What's your ML load?

[sbuff]

15 hours ago, Chromeslayer said:

Custom smokeless build... savage action, Brux 28in barrel, Nightforce NXS 5-22 scope.. 78g IMR 4198 will push a 275g Pittman Accumax bullet at 3050fps.. farthest kill this season 380yds.. this gun is built to send it!

Is that your shot data taped to the stock. Might it be a bestill creations build ?

[wildcat junkie]

.54 Flintlock;

230 gr .535 pure lead round ball with .020" cotton patch and crisco lube over 120 gr GOEX 3f black powder

.54 Percussion;

Same load except the powder charge is reduced to 100 gr GEOX 3f

.50 Percussion

180 gr .490 pureb lead round ball with .020" cotton patch and crisco lube over 90 gr GOEX 3f black powder

.45 Percussion;

140 gr pure lead round ball with .015" pillow ticking patch and crisco lube over 80 gr GOEX 3h black powder

.36 Flintlock;

60 gr .350 pure lead round ball with .015" pillow ticking patch and crisco lube over 20 gr of GOEX black powder.

I started doing this in 1976. 

 

 

My .54 bag has accouterments for both flintlock and percussion rifles.

 

This little leather bag carried a cleaning jag, ball puller, nipple wrench and a spare hotshot nipple for #11 caps. Never found a need for anything but #11 caps with real black powder. I like the "hot shot" nipple because ih constantly splits the caps making fast loading more reliable.

Edited December 10, 2018 by wildcat junkie

[Chromeslayer]

22 minutes ago, sbuff said:

Is that your shot data taped to the stock. Might it be a bestill creations build ?

Yep my drop data... Hankins custom rifle build

[johnplav]

15 hours ago, Chromeslayer said:

Custom smokeless build... savage action, Brux 28in barrel, Nightforce NXS 5-22 scope.. 78g IMR 4198 will push a 275g Pittman Accumax bullet at 3050fps.. farthest kill this season 380yds.. this gun is built to send it!

Nice!  That's very impressive.  

Also kinda funny that there are still a few counties where that would legal but a lever action 30-30 with iron sights is not.    

[kpkot]

100 gr of triple seven powder. 290 grain barnes. seems heavy in comparison with everyone else's weight. Haven't taken a deer with the barnes style yet. 

[sbuff]

Not compared to a chunk of 460grain lead conical 

[slayer]

4 hours ago, johnplav said:

Nice!  That's very impressive.  

Also kinda funny that there are still a few counties where that would legal but a lever action 30-30 with iron sights is not.    

yup I live in one of those counties. My muzzleloader is a stock triumph. It still shoots like a rifle. It seems a little odd that they do not consider them to be rifles. My longest kill was 195 yards. Not doing that with a shotgun. Ok maybe you could. But I would not want to be the guy trying to do so. Ive seen deer hit with slugs at long distance and it just didnt do enough damage, the buck never was recovered.

[mowin]

Didn't have a good afternoon..  tried 2 pellets of 777 and powerbelt 245 hollow points.  Dry swab after every other shot.   Couldn't get a group under 15" .   

Switch to TC 250g sabots.  Clean barrel to start. 2, 777 pellets. No joy.   I sold my TC optima, that shot fantastic.  Thinking this ML season is a bust.   

 

[TreeGuy]

Didn't have a good afternoon..  tried 2 pellets of 777 and powerbelt 245 hollow points.  Dry swab after every other shot.   Couldn't get a group under 15" .   
Switch to TC 250g sabots.  Clean barrel to start. 2, 777 pellets. No joy.   I sold my TC optima, that shot fantastic.  Thinking this ML season is a bust.   
 

Been there. Done that. I had nothing but problems with my t/c omega. Tried sabots, powder, primers, even scope and rings. Ended up using 3 777 pellets and she's a tack driver. Was always told that it won't burn all that powder but it's the only thing that will make that gun a shooter. I use 300gr sst but it will shoot any sabot I put in there with tight groups.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[G-Man]

6 hours ago, slayer said:

yup I live in one of those counties. My muzzleloader is a stock triumph. It still shoots like a rifle. It seems a little odd that they do not consider them to be rifles. My longest kill was 195 yards. Not doing that with a shotgun. Ok maybe you could. But I would not want to be the guy trying to do so. Ive seen deer hit with slugs at long distance and it just didnt do enough damage, the buck never was recovered.

This state considers a crossbow a muzzleloader..nothing it does surprises me

[G-Man]

4 hours ago, mowin said:

Didn't have a good afternoon..  tried 2 pellets of 777 and powerbelt 245 hollow points.  Dry swab after every other shot.   Couldn't get a group under 15" .   

