Shooting accuracy

[Independence day]

I am new to muzzleloading and I just bought a Traditions Pursuit LT .50 cal. Now, I now all guns shoot different and there must be some experimentation to find out what the gun likes. So, can you experienced hunters with muzzleloaders please weight in and assist me with some recommendations on what bullet/ powder combinations work for the best consistent accuracy to maybe help make it a little less expensive to get it dialed in?

Matt

 

[deermanok]

Welcome to the world of muzzleloaders. Your right in that they all shoot a bit different. When I owned a Pursuit, I usually shot 90 grains of BH209 under a TC Shockwave 200 grain bullet. I also used CCI 209M primers. I'd say to get a least a couple different bullets. 200 to 250 grain.
There are a lot of fans of BH209 as a propellent. It's good stuff but not cheap. Triple 7 is also popular as is Pyrodex.
Real black powder is my own favorite but not readily available in any shops.
The only real way to know how your rifle will shoot is to shoot it. Try some different powder loads. I'd start with 80 grains and work my way up to say 90 to 100 grains maybe 110.
Again, I'd get a few different packs of bullets to try.
Good shooting.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Thats good advice, Matt.

 

[Independence day]

I have shot it a few times at the range, shooting Winchester 209 primers, Hogdon pyrodex pellets, and 250 grain power belt aero tips. Ignition has been great but seems to be a bit scattered. Played with the scope and got it to within 3" grouping now just need it to be more consistent.

 

[deermanok]

As with a lot of shooters here, I am not a fan of the pellets.

 

[carlnniki2006]

Welcome to muzzleloading! My brother and I started at the same time. He shoots Traditions Me a CVA. We are both fairly accurate shooters. We figured out pretty quickly to ditch the scopes that the CVA and Traditions came with. Got Leupold VX Freedom bidding on eBay for 200$ apiece. That made the biggest difference. He uses white hots and 295gr Powerbelts I use BH209 100gr and Powerbelts 250 gr., Both are 1 inch groups at 100 yards, clean up easily, and have taken many deer here in PA.

 

[MSalyards]

Pellets rarely weigh the same they also attract moisture. I've never been sold on them. I shoot 77 weighed gr of Blackhorn , a 300 gr Speer Deep curl, in a Harvester crush rib sabot. This is in a Accura v2 CVA. My knight Bighorn shoots a .452 , 400 gr Harvester hardcast lead in a crush rib sabot over 90 gr of pyrodex select

 

[Jbrown69]

I have shot it a few times at the range, shooting Winchester 209 primers, Hogdon pyrodex pellets, and 250 grain power belt aero tips. Ignition has been great but seems to be a bit scattered. Played with the scope and got it to within 3" grouping now just need it to be more consistent.

Try loose powder 90 to 100 grains volume and a good saboted bullet.. power belts not so good!

 

[mnoland30]

With pellets or any powder other than BH 209, most people swab the barrel between shots to maintain accuracy. Just a light lick on the patch and run down the barrel. I like to hunt with a clean barrel, so I swab twice between shots. It is a pain, but it also cools the barrel between shots, which tends to improve group size. If you only shoot a few shots before the season, or the price doesn't botther you, go with Blackhorn 209. If you shoot a lot, and want to save money, Black MZ is very inexpensive, and shoots well in my CVA .50 with Harvester PT Scorpion 300 gr. bullets. If you want to hunt with a fouled barrel, you can fire a couple of primers off, and that will do it. The primers are non-corrosive, so it isn't a problem to hunt with the barrel fouled that way. All of the substitutes (except BH 209) are very corrosive and attract moisture, so be sure the clean the barrel thoroughly after each range session. The reason BH209 is so popular is because you can shoot all day without swabbing the barrel, and cleanup is just like a centerfire rifle. Most peopole here like loose powder, because you can vary the load by 5 gr. increments to improve your group size. There are people on this site that have lots of knowledge and experience. I learn something almost every time I log on. Enjoy.

 

[LarryBud]

With pellets or any powder other than BH 209, most people swab the barrel between shots to maintain accuracy. Just a light lick on the patch and run down the barrel. I like to hunt with a clean barrel, so I swab twice between shots. It is a pain, but it also cools the barrel between shots, which tends to improve group size. If you only shoot a few shots before the season, or the price doesn't botther you, go with Blackhorn 209. If you shoot a lot, and want to save money, Black MZ is very inexpensive, and shoots well in my CVA .50 with Harvester PT Scorpion 300 gr. bullets. If you want to hunt with a fouled barrel, you can fire a couple of primers off, and that will do it. The primers are non-corrosive, so it isn't a problem to hunt with the barrel fouled that way. All of the substitutes (except BH 209) are very corrosive and attract moisture, so be sure the clean the barrel thoroughly after each range session. The reason BH209 is so popular is because you can shoot all day without swabbing the barrel, and cleanup is just like a centerfire rifle. Most peopole here like loose powder, because you can vary the load by 5 gr. increments to improve your group size. There are people on this site that have lots of knowledge and experience. I learn something almost every time I log on. Enjoy.

