What loads you guys put thru ur smoke pole?

[Boar]

Found my Omega, now i have two, best gun out there IMO, gona out a scope to use for fire arms season and really start to ust this gun for what its worth, I push two 77 and 200 shockwave, thinking on experimenting, looking at Hornady sst, what about powder, my bro in law gose west for elk an I guese its poweder out ther, no pellets, if this is true what type of powder is recomended?

[Archerysniper]

i use 3 50/50 triple 7 pellets and a 250 grain hornady sts 3" high at 50 still has me in the vitals at 200 yards

[Fishalittle]

Colorado has a powder requirement and no sabot rule. So for elk we used 120 grains of shockeys gold and a powerbelt sabot...350 grain I think...have to double ckeck that. Same powder mix for deer here but lightened up the powerbelt to 250 or 285. Seems to work pretty well on both deer and elk.

Used the 777 pellets when we first started with deer but now are all set up for powder and have never went back.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

3 pellets of Triple7 and a 250 gr. TC Shockwave through my Encore. Never had one walk away out of the 5 deer i have shot with it so far.

[leechlake]

I've shot 4 elk with 285 power belts. First one with 100 grains 777 last three I used 150 777. Couldn't tell the difference in my gun accuracy wise. I will say that the power belts I've found in the elk didn't all mushroom as well as I wanted. I think there are better options but they sure are easy to load.

A big elk takes a bit to take down since if I am correct a muzzy kills like an arrow by the animal bleeding to death rather than the shock of a rifle bullet. That could be wrong so don't turn this into the above being wrong but three of my elk got hit perfect and took a while to expire.

[Boar]

Hey nama! say Ive used 3 pellets with 200 shock waves and have found that the lighter slug has a tendency to tumble from time to time so I droped to two pellets and improved accuracy, im sure an extra 50gr will stabilaize the slug better with that much fps, have you noticed any tumbling with the 250's?

[huntnfish]

I bought a T/C Pro Encore Pro Hunter FX late last year with the intent of using it during gun season in the shotgun zone with a scope on it. I got the scope mounted and was more than happy with the accuracy of this gun. I am shooting 90 grains of Blackhorn 209 and a 250 grain Hornady SST. Here is what 3 shots at 100 yards looked like.

I cranked it up after this so its about 2 inches high at 100. I wanted to shoot a few at 200 but ran out of time. That Blackhorn powder is as good as advertised. I swabbed the barrel after about 5 shots and there was hardly any fouling. It cleans up like a regular rifle so no dipping into hot water. After each shot it seemed to get easier to load. I wanted to try Scorpion PT bullets with the crush rib sabots but didn't want to order them and only found some after I had everything sighted in for the year and no time to do any testing. I have full confidence shooting at a deer at 250 yards with this setup.

[huntnfish]

Boar,

If I were going to Colorado elk hunting with a muzzy where you couldn't use anything with a sabot I would check into the Federal Trophy Copper bullets for muzzleloaders. I haven't shot them or even researched them but they're 270 grains and look like they would mushroom better than the Powerbelts.

That does seem like a lot of powder for that light of a bullet. I would definitely look at getting a heavier bullet.

[Boar]

yeah once I drope down to 2 pellets I was spot on shooting groups like you at a hundy, but i want a lttle more weight this year and have upd to 250. the one thing I dont like about the 777 pellets is the 3 rnd is really hard to seat cause of all the fouling. I end up having to run a moist patch after every shot the drying the boar with a primer the loading again, to ge get the same accuracy with every shot, if I dont swab after every shot it varies quite a bit.

