I just made a deal on a Traditions tracker 50cal but I know nothing about black powder. What do I need to buy? I need to get a scope for it as well, are the black powder scopes good? Brand recomendations? Thanks in advance for your help.
Blackpowder newbie
- Thread starter gyman98
- Start date
- Location
- Algoma region
Whats the tracker?
A flintlock,a caplock, or a inline?
Love to see a picture if possible
As far as scopes go...if its a flinter or even a percussion you could assemble a cool brass scope, and not only make your rifle that much more cool and give yourself a fun project that will also get you some good groups.
I figure the tracker may look like a hawkin style...
A flintlock,a caplock, or a inline?
Love to see a picture if possible
As far as scopes go...if its a flinter or even a percussion you could assemble a cool brass scope, and not only make your rifle that much more cool and give yourself a fun project that will also get you some good groups.
I figure the tracker may look like a hawkin style...
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For accessories Traditions has a cool little kit that has a brass powder, powder measure, a capper, ball starter, cleaning jag, ball puller. and patch graber. this is the basics needed to start, from there you can add more, fancier flasks, better cappers ect. Make sure that you what cap you uses as it will make a differance in the capper #11 caps or 209 shot gun primer.
Next what are you shooting round ball and patch--- you will need bore lube I use hoppes #9 bore lube and solvent
Conical bullets need bullet butter. Some come already lubed or sabbot and bullet these are more hunting loads than anything.
If its an inline then you have a choice of loose powder or preformed pellets. If its an external hammer and #11 primer then you are limited to loose powder.
Next what are you shooting round ball and patch--- you will need bore lube I use hoppes #9 bore lube and solvent
Conical bullets need bullet butter. Some come already lubed or sabbot and bullet these are more hunting loads than anything.
If its an inline then you have a choice of loose powder or preformed pellets. If its an external hammer and #11 primer then you are limited to loose powder.
Sorry,
For what I read, I am not sure you are going to get the best advices until the type of shooting you intend to do is clear:...modern hunting, primitive hunting, target, round ball sabot, etc. Black powder is such a vast discipline of shooting...even more since the modern in-line riflres came into play...advices will vary from one type of shooting to the other as much as the components.
Best of luck!
J
For what I read, I am not sure you are going to get the best advices until the type of shooting you intend to do is clear:...modern hunting, primitive hunting, target, round ball sabot, etc. Black powder is such a vast discipline of shooting...even more since the modern in-line riflres came into play...advices will vary from one type of shooting to the other as much as the components.
Best of luck!
J
- Location
- Algoma region
Oh well then,
slap any ol scope on it ,
I am also shure there are many plastic accessories that will click on it without any work at all.
Easy as pie
These shoot almost exactly like modern guns.
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Traditions Tracker is an entry level inline muzzleloader & comes drilled / tapped for scope mounts. They are 209 primed, and Traditions claims it can handle 150 grains of pelletized powder (or 120 gr of loose whatever else you choose to load with). The rifling is 1:28 twist, and suited to sabotted bullets. Many vendors offer starter kits , or you can piece one together with selected components (flask, volumetric measure and the like). They are less fuss than flntlock / caplocks but they do require a fair bit of time on the range to determine which bullet / combo is right for you.
Welcome
Welcome
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I wish...they are much more complicated than that and nothing like a modern gun. They require extensive time with to work a load up and become proficient with, require specialized cleaning procedures, there are a few unique safety issues, plus they load through the muzzle. As has been mentioned, read all you can and find a mentor if possible.
As for scopes, no need for a specialized bp scope.......I'd recommend something like a Bushnell 3200 3-9.
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Before you continue to offer any form of guidance to a new guy on this forum who only seeks some direction on the safe use of a firearm to which he is unfamiliar, please check at least three things before clicking that "Submit Reply":
1. The facts,
2. Your disdain towards any form of muzzleloader (except your homebuilt IKEA kits), and
3. Your spelling.
???
1. The facts,
2. Your disdain towards any form of muzzleloader (except your homebuilt IKEA kits), and
3. Your spelling.
???
Ok thanks for the help everyone, I plan to use it to hunt much like I do with my centrefire, just this will let me hunt earlier 
The powder pellets sound like my cup of tea, is there a difference in powder like smokeless powder or are black powder pellets all the same?
The powder pellets sound like my cup of tea, is there a difference in powder like smokeless powder or are black powder pellets all the same?trubluscrew
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Smokeless and Black powder (substitute) pellets are two different things.
