new muzzle loader owner

[addictedjerry]

well after contemplating the jump for over 3 years, I decided to visit sportsmans warehouse to 'look' at blackpowder rifles. i should have known better.

After 'looking' at a few, I walked out of the store with a Knight Extreme .50 stainless, sabot bullets, triple 7 (50 and 30 GR) and primers. I think I got a pretty decent deal (less than $300)?

any and all advice for a new blackpowder owner is appreciated.

[Bear55]

I did the same thing earlier this winter and I can't wait to get out and do some shooting this spring. I got the TC Triumph with weather shield. I think black powder hunting is growing by leaps and bounds.

[Tom7227]

Just go out and shoot it a number of times to get a kick out of the experience. Then start to pay attention to what's happening. Get a good solid bench rest and some sandbags and shoot 3 shot strings and see how it is hitting. Spend a bit of time adjusting your sights so that you get it where you want it to go.

After that you can start to tune it up a bit using different powder loads. You'll find at some point that a certain amount of powder works the best for a certain distance. There's a variety of powders to try and then there's the pellets. I have an older gun and haven't tried the pellets so I can't comment about what works. You may also try a few different bullets and come up with one that does what you want.

There has also been some advances in clean powders. Again I don't have a lot of experience with these but I do know that going with them probably is going to make the gun a whole lot more fun. It's a bit of a PIA to clean a gun that's all fouled up.

Have fun.

[Code-Man]

Biggest tip to you to make your life soo much easier. For cleaning get the Spray bottle stuff. You shake up the bottle stick it in your barrel and shoot it full and do it on the other end. Let it sit 1-12 hrs and run a clean patch through and your done. Best advice on cleaning you will ever get.

Shooting. I would suggest looking at how far you shoot 50 yds 100 yds normally and adjust your powder accordingly. Each gun and load will act differently and you will have to practice see how it handles for you. If you are shooting 100 yds I would suggest 3 50 grain tablets. I have a Pro Hunter at 100 yds dead on I'm the same at 50 dead on with 100 yards. Main reason I run 150 grains with my load. If your going 50-100 yds I would play around with 130 grs of powder and if you are that 30-70 yds I would only go 100 grains. I personally would rather have too much powder and when a buck jumps up at 100 yds I wont have to worry about arching my shot.

When at the range take your shot run a wet patch through then a dry patch. Let it rest a minute reload and shoot. I would suggest keeping your barrel clean in between shots because you are going to have a clean barrel when you take that all important shot. Mine is pretty touchy with a dirty barrel and I would try to be as acurate as possible with your first shot.

Sabots...Can have a 30 page forum going about who likes what. I love Hornady 250 grain sabots but if I put them down my barrel for a second shot it WILL jam up if I don't clean it prior. I have two scars on my palm from them. I would suggest a Sabot that is a brand name my gun don't like Powerbelts...however you spell them but it's a matter of trial and error. No two guns shoot the same.

[Bear55]

Thanks for the input guys.

[addictedjerry]

as said thanks for the replies. I'm pretty excited about it, was thinking hunting ealy season with it this year to aleviate some of the stress brought about be the later muzzleloader season (specifically, the colder weather) but we'll see.

I don't recall the bullet brands I bought, I think they were hornady. bought two different weights so i could see how each performs. I would imagine each bullet design is a bit different? like all other guns, I would imagine a muzzleloader might prefer a specific bullet brand?

I also bought the 50gr and 30gr powder pellets on the recommendation of the sales clerk, he said it will allow me a broader range of powder loads (80, 100, 110, 130, etc) makes sense.

[Archerysniper]

The biggest tip I can give even it says you don't need it is useing bore butter the barrel will season much like a castiorn skillet with it. Backpowder sticks to petrolium products so the first thing to do is get the paking grease out of the barrel take the breach plug out boil some water and dump it down the barrel a few times to remove all the packing grease use a funnel and don't burn yourself. Once you do that you will never have to do it again unless you run a oil patch through it wich I wouldn't recommend. Run a dry patch through then coat the barrel with bore butter on a patch or barrel swab. The bore butter is water soluable and vegitable based so the powder wont stick to it. After you shoot take a wet patch run it through then a dry one and then borebutter after awhile you will notice reduced fouling of the barrel. If you dont clean it between shots you will notice that it starts shooting higher and higher with each shot that is because the fouling of the barrel is increasing the pressure in the barrel causing it to shoot higher. I dont shoot a scope becuase their not legal in muzzeloader season but I sight mine in 3 inches high at 50 yards and wich puts me about dead on at 150 with 250 grain hornaday sabots and 150 grains of triple 7 powder

[addictedjerry]

thank you for that tip, that is interesting.

[Code-Man]

Just a warning

150 grains of loose Triple 7 powder IS NOT the same as 150 grains of Pyrodex powder!

Triple 7 powder is differnt and can cause problems if loaded wrong!

[mskyfshntchr]

A few things to hopefully help.

Start with less powder and add more IF NECESSARY!! Shooting whitetails in the midwest- you don't need more than 100 gr. of powder. All 150 gr. does is add to recoil and fouling of the barrel. Will you get a little more distance? Sure, but is it necessary? Not for most hunting situations.

As Tom7227 said- try different bullets and podwer types until you get the best one. There can be an amazing difference in these two areas and the performance of your gun.

I have a T/C Omega, stainless barrel. I shoot 100 gr. (2 pellets) of pyrodex and a 240 gr cheap shot sabot. I don't need to clean it after each shot. I can shoot a minimum of 7-8 shots before it begins to foul. Then a dry patch and I can shoot it a few more times. NO accuracy problems at all. Each gun is different and different loads cause different issues.

Cleaning-

Start water boiling. Take gun apart as needed. Loosen nipple. Run a wet patch with the boiling water and a little soap. We have a bar of soap we use- not even 100% sure of the kinds. Run the patch through a few times with the nipple on. Take the nipple off and let sit in the water. Run patch up and down barrel until you can barely hold barrel. Stand barrel up with the end down to dry- takes seconds because it is so hot.

Scrub nipple clean and make sure the hole is open.

Run a dry patch a few times to make sure it is 100% dry. Put some bore butter on a patch and run it through. I put a little bore butter on all the steel parts of the gun. Never had any rust issues. Be sure to wipe it with a dry patch before shooting.

Archerysniper is right- bore butter is the only way to go. It is the only lubricant/solvent to go down my barrel.

Good luck- it is a great time of the year to be in the woods!

[Archerysniper]

Also forgot to metion breechplug grease it is very important if you like to ever get the breech plug out some of the newer guns are easier to removw with the 1/4 turn plugs but it is still important. I shoot the TC omega and I also put a little grease on the block where it comes in contact with the barrel don't know if it matters but in my mind it insures a complete water tight seal for the primer and powder. A couple years ago I shot a doe behind the house by walkin the creek till I got were they bedded before i got their I triped and fell into the water blackpowder and all got wet. Too close to turn around so I made sure I let the water drain from the barrel stood up on the creek bank and the deer stood up from their beds I picked the biggest one and shot not knowing if it would go off or have a hang fire and it worked perfectly dropped her in her tracks.

[juniordo1]

I got bit by the same bug on Monday. I took my wife with to "look" at a new muzzleloader. I figured maybe I could talk her into letting me get an inexpensive starter gun like the one of the CVA models. I walked out with a Thompson Omega. I'm more excited than my kids at Christmas!

I won't get to try the gun out until 4th of July weekend but I'm really pumped to start shooting it and hunting with it this fall. I've been rifle hunting for 27 years, bowhunting for two, and this will be year one for muzzleleoading.

Stay safe and shoot straight.