[Mr Special]

i just got into ML 2 seasons ago but i use 2/50gr pellets of 777 and 295pwerbelt

ive only gotten 1 deer with it but it nvr took another step at 80yrds. i did notice the bullet didnt mushroom well and broke up a lil.

so this yr im tryin out the CVA Slickloads in 300gr w/ same powder load since a bud uses them and swears buy them.

accuracy wise i was able to get a 2"-3" pattern at 100yrds with a peepsight using either round.

however,

next yr i do plan on changing to Blackhorn powder and an all copper bullet. all the buds that have gone to that setup and have been very very pleased with the performance.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Boar...No I havent had any tumble on me with the 250 gr.and 3 Pellets I would mention that my Dad used to shoot 2 pellets with a 200gr.Shockwave and have very good results as well. He didnt like the extra recoil so he worked with his and found this to be a good combination for his Encore. Just have to play with it. I would say though, IMO it's important to clean your gun really well before switching, even while shooting the same load after about 3 shots i would advice cleaning the bore to maintain some sort of consistancy. Ask 10 guys get 10 differnt opinions on whats right and whats wrong, what works better, what doesnt. I just found a combination that works for me and my gun and stuck with it. I know one thing for sure, inside of 100 yards if I make even a remotely decent shot with my package there's no tracking involved!

[Boar]

Thats what i dropped down to because of the tumbling. But now im uping the the slug. Two heavy of load and not heavy enought slug. Caused my tumbling. Now with 2 pell 200 grain. Its workng great with 3 rounds inside a baseball at 100 yards. Now what ain broke dont fix it i say but just want a heavier slug.

[trolloni]

Blackhorn 309, 100 grains[120 grains equivelent to 150 grains of pellets]250 shockwave bullet you try blackhorn and i garuntee you wont go back to pellets!

[Boar]

ok cool why is that? pros/cons, Powder is cleaner burning ain it?

[Bambito]

Boar....I have muzzleloaded for 15 years strong now and was all about tc and only shooting tc sabots through it.....till two years ago. Like another person stated. The shockwave some what dissinegrated. I have had that happen way to many times. IMO they are worthless. I went to Barnes TEZ. Shot a doe last year with it and wow! Very impressed! Mushroomed just like they said it would. I think they even make a heavier sabot. Might be called TMZ. Check them out!

[Boar]

I will, thanks, I thought Hornady made shock wave for T/C virtually the same thing with T/c's name on, but them why would a leading manufacture like hornady put do that when Hornady makes their own. Ive been looking at Hornady sts for awhile. I prefer a mushrrom rather crumbs in my venny. Thanks, sucky thing is I just bought 15 rounds of shock wave 250 and have another 12 some one gave me. ill have fun at the range to whip thru them.

[trolloni]

I would say 80% cleaner and it goes off every time !

[maros91]

I just bought a TC Pro Hunter and shoot 100 grains of Blackhorn 209 and a Barnes TEZ 250. Right on at 50 yards and a couple inches low at 100 yards. I'm gonna keep my sights there as that's about all the farther I can see in the woods anyway. The TEZ actually weren't that easy to load. Had to really push on them. I did the shoot a primer thing first, then clean it, then use bore butter but still was kind of a pain to get in.

[Crow Hunter]

I used to use powerbelts, then I read some studies on terminal performance and accuracy, the terminal performance was terrible, no mushrooming, they would just disintegrate. I now use a 250 grain .45 caliber Hornady XTP pistol bullet in a crush rib sabot pushed by two triple7 pellets. I have shot one deer with this setup and it worked really well, also much less expensive than other bullets. If I was going to hunt something larger than deer I would go to the 300 grain bullets. I intended to try Blackhorn 209 loose powder this summer, but did not get to it, hopefully next year.

[Mr Special]

i just got into ML 2 seasons ago but i use 2/50gr pellets of 777 and 295pwerbelt

ive only gotten 1 deer with it but it nvr took another step at 80yrds. i did notice the bullet didnt mushroom well and broke up a lil.

so this yr im tryin out the CVA Slickloads in 300gr w/ same powder load since a bud uses them and swears buy them.

accuracy wise i was able to get a 2"-3" pattern at 100yrds with a peepsight using either round.

however,

next yr i do plan on changing to Blackhorn powder and an all copper bullet. all the buds that have gone to that setup and have been very very pleased with the performance.

was able to harvest a deer with this load last wkend. was about aq 60-70yrds shot, hit both lungs/top of the heart. the deer only went about 20yrds and died.

the load hit exactly where it was supposed to but i wasnt very impressed with the wound channel or exit hole. looks as tho the bullet did not expand much if any at all. which didnt leave much of a blood trail, grant i didnt need to do any tracking.

im glad i didnt have to cz if i had to it would have been a difficult tacking job with the lack of blood trail

next yr ill definitely look into another load but i guess thats half the fun using ML =)

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

120 grains of Blackhorn 209 with a 250g Powerbelt Aerotip. Dead on at 100 yards.

