sighting in a muzzleloader

[hardwaterfishing]

Im new to muzzleloaders. I go Optima 209 50 cal muzzleloader. I shot it different times with different bullets and more or less powder. Every time when I shoot it hits at least six inches low and my sights are all the way back. is this typical for a muzzleloader?? THANKS!!

[huntnfish]

It is hard to say why it is hitting so low. There a a few different factors that could be causing it. How many grains of powder are you using? When I first got mine I started at around 100 grains and adjusted from there to see which provided the best patterns. I ended up sticking with 100 grains because I didn't gain any accuracy using more powder out to 100 yards. When I am sighting in my rifle I run a patch through the barrel after every shot and after five I run a patch with some cleaner, then patches until they come out clean. I shoot Powerbelts with mine and they do help keep the barrel a little less full of plastic from the sabot. When seating the bullet make sure it is seated all the way down and tight to the powder.

[hardwaterfishing]

I have tried useing 90, 100, and 150 grains. I have also tried powerbelts and sabots. After every shot i run a patch down the gun for a powerbelt and a sabot I clean with a brush and patch after every shot. Is it a glitch in the gun or what?

[Pooh]

have you tried a different powder all together?? i would give that a try. i picked up triple 7 instead of My pyrodex on accident when my buddy and i were sighting in it made a difference but i dont think a 6 inch difference. do you shoot the preformed powder?

[Gordie]

I have an older traditions lightning and it shoots 8 inches high and the gun smith at gander said that it might be a slightly bent barrel and if thats not it that I need to put a taller front sight on it. he told me that if I look thru the barrel from the breech (with out the bolt or breech plug in it) up at a light you should see a shadow on one of the sides and that means that the barrel is bent. I did this and couldnt tell if there was a shadow so I'm still looking for a taller front sight. I also tried heavier bullets and was able to bring it down but only acouple of inches. I finally bought a new gun. think I'll put a scope on the lightning. I'm not saying you should buy a new gun. but it worked for me.

[KOTTKE]

Its just great to hear your out shooting befor the season, every year I shake my head at all the people buyng muzzel loaders the day befor the season starts. As mentioned befor I have found a difference between pellets and loose powder. I am a firm believer in the loose powder. The pellets seem to throw my shots around more. Good luck on your first hunt!!!!

[catman71]

perhaps the factory installed the wrong sight?

can you get the breech plug out? almost as good as a laser bore sighter is the old steet lamp at a few hundred yards.

If you can look down the empty barrel at something (a light at night time) a LONG ways a way and then look and see where your sights are aiming without moving the gun you can diagnose things pretty fast.

[sportfish]

I had the same problem after I switched powders I started with pyrodex it shot great then I tryed triple 7 and it shot a foot low evertime. then I tryed the black powder 209 and it shot fine so try a slower burning primer with the triple 7

[troutmaster]

triple 7 is the best stuff you can get, mine shoots accurate everytime and i've tried other stuff. it just doesn't compare to the results i've had with triple 7 pellets.

[Wolfpaak]

I shoot the old school front stuffers and what we do is file a little off the top of the front sight, to get it too come up, if shooting to low with maxed out adjustments. Dont know how the in-lines front sight are but if it has a little ball on it like modern sights I would file the balls face off and paint the whole thing one color like white. Beats running out and buying a new sight!

Hope this helps.

Kenny

[musky hunter]

I just went through the same exercise with my T/C Firehawk, about a 10 year old inline 50 cal. This time I used Triple Seven, even though it is only recommended with 209 shotshell primers and not with caps. But the combo works fine in my firearm. However, I switched from a lead conical bullet to a saboted round. I was told that the modern muzzleloaders have a faster rifling pitch which favors the sabots. The lead bullets would string vertically, but the sabots give me about a 3" group at 50 yards and right on. I'm shooting a 100 grain equivalent, and it packs as much wallop as I want to shoulder. For deer hunting that is accurate enough for me. As for hitting low, sounds like your sights might be set at the end of their limit and you cannot raise the rear sight any more. You may have to either get a lower front sight or change the rear sight. Make sure that all of the screws holding the stock to the barrell are tight and check to make sure that the receiver mates squarely and tightly into the stock. Hope you can find a load and combo that works.

[Whoaru99]

Quote:

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Im new to muzzleloaders. I go Optima 209 50 cal muzzleloader. I shot it different times with different bullets and more or less powder. Every time when I shoot it hits at least six inches low and my sights are all the way back. is this typical for a muzzleloader?? THANKS!!

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Sights are all the way back? If that actually means what it sounds like (sounds like at the lowest setting to me), you should be setting the rear sight higher, not lower, to raise the point of impact.

[pike_buster]

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Sights are all the way back? If that actually means what it sounds like (sounds like at the lowest setting to me), you should be setting the rear sight higher, not lower, to raise the point of impact.

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i was thinking the same thing