Do NOT use smokeless in your black powder (Some do, but I wouldn't suggest it nor condone the use of it).
The two big names of pellets are Pyrodex and 777. 777 runs (if I remember correctly 20% hotter) then regular black powder by volume.
So if you load 2 x 50 grains of pyrodex pellets, you are shooting the equivalent of 100 grains of black powder. 100 grains of 777 (powder or pellets) is equivalent to 120 grains of black powder. Short answer is three 50gr of pyrodex pellets is OK, 3 pellets of 777 is not.
There is also Shockley's gold powder and pellets (I haven't seen them around here), so I can't tell you anything about them.
edit to add.
just re-read your question.
There is slight difference in pellets. 777 is hotter the Pyrodex and from what I've read, Shockley's is cleaner.
I'm just learning this stuff too.
Do NOT use smokeless in your black powder (Some do, but I wouldn't suggest it nor condone the use of it).
The two big names of pellets are Pyrodex and 777. 777 runs (if I remember correctly 20% hotter) then regular black powder by volume.
So if you load 2 x 50 grains of pyrodex pellets, you are shooting the equivalent of 100 grains of black powder. 100 grains of 777 (powder or pellets) is equivalent to 120 grains of black powder. Short answer is three 50gr of pyrodex pellets is OK, 3 pellets of 777 is not.
There is also Shockley's gold powder and pellets (I haven't seen them around here), so I can't tell you anything about them.
edit to add.
just re-read your question.
There is slight difference in pellets. 777 is hotter the Pyrodex and from what I've read, Shockley's is cleaner.
I'm just learning this stuff too.
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haha don't worry I wasn't, just kinda worded the post dumb, I was just asking if there were a million differents kinds of blackpowder like there are of smokeless or if they were all the same but I got my answer now, thanks Trubluscrew! I heard that you can use .45 handgun bullets with a sabot, do they work well for hunting? Wouldn't need bullet lube then right?
For get the handgun bullets....they were okay when they were the only option muzzleloaders had but now there are tons of muzzleloader bullets in sabots designed for the speeds modern muzzleloaders produce. You are correct....no lube. My favourite is a 250 grain SST.
250 yards is a long shot for a muzzleloader. It takes a ton of time to work up a long-range load, special optics and some serious amounts of powder. With 100 grain powder loads, 150 yards is reasonable and with 150 grain loads, 200 yards is about max...without a lot of other considerations anyhow. I've killed at over 300 with an SST but this muzzleloader was worked up specifically for shots in this range, unless you are willing to devote a serious amount of time at the range and dedicate a gun just to long range, I wouldn't recommend looking at over 200.......
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trubluscrew
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Sheephunter (from what I've read from him) knows his stuff. Again I'm a BP newb too. But don't waste your money on Powerbelts. I got a CVA Hunterbolt (what can I say, practically new with a bottom line Bushnell Trophy scope for under $150). Gotta love friends with money and a fetish for new toys.
Anyway. CVA recommends (actually pushes) the Powerbelts. I get MOA of Barn with them at 100 yards and 2 X50 gr Pyrodex both in 245 and 295 grains.
The only other bullet I've tried is the 300 grain SST over 2 x50gr pyrodex (haven't done any real testing. But I can kill a milk jug at 75 yards)
Anyway. CVA recommends (actually pushes) the Powerbelts. I get MOA of Barn with them at 100 yards and 2 X50 gr Pyrodex both in 245 and 295 grains.
The only other bullet I've tried is the 300 grain SST over 2 x50gr pyrodex (haven't done any real testing. But I can kill a milk jug at 75 yards)
I will return to the start of this post as there is some misinformation from the outset......For the most part, the folks on this thread are not using or talking about using Black Powder, they are using other types of powder, like Triple 7 or Pyrodex, or Shockey, or whatever.....Black Powder can be used in these inlines but is seldom used. Traditional shooters, using round ball or conicals, use BP mostly, as do BPCR shooters. Mostly these inlines, with sabots, and powder pellets, and jacketed bullets are as far away from Black Powder shooting as one can get.Hope this sheds some light on subject for the newbie.
Huh? As the Traditions Tracker is a modern in-line designed to use bp sustitutes and sabots, I'd say most of the info was right on the money. A few of the old timer got a bit off track but quickly righted their wrongs by maligning us in-line shooters!
