmo

[bubba]

any time

[Jeremy K]

Consistancy is the key ,i made a slip collar for my ram so i know im not over or under packing,sticky round or what not, im shooting a CVA apex and kicks some serious butt with 100g of BlackHorn and 300g shockwave.Im also rather new to it aswell.I won a shotgun at a raffle and got the smoke pole instead.

[boo711]

My wife bought me a cva wolf for x-mas last year. havent hunted with it yet but have been to the range 3 or 4 times to shoot it. i love it. using powerbelt 245 gr aerotip bullets & imr white hots powder. cleaning isnt that bad if you have the right stuff. watch the cva videos on there web site. very helpful & informative. good luck & enjoy

[Elmo]

I ended up buying the CVA Wolf. Bought a box of 777 pellets, 209 primer, and bullets. Can't remember which brands. Simply asked the guy at the counter for his recommendations. I know the bullets are 50 cal - 250 grain with the plastic sleeves. Now I just need to find some time to take it to the range.

[dbHunterNY]

I have absolutely zero muzzleloader experience but have been thinking about getting into it so I read up a little bit about them. I'm hesistant because I'm not sure if the danger of handling loose gun powder and the maintenance required to clean it out weights the benefit of having an extra week of deer season.

#1. Can muzzleloaders be used in shotgun only areas during regular gun season?

#2. Read that you shouldn't jam the bullet and powder into the rifle but rather apply a smooth consistent pressure. Does accidents happen? Will the round go off? What can go wrong if I jam the bullet down too violently?

#3. Also read that after the first shot, the second shot won't be as accurate anymore due to residue until you clean it. How true is that and how much does it effect your shot?

#4. If I shoot a muzzleloader but don't clean it till the next day or two days later, how bad would it be.

#5. Are there any other dangers I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

PS: If I do decide to get a muzzleloader, it'll most likely be a CVA Wolf in .50 caliber and I plan on using pellets.

1. yes you can.

2. the round won't go off, but you may damage the nose of the bullet or crush powder pellets which will hurt accuracy.

3. it depends on the powder charge and load.... after the first shot some maybe dirtier than others. accuracy and/or point of impact will most load combinations will change. i've seen the second shot be off by a several inches. you should run a wet patch followed by a dry patch through after each shot at least to maintain accuracy and POI. this keeps a consistant bore and allows you to seat the load the same. i shoot sub-MOA groups with my muzzleloader by doing this.

4. there could be some rust in the bore. you should clean it that day or at least remove the load if applicable and swab the barrel with a wet and patch.

5. same gun handling stuff as usual. make sure to keep the gun pointed in a safe direction if the load doesn't go off right away. be sure of what you're putting down the barrel. pay attention and don't put in powder and no bullet or load it twice. once you get a load that shoots well you can mark your ram rod with paint, tape, etc. where it meets the muzzle for a nice indicator. make sure you take the ram rod out. make sure you use a scope with lots of eye relief or don't put your eye close to the scope. make sure you seat the bullet fully and not part way down the barrel. finally make sure you don't use more powder than the maximum the manufacturer recommends for your gun (over 100 grains). all powders aren't equal at 100 or 150 grains. some you must use less.

hope that helps.

[Elmo]

It's been a hectic last couple of weeks for me so I decided to take a personal day today to finish some errands to run up to the shooting range later in the afternoon.

1st I confirmed zero on my 12 gauge, then I tried the muzzleloader. 2 pellets (100 grains) with 250 grain TC shockwave bullets. Ohhh...that things was smooth. Maybe it was because I had just taken a pounding by putting 11 rounds of solid slugs down the range but the CVA Wolf hardly kicked at all.

I must find a better way of handling the primer. Those things are tiny and I keep my nails short. As I was trying to get one out of the box, my elbow knocks the rifle off the table. It fell on the scope, breaking it. $100 down the drain. I would have been a lot more upset if it was one of my more expensive scope. I ended up going over to Gander and buying a cheap Simmons scope for the time being. But essentially I wasted the trip to the range. Never got a chance to shoot a second shot. Will have to come back to the range another day to sight in the new scope.

Pros: MZ with the load I was using is gentle on my shoulder. After having to pound shotgun slugs, I kick of a MZ on 100 grains of powder is a love tap. I don't see myself going back to the slug gun ever again.

Cons: So many moving parts. I found myself fumbling the whole time. I guess part of that is because I'm new to MZ and still trying to figure it out. Cleaning it is a pain in the @$$!

Edited November 28, 2012 by Elmo

[bubba]

once you get a routine, it becomes less scattered.

[First-light]

If you didn't shoot the gun for the day keep it in the same type of climate over night. Don't want to bring it into a hot cabin and have condensation form in the powder. It will ruin your hunt the next day. I made that mistake and lost a buck.

[WNYBuckHunter]

If the outside temps move my 10 degrees or more, Id unload and reload it. Condensation can be a problem. Almost didnt get my buck this year because of it.

[Chromeslayer]

If the outside temps move my 10 degrees or more, Id unload and reload it. Condensation can be a problem. Almost didnt get my buck this year because of it.

i dont think a 10degree temp swing will hurt you load... more than likely you flash hole has carbon build up.... 1/8 drill bit, and a torch tip cleaner are your freind in your TC breech plug

[fasteddie]

Before I even bought my in-line I bought a book by Sam Fadela that explained everything you would want to know about shooting BP . I looked all over for it and then called my youngest son as I recalled loaning it to him . He still has it . I think I paid less than $20 for it on Amazon or at Borders . Barnes and Noble may have it .......

[bubba]

maybe the library?

[WNYBuckHunter]

i dont think a 10degree temp swing will hurt you load... more than likely you flash hole has carbon build up.... 1/8 drill bit, and a torch tip cleaner are your freind in your TC breech plug

Nope. Powder was wet. After I reloaded, without cleaning the breech plug at all, it went off just fine. The gun and breech plug were cleaned and dried before it was loaded.

I just wont take chances any longer.

[Five Seasons]

i'm sure someone mentioned it, but you dont have to use loose powder, you can buy pellets. I wouldn't jam them down there either. A trick my dad gave me is to mark your rod with a line so that you know when your barrel reaches the line that the powder and bullet is where it should be. You should always clean your gun as soon as possible. If you do need a second shot not cleaning will not greatly affect your shot.