Pet load for Black diamond xr ?

[swift]

Anyone have some good shooting loads for a Black diamond xr using jacketed
Bullets ??  Just picked this one up and thought I ask around
I've been using 250xtp's over triple 7 fffg in my ml700 with great results
Thanks for the help !

[jackelope]

Gonna tag along on this one. I got my XR yesterday.

[jackelope]

Anybody?
I Know this is a popular rifle. At least I thought it was.
 

[jrebel]

I love my XR and have had wonderful luck with 110 grains Pyrodex select loose powder pushing a 250 (deer) or 300 (elk) grain Thompson Center Shockwave sabot. 

I also use a williams peep and can shoot comfortably to 150 yards when hunting.  Off a bench I can hit a milk jug at 180 all day long. 

My doe this year was 150 ish yards and it dumped her where she stood. 

My cow elk a few years ago was approx 20 yards.

My buck was exactly 103 yards (off a knee). 

Enjoy and please ask questions if you have them.  If anyone is in the area and wants to try my load before you commit I will gladly meet you at the range and let you throw some lead down range. 

[BKMFR]

Nice animals Jrebel!

[jackelope]

I love my XR and have had wonderful luck with 110 grains Pyrodex select loose powder pushing a 250 (deer) or 300 (elk) grain Thompson Center Shockwave sabot. 

I also use a williams peep and can shoot comfortably to 150 yards when hunting.  Off a bench I can hit a milk jug at 180 all day long. 

My doe this year was 150 ish yards and it dumped her where she stood. 

My cow elk a few years ago was approx 20 yards.

My buck was exactly 103 yards (off a knee). 

Enjoy and please ask questions if you have them.  If anyone is in the area and wants to try my load before you commit I will gladly meet you at the range and let you throw some lead down range.

Thanks Johnny, I appreciate the feedback.

[WSU]

I shoot either 110 grains of pyrodex pellets or 130.  385 grain home-made lead bullets.  Works on elk and deer both.

[jrebel]

Oh yeah...I only use the musket caps with the german musket caps. 

[swift]

Good info thanks

[Capt. Rob]

I shoot  120 gr. of 777 ffg  below a 250 grain shokwave or even better yet, a barnes tmz. I have harvested animals from 150 to 200+ I can't complain and won't change.

[PA BEN]

All of the low reviews on shockwaves say they don't expand and shoot through a deer. Alot of lost deer reviews?  I'm also looking for a bullet for my blackdiamond too.

[bobcat]

I would shoot the Bloodline bullets if I had a rifle that would shoot them, but mine is a 54 caliber with a 1 in 48 twist. The Black Diamond should shoot them well.

http://www.knightrifles.com/bloodline-bullets

Another bullet I would try is the Thor bullets, which are basically a Barnes but full bore with no sabot.

https://thorbullets.com

[scottcrb]

im shooting a different ML but 110 gr of 777ffg powder and either a hornady xtp in .452 with a sabot or a .50 barnes bloodline.

[jrebel]

All of the low reviews on shockwaves say they don't expand and shoot through a deer. Alot of lost deer reviews?  I'm also looking for a bullet for my blackdiamond too.

I have had a complete different experience....as the pictures above show.  Deer was 103 yards complete pass through and total devastation.  My understanding is at extreme close ranges the bullets may have a performance issue.  However I have had great results on three animals ranging from 20 to 150 yards. 

 

[hendog]

I shoot the 50 cal 250gn Hornady SST and 2 each 50gn (100gn) Pyrodex pellets. I have a Williams peep and can hold a golf ball size group at 50yds.

[Dan-o]

I shoot a Black Diamond XR.

My load:   150 grains of Pyrodex and a 400 grain hard cast lead HARVESTER bullet.

They beat the whiz out of elk.   Incredible wound channel.

[WoolyRunner]

The Black Diamonds are legal in WA right? I just inherited my grandpas and wanted to start using it. I have no clue about muzzle loaders. Any classes or anything I can take?

