Yukon Gold

[pbonura]

Hello

Just purchased a used CVA Optima Pro and the previous owner gave me two bottles of Jim Shockey`s Yukon Gold 50 gram sticks and 100 gram super sticks. I am shooting a 50 cal CVA Optima pro and just wondering just if first this stuff is safe to shoot in a 50 cal inline gun. Read the labels and it is not very clear. Normally shoot white hots.

Thanks

pbonura

 

[exMember]

yeah the shockeys gold sticks are fine to shoot. I never shot the JSG sticks but shot plenty of the american pioneer sticks. I used anything from the 245gr Powerbelts with 150gr Sticks, all the way up to the 348gr powerbelts with 100gr.

 

[aviomech]

I just tried some JSG 3F today, it is really good stuff. I forgot my hornady 265fn bullets and targets at home :x , but found some old 295gr powerbelts in my BP kit. So I loaded the Knight shadow with 100gr of JSG, topped with the 295 powerbelt, and used W209 primers. I was impressed how accurate it was, even just using open sights. I shot some partially broken clays that someone left laying around . I set these chunks from 50-80 yards and loaded up. After first 2 shots, I noticed sight was high, I adjusted, and did not miss the next 18 shots. The pieces were 2 to 3 inch squares, triangles, etc. And I was making them disappear, off-hand, open-sight, shooting. I was having so much fun I almost forgot to swab the barrel! One patch down after 5 shots, A little bit of residue(probably from when I cleaned it) and that was it, no crud like Triple 7. swabbed again after another 5 shots, even less residue. Then I fired 10 in a row without swabbing, and put it away to clean at home. I had no loading issues, all bullets went down the same as the first. 4 patches to clean the barrel when I got home, 2 wet, 2 dry, last 1 came out clean. It was the breech plug and breech plug grease that took more time to clean, damn 209 primers!! But I am a happy camper and can not wait to scope it out and gets some groups on paper!! Hell, the way it was shooting today, I could just leave it open sight, put it away, and call it good for deer season with the load I was shooting........But that will never happen.....

 

[Rick1]

First I want to say welcome to the forum.

Second, I would recommend trying BH209. Get rid of the pellet/stick powder and go loose. Never had good luck with JSG, my personal opinion of that stuff I can't say here without getting in trouble.

 

[aviomech]

First I want to say welcome to the forum.

Second, I would recommend trying BH209. Get rid of the pellet/stick powder and go loose. Never had good luck with JSG, my personal opinion of that stuff I can't say here without getting in trouble.

To each his own.....I am still testing out JSG, but so far I am impressed. The 5 things I look at in order:

1. Ignition, if ignition is poor or inconsistent, game over, what good is a ML that won't fire, or inconsistent..

2. Accuracy. Ya gotta be able to hit what your aiming at. Being a reloader, I know it takes some tweaking in powder charges to make different guns shoot. We can't just throw 100 gr of powder in and expect the groups to be phenomenal. This is why so many people curse a brand ammunition, because it don't shoot good with 1 set powder charge, in one gun. Thats why I like muzzleloaders and loose powder, you can tweak shot to shot, without having to go back to the reloading press.

3. Clean-up: Dirty powders lead to fouling and poor accuracy, and just a pain to clean. There is no miracle powder that will keep your barrel clean. 2 reasons: Primers foul, and bullets foul. The powder isn't going to clean up after the primer and bullet.

4. Availability: If it is a hassle to find, what good is that when you want go shoot.

5. Price: This fluctuates depending on how good it is at the 4 prior things, but within reason.


I'm not going to dis any powder that someone uses. If it works for them, thats great!! But it does not mean it works for me. Blackhorn maybe great powder in some guns, but it had constant misfires in 2 written reviews on my Knight Shadow. That with price and availability(I couldn't find it anywhere here in Portland, OR), it is not a good fit for me. Triple 7 has worked great, it just crud rings the barrel. And the JSG has been good so far, but I still need to test it further. Availability is the only factor with the JSG, and I found a place that sells it.

 

[exMember]

I like JSG in the sidelocks, thats where it really did good. American Pioneer 2f and 3f however worked the best accuracy wise in the inlines.

I prefer BH209 now.

 

[Muley Hunter]

Don't forget to test the fps and fpe.

I think that kitty litter powder is weak.

 

[aviomech]

Don't forget to test the fps and fpe.

I think that kitty litter powder is weak.

my gun shot straight and high,had to adjust my elevation down, from 50 to 80 yds every shot was consistent, no high or low flyers. There is more than plenty of energy there, it slung 295 gr powerbelts 50-80 yds without any noticeable drop. Jim Shockey took a cape buffalo using it. Remember the ol' line "As long as the gun gets it done, fps and fpe are just for keyboard punching, deer can't read anyway"....I've been guilty of this a few times :lol:

 

[exMember]

American will shoot the velocity they claim, i learned though that in order to get their speeds, you have to swab the bore clean and Oil the bore as well. On a clean bore that has not been oiled, it actually shoots 200fps below the FPS they advertise.

