What's an honest distance?

[nybuckboy]

What's an honest distance a modern muzzleloader will shoot accurately. I hear some people say they are as accurate as a rifle. Is this true?

I have a Thompson Triumph with a Nikon Pro Staff scope shooting 2 777 pellets and 295 gr powerbelts. I'm zeroed in at 100 yards.

Edited December 10, 2012 by nybuckboy

[nyantler]

I have friends that have taken animals out West with modern inlines at close to 300 yards with scope... I shoot patch and roundball from my Hawkin proficiently at 100 yards, off hand with peep sight and am confident at that distance... I have never practiced any farther, so not sure beyond 100. Practice makes perfect, the guns don't just shoot themselves.

[phade]

The truthful answer is that most inline MZ with a quality load will outshoot the skill level of 99% of hunters.

I know my Vortek UL does. I rarely hunt in places with shots longer than 100 yards, and that's typically going to be my max.

[Dad 6424]

I use a Rossi 50cal with a centerpoint 4/16-50mm scope triple 7 powder 200gr shock wave sabets have shot deer and dogs the longest shots are 345 and 320 and dropped both deer right in there tracks dogs have been closer from stands so yes the mordern muzzleloader will reach out and grab them

[G-Man]

The gun will out shoot the hunter, most people can make 150-200 yard shots with a scope and a rest. i'm quite happy with 100yards off hand and zero my gun at 75.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

You guys have nailed this. The Modern guns are more capable than most shooters. If you want a humbling experience go to the range...bench shhot any gun to assure zero. than take it off hand at various distances. That will tell you what your ability level is in a hunting situation.

[Grizz1219]

I'm sure my Pro Hunter could go 250... up to me at that point... Going to work up a load for next years moose hunt so I'm out to 200 accurately...

[ants]

Mine puts them right on top of each other, 3 inches high, a 100 yards ( off of a rest). I've never shot it farther then that. So yes I think they are as accurate as a centerfire rifle But Im sure you wont get the same accuracy of a rifle at longer ranges. 100 to 150 yards is still a hell of a poke.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I know my TC will shoot to 200 and beyond. I have it sighted for 1 inch high at 100, and its 8 inches low at 200. I doubt I would go any further than that with the load I am using, but I have quite a bit of room to run a hotter load in it. Im sure 250 - 300 would be doable.

I fixed my typo. I meant to say 8 inches low at 200, and I said High. I mixed myself up thinking about holding 8 inches high.

BTW, my distances and measurements are accurate, and repeatable. They were made from actual shooting, not what some ballistics calculator says should happen.

[tughillhunter]

i have mine zeroed in at 75 yards. never shot anything beyond 50. 100 yards, yeah sure, anything beyond i keep my tail between my legs. im a nervous nelly.

[Hunter7mm-08]

well i agree with most post here but some are just not even close to be the turth. The best way to find out what your gun will shot is to go out and shot it from the bench and look at the paperwork for your bullet. most muzzleloaders start to drop after 100 yard with 100 gms of powder. i don't have a TC but i do have an CVA Apex; i looked at both and the reason i bought the apex is to make a TC shoot you have to spend a little more money, (www.bellmtcs.com) plus the apex was cheaper and shoots right out of the box. i have mine sighted in at 3in high at 100yds and i wouldn't be afraid to pull the trigger at 150 or 175 but at 200 yds i would want to make sure everything is perfect and yes at any distance a rest is nice. so go out and shoot and you will find what distance is good for you & your gun.

[Fletch]

I shoot a TC Triumph with 150g of 777 and with 250 grain shockwaves I can touch bullet holes at 100yards. My max would be 150 but that is my limitation and to this day I have never shot a deer at much over 100yards and only one of those. The terrain I hunt and where I place myself puts most of my shots in the 40 to 60 yard range. I like up close and personal! I will not even shoot at a deer freehanded unless it is pretty close, a rest is always best!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

i looked at both and the reason i bought the apex is to make a TC shoot you have to spend a little more money, (www.bellmtcs.com) .

That is not always true.

[WNYBuckHunter]

100% not true. Mine is an Encore frame with a Pro hunter barrel. No special anything other than engraving.

[Hunter7mm-08]

go to this site (www.bellmtcs.com), take a look at what he has to say and tell me it isn't true. i hunt with alot of people that have T/C and most has some kind of issue with them that would be corrected with infor for this web site.