[jmsurra]

Wooley Runner,

I'm in about the same boat as you. I'm pretty new to muzzleloading, and I've researched a lot of stuff, but finding somebody who knows much about it is tough.

I visited the Cabelas store in Lacey yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the guy in the gun section was very knowledgeable about muzzleloading, and he took quite a bit of time to talk with me about my concerns about ammo, which guns are legal here in WA, etc. He gave me some tips and pointers, and I was glad I took the time to drive down to Lacey and check it out. I see you're not terribly far from that store, so you may want to stop in. His name was John. He actually hunts muzzleloader season mostly with replica long rifles, but he knows quite a bit about the more modern styles like the in-lines, etc.
 
I've gone to quite a number of stores here locally, and the best the other stores could do up until I went to Cabelas was point me to the muzzleloading accessories rack and walk away. Let's face it, with help like that, I can do MUCH better shopping online, with a better selection.

I enjoyed the human connection, so I'll definitely go back to Cabelas.  Pretty good prices on the Powermaster bullets, too.

I had a good experience there, and I thought you might want to check it out.

There are also quite a number of Youtube videos online. You can spend all day watching those! Usually when you get stuck on something, somebody else out there has gone through the same thing, and has made a video for others to help them through it. Very helpful at times.

Good luck!

JM

[wsmnut]

Barnes TMZ and 110gr 777.  German musket cap.

Wsmnut

[WoolyRunner]

Thanks for the tip jmsurra. I will head up there on my next days off. What style bullet etc are you running?

[jrebel]

Wish you guys were closer....I would gladly take someone to the range to assist.  I learned mostly on my own and it was frustrating at times.....though once I figured it out, it was really fun and rewarding.   Find someone in your area that has a decent knowledge of muzzle loaders and pick their brain.  See if they will take you to the range to show you the ropes.  Really it is quite easy, just a important things to know so you don't kill yourself.     

[huntnnw]

good to have a chrono..cause some are wasting alot of powder...I shoot 90 gr of triple 7 and a 300 gr BArnes out of mine..any more powder than that and I see no added velocity.

[splitshot]

  cut the 777 powder to 100 from 120 cuz it had a wallop.  now it is okay.  still yet to kill anything but there is a day coming when I will meet a deer dumber than yours truly.   mike w

[Soady]

  cut the 777 powder to 100 from 120 cuz it had a wallop.  now it is okay.  still yet to kill anything but there is a day coming when I will meet a deer dumber than yours truly.   mike w

Ditto on that note! Bigger and more mass is not always your friend. Mass and power = pain in some respects. Learn and study what your particular BP rifle wants to shoot accurately and then move forward from there with respect to what you can endure with felt recoil in regards to accuracy and killing power with regards to which animal you are hunting. Anything more is just pain and a self inflicted flinch effect which makes for lost opportunity for making a clean kill. If you are in a target rich environment why blow it with an over powered BP weapon which you can not shoot accurately and confidently?

[Soady]

Case in point 2013: I tuned five different BP riffles to all shoot accurately using 777 ff powder 80 to 85 grns powder with 300 grn Hornady XTP .458 bullets with the same sabots and RWS musket caps. Each BP rifle could hold three inch groups out to 100 yards all day long and each shooter could comfortably shoot each rifle and each corresponding members rifle with the same accuracy. In addition if one shooter lost or forgot their speedy loaders at camp we all could offer up one speedy loader to the errant shooter. That being said a properly tuned BP rifle will carry you far if you learn the capabilities of the rifle along with your own capabilities for shooting it accurately.

[WoolyRunner]

I think I got issues.....

[Sabotloader]

Yep! I wonder what the bore might look like? It might not have be a total loss...

[jrebel]

One of the worst I have seen.   Salvageable If the bore is in good condition but not to promising based on that pic.

[WoolyRunner]

Damn.. it was my grandpas. I just inherited it.

[jrebel]

Take the breech plug out and check the barrel.  Also take the spring and bolt out and see if it needs attention.  Most everything can be fixed or replaced....if the bore is good. 

