Make a very long story short, my dad spent 21 days in the hospital and had 2 surgeries this summer so I took care of my parents place all summer and am still doing so. I do it happily, it's a huge property but I enjoy the work, and my parents have been nothing but good to me and my family. To say thank you, my parents bought me a muzzleloader, which I've always wanted. Funds were tight, but they insisted, and I found the CVA Wolf Northwest (I live in Idaho so that model is essential). Some like this model, some don't, it's what they could afford and I actually quite like shooting it. This rifle will actually pull double duty for me. I live in an area that has a short range weapons season, which unresticts muzzleloaders. So scopes, sabots, pellet powder, etc. is totally legal for whitetails during that season. I have hunted and killed 2 deer with my grandpa's muzzleloader during the short range season but he just handed me some speed loaders after I shot it and loaded it a few times and off I went. He had already dialed in the loads. That's the extent of my knowledge. Then I have the normal Idaho regulations on muzzleloader specific hunts.
This same grandpa, when he found out I just got a muzzleloader, hooked me up with a bunch of stuff he had laying around(aren't grandpas great?!). He gave me: a bottle of Select pyrodex from Hodgdon, American Pioneer Powder, and APP Jim Shockey Gold FFFG (my owners manual says not to shoot FFFG). He also gave me some speed loaders, a bunch of Triple 7 pellets, primers, 30 powerbelt 295 gr. lead bullets, 13 powerbelt copper ballistic tips, 12 maxi hunter conicals, and a few other things. So I'm set...I think. I also have some primers, Triple 7 loose powder, and some other odds and ends that I bought when I got the gun.
So here's a few questions I had:
I put a 4 power scope on it that I had laying around and went to dial it in for the upcoming short range season. I dropped a 2 pellets down the barrel (the guy at the shop said it would shoot them just fine) finished loading and could not get the pellets to burn at all. Snapped 4 caps on it with nothing. I didn't know what to do, so I unscrewed the breach plug and pushed it out with the ram rod. Any reason why they didn't burn? Will they not work in that rifle? I loaded loose powder in it after that and it shot great. Have shot pellets before with grandpas inline muzzleloader with musket caps with no problems.
What powder do you guys like out of the stuff I have? Why cant I use FFFG in my rifle? Have only shot the triple 7 I bought, haven't had a chance to shoot any of the stuff my grandpa gave me yet.
I've read all the negative reviews on powerbelts, so I'm hesitant on elk, but would I be in bad shape to use them on a whitetail? Are they very accurate past 100 or 150 yards? I've got a ton of them, so I'd like to use them. Are the copper any better? How about those maxi hunters? I plan on buying some better conicals for elk season, if I don't get one with an arrow in the next 2 weeks. Owners manual also says no conicals over 400 grains, any reason why?
I'm super excited for this new project, it'll also open up a lot of new hunts for me here in Idaho. Any help would be great. Sorry my first post is a freaking novel.
This same grandpa, when he found out I just got a muzzleloader, hooked me up with a bunch of stuff he had laying around(aren't grandpas great?!). He gave me: a bottle of Select pyrodex from Hodgdon, American Pioneer Powder, and APP Jim Shockey Gold FFFG (my owners manual says not to shoot FFFG). He also gave me some speed loaders, a bunch of Triple 7 pellets, primers, 30 powerbelt 295 gr. lead bullets, 13 powerbelt copper ballistic tips, 12 maxi hunter conicals, and a few other things. So I'm set...I think. I also have some primers, Triple 7 loose powder, and some other odds and ends that I bought when I got the gun.
So here's a few questions I had:
I put a 4 power scope on it that I had laying around and went to dial it in for the upcoming short range season. I dropped a 2 pellets down the barrel (the guy at the shop said it would shoot them just fine) finished loading and could not get the pellets to burn at all. Snapped 4 caps on it with nothing. I didn't know what to do, so I unscrewed the breach plug and pushed it out with the ram rod. Any reason why they didn't burn? Will they not work in that rifle? I loaded loose powder in it after that and it shot great. Have shot pellets before with grandpas inline muzzleloader with musket caps with no problems.
What powder do you guys like out of the stuff I have? Why cant I use FFFG in my rifle? Have only shot the triple 7 I bought, haven't had a chance to shoot any of the stuff my grandpa gave me yet.
I've read all the negative reviews on powerbelts, so I'm hesitant on elk, but would I be in bad shape to use them on a whitetail? Are they very accurate past 100 or 150 yards? I've got a ton of them, so I'd like to use them. Are the copper any better? How about those maxi hunters? I plan on buying some better conicals for elk season, if I don't get one with an arrow in the next 2 weeks. Owners manual also says no conicals over 400 grains, any reason why?
I'm super excited for this new project, it'll also open up a lot of new hunts for me here in Idaho. Any help would be great. Sorry my first post is a freaking novel.