T/C are nice guns; looked very hard at them before i went to the apex.

[WNYBuckHunter]

The proof is in my avatar pic. 180 yards rested off of a fence post. Ive shot this gun alot since I put it together in February (I think thats when it was), and can say that its extremely accurate. Like I said, no mods. I may, and emphasize MAY, get the trigger done eventually, just to lighten it a tad, but its very nice now.

BTW, I have gone through Bellm's site in the past. The hinge pin? Please, dont make me laugh, the fit of the frame to the barrel has nothing to do with accuracy, and niether of the Encores I have had have had any issues with that. But you know, many aftermarket manufacturers like to say things that make you think every gun out there needs their parts to perform. Its a sales pitch.

[Hunter7mm-08]

you don't think that if the barrel has movement from side to side that it wouldn't affect the accuracy? ok, maybe i'm wrong.

[Guns&ReligionCop]

I got my first muzzleloader a few years ago just to see what the hype was and I couldn't believe how accurate it is. 1" 3 shot groups at a 100 yards. Never shot it any further. Mine is a cheap traditions from sportsmanguide with a 4 power scope that came with it. This will be the first year actually hunting with it though

[tughillhunter]

I got my first muzzleloader a few years ago just to see what the hype was and I couldn't believe how accurate it is. 1" 3 shot groups at a 100 yards. Never shot it any further. Mine is a cheap traditions from sportsmanguide with a 4 power scope that came with it. This will be the first year actually hunting with it though

traditions are actually nice lil muzzleloaders. my buddy has one ans its accurate as hell.

[WNYBuckHunter]

you don't think that if the barrel has movement from side to side that it wouldn't affect the accuracy? ok, maybe i'm wrong.

Why would it? The forearm and sights are attached to the barrel. Why would the frame movement do anything to affect it? Their comparison to a bolt action rifle is inaccurate because most bolt action rifles rely on a scope that mounts to the receiver, so if the barrel were to move, of course the shot would be off, because the scope didnt move with it.

Now they may have something with the Bergara barrels being better rifle barrels than the TC factory barrels, but you dont have to worry about chamber sizing issues in muzzleloaders.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

go to this site (www.bellmtcs.com), take a look at what he has to say and tell me it isn't true. i hunt with alot of people that have T/C and most has some kind of issue with them that would be corrected with infor for this web site.

T/C are nice guns; looked very hard at them before i went to the apex.

I have been hunting with one for 5 years so I really don't care what a guy selling modifications has to say about it...lol. I can tell you that at 200 yards off the bench. I can put them in a hardball every time. That doesn't need correcting.

And that same frame and hinge pin also does multiple duty in my 308 win pistona nd that will put 5 shot groups in a quarter at 100 yards.

and the 223 bull barrel rifle on the same unmodified frame, is sub MOA

Edited December 10, 2012 by Culvercreek hunt club

[Hunter7mm-08]

i think we are talking about two different things; The hinge pin holds the barrel to the receiver and if there is movement there, side to side or up and down then the accuracy will be off.

with that kind of grouping i wouldn't worry about changing anything. do you reload? b/c if you don'y just think about the grouping you could get with reloads.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Hunter7mm-08

[WNYBuckHunter]

i think we are talking about two different things; The hinge pin holds the barrel to the receiver and if there is movement there, side to side or up and down then the accuracy will be off.

with that kind of grouping i wouldn't worry about changing anything. do you reload? b/c if you don'y just think about the grouping you could get with reloads.

Like I said, if the sighting system is attached to the barrel, why would movement between the barrel and the frame, which has nothing to do with the aim of the scope or other sighting system, have any affect on accuracy?

[Guns&ReligionCop]

i think we are talking about two different things; The hinge pin holds the barrel to the receiver and if there is movement there, side to side or up and down then the accuracy will be off.

with that kind of grouping i wouldn't worry about changing anything. do you reload? b/c if you don'y just think about the grouping you could get with reloads.

If the scope is attached to the barrel but has movement from the frame side to side etc.. the scope would still be moving with the barrel and not causing problems with accuracy no? Maybe Slightly with seating the casing tightly in the chamber but not enough to make an incredible difference I would guess, but that wouldn't be relevant with a muzzleloader.

[Hunter7mm-08]

ok but i wouldn't accept this gun. i have seen this movement in a few T/C that the guys i hunt with have.