Switch to TC 250g sabots.  Clean barrel to start. 2, 777 pellets. No joy.   I sold my TC optima, that shot fantastic.  Thinking this ML season is a bust.   

 

Start with loose powder 50 grains and go up 5 grains at a time then 2 grains you may need to shoot 90.. but sighting in with less save powder and your shoulder.. my uncle had same issue 150 grains of pellets and shit group 2 pellets better group. Ended up. At 85 grains...making cloverleafs..

[Robhuntandfish]

My muzzleloader is consistant in a weird way.  Every year i take it out before season and shoot it.  One shot dead in the bull at 100 every damn year!!!!  then the 2nd shot is always 4" low then it stays low/lower it seems.  I dont really worry about a group cause dont figure im getting three shots off at any time with it.  I clean it and its back to dead center.  One day (this year!!) i hope to get to use it on a deer! 

My grouping on a completely cleaned gun would be touching. I figure your getting one shot and then a possible finish shot at best.  

[airedale]

12 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

I dont really worry about a group cause dont figure im getting three shots off at any time with it.  I clean it and its back to dead center.

You are totally right, while there is no doubt shooting 3 or 5 shot groups gives a good overall assessment of a firearm's overall accuracy the fact is the first shot placement out of any hunting firearm is the most important one, I can think of only a couple of times when I shot more than once at a Deer. Where your gun places that bullet on the first shot out of a cold clean barrel is an important one to note.

Al

Edited December 11, 2018 by airedale

[mowin]

Going to try again this afternoon if I have time. 

Gun is squeaky clean. I'll shoot, clean, repeat, and see where that gets me. 

[Rattler]

52 minutes ago, airedale said:

The fact is the first shot placement out of any hunting firearm is the most important one, I can think of only a couple of times when I shot more than once at a Deer. Where your gun places that bullet on the first shot out of a cold clean barrel is an important one to note.

Though it is important to know where the first shot from a cold bore will go, it's just as important to know where the following shots will go.  Example:  At the crack of legal shooting time, you shoot a coyote.  Then at 10 AM you get your chance at a huge 10 point buck at a distance.  Your confidence in your shot will be much higher if you know where your fouled bore shots will go.

 

[airedale]

1 minute ago, Rattler said:

Though it is important to know where the first shot from a cold bore will go, it's just as important to know where the following shots will go.  Example:  At the crack of legal shooting time, you shoot a coyote.  Then at 10 AM you get your chance at a huge 10 point buck at a distance.  Your confidence in your shot will be much higher if you know where your fouled bore shots will go

All true but when I am Deer hunting with a muzzleloader that is what I stick to, the Coyotes will get their day another time.

Al

[Rattler]

14 minutes ago, airedale said:

All true but when I am Deer hunting with a muzzleloader that is what I stick to, the Coyotes will get their day another time.

Al

You could also miss your shot at the first deer and get another chance later.

[airedale]

I never miss LOL.

Just for the record I would not own any firearm that shot so far off on the second shot or third shot from the first that it would cause a miss.

Al

Edited December 11, 2018 by airedale

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

My muzzleloader is consistant in a weird way.  Every year i take it out before season and shoot it.  One shot dead in the bull at 100 every damn year!!!!  then the 2nd shot is always 4" low then it stays low/lower it seems.  I dont really worry about a group cause dont figure im getting three shots off at any time with it.  I clean it and its back to dead center.  One day (this year!!) i hope to get to use it on a deer! 

My grouping on a completely cleaned gun would be touching. I figure your getting one shot and then a possible finish shot at best.  

Most CF rifles will also have a different POI for clean Vs fouled barrels.

I thoroughly clean my CF rifle barrels at the end if the season including removing any copper fouling. In the fall, I shoot several round down the tube before checking my group zero. I don't clean the barrel after that until the season ends.

 

Unfortunately, that isn't an option for a ML due to the corrosive fouling.

 

[wildcat junkie]

19 hours ago, wildcat junkie said:

.54 Flintlock;

230 gr .535 pure lead round ball with .020" cotton patch and crisco lube over 120 gr GOEX 3f black powder

.54 Percussion;

Same load except the powder charge is reduced to 100 gr GEOX 3f

.50 Percussion

180 gr .490 pureb lead round ball with .020" cotton patch and crisco lube over 90 gr GOEX 3f black powder

.45 Percussion;

140 gr pure lead round ball with .015" pillow ticking patch and crisco lube over 80 gr GOEX 3h black powder

.36 Flintlock;

60 gr .350 pure lead round ball with .015" pillow ticking patch and crisco lube over 20 gr of GOEX black powder.

I started doing this in 1976. 

 

I forgot about my 12 ga double barrel shotguns.

