Re: Silencerco Maxim 50
Just wanted to follow up with all you guys that helped me out. I took the hawk 1.5-6 off and put it on my lever action 45-70, it was all over and wouldn't dial in, took it off and returned it to the sporting goods store where I purchased it for a refund. Ordered a primary arms 1-6 optic and mounted it. I got a chance to get back to the range today and this time I was more prepared. I had blackhorn 209 and IMR white hots as well as two different projectiles. The Hornady fpb 325 grain and the F federal bor lok mz 270 grain copper solid, a new digital scale and all the cleaning supplies I could think of. I also have had an opportunity to read some reviews and comments from guys that have this gun and more experience with muzzleloaders as well as watch some YouTube videos on it.
One thing I picked up on was a YouTuber saying that he felt one thing silencerco should amend in their loading procedure was that the loading tube should be inserted with the bore parallel to the ground instead of bore up to prevent excess powder from being knocked down on to the breach plug face so I adopted that technique and I believe it helped.
This morning I tried the FPBs with BH209 and the WHs and the Federal BLMZ with both powders as well. I got the best results with the Federal BOR LOK MZ, 2 IMR white hots and a Winchester 209 primer. I'm sure it may be possible to mess with the powder charge on the BH and work up a perfect load but I didn't have the time or patience to do that after testing all the other combos I tried. I also ran a bore brush with bore cleaner and a dry patch down the barrel between every shot.
This was my final group shot from 50 yards (it was my last two powder charges). Just under an inch center to center.
My Maxim 50 outfitted with its new glass
I feel confident up to 65 yards with this gun and will limit my shots to that distance for this season since it's approaching fast and I don't have the time for another range day. Next year I'll be ready for 100 yard shots.
Thanks for all the help you guys provided!