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It all started when a few months ago I won an auction on 2 muzzle loaders. One was a Knight LK93 the other was a 50 cal. Remington 700ML. I had some second hand info on muzzleloading as far as procedural process and cleaning went and I think the Maintenance, long range potential and extended hunting season was my driving force. I am the gunnit who cleans his guns after each use, dawn soap, brake cleaner and ballistol. Maintenance and understanding the intricacies of each part of my firearms has always been a passion for the past 5-6 years. Prior to that most of my firearm experience was buying old military surplus gear out of Shotgun Weekly News and running guns into the dirt and complaining of their inevitable failure.

I am now older and wiser and ready to learn more after building out my Remington 700ml.

• SWFA 12x42 Scope 1/4 MOA dial with MOA reticle
• Magpul 700SA Stock
• Magpul Bipod (lesson learned)
• Rem 700 BDL bottom metal
• Badger Industries 209 Savage 10ml-ii style conversion.
• Running Powerbelt 325 ELR's and Power Belt 338 Platinums.
• BH209 91 grains by weight 110 by volume (is it always this light?)
• Clerinox CX2000 209 Primers

With the Powerbelts I am able to run Sub MOA groups at 100 yards for 3 shots and I am getting wild inaccuracies beyond that. Despite manufacturer recommendation of cleaning every 8 shots. The plastic fowling is horrendous, and I am stuck with a 45 minute scrub down every few shots. I heard other people have had experience terrible penetration with these bullets but I am consistently picking up 300 grain slugs after grinding through up to 8" of wood. I say up to because I am consistently punching through my 6x6 backstop and catching them in a second piece 2x material I have leaned up behind it. After about 30 shots, I can now feel comfortable hunting with the 325 grain ELR's but I am wanting to get away from them all together.

So that brings me to my conundrum. It looks like my only 50 cal options for jacketed bullets without plastic is the Thor bullets. But for what? The LK93 with standard CCI Number 11 Caps and 90 grains of Triple 7, gives me a 6" group off the shoulder Power Belt Platinum 270 grain projectile, with iron sites. It is lighter, cheaper and easier to clean and doesn't leave nearly as much plastic residue. So I guess now the Remington 700ml is becoming a range toy, but should I invest in a few hundred 300 grain Thor bullets sized to my bore, or upgrade my barrel to a smaller diameter and hit up my local Sportsmans clubs for some of their long range matches.

Current wish list for it is a 40 cal McGowen Barrel un-tapered with a 1:13 twist. The logic behind that being a higher BC bullet and I am hoping to run lighter powder weights and swag my bullets. Likely Arrowhead 40 cal XLD's.

A) Can I run heavy bullets with subsonic load outs to prevent transonic bullet whip?
B) Has anyone run a Blackout 8.6 as a muzzle loader?
C) Can the Remington 700ML handle hotter loads with the Badger 209 and a smokeless McGowen Barrel.
D) Just stop reinventing the wheel and go back to centerfire?

Thank you in advance! Long time lurker, now part of team MML.
Screenshot_20221013_192103.jpg
 
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Welcome.

I just bought an LK-93. My first load through it was 100 grains(v) of T7 and PR 200 grain Dead Centers. It shoots much better than 6". You talk about shooting your LK of hand with iron sights and the Remington of the bench with a fine scope. Sounds like your not comparing them apples to apples to apples so to speak. Try your LK off of a bench and Im sure you will get much better groups. If you take the time to work up a load and shoot it off the bunch Im sure it will shoot as good as your eye sight can allow with iron sights.
Enjoy

As for the Remington I have no MZ guns of that kind so someone here will need to chime in.

My $.02
 
Welcome.

I just bought an LK-93. My first load through it was 100 grains(v) of T7 and PR 200 grain Dead Centers. It shoots much better than 6". You talk about shooting your LK of hand with iron sights and the Remington of the bench with a fine scope. Sounds like your not comparing them apples to apples to apples so to speak. Try your LK off of a bench and Im sure you will get much better groups. If you take the time to work up a load and shoot it off the bunch Im sure it will shoot as good as your eye sight can allow with iron sights.
Enjoy

As for the Remington I have no MZ guns of that kind so someone here will need to chime in.

My $.02
I agree, I think with that load out and LK93 off the bench may be more embarrassingly more accurate than the 700. My reference to accuracy for the LK93 is simply a product of shooting it off my shoulder with iron sights. It also does not melt the skirts on the 270 Powerbelt Plantinums and leave all the residue. Not much need to bench it. The only real issue is it likes to blow up the caps and I have had a couple of hang fires.
 
Welcome from Las Vegas! You’ve got a lot going on. I’d need a couple more cups of coffee before I dive into your post. 😉

I’m no Powerbelt fan but Ive never heard of guys complaining of plastic residue with them. Interesting.
 
Where in Connecticut are you located?
I'm originally from Bristol.
My wife and I saw that horrible police shootings on the news yesterday.
 
Yes to more coffee, I am happy to encourage such a fine behavior. Here is an image of a couple recovered slugs.

Note the lands from obturation is cutting very well and you can also see the skirts both burnt and the bases remain on the bullet. The flippy flappers (technical term) on the skirt melt into the barrel basically at the point where it meets ignition.
 

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The only real issue is it likes to blow up the caps and I have had a couple of hang fires.
We have all been there. Try this. Starting with a clean gun, snap 3-4 caps, then point the barrel downward and run a dry patch in and out a few times. That will rid the flash hole as well as the barrel of oil. Between shots, with the barrel pointed down, swab with a spit patch. Then use a nipple pick and run it through the nipple a few times. Make sure your cap is seated firmly on the nipple and I think that will solve your hang fires. As far as blowing up the cap its done its job so not sure that matters.
 
Where in Connecticut are you located?
I'm originally from Bristol.
My wife and I saw that horrible police shootings....
I live East of the CT River in a town called Marlborough.

Such a tragedy for those officers and the community. And another reason to condemn the AR15. Eastern CT is different and yet no doubt we will be the ones to feel the effect of knee jerk regulations that are contradictory to the 2A.
 
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We have all been there. Try this. Starting with a clean gun, snap 3-4 caps, then point the barrel downward and run a dry patch in and out a few times. That will rid the flash hole as well as the barrel of oil. Between shots, with the barrel pointed down, swab with a spit patch. Then use a nipple pick and run it through the nipple a few times. Make sure your cap is seated firmly on the nipple and I think that will solve your hang fires. As far as blowing up the cap its done its job so not sure that matters.
Yeah I will admit, I had only been fouling with a single cap.
 
I live East of the CT River in a town called Marlborough.

Such a tragedy for those officers and the community. And another reason to condemn the AR15. Eastern CT is different and yet no doubt we will be the ones to feel the effect of knee jerk regulations that are contradictory to the 2A.
I'm familiar with your area. Don't recall exactly but I hunted a few times in the Salmon River SF. I think around your town.
 
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