Recomend my wife a bullet

Modern Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Modern Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Fmfdred56

Well-Known Member
*
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Messages
474
Reaction score
3
My wife is my hunting partner and we deer hunt together with our muzzleloaders in colorado she has always struggled with recoil. As an experiment we loaded up her 45 with some 185 grain flat nose .4515 sieara bullets and they shot great and the recoil didn't cause her to flinch anymore! But I'm nervous about using this bullet on game. Does anyone have a bullet they would recomend for this application that they have used on game and have faith in? Hoping for something in the 180 to 200 grain range if possible.
 
In the past she has shot the no excuses 460 grain 50 cal but we always limited her shots to 30 yards or less due to her accuracy that's why I bought her the 45 cal hoping to help with recoil. The 460 will stack at 50 yards with me behind the trigger but it beats her up enough that she shoots 6 inch groups at 50 yards with it.
 
Fmfdred56 said:
My wife is my hunting partner and we deer hunt together with our muzzleloaders in colorado she has always struggled with recoil. As an experiment we loaded up her 45 with some 185 grain flat nose .4515 sieara bullets and they shot great and the recoil didn't cause her to flinch anymore! But I'm nervous about using this bullet on game. Does anyone have a bullet they would recomend for this application that they have used on game and have faith in? Hoping for something in the 180 to 200 grain range if possible.

The Sierra really is not that bad of a bullet as log as you keep the ranges you shoot in mind. You did not mention the powder load...

If you are after a more Terminal bullet might take a look at the 40x185 grain Bloodline. And then late spring I am told that Lehigh will have one of the new Copper 40 cal. bullets out on the market.

Barnes also has some offerings that would work well also.

OOP's just noticed that you said .4515 in you are 45 so you were loading full bore. The bullets I was suggesting are all for a sabot shot...
 
Do you cast? Its hard to beat a good lead, soft lead at slow speeds is one choice. something like a .40 200 grn, or even lighter in a sabot with ~80 grain charge should be good to ~100. I like something like this> http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=40-200W-D.png


I have had good luck with a similar design in .452 in a 300 grn

HAHA, same here..OK revision, something like this then. http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-260M-D.png
or http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-395M-D.png
 
I'll let others recommend bullet choices........

I'd take the off season and work with her and her fear of recoil. Make sure the scope she's using has enough eye relief. Check and confirm her shooting form and that her hold allows for the recoil at its minimum feel. Purchase a PAST recoil pad, which WILL help with the felt recoil on her shoulder. Keep her shooting all year.
IMO way to many hunters worry or are afraid of recoil, when learning to absorb recoil, even very heavy recoil, never seems to be something they are willing to learn or attempt. Its all in positioning the rifle properly and the form when holding. There are many tutorials online and videos that can help.

I have a great niece that when very young, became extremely interested in shooting and hunting. With no disrespect intended, just no other way to say it, both her father and grandfather taught her everything wrong and she became recoil shy. One summer they came up to spend a few days and of course she wanted to shoot. We started with an LT20 and the target thrower. Instantly I noticed she was doing everything wrong, like standing straight up as an example. After a few minutes of instruction on her form and hold, she not only felt better shooting, she started busting birds like crazy. She went through 5 boxes of shells before I called it. And OH NO, she wasn't done. She graduated to shooting my Encore with a full charge, then to the 30-06! It was all because of the things she was doing wrong in the beginning, that was changed in a single day's shooting with a little instruction. By the way, she weighed less than 100#'s and I don't believe she weighs over 110#'s now. She currently owns and shoots .45 pistols, revolvers, a 12ga Rem. 870 w/slugs, and AR platform rifles. Oh, I dare not forget she's an archer too!

Point is, help her with her biggest obstacle, which is her fear of recoil. Work on all the contributing factors. Once she masters that, she may just out shoot, and out hunt you :yeah:
 
330gr Gould HP and around 70gr of powder isnt bad but deer hate it. That is about the lightest full bore bullet i would use. You could also try a 45cal Maxi. Ive never shot them but i think they are around 250-275gr.

Ed uses that 330gr Gould for his young son. In pure lead its about 350gr but doesn't need much powder to perform well. Ron shot it into jugs and although the 80gr load pancaked pretty hard it did retain a huge amount of its weight.

Another bullet that comes to mind is the 45cal 300gr Powerbelt Plat. WAY over priced but it should do ok with light loads.
 