 

[pbonura]

Took out the Yukon Gold today and I was very very impressed. I could load all six shots in the barrel without swapping. Also completed a 2 inche group at 100 yards and about 1 inche at 50 yards. I have the target at 50 yards and may post a pick. First time shooting my CVA Optima Pro and man that gun is very very nice. Have a bushnell trophy 1.4 by 4 on it and a bergarra barrel on the gun. Does not have the QRBP but that does not make a big deal. Very easy to clean. Just ran warm water down the barrel. Going to run some more patches later tonight and really clean the breech plug.

Just need to find a 223 barrel for my Apex. CVA is just a better gun. Now I understand what they mean.

 

[aviomech]

American will shoot the velocity they claim, i learned though that in order to get their speeds, you have to swab the bore clean and Oil the bore as well. On a clean bore that has not been oiled, it actually shoots 200fps below the FPS they advertise.

Thanks for the info FG!!

Everyone hops up there speeds, from bows to guns to ammo. Very few actually meet these numbers unless everything is ideal. But there have been a few surprises. There is enough there to kill most things on this planet, and Jim Shockey has taken quite a few.

 

[hawgslayer1]

8)

APP/JSG is all I use. Accurate powder that cleans up with water. My Powerbelt AeroLites slide down the barrel without a problem. Taken 3 deer and 1 hawg in the past 2 seasons, using that powder and I see no reason to change. It's not as fast as most powders but I don't think the critters think about the speed, especially after they have been hit. :cheers: IMHO

 

[exMember]

Took out the Yukon Gold today and I was very very impressed. I could load all six shots in the barrel without swapping. Also completed a 2 inche group at 100 yards and about 1 inche at 50 yards. I have the target at 50 yards and may post a pick. First time shooting my CVA Optima Pro and man that gun is very very nice. Have a bushnell trophy 1.4 by 4 on it and a bergarra barrel on the gun. Does not have the QRBP but that does not make a big deal. Very easy to clean. Just ran warm water down the barrel. Going to run some more patches later tonight and really clean the breech plug.

Just need to find a 223 barrel for my Apex. CVA is just a better gun. Now I understand what they mean.

Well thats excellent! Its nice to hear about things going good the first time out with a new rifle.

Did you have any fouling inside the frame due to the primer blow by?

 

[Muley Hunter]

A little info on the kitty litter.

http://randywakeman.com/A2006BlackPowderSubstituteRoundup.htm

 

[exMember]

Those of us that have been around on the forums long enough, know to take what wakemans said with a pacific ocean size grain of salt.

 

[Rick1]

A little info on the kitty litter.

http://randywakeman.com/A2006BlackPowderSubstituteRoundup.htm

Like it was said, too each his own. Whatever works, as long as it works. I do agree with Colorado but don't get me wrong I'm not dissing anyone powder.

 

[pbonura]

Took out the Yukon Gold today and I was very very impressed. I could load all six shots in the barrel without swapping. Also completed a 2 inche group at 100 yards and about 1 inche at 50 yards. I have the target at 50 yards and may post a pick. First time shooting my CVA Optima Pro and man that gun is very very nice. Have a bushnell trophy 1.4 by 4 on it and a bergarra barrel on the gun. Does not have the QRBP but that does not make a big deal. Very easy to clean. Just ran warm water down the barrel. Going to run some more patches later tonight and really clean the breech plug.

Just need to find a 223 barrel for my Apex. CVA is just a better gun. Now I understand what they mean.

Well thats excellent! Its nice to hear about things going good the first time out with a new rifle.

Did you have any fouling inside the frame due to the primer blow by?

Alittle bit yes I did. However I tried White Hots and achieved the same result. However I come to expect it with most powders. I guess I will have to try Blackhorn 209 once I run out of Yukon Gold.

 

[Muley Hunter]

Those of us that have been around on the forums long enough, know to take what wakemans said with a pacific ocean size grain of salt.

That was just one example.

I think both sides should be shown. My own personal experience with the powder isn't good.

I think for anybody into muzzleloaders, the last concern should be how it cleans up.

 

[hawgslayer1]

:no: :evil: :no: :twisted:

I use APP/JSG and have no problem with it. As far as I'm concerned, a guy like Wakeman who still is ragging about cva barrels from '95/'96 that cva recalled doesn't have much going for himself. There is a section in my owners manual that explained the recall and the numbers for those years that were recalled.
He has bum rapped everything on the market except the outfit he works for. I have no :no: fears of shooting my CVA's or using AAP/JSG and I could care less what he says.

 

[Muley Hunter]

:no: :evil: :no: :twisted:

I use APP/JSG and have no problem with it. As far as I'm concerned, a guy like Wakeman who still is ragging about cva barrels from '95/'96 that cva recalled doesn't have much going for himself. There is a section in my owners manual that explained the recall and the numbers for those years that were recalled.
He has bum rapped everything on the market except the outfit he works for. I have no :no: fears of shooting my CVA's or using AAP/JSG and I could care less what he says.

I agree about the recalls.

I have no doubt that you get good results with JSG powder. I just did a bunch of research on it, and it seems to be a love-hate powder. I'm not sure if the guys that hate it are doing something wrong when they use it, or it just doesn't suit their guns.

My experience with it was with C&B revolvers. It shot ok, but it had a white crust that built up on the cylinder. It also wouldn't pour through my flask because of the big granules.

I'm old school, and like real BP. That's me though. If JSG is working for you. That's all that matters.