new to muzzle loading

[hoyt2002]

I just got a muzzle loader it's traditions Vortek northwest edition,  I'm new to muzzleloading looking for tips and advise to get started?

[carpsniperg2]

Lots of diffrent parts to muzzleloading. If you are just looking for a broad answer to help, here you go.

Cap's- by your other post you are going to be using musket caps. Get the German caps- wholesale sports and many others carry them. CCI work well also. Do not get reenactment caps!

Powder- you can shoot loose or pellets. The musket caps are hot and will work with pellets but you get better burn with loose. Many diffrent choices, pyrodex and triple 7 are to of the most popular. I like ffg or fffg the more f's the finer the powder. 90-120g seems to be the sweet spot for a lot of guns. Some people shoot the max loads but I have never liked the burn out rate or the bigger groups that I have got from using a max load.

Bullets- what ever floats your boat. That gun has a 1-28" twist which is great for sabots. Barnes-hornaday-t/c etc are some of the most popular. I like the barnes tmz 290's. "That is what shot good in my gun, the same gun as yours, before I got rid of it."

Cleaning- get lots of patches! and I like the t/c line up of products. Make sure you use breech plug grease. Then just follow the instructions. MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN THE GUN BEFORE USING IT THE FIRST TIME. There is going to be a ton of oil in that gun and will foul the powder and give you a real mess if you try to load it before cleaning it from the factory.

[Smokepole]

If you're planning on hunting in fall, I'd say start shooting a lot now.  When I switched to black powder, it was a lot different than shooting a modern rifle.  Get used to your gun before the season.  This year, we started making our own R.E.A.L. bullets with a Lee Mold.  They are pretty accurate in our 1:28 guns and cheap to make.  We've been using them without any wads.  Now all we need to buy are powder and caps.  Good idea to get some speed loaders, capper, and a starter ball.  No end to accessories!

[huntnnw]

I played around with different lead bullets for years trying 8 different companys...the best that shot out of my TC blackdiamond was the hornady greatplains with 90g of triple 7...then WA let us use any bullet and I tried a Barnes and I will never go back! the groups at 100 were amazing...the energy and penetration are far greater. With Barnes u dont have to worry about them smashing or exploding on bone or over pushing them.

[DeerThug]

Take that advise.  Dont need a bunch of gadgets.  Powder, bullets that fly straight and some quickloads.  Always spend more time cleaning than anything else, your gun will pay you back.

Every year I see the newbies come up with the camo, expensive gear etc.  The old established camps with guys that have basic stuff hang more meat year after year.

[fair-chase]

Hoyt, I've got a bunch of misc black powder bullets, powder, caps, and stuff that aren't in my go 2 bag anymore. If you want to try out a few different powder and bullet combinations send me a pm and you can have them.