Using Pellets Instead of Powder

[SilverHairPatriot]

I’ve read where it’s always best to use lube (I use bore butter) with powder instead of wads, but I’m experimenting with pellets. What’s the best choice when using pellets, the wads or the lube? I suppose you could use nothing since pellets are solid, right? Can somebody educate me on the difference between the two, which one is best, and why?

 

[MrTom]

What are you loading this into? Rifle? Pistol? I'm a granular powder guy 100% of the time and won't advocate for either pellets OR the bore butter but if you are referring to a wad over the powder/pellet in a rifle, then yes I'd go with the wad if it was needed. Revolvers may need a lube but I would not use bore butter. There are far better lubes one can top the powder with in pistols, even crisco.

 

[Felonious]

I use pellets when I hunt, and I normally use bullet to bore, with no patch. I like the consistency of the pellets while hunting, two pellets is two pellets regardless, no weighing or measuring required.

Bring on the comments why pellets suck, I'll still use them, especially when they're on sale. They work for me and that's all that matters.

I actually just got a bunch of triple 7 pellets on sale today for over 70% off at Walmart. Hunting season JUST ended here, so everything's on clearance.

 

[eekjellander]

Pellets lack (Precision) where as granular is the definition of precision , muzzle loaders need (sameness ) every time achieved (ONLY) with granular . Why anyone attempts to equate the two is only convenience @ Wallymart never in competition or serious hunting/target work . Winners use granular the rest remember Jim Shockey and
try granular ! /Ed

 

[smokepolehall]

I won't use pellets, n they never weigh out the same. Not that but never suppose to have an air gap in your load. Here the Companies make an air gap on purpose. Wonder if that ever helps blow up a barrel ?

 

[southdakbearfan]

Currently using 2 imr white hots and harvester crush rib sabot with 300 grain pt golds in them. Eventually I will go to loose powder, probably T7 or straight black.

Here are my thoughts on pellets. If you are shooting a muzzleloader set up for 209 primers, get muzzleloader specific primers. Pellets form the dreaded crud ring and with regular 209’s it is very pronounced. Once I switched to muzzleloader specific primers it dropped about 50-75%. I can run through multiple loads without a lot of issue loading without swabbing up to 3 times.

I also use to lube my barrel but found that I did not need it at all. I still protect the bore after cleaning with a light film of rust preventing oil. I found when I switched to that fouling was easier to clean once fired.

Harvester crush ribs go down the bore easily, unlike some others and give me great accuracy with the combo, wrt being a 1x or open sight state. Sub 3/4-1/2” three shot groups if I do my part at 75.

As far as which pellets, I prefer the white hots, but mostly because of the storage case they come in. The tubes are pretty much air tight and I have not had any issues with 2-3 year old white hots. My T7 pellets, IMO, do not have an air tight box and can be subject to sucking in moisture causing erratic accuracy and velocity. I either put desiccant in the box with them or store them in used imr white hot tubes. Performance wise I don’t see any difference for me between the two, fouling wise I have always thought the white hots had a looser but grittier fouling.

 

[Harley469]

I don't use pellets myself except in my muzzleloading pistol, but I have used them before and found them to work exceptionally well. My daughter and my friend's boys that I take hunting also use pellets and Powerbelt Platinums. I have found that over the years, pellets and Powerbelt Platinums have been accurate and exceptionally lethal. Attached is the buck that my friend's boy took this year during early ML using his CVA Accura with two 50gr pellets and a 270gr Powerbelt Platinum bullet. Particularly in the muzzleloading world different guns like different diets of bullets, powder, sabots, etc. If it works, then stick with it. With the CVA's I have used 777 pellets have worked well, as well as my daughter's Traditions Buck Stalker.

 

[SilverHairPatriot]

What are you loading this into? Rifle? Pistol? I'm a granular powder guy 100% of the time and won't advocate for either pellets OR the bore butter but if you are referring to a wad over the powder/pellet in a rifle, then yes I'd go with the wad if it was needed. Revolvers may need a lube but I would not use bore butter. There are far better lubes one can top the powder with in pistols, even crisco.

Sorry, I was referring to revolvers.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Sorry, I was referring to revolvers.

You have to try with and without something between the powder and projectile. My ROA shoots accurately with a thin lubed wool wad and 180-220gr conicals, on T7 fffg. But it shoots roundballs very accurately with no wad on(lighter load of) the same powder.

 

[snapbang]

They work for me and that's all that matters.

I dont think anyone would argue with that. But generally speaking granular because of the different load combinations, will be more accurate for most.

 

[Philgumbo]

I’ve read where it’s always best to use lube (I use bore butter) with powder instead of wads, but I’m experimenting with pellets. What’s the best choice when using pellets, the wads or the lube? I suppose you could use nothing since pellets are solid, right? Can somebody educate me on the difference between the two, which one is best, and why?

I use loose powder in my Knight rifle, and I season the barrel with Bore Butter (just a little), after cleaning, and when loading a sabot. For my first shot, I use a thin wad after the powder, just for the hell of it. I have never had a problem with misfires doing this.

