Question?? best muzzleloader for deer
- Thread starter R tex
- Start date
Sorry bud,that's a heavily loaded question and you'll get a thousand "expert opinions"
Best in-line?Best break-action?Best flinlock?Best cap gun?watcha feeding it,sabots,conicals,round balls?
what's the best truck...Ford,Dodge or Chevy?Best bow,Hoyt,Bowtech,Matthews?...........
Best in-line?Best break-action?Best flinlock?Best cap gun?watcha feeding it,sabots,conicals,round balls?
what's the best truck...Ford,Dodge or Chevy?Best bow,Hoyt,Bowtech,Matthews?...........
Sorry bud,that's a heavily loaded question and you'll get a thousand "expert opinions"
Best in-line?Best break-action?Best flinlock?Best cap gun?watcha feeding it,sabots,conicals,round balls?
what's the best truck...Ford,Dodge or Chevy?Best bow,Hoyt,Bowtech,Matthews?...........
thanks for the memo,this is not the answer i was looking for
Advice
GRNRGRN has over 300 posts.....you have 3. He has given you some very good advice, to wit, "Just exactly what type of BP rifle are you looking for?"
Everyone had some different ideas on these rifles, and you have asked for advice, but not given any parameters as to your personal preferences in actions, ignition systems, stocks, hunting conditions, and a dozen other factors.
YOU have to be more specific in your posts, and not vague in your questions. You can not expect people to read minds, and when they try to help you, then do not put them down.
The only real specific you gave was that you wanted to buy a .50 calibre rifle suitable for deer. This is like the many posts we see that state "I have an old gun...what is it worth?"
I have not met GRINGRN, and don't even know who he is. But he really didn't need a put down comment when he was trying to help you.
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GRNRGRN has over 300 posts.....you have 3. He has given you some very good advice, to wit, "Just exactly what type of BP rifle are you looking for?"
Everyone had some different ideas on these rifles, and you have asked for advice, but not given any parameters as to your personal preferences in actions, ignition systems, stocks, hunting conditions, and a dozen other factors.
YOU have to be more specific in your posts, and not vague in your questions. You can not expect people to read minds, and when they try to help you, then do not put them down.
The only real specific you gave was that you wanted to buy a .50 calibre rifle suitable for deer. This is like the many posts we see that state "I have an old gun...what is it worth?"
I have not met GRINGRN, and don't even know who he is. But he really didn't need a put down comment when he was trying to help you.
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LOL..no skin off my a$$....I'm just saying,ask a forum with 10's of thousands of members what's "THE BEST" anything and you'll get 1000 different opinions.Best under $200?Best under $500?Best under $1000....or THE BEST,sky's the limit?
Personally,I like sidelocks,that'd be flinters and cappers in case ya don't know.I like the smell of REAL Black Powder,I like the mess(go figger),I like cleaning them,I like the sparks,I like the smoke,I like the nostalgia aspect,I like working up loads to find out what they like,and I like the challenge of having to get relatively close to my quarry.I have no interest in in-lines whatsoever...therefore my idea of "The Best" ML for deer is without a doubt alot different than somebody that likes a synthetic stocked,stainless steel barreled,scoped,jacketed/saboted bullet firing,pellet propelled,209 primer ignited,bastardized abomination of a frontstuffer.
Grinr
Personally,I like sidelocks,that'd be flinters and cappers in case ya don't know.I like the smell of REAL Black Powder,I like the mess(go figger),I like cleaning them,I like the sparks,I like the smoke,I like the nostalgia aspect,I like working up loads to find out what they like,and I like the challenge of having to get relatively close to my quarry.I have no interest in in-lines whatsoever...therefore my idea of "The Best" ML for deer is without a doubt alot different than somebody that likes a synthetic stocked,stainless steel barreled,scoped,jacketed/saboted bullet firing,pellet propelled,209 primer ignited,bastardized abomination of a frontstuffer.
