What's your ML load?

[mowin]

3 hours ago, goosifer said:

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.

I'm thinking the clean barrel is throwing the shot. Once fouled, it shot more consistent. Highly doubtful it was the barrel heating up as it was only in the 20's, and I was shooting with another guy and we were alternating shots. Barrel had plenty of time to cool down.  

[goosifer]

Now I'm thinking I shouldn't have cleaned my barrel so we'll after sighting in.  We'll see....

[nyslowhand]

OP, you'd do yourself a favor if you searched & went to a strictly ML site, Then look for threads about your specific ML rifle and what loads others have had success with!! Most ML'ers are super finicky about what powder, charge &/or sabots work best. JMO, I'd be looking at the scope as a potential issue also.

There's a 1000X different scenarios about getting a 2nd shot with a ML. JMO, maybe 90+% of the time it's the 1st shot out of a cleaned & cold barrel that you'll want "on the mark"!

[Buckmaster7600]

I’ve got 3 muzzleloaders that I use and every one shoots the same load under 1.5” 3 shot group with no cleaning in between.

84grains of blackthorn 209 by weight
Barnes TSX 270gn .451 bullet
Harvestor sabot .451 sabot

I’ve been using this load for about 5 years have yet to have a deer die out of sight. Shoots extremely consistent. “Clean, dirty, cold , warm etc”. I have tried loads that shot better groups but never found anything to be this forgiving and consistent.

I have tried a lot of loads powders, bullets and sabots and my conclusion is if wouldn’t shoot pellets if someone gave me a life supply and if someone gave me a lifetime supply of power belts I’d drill holes in them and use them as sinkers. Pellets “777 and shockey’s” are too inconsistent in weight and both create the burn ring making loading more difficult.


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[The_Real_TCIII]

I use the Shockey pellets and my fifth loads almost as easy as the first and cleanup is a snap, I’m sticking with them. Triple Seven was a different story


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[Jeremy K]

11 hours ago, mowin said:

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. 

 

I know your not new to all this but I'll post it anyhow in case a new guy comes across it . The powder is easy to measure at home and brought to the field in those nifty tubes ,just pull a tube and dump it in .

[wildcat junkie]

11 hours ago, mowin said:

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. 

 

I would be willing to bet I could reload my flintlock from the bag with traditional accoutrements and granulated black powder as fast or faster than you could load an inline using pellets.

About 20 seconds between aimed shots, perhaps a few seconds slower with a percussion rifle.

Before you discount that possibility realize that the people that used the original traditional MLs had over 100 years to perfect loading techniques.

[goosifer]

Sooooo, 777 pellets are bad? Inferior to powder?

[sbuff]

2 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

I’ve got 3 muzzleloaders that I use and every one shoots the same load under 1.5” 3 shot group with no cleaning in between.

84grains of blackthorn 209 by weight
Barnes TSX 270gn .451 bullet
Harvestor sabot .451 sabot

I’ve been using this load for about 5 years have yet to have a deer die out of sight. Shoots extremely consistent. “Clean, dirty, cold , warm etc”. I have tried loads that shot better groups but never found anything to be this forgiving and consistent.

I have tried a lot of loads powders, bullets and sabots and my conclusion is if wouldn’t shoot pellets if someone gave me a life supply and if someone gave me a lifetime supply of power belts I’d drill holes in them and use them as sinkers. Pellets “777 and shockey’s” are too inconsistent in weight and both create the burn ring making loading more difficult.


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X2, ditch the pellets and power belts

[Jeremy K]

4 minutes ago, goosifer said:

Sooooo, 777 pellets are bad? Inferior to powder?

You'll never go back to 777

[Buckmaster7600]

Sooooo, 777 pellets are bad? Inferior to powder?

Like most everything they were the best there was for a while but there are now far better options. Obviously if it worked before it will still work today but I’ll never go back!


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[mowin]

31 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

I would be willing to bet I could reload my flintlock from the bag with traditional accoutrements and granulated black powder as fast or faster than you could load an inline using pellets.

About 20 seconds between aimed shots, perhaps a few seconds slower with a percussion rifle.

Before you discount that possibility realize that the people that used the original traditional MLs had over 100 years to perfect loading techniques.

I'm not discounting the fact that loose powder has been used for yrs, and very successfully.  

And I realize there are speed loaders I can load up and bring in the field. I do that now with the pellets. 

I guess I've used pellets successfully for yrs, and like the ease of use.  

I really don't have the time to work up a load with loose powder. 

I've got it dialed in to where I'm happy with it.  Last two shots were almost touching at 100 yrds.  

[Elmo]

2 pellets of 777 powder/  CCI primers, 250 grain Thompson Center Shockwaves.

[Core]

Thread bump time

CVA Wolf, 4 X 30 grain 777 pellets (I got them for almost free), 250 gr Shockwave.

Thing is wicked accurate. Out to 100 yards if I miss it's entirely my fault, not the gun's. I clean the bore after every single shot when training. Fouling the barrel for accuracy as somebody mentioned above is merely an academic exercise. You can't leave the gun that way and the first shot is the only one that matters.