As for the question about is Blackhorn 209 really that much better.... I would say you have to try it to see for yourself.

I went through a small thing of Tripe 7 pellets and with the same Aerotip. For some reason it left a nasty crud ring and made if difficult to load the next round. I had to swab the barrel each time.

Blackhorn burns really nice. Not as much smoke, and I didn't have to swab between shots. I have heard people say how much of a pain it would be to load loose powder in the field. I pre-load my powder into tubes and takes me maybe a couple of minutes to load up a bunch of tubes that are measured for each shot. I could load my loose powder in the field just as fast as someone with pellets. I bet I get my second shot off faster as well.

[fr0sty]

I have my 777 pellets and sabot/bullets in little speed loader tubes. It's a snap to load up another round. Does the loose powder work with those tubes?

120 grains of Blackhorn 209 with a 250g Powerbelt Aerotip. Dead on at 100 yards.

As for the question about is Blackhorn 209 really that much better.... I would say you have to try it to see for yourself.

I went through a small thing of Tripe 7 pellets and with the same Aerotip. For some reason it left a nasty crud ring and made if difficult to load the next round. I had to swab the barrel each time.

Blackhorn burns really nice. Not as much smoke, and I didn't have to swab between shots. I have heard people say how much of a pain it would be to load loose powder in the field. I pre-load my powder into tubes and takes me maybe a couple of minutes to load up a bunch of tubes that are measured for each shot. I could load my loose powder in the field just as fast as someone with pellets. I bet I get my second shot off faster as well.

[huntnfish]

I don't use tubes like that. I have a few of the ones that the bullet presses into the end and seals it.

I also have a couple that have to two ends. Bullet goes in on end and powder in the other. I've never used pellets. When I started muzzleloader hunting 18 years ago the guns weren't setup for the 209 primers. We used percussion caps. I've never felt handicapped by using the powder and I don't think it takes any longer to load.

With the Pro Hunter FX that I have now I use the BH209 and can't say enough good about it. I love the stuff. Less smoke, easier second shot loading, and the best part is clean up is the same way you'd clean any other rifle. I use Hoppe's and run a couple saturated patches down the bore and then dry patches until clean. I fired 3 shots this year during regular firearms and I think it took 10 patches to clean as new.

[Boar]

I have a orange thingy like yours, lol. wher3e yu put the slug in the bottom but the I openthe cap and drop my pellets in ther, close it and a primer slips into the slot on top, but really its ment for powder huh? an the slug or sabot seal the powder in, Ive always wondered what a wiered concept, couldnt quit figure out how this was supposed to be fast reloading. but now with thte understanding of powder it makes sense.

[O.T.C.]

Loose powder pre-measured with a I think it's 370 grain maxiball and has yet to fail my dad or myself in the many years we've muzzleloaded so why change anything, 3 bucks down and I mean they really went down, pass through shots that did major damage, even 1 was kinda not hit where I had hoped but it staggered away and made it 25 yards or less and just was done so I think I'll stick with it, 100 yards or less and I feel pretty confident, I'm in the center of a paper plate at 80 yards so that's my range and what I'm hoping to thump out there at a mature buck this wkd ! It's always fun to put the musket on a nice buck knowing you'll get a shot then realizing oh that's right, no scope !!Might shave my head bald in respects to uncle fester. Whatever you do shoot, just get good at it with that weapon and load and never change a thing, if you make a bigtime change, spend time at the range, we owe it to what we're hunting.