MuzzleLoader Question

[RussDaBuss]

OK.. I was out shooting my new muzzleloader. It is a cheap CVA sidelock, model "Bobcat" .50 caliber. I was using Remington No. 11 Percussion Caps. My main question is, are these unreliable? More times than once the cap did not go off. is this just a cheap gun with bad hammer? Or have any of you had problems with No. 11 caps? I am not going to take a chance with it "maybe" going off when I have a deer in front of me. Any Ideas? Are the 209 primers more dependable??
thanks for any info....

[benelli_dude2002]

I shoot a Knight DISC 50 cal and I can use both the no.11 caps and 209 primers. I stuck with the 209 primers and most likely will stick with unless I hunt in state that dont allow 209 primers. But I do have the options to switch to percussion caps if I wanted to. I have a friend who also has a Knight 50 cal and he used no.11 caps and he's happy with it. But myself I'd prefer the 209 because I think they are a hotter ignition. I'm gonna try moose hunting in Canada this fall with my Knight and try it regular gun season in here in MN. I get 1.5 to 2 inch group at 100 yards and thats with open sights. Off the bench of course. Hope this helps. Be safe and have fun shooting! Brian

[Cooter]

I'd have to say either the hammer spring on your muzzle gun is weak or its hitting the cap badly off center. Check those possibilities before blaming the caps, not saying its impossible, but it should NOT be the caps these days.

[RussDaBuss]

Well, thanks for the ideas. Anyone else out there with past issues or comments??

The more I think about it, I might upgrade to a better gun right away and be done with it. the gun was kind of a freebie for me anyway. Also with the exposed cap, I can not see that being real dependable if it is raining or snowing. The newer designs seem to enclose the whole ingniting system. So, what is the best gun for the money. I guess i'm not afraid to pay $300-400 or even more for a good gun that I will have for a long time with good care given to it. Is it worth the extra for a Stainless barrel? I like the looks of the Thompson Center 209 x 50 Magnum. Any ideas would be helpful... THANKS

[SCAT]

Russ, Have you ever taken the plate off and cleaned and lubed the hammer and trigger actions. I was having the same problems as you with my CVA .54 cal. Once I opened her up there was alot of powder residue and small amounts of rust. WD-40 and a tooth brush. Shot my first blackpowder deer last fall with the same gun. I am now addicted. I bought a Traditions Pursuit LT .50 and it is a nail driver at 100yds.

[SCAT]

Russ, Have you ever taken the plate off and cleaned and lubed the hammer and trigger actions. I was having the same problems as you with my CVA .54 cal. Once I opened her up there was alot of powder residue and small amounts of rust. WD-40 and a tooth brush. Shot my first blackpowder deer last fall with the same gun. I am now addicted. I bought a Traditions Pursuit LT .50 and it is a nail driver at 100yds.

[Bogsucker]

Cheap gun with a bad hammer. Between my father, brother and brother in law they've missed out on about 8 deer because of the failure of cva's(in-line and traditional). Get a Lyman Plains Rifle .50 or .54 and keep your powder and caps DRY. I've shot a few deer with both the Plains Rifle and Plains Pistol and have not had any problems.

[TUMBLEWEED]

I have a Trade rifle by Lymans (a 50).
I was curious, does yours have the peep
sights on it?? I am still working with
patched round balls. What are you using
for ammo?? It is a nice gun, never a
misfire in about 100 shots. I use CCI
percussion caps and triple7 powder.
Bore butter, is my lube of choice.
I picked up a matching looking pistol
(a 44) by Armi-Sport, after last season.
Can't wait to try it out soon.

[RussDaBuss]

I was using Remington caps and Pyrodex RS. Brand new caps. I am going to use PowerBelt 245 Gr hollows. The gun was brand new and I shot 3 dry caps thru it at first and one of these did not even go off. I am now planning on upgrading to a differant in-line type rifle. Just seems to me like they will be more dependable and I wont need to worry as mush about getting wet as I am in the stand..
Thanks for the comments!!

[bigbucks]

Check out the Rossi's. I bought one two years ago, sighted it in under an hour & killed a nice doe about an hour after that. The break action makes them super easy to clean & at least when I bought mine, they were pretty inexpensive. They take the .209 primers & I've never had a misfire. It shoot's pretty well at 100 yards with the Powerbelt .245's & .295's, but I'm not really happy with their penetration. Does anybody else have some suggestions on a better penetrating ML bullet? Cousin & I have shot 3 deer with them & at least two of them the bullet didn't exit.

[jlm]

I have never had a pass through either with the power belts. However, they are absolutely amazing when they get inside, they expand with such force that nothing could survive. I have taken several deer with no pass throughs. The furthest one has made it is about 50 yards. I would not be too concerned about penetration!

[bigbucks]

True, we've not had the deer go far, but there's been virtually no blood trail, so if you'd happen to get a less than perfect hit, that's been the concern.

[ikes71]

I have a Remington inline muzzleloader that I have used for the past 5 years. I have been very impressed with it. I shoot 130 grains of pyrodex pellets, a 260 grain nosler partition bullet, with a 209 primer, and have never had a miss fire, and have good accuracy. It even goes off after setting in the rain or snow all day. The nosler partition bullets seem to have the best of both worlds, penatration and expansion, but they are a little more expensive than the other brands. I usually wait until after the season and pick them up on clearance for the next year. This way I can get them for half price.

[OldBear]

I shoot a T/C .50 cal. Hawken. I use ff powder and a hot shot nipple. I also prefer CCI or RWS #11 caps. Shoot a bout 3 caps through it before I load it and never have a problem. I did have 3 miss fires and a couple hang fires while using the Remington #11.

[RussDaBuss]

thanks for the tips and info....