200 yard Muzzleloader shot...

[gee_unit360]

Is that considered a fairly makeable shot? The ballistics on my Barnes 290 grain T-EZ bullet with 100 grains of powder predict a 17 inch drop at 200 yards.

[92xj]

Go shoot at a target to see if it's a makeable shot.  No one's opinion of a shot being makeable is going to influence your own shot.  But yes, a muzzleloader will sling lead with a deadly force at 200 yards.  My farthest is greater than 200.

[MADMAX]

Heck of a shot with iron sights

[CP]

I tried this a time or two -

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,27714.msg320396.html#msg320396

looks like my post it too old for the target pic to display, but trust me, it was good.

At the range, off a solid rest, sure why not.  In the field, at an animal, no.  Not for me anyway.

[Dark2Dark]

My gun groups pretty well at 200, but I’m pushing a 250 gr Barnes with 150 or 200 gr or powder.

What you can see with open sights will be a limiting factor at that range.

[highside74]

I watched a guy kill a Mule deer at 175 yards prone off a backpack with a muzzleloader equipped with a peep sight.

[muleyslayer]

With a flat shooting 45. Caliber muzzy, peep sights, and practice a 200 yard is very doable.

[Smokepole]

It depends on conditions.  If the animal is well lit and standing broadside, it helps.  If you have a good solid rest it helps.  If you compensate for crosswinds and the shot angle, even better.  You need to know your trajectory.  Sometimes a deer looks huge at that distance, and sometimes not.

Peep sights are a must at long range.  My longest shot on a buck was 212 yards.  I aimed for the top of his spine, and compensated 12" to the right for a gusty crosswind.  Shot dropped right into the lungs.  I shoot 250 grain XTP's with 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets.  Most of my shots have been less than 100 yards. 

[adamR]

 

My spike elk from two years ago was broadside at 202 yards with the sun lighting him up perfectly.  With no wind, a great rest, lying prone, the 300 grain shockwave dropped him where he stood.

[Dark2Dark]

It depends on conditions.  If the animal is well lit and standing broadside, it helps.  If you have a good solid rest it helps.  If you compensate for crosswinds and the shot angle, even better.  You need to know your trajectory.  Sometimes a deer looks huge at that distance, and sometimes not.

Peep sights are a must at long range.  My longest shot on a buck was 212 yards.  I aimed for the top of his spine, and compensated 12" to the right for a gusty crosswind.  Shot dropped right into the lungs.  I shoot 250 grain XTP's with 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets.  Most of my shots have been less than 100 yards.

How hard was the wind blowing that you figured for 12” of wind drift on a 250 gr bullet at 200 yards?!

[CP]

It doesn't take much wind to drift a muzzy shot 12" at 200y.

[Smokepole]

At the time, I thought the wind was gusting 10-15 knots.  It was gusts.  I figured if I adjusted 12" I would hit the lung or the shoulder somewhere.  The gun was sighted to 100 yards, and I held right on the spine.  A little luck was a factor, too!  Here's the thread:

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,231984.0.html

[Dark2Dark]

It doesn't take much wind to drift a muzzy shot 12" at 200y.

That’s wild. I haven’t used that app. What does “target speed” mean?

[CP]

It doesn't take much wind to drift a muzzy shot 12" at 200y.

That’s wild. I haven’t used that app. What does “target speed” mean?

I don't know, but it doesn't change the output.  Useful tool:

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

[Dan-o]

IMO,  most modern muzzleloadera are capable of the shot, but:

* Most aren't equipped with good sights for shooting that far.  If a guy was serious about shooting 200 yards he'd probably get a peep with a very small/fine front dot.
* VERY FEW people that I have seen are proficient to even consider a 200 yard shot with a muzzleloader.  Most guys can't keep an ethical pattern at 100 yards off a bench. 

I have hunted muzzleloader for about 40 years.  I used to shoot weekly and have many thousands of rounds down range.

I could hit tennis balls at 100 routinely at my best.
I would not have ever considered a 200 yard shot.
That's just me.

Not trying to preach, but wanted to add a perspective. 

[gee_unit360]

Interesting perspectives... I have a peep on my bighorn but I’ve never tried a 200 yard shot, guess it’s time to give it a go..

[Hart]

I've got peep sights on mine (fiber optic front), but I don't think there is anyway I would be confident shooting out that far. I don't think I could see the target. Even when I was using the thin Lee Shaver inserts I don't think I could do it.