Grinr
best muzzleloader for deer
So...best for me is a T/C Hawken .50 percussion, Kahles Helia 2.5x scope mounted for old eyes, 90 gr. FFg Black powder, Hornady sabot 240 grain XTP bullet. I shot quite a few deer with the roundball before I decided that the expanding bullet was a quicker kill and therefor more humane. Roundball rifle was a Lyman Trade rifle.
I've been eating WT/Mule deer venison every year for the last 15+ years taken with the T/C Hawken.
Any ML rifle .50 calibre or more that you can shoot accurately up to 100 yards will reliably put venison on the ground. Adequate accuracy for hunting is a group that you can cover with your hand at 100 yards. Choose your shots carefully to take out both lungs and you won't be disappointed. My WT buck, four points a side, this year was shot at a distance under 40 yards.
Now you need to decide what type of ML rifle appeals to you, and practice, practice, practice to build your skill.
So...best for me is a T/C Hawken .50 percussion, Kahles Helia 2.5x scope mounted for old eyes, 90 gr. FFg Black powder, Hornady sabot 240 grain XTP bullet. I shot quite a few deer with the roundball before I decided that the expanding bullet was a quicker kill and therefor more humane. Roundball rifle was a Lyman Trade rifle.
I've been eating WT/Mule deer venison every year for the last 15+ years taken with the T/C Hawken.
Any ML rifle .50 calibre or more that you can shoot accurately up to 100 yards will reliably put venison on the ground. Adequate accuracy for hunting is a group that you can cover with your hand at 100 yards. Choose your shots carefully to take out both lungs and you won't be disappointed. My WT buck, four points a side, this year was shot at a distance under 40 yards.
Now you need to decide what type of ML rifle appeals to you, and practice, practice, practice to build your skill.
Snowshoe gave some good advice, I guess he can read minds.
I too am looking for one and price is a major consideration, as well as the maintenance/cleaning features.
Epps has a few used. You gonna scope it?
I would like to find a Savage 110ml cheap.
CVA , TC, would catch my attention too.
It is both wonderful and frustrating to have so much choice!
I too am looking for one and price is a major consideration, as well as the maintenance/cleaning features.
Epps has a few used. You gonna scope it?
I would like to find a Savage 110ml cheap.
CVA , TC, would catch my attention too.
It is both wonderful and frustrating to have so much choice!
I like the Savage 10MLII. With 43 grains of SR4759 and a sabot holding a 250 grain bullet I'm getting 2300 feet per second. Others experiment with hotter loads, but that's plenty of performance for me. No problem shooting a deer at 150 yards with that. Never had a shot at 100 yards that wouldn't hit a tennis ball. No need to clean the rifle after firing (at least on my stainless gun). I change an inexpensive part called a vent liner every season or two, and it costs around $5.00.
Downside to the gun is that it is heavier than average, and because of the bolt action receiver, it is longer than the break action style muzzle loaders. Also, people will try to scare you and tell you the gun will explode for no reason at all. This gun is seriously overbuilt and 43 grains of powder is a mild charge. If someone's gun blew up, they did something radically wrong.
Downside to the gun is that it is heavier than average, and because of the bolt action receiver, it is longer than the break action style muzzle loaders. Also, people will try to scare you and tell you the gun will explode for no reason at all. This gun is seriously overbuilt and 43 grains of powder is a mild charge. If someone's gun blew up, they did something radically wrong.
Now how am I gonna find a good cheap one if you keep posting like that Grizzlypeg!!
What kind of groups are you getting? I intend to shoot a lot, but am not a fan of cleaning.
The vent liner replacement, is that cause you are using smokeless or regardless of powder used?
There's a breach plug in all the inline muzzle loaders that I know of. It's the hole through which the primer's fire flows to the powder. In a Savage 10MLII, for some reason, they have a small screw with a hole in it, looks a lot like a jet from a carburetor, that caps off the hole. I guess its to keep the hole a precision size. I've never had to change it, but they are cheap, so I put a new one in every once in a while. I've heard rumour that as it erodes, the group size will enlarge.