I agree that form is part of her problem when it comes to her 45. That is my project for this Saturday shortening the stock to fit her so she can get her form back. She says the 460 grain with 50 grains of 777 in her 50 cal is equal recoil to the 300 grain xtp in her 45. We all know those numbers don't match up since her 45 is heavier so form is a huge part of it for sure. Once the stock is cut I was thinking of also adding a breako. I just thought that if there was something out there in that 180 to 200 grain range that was proven on game it would help even that much more.
 
She says the 460 grain with 50 grains of 777 in her 50 cal is equal recoil to the 300 grain xtp in her 45

How did you get a 300gr XTP in a 45cal barrel?....sabotless?
 
I would have huge concerns a 300gr XTP will obturate reliably sabotless with light loads. Sounds like a keyhole waiting to happen to me.

A bullet ive found works well is the Parker 275gr BE shot sabotless. The jacket is thin and the lead is fairly soft. They measure right at .451 OD.

What 45cal are you using and is it a 1-20 twist? A slower twist will need much more powder/velocity to stabilize the bullet.
 
Yes sir it's a 1in20 traditions, I think the 451 would be to small BUT I could always knurl them up to fit so that's not a big deal at all. I'll give them a try as long as I get the stock finished Saturday we will have it at the range again this Sunday. We shoot every weekend sometimes muzzleloaders sometimes centerfire but we shoot every weekend for sure.
 
OK - so I was just doing some rummaging around in my stuff.... what about aBarnes .451x250 gr. XPB's. The picture below shows the 50 cal, XPB's I use for full bore.

275___325_XPB.jpg


They will probably drop right to the bottom of the rifle considering the other bullets you are using but they knurl really easy would make an excellent 'Terminal' bullet

This is another bullet that would work very well...

Nosler_451x250_gr.jpg


This is a Barnes 325 Knurled and inserted into the crown of a Knight.

Inserted.jpg


KnurledXPB.jpg


This picture shows the knurling process.

https://s26.postimg.org/6cuupvy61/XPB_Knurling_Composite.jpg[/mg]

The bullet really does not have to fit as tight as you might think but it will require a wad under the bullet and over the powder. I use a veggie type wad called a shot card.

[img]https://s26.postimg.org/jmo8w59a1/Shot_Card__Sub_Bridge.jpg

These are 50 cal cards but Track of the Wolf also has the cards for a 45 cal.

Anyway just thought I would share...
 
Ed Mehligs 350 gr. conicals shoot great and put a hurt on deer, would more then likely work for Elk also..I shoot them with 70-75 gr. of Goex 3f and recoil isn't bad in my Investarms .45 Hunter Carbine.
 
I do plan to get with Ed and see about buying some of his gould bullets, and will try the others mentioned also. My local walmart has some 200 grain xtp bullets what would yall think of those xtp seem to be very popular bullets?
 
I'm with GM on the Parker BEs . They are about the easiest bullet to get to shoot .They are made in 250,275,300 and a 270 Emax . All in .015 jacket thickness . If you want a little tougher bullet go to a Pittman Accumax or Aeromax they have a .021 jacket thickness . All of my shooting is done sabot less. Most guys will not believe this but I have shot 5lbs of Blackhorn in the last 2 months . All sabot less. Both bullets work excellent in a variety of .45s
 
Fmfdred56 said:
My wife is my hunting partner and we deer hunt together with our muzzleloaders in colorado she has always struggled with recoil. As an experiment we loaded up her 45 with some 185 grain flat nose .4515 sieara bullets and they shot great and the recoil didn't cause her to flinch anymore! But I'm nervous about using this bullet on game. Does anyone have a bullet they would recomend for this application that they have used on game and have faith in? Hoping for something in the 180 to 200 grain range if possible.

MV is by far the major contributor in recoil.
My youngest son shot his first deer with a ML while resting it in the fork of a walnut tree (age 11, nearly a decade ago) original percussion 45cal, 215gr lead bullet, 50gr BP. Dropped a small doe from 125yards.
Don't know what powder charge she's using, regardless I'd bet a well placed bullet from 100 yds or so into the lungs will do the job.
 
...........MV is by far the major contributor in recoil...........

The weight of the bullet, and powder is exactly equal to the MV in determining the recoil. If the MV is doubled, or the weight of the bullet/powder is doubled, the recoil is increased exactly the same, either way.
 
I'm shooting a 40 cal 165 grain CEB out of my Knight Mountaineer pushed by 120 grains (by volume) of BH209
Great velocity & no recoil

Greg
 
Back
Top