For 100ish yards is generally my max. If everything is absolutely perfect maybe 125

[elkboy]

The furthest I have ever taken a deer is 120 yards- and that is pretty far out there for open sights, for me at least!  I use a six-o'clock hold with the top of the red front fiber optic on my Knight Mountaineer, and a Williams peep sight.  At 100 yards, a deer's chest is a pretty small target.  Someone with really good eyesight, and perhaps a different front sight (like a globe sight), might be able to shoot out further with a muzzy. 

I practice out to about 150 yards, which really helps on the ranges at which I normally take deer (20-80 yards). 

[Damnimissed]

This year I installed a Williams globe. Shooting a 290gr Barnes TE-Z with 74gr (by weight) BH209 and a Fed 209A primer from my CVA optima, I am consistently printing 1” groups at 100. POI is 1” high at 100 and 8” low at 200. I am totally comfortable at taking a 200 yd shot with a good rest, something I could never say before switching to the globe. I haven’t considered shooting any further because I’m not sure the Barnes will opens up reliably.

[RobinHoodlum]

I worked pretty hard on trying to dial in the 200 yard shot a few years ago when my buddy and I drew quality buck tags in a unit with lots of open country. I had taken 3 deer at ranges up to 170 yards previously. I had patterned the load I was shooting and confirmed the ballistics drop from the manufacturers load tables. However, I didn't understand how much the wind would/does affect the trajectory of a relatively heavy, slow moving projectile with so-so ballistics. 10" or more of windage is easily possible and a lot of this occurs beyond 100 yards. Bottom line is I wasn't comfortable with that range. I am comfortable with up to 150 yards provided I have put the range time in prior to the season.

[crabcreekhunter]

Really comes down to what your eyes can see.  Was my first year packing a muzzy and went with a western precision front globe and rear peep.  Really wasn't looking to shoot this far but worked out my drops to 300.  Green were 200, red 250 and blue was 300.  Wind definitely started to move things around quite a bit.  By far not a great shot with a muzzy but with practice I figure 200 is doable with good rest and conditions.

[dilleytech]

This year I installed a Williams globe. Shooting a 290gr Barnes TE-Z with 74gr (by weight) BH209 and a Fed 209A primer from my CVA optima, I am consistently printing 1” groups at 100. POI is 1” high at 100 and 8” low at 200. I am totally comfortable at taking a 200 yd shot with a good rest, something I could never say before switching to the globe. I haven’t considered shooting any further because I’m not sure the Barnes will opens up reliably.

This is the route I want to go when I can find them in stock. I lined up on a bull that was 210 but it didn’t feel right with my fiber optics. But Luckily it stepped away and later was given a much closer shot.

[dvolmer]

IMO,  most modern muzzleloadera are capable of the shot, but:

* Most aren't equipped with good sights for shooting that far.  If a guy was serious about shooting 200 yards he'd probably get a peep with a very small/fine front dot.
* VERY FEW people that I have seen are proficient to even consider a 200 yard shot with a muzzleloader.  Most guys can't keep an ethical pattern at 100 yards off a bench. 

I have hunted muzzleloader for about 40 years.  I used to shoot weekly and have many thousands of rounds down range.

I could hit tennis balls at 100 routinely at my best.
I would not have ever considered a 200 yard shot.
That's just me.

Not trying to preach, but wanted to add a perspective.

That's wisdom right there fellas!!!

[Sabotloader]

Another consideration to think about is - what is the remaining energy of the bullet and load you choose to use @ 200 yards.

[TINESUP]

Eye sight certainly plays a factor. 200 yards is pushing it but doable from a prone or dead solid rest. I use a peep and sight my muzzy in so that it hits 3 and 1/2 inches above the top of the front post at 100 yards. If I was shooting a pop can at a hundred I would set it on top of the front post and would center punch it. Using 290 gr Barnes and 110gr of 777 puts me dead on at 160yds using the top of the post. At 200 hundred it is dropping 9 inches, so high in the meat and dead buck. If you have to aim over them, they are to far.

[Dirty Mike]

My longest shot on a deer is 200 took one this yr took one at 171 i practice alot out to 200 can keep shots in a 4" circle all 3 of my muzzys have peep sites I have eyesore still but if I shoot just plain open sites its pretty hard for me and wouldn't shoot over 100 with them peep is the way to go for sure.