[WoolyRunner]

Im gonna take it to a gunsmith....

[jrebel]

Don't spend the money for something you can do in about 2 minutes.  It is really easy to brake these down.  Pull it out and if you need help shoot me a  PM.  I will give you my number and I can talk you through it.  If the bore is good the rest is relatively easy.  If the bore is un-salvageable....well??? 

[WoolyRunner]

The action is froze..

[jrebel]

The bolt or the breech plug?? 

[WoolyRunner]

The bolt.. sorry

[jrebel]

Take a large...biggest you can find....flat head screw driver and unscrew the back.  Use some WD or other solvent to help break the threads if needed.  The spring, a retention pin, bolt and bolt should come out.  Then take pics and lets see if you need a new spring.  They are cheap if you do.

[WoolyRunner]

Ok. Will work on this tomorrow morning. Thanks

[zike]

I didn't like 777, but I can't tell you why its been too many years. So I've been using Pioneer Gold, 100 grs and a 280gr 45 cal minnie ball in a sabot. I hunted ID last year and its no jacketed bullets or sabots. Its really hard to find 50cal lead bullets. The BD has a problem if it isn't cleaned after a couple of shots, it start shoot low left. The first time I chased the bullet, when it happened the second time I figured it out. TC said to send it in, but how often do you shoot more the a couple of times in the field. It has a tight ball, it OK with sabots but I had to hammer the lead maxi hunter home to get it loaded.

[Big P]

I shoot 2-50gr. Pyrodex pellets behind a 348gr aerotip powerbelt. I have only been muzzleloading for 2 years but I have harvested three deer with that load. The folks at Puyallup muzzleloading supply were very helpful and made sure I had everything I needed to prep, shoot and clean my gun. They also walked me through loading, cleaning between shots, and breaking down my gun to clean it. If you are close to Tacoma/Puyallup and considering muzzleloading or just looking for good info or help I would check them out.

[poopooheaddad]

I love my black diamond wash shooting 2 50gr pd pellets and the 320grn all lead hollow point power belts, I messed up my sights and cant get it back for some reason (ok I haven't really tried that hard)  has any one tried these
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Black-Powder/Sabots-Bullets%7C/pc/104792580/c/104701680/sc/104547780/Barnes-Spit-Fire-T-EZ8482-Sabots/740899.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fsabots-bullets%2F_%2FN-1100204%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104547780

[zike]

For the people using pellets, they use a filler to hold them together. Its like 20% of the total weight, so a 50 gr pellet is only 4ogr of powder.

[jimbow]

I used a 300 gr.  Scorpion PT Gold bullet with 110 gr of 777 in my TC Black Diamond last year and took both my buck and bull with great performance.  Up until the change in the law that allowed all bullets I was using the 330 gr Harvester with the crush rib sabot and had very  good results on deer.  Very accurate out of my rifle and very happy with the results.

[huntnnw]

 

For the people using pellets, they use a filler to hold them together. Its like 20% of the total weight, so a 50 gr pellet is only 4ogr of powder.

  And the only 2 hang fires I have ever had with my gun is with pellets..never used them again loose triple 7 and never had a issue.

[huntnnw]

I love my black diamond wash shooting 2 50gr pd pellets and the 320grn all lead hollow point power belts, I messed up my sights and cant get it back for some reason (ok I haven't really tried that hard)  has any one tried these
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Black-Powder/Sabots-Bullets%7C/pc/104792580/c/104701680/sc/104547780/Barnes-Spit-Fire-T-EZ8482-Sabots/740899.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fsabots-bullets%2F_%2FN-1100204%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104547780

I shoot the Barnes MZ 300 gr out of my Black diamond and they shoot awesome! Iam going to shoot those next

[trophyhunt]

I've always used pellets, 2 50grn with a 290 grn poly tip. I use pellets mostly for the convenience and I've never had any misfires.? I carry my gun upside down in bad weather with the gun pointed down.