Idaho muzzleloader bullet in a Traditions Pursuit XT

[pankesk]

I bought a Traditions Pursuit XT .50 caliber, 1:28 twist, (Northwest version) recently as an entry level muzzleloader for elk hunting here in Idaho. I read up on Idaho bullet selection on this and other forums and decided to take the advice of a couple of respected voices on this forum and go with conicals from either Bullshop Dan or No Excuses.

Now I'm reading through the Safety & Instruction Manual that came with my gun and in the section on suggested projectiles, it warns me, "Warning: Do not use patched round balls, conicals, or minie balls".

Why do they say no conicals? Is it because of the twist rate of the barrel? Sizing? Is it just a suggestion or do I need to follow their warning?

If I have to follow their warning, I might as well buy another muzzleloader because there's not many bullet choices here in Idaho. I didn't like what I heard on this and other forums about all-lead Powerbelts for elk hunting, so those aren't on the table for me.

Thanks for any help

[Sabotloader]

Holy cow! I was unaware of the projectile stipulation also.  Really takes me by surrpise!

[Ricochet]

Contact them. I've contacted them a couple times over questions I had and always got a prompt reply. Send this guy an email tonight, he'll likely have an answer by morning.  tdunham@traditionsfirearms.com

[pankesk]

Ricochet,
Thanks for the email address. I just emailed and I'll let you know what I hear back.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Go get yourself some powerbelt lead bullets and don’t think about it again.  They shoot great in my traditions and my knight, both for hunting elk in Idaho.  I run the 348 gr hollow points.

[pankesk]

I communicated via email back and forth with Tom at Traditions and his answers were pretty disappointing. I'm going to be long winded here, but maybe this info will help other newbies who are researching an entry level Idaho elk muzzleloader.

The short answer is, don't buy a Traditions Pursuit XT Northwest version because unless you want to shoot the all lead Powerbelts, there might not be another Idaho legal bullet to shoot in it.

In regards to why no conicals, Tom said, "The lead conical do not stabilize with the vapr twist. They are better suited for a slower rate of twist. Federal Bore LOK, Hornady Bore Driver or our MZX bullets were designed to be used in the Pursuit and meet regulations for not being allowed to use sabots for hunting".

I responded back that none of those bullets are legal in Idaho because they're not all lead. He responded back and confirmed that none of them are all lead.

Then I responded and said that I was pretty much reduced to using the all lead Powerbelts and he responded to that with, "The power belts will not work in the rifle, they are undersized for CVA, and Thompson Center rifles", which makes sense because CVA and Powerbelt are owned by the same parent company if I'm not mistaken. And in any case, I have read too much bad input from hunters on this and other forums about the lead Powerbelts so I'm not willing to shoot those at an elk even if there's lots of Idaho hunters using them.

I emailed Tom back one more time and said that I was getting the feeling that not shooting conicals is more of an accuracy issue and not a safety issue and he hasn't responded to that yet. Maybe he can't answer because of legal constraints.

What's also confusing is that the other muzzleloader that I was researching and wanted to buy but it was out of stock last winter, the CVA Optima V2 NW Legal, has the same twist rate but their Instruction and Safety Manual says that you can shoot lead conicals up to 400 grains in that gun.

Hopefully one of you veterans can interpret Tom's answer, "The lead conical do not stabilize with the vapr twist". If I could get an answer that the conicals are not a safety issue in this gun, I'd get me some 400-420 grains from Bullshop Dan and start shooting some and find out for myself whether they're accurate enough for my use. I'm not interested in long shots. All my rifle shots are 150 yards and in, and I would be happy to keep my muzzleloader shots to 75 yards and in

[Ricochet]

 Call Traditions and tell them they are falsely advertising the Pursuit XL Northwest version as none of the bullets they recommend are legal for hunting in Idaho or Oregon. The fact they are marketed as "Northwest" compliant for hunting but can't shoot a legal bullet seems like a problem for them. Tell them to come up with a bullet you can legally use or refund your money. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.