[Pete112288]

For deer I would limit myself to probably 150 given my practice and everything. And the conditions would have to be making me feel really good with it. Mainly because of target size. I shoot 90grains 777 under a 330 grain harvester hardcast. Sighted in for a 6 o'clock hold at 100 yards. Of a bench I can make all shots touch at 100 yards as long as I do my part.
My longest hunting shots have been 155 and 135. Both on elk. The first was a 3X1 with bad hoof rot and a dwindling body. Smallest bodied elk I ever shot. I was sitting with a solid pair of shooting sticks at 155 yards, held on the hairline of his back with the bottom of the fiber optic front sight (so with my 6 o'clock hold method the aim point was well over his back. Got lungs and the top edge of the heart. The 135 yard shot was a big bodied 5x5 off hand. Same holdover, and center punched the heart. Both shots where complete pass throughs.
Again, deer size target, and conditions affecting it.... Everything would have to line up right for me to feel comfortable. Good thing most my deer shots are 30 yards or less on average, haha.

[The Big Game Hunter]

This year I installed a Williams globe. Shooting a 290gr Barnes TE-Z with 74gr (by weight) BH209 and a Fed 209A primer from my CVA optima, I am consistently printing 1” groups at 100. POI is 1” high at 100 and 8” low at 200. I am totally comfortable at taking a 200 yd shot with a good rest, something I could never say before switching to the globe. I haven’t considered shooting any further because I’m not sure the Barnes will opens up reliably.

That front sight globe is definitely the way to go to maximize your effective range with iron sights.

[jjhunter]

Background is important at that range.  At least for me.  I’ve killed a few critters out beyond 200 with my muzzy and I was extremely confident in those shots.  My Idaho buck was 157 yards this past year and i shot him off my knee.   If you grew up with an open sight .22, you’ll look down the barrel of an open sighted muzzy for the first time and smile.   It all comes back.  I don’t shoot a peep as my target acquisition (speed) is diminished and low light ability is also affected negatively.

[Skyvalhunter]

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Every year theres elk running around with arrows sticking out of their rears from guys that thought they could shoot out to 100 yds. If you have confidence and ability its a different story. But then some don't feel guilty about a wounded animal either.

[gutsnthegrass]

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Every year theres elk running around with arrows sticking out of their rears from guys that thought they could shoot out to 100 yds. If you have confidence and ability its a different story. But then some don't feel guilty about a wounded animal either.

There are plenty of rifle guys that sling lead and wound game too.   

[dilleytech]

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Every year theres elk running around with arrows sticking out of their rears from guys that thought they could shoot out to 100 yds. If you have confidence and ability its a different story. But then some don't feel guilty about a wounded animal either.

Every year there’s elk running around with arrows sticking out of there rear end from guys who thought they could shoot 20 yards. And with rifle slugs in them from guys that thought they could shoot 100 yards. My muzzy elk this year had a rifle slug and broadhead in it. People miss.

[muleyslayer]

I shot this buck at 269 with my 45 caliber peep sighted muzzy. The only reason I consider the shot was, because the buck was standing broadside on the skyline of a ridge so he was very easy to see clearly through the peep., I had a solid prone rest, there was no way I was going to get closer because he had spotted me already,and of course I practiced with the gun a lot that season. I know guys that muzzy hunt and never practice and wound or miss at 75. It all comes down to practice and knowing your limits.

[TooTallMike]

I shot this buck at 269 with my 45 caliber peep sighted muzzy. The only reason I consider the shot was, because the buck was standing broadside on the skyline of a ridge so he was very easy to see clearly through the peep., I had a solid prone rest, there was no way I was going to get closer because he had spotted me already,and of course I practiced with the gun a lot that season. I know guys that muzzy hunt and never practice and wound or miss at 75. It all comes down to practice and knowing your limits.

Nice! It's really familiarity and practice with your equipment that makes the difference. You just offered the perfect example. Too many people are running around with the latest and greatest as if it will compensate for their lack of practice. Nice buck by the way.

[JohnVH]

wow, what rifle?

[muleyslayer]

I shot this buck at 269 with my 45 caliber peep sighted muzzy. The only reason I consider the shot was, because the buck was standing broadside on the skyline of a ridge so he was very easy to see clearly through the peep., I had a solid prone rest, there was no way I was going to get closer because he had spotted me already,and of course I practiced with the gun a lot that season. I know guys that muzzy hunt and never practice and wound or miss at 75. It all comes down to practice and knowing your limits.

Nice! It's really familiarity and practice with your equipment that makes the difference. You just offered the perfect example. Too many people are running around with the latest and greatest as if it will compensate for their lack of practice. Nice buck by the way.

Thanks

[muleyslayer]

wow, what rifle?

45. Knight mountaineer
Precision conical “dead center” sabot
Black horn 209