Favorite WA legal Muzzleloader?

[deerslyr]

I have owned a few muzzleloaders but my personal favorite was the knight mk-85 stainless with the shadow stock, but they dont make them anymore.

[Armadillo]

T/C Grey Hawk 50 Cal I loveee shooting this thing!!

[Lowedog]

Nice looking muzzy!!!

[Hank]

my go to gun is a cva elkhorn.

If you don't mind another ML newbie question. What bullet powder combo are you shooting from your Elkhorn? I picked up two of these guns from the Taxidermy/Muzzle loader shop in Puyallup. The shop keeper set me up with 777 pellets and 348 grain power belts. This combination got me about 5 inch groups at 100 yards using a bench and rest. In your expierance with the Elkhorn is that the limitation of the gun or is there a better combination?

[teanawayslayer]

Hank-  That guy at the muzzle loader shop does know his stuff.  But I don't know why he pushes that 348 bullet so much.  I guess it depends on what your hunting.  I started with the 348 and quickly changed after one season.  That is a huge chunk of lead.  0 velocity after a 100 yards.  I then changed to the powerbelt 290's.  I liked this round alot more velocity and plenty of killing power for deer or elk.  I don't use this round any more.  I use the powerbelt 245's and like them with the 777 pellets.  I know guys that use the barnes tmz with the loose powder and love it.  I am going to try the change this summer and see what happens.  In my opinion you don't need that huge chunk of lead.  play with it and see what works for you.  Every one has a different opinion of what works for them and what doesn't.  With muzzle loading it's all about feeling comfortable with what you have and having confidence in what you use.  That's my  .  Hope this helps

[bobcat]

Those powerbelts are really soft and expand much too easily. If you insist on using those crap bullets you need all the weight you can get. There's no way I'd use anything less than the 348 grain in a powerbelt. If it's just for deer, well, then it's not so critical. Pretty much anything will work. But 348 grains is NOT a heavy bullet for a 50 caliber muzzleloader. That weight is actually towards the light end of what used to be available. Now with sabots and smaller caliber bullets they have gotten lighter. But still, even in a 45 caliber bullet I'd be leery of anything under 300 grains. The only exception would be the Barnes because it's 100% copper.

[Hank]

Thank you, and that is good to know. I suspected the 348's were a little heavy and losing velocity at about 100 yds. I'm going to try the 245's and see what happens.

[teanawayslayer]

bobcat, I agree with some of what you said but it also all depends on the shots you take. those 290's I have shot 2 elk with and they do not move after you hit them.  Same with deer.  They are soft but do a great job in my opinion.  Not saying they are the best but are really effective.

[Skillet]

I have a T/C Hawken with a Green Mountain LRH barrel.  Great gun for shooting heavy maxi-balls.  Best groups with the 370 grain T/C Maxi's, but I got my hands on some bullets made by No Excuses in Utah that go 460 grains that I will play with this year.  That's a big chunk of lead, right there.  I've shot a few for fun and with a heavy powder charge recoil starts to become "noticeable"...  You're welcome to pick up a few to try if you go with a fast-twist .50 cal and you're in my neighborhood at some point.

[bobcat]

bobcat, I agree with some of what you said but it also all depends on the shots you take. those 290's I have shot 2 elk with and they do not move after you hit them.  Same with deer.  They are soft but do a great job in my opinion.  Not saying they are the best but are really effective.

Yes it does depend on where you hit them, but I don't want to have to worry about that. With a powerbelt on elk I suppose you'd just have to pick your shots just as if you were shooting a bow and arrow- broadside shot behindi the shoulder through both lungs. But why not use a bullet like the Barnes where you could shoot through a shoulder if you had to?

Hank- if a bullet is "losing velocity at 100 yards" it shouldn't matter, as that should be almost your maximum range with a muzzleloader anyway.  

[kerrdog]

I was set on using Maxi hunters, but after some web research, I've decided to try the Barnes .45 cal (for 50 cal) 250 grain all copper bullet with easy loading sabot; the regular sabot is pretty tight and hard to load.  My choice was driven mainly by the fact that I don't want lead fragments in the meat, since my wife would never shut up about it; got kids. I've decided on the 250 grain because my bore twist is 1/48 and I've heard that it might not stablize a heavier bullet. We'll see.

I've been using pyrodex, but I've heard that the Winchester triple 7 burns hotter and faster with better ignition, which is a concern for me with those little #11 caps that my NW Explorer requires.  I've had plenty of no-fires after the cap pops.

[teanawayslayer]

bobcat, I agree with some of what you said but it also all depends on the shots you take. those 290's I have shot 2 elk with and they do not move after you hit them.  Same with deer.  They are soft but do a great job in my opinion.  Not saying they are the best but are really effective.

Hank- if a bullet is "losing velocity at 100 yards" it shouldn't matter, as that should be almost your maximum range with a muzzleloader anyway.  

All I am saying about the velocity is with the 348 I would take no longer of a shot. with the 295's or the 245's I am very comfortable out to 120-150 yards.  I have had several time where I could not closed that extra distance.  Major factor to me.  If I need that option then I have it.

[Blsum]

I know guys that use the barnes tmz with the loose powder and love it.  I am going to try the change this summer and see what happens. 

Dude your going to love this load. You won't go back to shooting those crap powerbelts. 

[Ghost Hunter]

My Lyman Great plains rifle has been great!  Easy to clean and with a .54 cal it can take anything in the state.  1" groups at 50 yards all day long.  100 yards groups are around 3-4" for me but my son can keep it to 2"...I have a T/C New Englander in .54 cal thats very nice too. I also have a Lyman .50 cal flintlock that I've been trying to wack a coyote with.  It's very accurate as well but alot to think about.   I dont have any modern inlines so no idea.

 

[Whitelightning]

I have a T/C Hawken with a Green Mountain LRH barrel.  Great gun for shooting heavy maxi-balls.  Best groups with the 370 grain T/C Maxi's, but I got my hands on some bullets made by No Excuses in Utah that go 460 grains that I will play with this year.  That's a big chunk of lead, right there.  I've shot a few for fun and with a heavy powder charge recoil starts to become "noticeable"...  You're welcome to pick up a few to try if you go with a fast-twist .50 cal and you're in my neighborhood at some point.

skillet, I agree No Excuse makes some nice bullets. I have shot them for years in the 495gr very accurate and will knock a critter arse over tea kettle in a hurry. Doc White had a lot to do with the Green River barrel in the early years that why they shoot heavy lead like they do IMO.