Skeet; (not trap, actual rounds of skeet fired on a skeet range with doubles at stations 1,2 6 and 7)

80 gr of GOEX 2f, .135" card wad over the powder, 1/2" felt wads soaked in Moose Milk, 1 1/8 oz of #7 1/2 shot, .135 card wad over the shot

Small game hunting;

100 gr of GOEX 2f, .135" card wad over the powder, 1/2"' felt wads soaked in Moose Milk, 1 1/4 oz of #6 shot, .135 card wad over the shot.

Turkey hunting;

120 gr of GOEX 2f, .135" card wad over the powder, 1/2' felt wads soaked in Moose Milk, 1 1/2 oz of copper [plated #5 shot, .135 card wad over the shot.

 

Shooting doubles in skeet at stations 1 and 7 was a particular challenge with the oncoming target emerging from the cloud of smoke from the 1st shot.

I hunted cottontails with my ML double barrel shotguns over beagles. Occasionally I would be reloading  when a bunny would double back. 

[eaglemountainman]

.530 Hornady round ball and .015 Ox Yoke wonder patch over 85 gr 777 in a Cheney Rifle Works .54 cal Elkhunter. Set in motion by a CCI cap on a Hot shot nipple.

Edited December 11, 2018 by eaglemountainman

[mowin]

Ok.   Got it dialed in with 250g TC shockwaves. Two pellets of 777.  

I scrubbed the barrel clean, then put bore butter on a patch and sent it down to tube. 

Popped a cap before loading.  First shot was 13' right and 8' high at 50 yrds. 

Next two were 2" low at 50. No I didn't adjust the scope. 

Cleaned thoroughly. First shot at 100 yrds was again high and right, just not as much as 50 yrds.  Next two were 5” low.  Adjusted scope up several clicks.  

Cleaned and again first shot was way off.  Next two 1” low at 100.  

Confident with this load. Hopefully I'll get a chance to knock down a big doe or two. 

I did try several 245g power belts with both 2 and 3 pellets. Cleaned or fouled barrel, I couldn't get them to shoot worth a dam.  Love the way they load, just not the way they shoot.  

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by mowin

[Jeremy K]

7 minutes ago, mowin said:

Ok.   Got it dialed in with 250g TC shockwaves. Two pellets of 777.  

I scrubbed the barrel clean, then put bore butter on a patch and sent it down to tube. 

Popped a cap before loading.  First shot was 13' right and 8' high at 50 yrds. 

Next two were 2" low at 50. No I didn't adjust the scope. 

Cleaned thoroughly. First shot at 100 yrds was again high and right, just not as much as 50 yrds.  Next two were 5” low.  Adjusted scope up several clicks.  

Cleaned and again first shot was way off.  Next two 1” low at 100.  

Confident with this load. Hopefully I'll get a chance to knock down a big doe or two. 

I did try several 245g power belts with both 2 and 3 pellets. Cleaned or fouled barrel, I couldn't get them to shoot worth a dam.  Love the way they load, just not the way they shoot.  

 

You're doing alot of extra work just to shoot the 777 pellets.

[goosifer]

17 minutes ago, mowin said:

Ok.   Got it dialed in with 250g TC shockwaves. Two pellets of 777.  

I scrubbed the barrel clean, then put bore butter on a patch and sent it down to tube. 

Popped a cap before loading.  First shot was 13' right and 8' high at 50 yrds. 

Next two were 2" low at 50. No I didn't adjust the scope. 

Cleaned thoroughly. First shot at 100 yrds was again high and right, just not as much as 50 yrds.  Next two were 5” low.  Adjusted scope up several clicks.  

Cleaned and again first shot was way off.  Next two 1” low at 100.  

Confident with this load. Hopefully I'll get a chance to knock down a big doe or two. 

I did try several 245g power belts with both 2 and 3 pellets. Cleaned or fouled barrel, I couldn't get them to shoot worth a dam.  Love the way they load, just not the way they shoot.  

 

That's strange. I had a similar experience zeroing in my scope. Any idea why the first shot is so far off relative to the second and third shot? Heats up the barrel?

At the range on Monday, after a handfull of shots, I was close to dialed in at 50 yards (just 1/2"-3/4" low), and then the shots starting going low by about 3-4". I adjusted a few clicks up and called it a day. I'm comfortable that I'm within an inch or so of true aim. There will be lot's of other factors that come into play in the field at this point.

[mowin]

3 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

You're doing alot of extra work just to shoot the 777 pellets.

I guess I'm in the school of thought that it's easier to just drop two pills down to tube than measure every load. That snd the two previous ML I've owned shot very well with two pills, so this one should too.