 

[eekjellander]

I use loose powder in my Knight rifle, and I season the barrel with Bore Butter (just a little), after cleaning, and when loading a sabot. For my first shot, I use a thin wad after the powder, just for the hell of it. I have never had a problem with misfires doing this.

Bore butter will never season modern steel , it just FOULS it ! /Ed

 

[Felonious]

Pellets lack (Precision) where as granular is the definition of precision , muzzle loaders need (sameness ) every time achieved (ONLY) with granular . Why anyone attempts to equate the two is only convenience @ Wallymart never in competition or serious hunting/target work . Winners use granular the rest remember Jim Shockey and
try granular ! /Ed

I don't shoot in any competitions, I use an inline, and none of my hunting shots are over 100 yards. There's also not a lot of gun shops nearby that carry real muzzleloading supplies, so Walmart is my main source. I'm sure there is definitely some sort of accuracy difference with loose powder, but for my uses, the pellets work just fine. I won't argue with the fact that loose powder is definitely capable of getting better accuracy.

I can hit an old 4x4 pan out to about 200 yards, past that, and I'm not even going to attempt the shot. Three 777 pellets will consistently do what I need them to do.

I also shoot with quite a bit of loose powder, it's just easier to carry pellets while hunting than powder, for me. They are more or less waterproof (in the tubes that I carry them in) and don't require me to have to focus on pouring loose powder down a barrel, or a few drops of water. I can load simply by pouring the entire tube into the barrel. It's not traditional, but it works well for me.




That being said, when I hunt with my shotgun, I only use loose powder.

 

[eekjellander]

I don't shoot in any competitions, I use an inline, and none of my hunting shots are over 100 yards. There's also not a lot of gun shops nearby that carry real muzzleloading supplies, so Walmart is my main source. I'm sure there is definitely some sort of accuracy difference with loose powder, but for my uses, the pellets work just fine. I won't argue with the fact that loose powder is definitely capable of getting better accuracy.

I can hit an old 4x4 pan out to about 200 yards, past that, and I'm not even going to attempt the shot. Three 777 pellets will consistently do what I need them to do.

I also shoot with quite a bit of loose powder, it's just easier to carry pellets while hunting than powder, for me. They are more or less waterproof (in the tubes that I carry them in) and don't require me to have to focus on pouring loose powder down a barrel, or a few drops of water. I can load simply by pouring the entire tube into the barrel. It's not traditional, but it works well for me.

View attachment 40626


That being said, when I hunt with my shotgun, I only use loose powder.

I'm glad we both agree !/Ed

 

[SilverHairPatriot]

I don't shoot in any competitions, I use an inline, and none of my hunting shots are over 100 yards. There's also not a lot of gun shops nearby that carry real muzzleloading supplies, so Walmart is my main source. I'm sure there is definitely some sort of accuracy difference with loose powder, but for my uses, the pellets work just fine. I won't argue with the fact that loose powder is definitely capable of getting better accuracy.

I can hit an old 4x4 pan out to about 200 yards, past that, and I'm not even going to attempt the shot. Three 777 pellets will consistently do what I need them to do.

I also shoot with quite a bit of loose powder, it's just easier to carry pellets while hunting than powder, for me. They are more or less waterproof (in the tubes that I carry them in) and don't require me to have to focus on pouring loose powder down a barrel, or a few drops of water. I can load simply by pouring the entire tube into the barrel. It's not traditional, but it works well for me.

View attachment 40626


That being said, when I hunt with my shotgun, I only use loose powder.

" I can load simply by pouring the entire tube into the barrel."

Stupid question maybe, but do you mean the whole tube including the plastic tube, or just the contents in the tube?

 

[Felonious]

" I can load simply by pouring the entire tube into the barrel."

Stupid question maybe, but do you mean the whole tube including the plastic tube, or just the contents in the tube?

Just the contents, the tube won't actually slide down the barrel.

 

[brad502a]

I shoot loose powder, develop a load for accuracy using volume. I then take the volumetric charge to the scale and weigh it out. I believe this gets me the most consistent ant on target. My buddy shoots two white hots and gets 2" groups at a 100yds. He is happy, he kills deer, me, I want to thread the needle at a 100. I kill deer too.

 

[Ole Vic]

I was given two containers of 30gr pellets. Put one in my Remington 58, looked like a tracer. Ball came out (luckily) and the pellet went flying behind it burning as it followed the ball. I tried it with some wads I was given with the pellets. Did a little better. I then put two wads, I could feel the pellet crunch. It did good. Didn't have the boom of black powder, more like a crack of a modern load. And it had quite a recoil. I stopped using them. I used a container up last July 4th. Just a pellet over three wads. Some exploded some just went up like a tracer. Didn't catch anything on fire.

 

[Bad Karma]

I’ve used them. Don’t have the patience for making paper revolver cartridges and the Pyrodex pellets work just fine. Good power, convenient etc.
I normally use loose powder because I have plenty, but sometimes it’s nice to just pop in a round of pellets and ball and blaze away.

 

[AH64guy]

I’ve read where it’s always best to use lube (I use bore butter) with powder instead of wads, but I’m experimenting with pellets. What’s the best choice when using pellets, the wads or the lube? I suppose you could use nothing since pellets are solid, right? Can somebody educate me on the difference between the two, which one is best, and why?

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