First Muzzleloader Deer - and a lesson

[Andy]

I have hunted in Ontario WMU 85C (Controlled Shotgun/Muzzleloader) on and off for about 10 years, but always used a shotgun with Sabot Slugs. This year for the first time I brought along a muzzleloader. My time was very limited this year and fortunately I got a deer (a doe) within 3 1/2 hours of setting up in my tree blind, but I learned an easy (rookie) lesson about muzzleloaders that I already knew about rifles. Fire a fouling shot!

At the range I knew that the first shot from a clean barrel could go anywhere and subsequent shots were tight enough that I was confident out to 150 yds or so, but I hit the stand with a clean barrel, not wanting corrosion to occur - duh.

I saw a doe at about 125 yds, took my time and shot - a clean miss. This is farm country and deer are used to noises, so knowing that she had not seen nor smelt me, I reloaded and sure enough, within ten minutes she was back, but closer. This time the bullet went where I aimed.

Next year, I won't make this mistake.

 

[Eagle160]

Glad it worked out and the freezer's full. You'll never forget not to trust a clean barrel. Kinda sounds against reason as we're always drilled on keeping a gun clean.

 

[SuperCub]

Flinch




.

 

[Doug]

Congrats on the deer, Andy!

Buy a Savage front-stuffer, use smokeless powder, and clean the gun once a year. No muss, no fuss, has the Accutrigger, great guns. I have two of them, and will NEVER go back to black powder.

Doug

 

[Andy]

Flinch

Maybe - can't eliminate that as a possibility, but I didn't see that at the range, and the second shot was pretty much textbook.

Congrats on the deer, Andy!

Buy a Savage front-stuffer, use smokeless powder, and clean the gun once a year. No muss, no fuss, has the Accutrigger, great guns. I have two of them, and will NEVER go back to black powder.

Doug

I always need an excuse to buy another gun and have admired the Savage for some time.

BTW that deer was the fattest I've ever seen - literally gobs of fat within the body cavity and plenty more between hide and body. Took her where a soybean field borders corn.

 

[casterpollox]

A fouling shot or even just fire off a primer to get some soot in the barrel.

 

[SuperCub]

Congrats on the deer, Andy!

Buy a Savage front-stuffer, use smokeless powder, and clean the gun once a year. No muss, no fuss, has the Accutrigger, great guns. I have two of them, and will NEVER go back to black powder.

Doug

What powder do you use in that? We don't get any special season here in NB for ML, so they're few and far between here.

.

 

[tactical870]

I don't know what doug shoots, But I shoot 39 gr of SR4759 behind a 240 gr Hornady XTP hollowpoint in my Savage ML-II. No mess and deadly accurate. I think I even cleaned it 2 years ago (I wipe it down of course after each hunt).....

 

[Dogleg]

What powder do you use in that? We don't get any special season here in NB for ML, so they're few and far between here.

.

43 grains of SR4759 for 250 grain SSTs, 42 of the same for 300s and 73 grains of H4198 below 250s to 265s. You're on your own with that last one, but it'll do 2650 fps and kick like a roughneck getting dragged out of a whorehouse.

 

[Doug]

Similar load here, 43.0 gr SR4759 and the Hornady 240 gr XTP (.452 cal) in an MMP High-Pressure sabot.

Good accurate load for sure, Kills paper very dead, but has yet to be tested on game by me.........

Doug

 

[Grizzlypeg]

Congrats on the deer, Andy!

Buy a Savage front-stuffer, use smokeless powder, and clean the gun once a year. No muss, no fuss, has the Accutrigger, great guns. I have two of them, and will NEVER go back to black powder.

Doug

I love that about my Savage. No varying barrel conditions to worry about.

43.0 g sr4759 and a 250 grain bullet (Hornady SST or XTP). With my chronograph, they measure at 2100 fps.