Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Muzzleloader Hunting => Topic started by: sled on September 13, 2012, 08:38:16 PM
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I thought i would try 777 pellets this year. In the box they come in it says max load is 2 50gr pellets. I always have heard you can shoot three? I am shooting a knight bighorn. Has anyone shot three before? My gun book says i can shoot 150grs. I plan to shoot barns tmz 290gr, and tc shockwave 250gr. Also i have heard that the ignition with #11 caps isnt the best. Anyone shoot them?
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I shoot single pellets for target practice for convenience...otherwise, loose powder. Buddies have had problems with good ignition with caps (versus 209s). You could stack three pellets in a Bighorn, but loose powder gives you better ignition and more flexibility.
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Your gun may be able to take 150 grains, but that might not be your most accurate load. I only use the granular powder because I shoot a Sidelock Hawken style gun. Granular powder allows fine granules and powder dust to flow into the percussion fire channel and aids in the ignition process. This might help inlines with long passages in the breech plugs, too. You might experiment with a hybrid charge, with granular powder first, followed with 1 or 2 pellets. that would allow adjustment of the charge for best accuracy. Muzzle loaders are more forgiving of overcharges than their Modern counterparts, as they will usually only burn the powder they need to push the projectile out of the bore, and the remaining powder exits unburned. In the old days, hunters would work up their loads over snow, to see if they were wasting powder.
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I like the idea of the powder with the pellets, didnt think of that. I just thought that the pellets would be easier to load in the heat of the moment. I am fairly new to muzzleloader hunting. Took my first elk last year with powder.
Thanks for the replies, comments, and input.
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I carry a fistful of Speedloaders when I'm hunting. Pop the cap on the premeasured Powder end, pour the charge in, then pop the cap on the bullet end and shove the ramrod through the whole tube to load the slug. Amazingly fast way to load a follow-up shot. Recap, and you're good to go!
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Second on Speedloaders. You can measure them at home before the hunt and they are just as easy to pour down the barrel as a pellet. The cost difference on pellets vs. loose powder would suggest loose as well.
Check ebay. You can get tubes real cheap if you don't care about a brand name stamped on the side.
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Stupid question....can you mix loose powder with whitehots?
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An even more stupid question--what are "Whitehots"? (I'm old school blackpowder shooter. Some of this new stuff is beyond me...) :dunno:
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An even more stupid question--what are "Whitehots"? (I'm old school blackpowder shooter. Some of this new stuff is beyond me...) :dunno:
white hots are the only white powder pellet.
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Oh, OK. They should still have a "Black powder equivalent" power range. Like reloading smokeless powder-- start at the lowest charge and work up gradually, watching your group size and signs of excessive pressure. As I stated earlier, muzzleloaders are very forgiving creatures. The only accident I've seen was when a couple of young guys forced a jacketed 45 cal. bullet down the barrel of a 45 cal. muzzle loader to "improve the accuracy". It blew up in the kid's face, and he wasn't even wearing shooting glasses. He came real close to losing his right eye.
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What the hell would you need 150 grns. for!!?!?!?!?!
I use 2 pellets (100 grns.) and I shoot excellent groups.
No need to go bigger.
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There is nothing wrong with pellets and there is nothing wrong with loose powder. They both have ups and downs. For instance with loose powder you can really refine your load meaning 110 grains vs. pellets only come in 50 grain. However pellets are just that so there is no mess unlike that of loose powder. Plus if you do miss pouring loose powder you run the risk of possible shooting less grains from say 110 grains to say 100 grains which can affect your shooting. I myself have shot both type and while I am no expert I must say I prefer the use of pellets. My reason is that if I load 2-50 grain pellets than thats what i am shooting 100 grains, and i do not have to worry about spillage. As for the #11 caps and pellets I have never experienced any misfires or hang fires. Again its what your comfortable using. Your best bet is maybe try both. Try loose this year and then next year try pellets. Everyone on here is going to give you there setup and what they use which may work for them but it may not work for you. And +1 to speed loaders to which ever type of powder you use.
That's my take on this topic, some may agree others may not.
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Stupid question....can you mix loose powder with whitehots?
I wouldn't "mix" anything at all, ever.
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Has anyone mentioned that IMR 'White Hots' are nothing more than T7 pellets without the black dye. T7 loose or pellets is a nearly white powder until it is died. Hodgdon turned it black to get better reception from the ML community.
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I don’t see any advantage to pellets. If the time comes that I can’t measure powder accurately or get down my barrel without spilling it I’ll switch over to modern rifle hunting.
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My take on the whole Pellet vs. Loose Powder issue is that Pellets were designed for the inline rifles, where the fire from the cap goes straight into the powder cavity. With traditional sidelock (Hawken Style) rifles, the fire from the cap has to turn a 90-degree corner and then follow a hole to the powder cavity. Pouring loose powder down a barrel in a sidelock rifle and then pushing the projectile down the bore forces a certain amount of powder dust into the flash hole, aiding in the ignition of the powder. More fire going to the powder cavity = less chance of a misfire. Anything that lessens the chance of the inevitable misfire in a charcoal-burner is a good thing, and it will usually happen at the most inconvenient time. I think Murphy's Law was invented by blackpowder shooters. :chuckle:
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I have a Knight bighorn and shoot 150 gr of white hot with a 270 gr platinum powerbelt bullet and TC flame thrower musket cap nipple. I get great groups. In 2010 I took a big 7×7 bull elk at 46 yards and a Buck at 201 yards, both Bullets went all the way through. Barnes Bullets should be even better. Good luck.