Good advice here. I'll add an important one.... If you don't have time to clean your gun, you don't have time to shoot. It comes with the sport. Add 30 minutes of clean up time to you plan.

Also, shooting muzzleloaders is not a social experience. You must use a witness mark and have your head in the game. Mistakes are a big problem.

Those are the warnings. If you like to tinker with many variables to maximize the outcome....it's a lot of fun. Plus, it will open up additional hunting opportunities in many states. Plus, they are cool!!

 

[Dave951]

First step, ditch the pellets.

I shoot black powder competition and can tell you this, ask any 5 competitors what is the "best" way to shoot a muzzleloader and you'll get 12 different answers. Case in point, wiping between shots, I don't do it and have no fall off of accuracy but then again, I'm shooting minie bullets in a Civil War musket. Get the powder and lube in balance and wiping isn't needed. I've run as many as 60 shots with no issues. You can't do that with a round ball gun, or a modern using sabots.

Personally, I'd try bullets like the old REAL design with a starting charge of about 50g 3f real black. Test for accuracy, wipe between shots and work from there.

 

[MrTom]

Good advice here. I'll add an important one.... If you don't have time to clean your gun, you don't have time to shoot. It comes with the sport. Add 30 minutes of clean up time to you plan.

Also, shooting muzzleloaders is not a social experience. You must use a witness mark and have your head in the game. Mistakes are a big problem.

Those are the warnings. If you like to tinker with many variables to maximize the outcome....it's a lot of fun. Plus, it will open up additional hunting opportunities in many states. Plus, they are cool!!

Both of these statements are worth their weight in gold.

I'll mirror the comments on getting rid of the pellets and strongly suggest you try the BH209 powder. I'd also suggest trying different bullets/sabots than the power belts. They may look nice on paper but they have a far less attractive record on animals.

 

[Matthew323]

Get the balance between the depth of the grooves in a patched ball, slow twist rifled barrel....

The thickness of the patch matetial.....

The lubricant used to grease the patch; plus the amount of lube on the patch....

And, the diameter of the 99.9%, pure SOFT lead ball all matched up properly....

And, a flintlock long Rifle WILL SHOOT ALL DAY LONG, as many as 200 shots in a single day at a Woods Walk.....

Without ONCE having to stop to wipe fouling out of the bore!!!!

The most shots that I have made in one day without cleaning was approximately 65 ( I was not counting ).

Over on the ALR Forum, there are shooters that have exceeded my count in a day by more than double.

Now, the relative humidity, coupled with the brand of black powder can sometimes effect the maximum number of shots taken before wiping the bore is required....

But, if you are determined to achieve this ability with your patched ball rifle, then by experimenting long enough....

YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT A SET OF COMPONENTS THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACHIEVE IT!!!!!!!

Been there, done that!

Edit: The key is the barrel. It must have grooves that are at LEAST 0.008" deep, and have a rate of twist that is appropriate for the caliber of ball being shot. A .25 caliber barrel will need a faster twist than a .50 caliber barrel, which will need a faster twist than a .69 caliber barrel.

The other MUST, is COMPLETLY filling the grooves surrounding the ball, with lightly-lubricated patch material, that is TIGHTLY COMPRESSED into the grooves. To the point that the weave of the fabric is imprinted into the surface of the lead ball.

If this is achieved, then after the first shot in a clean bore, each subsequent patched ball will push 99.9% of the left-behind fouling in the grooves/bore, down on top of the fresh powder charge. Where it will be blown out of the barrel by the combustion of the next shot.

And, so on, and so on, and so on. Until you decide to stop shooting.

 

[Dave951]

Edit: The key is the barrel. It must have grooves that are at LEAST 0.008" deep, and have a rate of twist that is appropriate for the caliber of ball being shot. A .25 caliber barrel will need a faster twist than a .50 caliber barrel, which will need a faster twist than a .69 caliber barrel.

The other MUST, is COMPLETLY filling the grooves surrounding the ball, with lightly-lubricated patch material, that is TIGHTLY COMPRESSED into the grooves. To the point that the weave of the fabric is imprinted into the surface of the lead ball.

All this is true with a PRB barrel. In a gun designed for Minies if you choose to go there, rifling shouldn't be deeper than .005 with a slow twist of about 1/60 or greater.

Know also that there is only one reliable source for precast Minies on the market. He's a North South Skirmish Association member and knows his stuff. Others I've seen were unknown alloy and don't work reliably. If you decide to go with Civil War, you'll probably have to get into casting to get good minies.

With PRB, there are several known sources of good quality.

Make a choice and welcome to a very deep rabbit hole.