The gun seems to be very forgiving with loads and projectiles at 100 yards. I've even experimented with varying the powder load slightly to see if it would really throw off the point of impact, and it doesn't. I always weigh my loads, but have determined that a particular lee scoup would work fine in a pinch and not ever cause an overload or make you miss a deer.
I don't sit there and pound out round after round. With plastic sabots, you can't let your barrel get hot like a standard rifle barrel. It would affect the plastic I'm told.
Expect groups that are the size of a tennis ball or smaller at 100 yards off a bench with a scope. I shot a doe shooting off hand at 120 yards this fall. My aim was a touch high, and it hit her about 3" below her spine. The Hornady SST bullet passed through, punching a quarter sized hole out the back and she dropped right on the spot.
You change the vent liner I believe with any type of powder, but I can't see using anything but smokeless, unless the law required.
The gun seems to be very forgiving with loads and projectiles at 100 yards. I've even experimented with varying the powder load slightly to see if it would really throw off the point of impact, and it doesn't. I always weigh my loads, but have determined that a particular lee scoup would work fine in a pinch and not ever cause an overload or make you miss a deer.
I don't sit there and pound out round after round. With plastic sabots, you can't let your barrel get hot like a standard rifle barrel. It would affect the plastic I'm told.
Expect groups that are the size of a tennis ball or smaller at 100 yards off a bench with a scope. I shot a doe shooting off hand at 120 yards this fall. My aim was a touch high, and it hit her about 3" below her spine. The Hornady SST bullet passed through, punching a quarter sized hole out the back and she dropped right on the spot.
You change the vent liner I believe with any type of powder, but I can't see using anything but smokeless, unless the law required.
the ventliner is a maintenance issue. they seem to perform best when they are between .030 -.033 dia. once the hole enlarges greater than that groups will open up.
faster burning powders ie. imr4759, vv110 tend to erode ventliners faster than slower burning powders like H4198, vv120, R7 or R10.
Cleaning or lack of is the greatest advantage of using smokeless.
and yes they're accurate once you find the right combination of bullet/powder.
faster burning powders ie. imr4759, vv110 tend to erode ventliners faster than slower burning powders like H4198, vv120, R7 or R10.
Cleaning or lack of is the greatest advantage of using smokeless.
and yes they're accurate once you find the right combination of bullet/powder.
It seems to me that several people have asked "what are your parameters" and so far we have seen none other than caliber. Your question still amounts to "what is the best flavour of wine". You need to give us what criteria interests you beyond shooting a deer with a .50 cal. As a traditionalist my choice would be totally different from that of the many inline shooters on here.
cheers mooncoon
tactical870
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Buckhorn, Ontario
I shoot the Savage MLII too..... Took my ML deer at 170 yards this year with a Hornady XTP in an MMP black sabot. Also, my dad is now shooting inside 4" at 250 yards shooting his older model Savage smokeless ML with 39 gr of 4759 and the same bullet and sabot. If you want to hunt modern why mess with dirty powders and mediocre range?
How do you set up your scope, as in do you set it a certain number of inches high at 100 yards? I've been zeroing mine at 100, because most of my shots end up inside of that distance, other than this year. 250gr or 300 gr bullet?
tactical870
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Buckhorn, Ontario
Zero'd at 100 yards. 250gr XTP hollowpoint. It pays to know your drop and use a rangefinder though at 250 yards we're getting 22" of drop. I also shoot mine off a Harris bipod for longer shots.
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
I like the ones they use for wolves. You know the ones with the big bell at the end.
It was on a hunting program, an animated one...............
Peter and the Wolf!!
It was on a hunting program, an animated one...............
Peter and the Wolf!!
....and if I wanted to shoot 250yards with smokeless powder,I'd use my 30-06 instead of my .45 Hawken.
