Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Muzzleloader Hunting => Topic started by: RoyBoy on October 05, 2015, 09:33:38 PM
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Ok I have a vortek northwest magnum 50 cal inline ive had for a couple years I love the gun. Have been hunting muzzle loader elk this year shot my gun twice today because its been a while aimed dead on and hit bullseye but it was only at 20 yards. Im using 100 grains of triple seven powder and powerboat 245 grain bullets my question is if its hitting bullseye that close whst do you think the drop at 50 and 100 yards would be? Thanks
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First of all I wouldn't use power belts as there are far better performing projectiles out there for hunting. I personally would suggest Barnes bullets with a sabot if you want to stay with full bore hornady FPBs or federal has a new one out I forget the name of right now. And the only way to really know where your gun will shoot with any given load/distance combo is to shoot it and see. For my optima v2 with 350gr FPBs and 110 gr 777 sighted at 40 yards I'm 1/1/2 inch high. At 100 I'm 3 high and starts to drop about 150 down to about an inch low.
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If a powerbelt, the Platinum series or the Aerolite series will be best. I especially LOVE the 300gr Aerolite, its a BEAST.
2" high at 50 should be very close to dead on at 100 with the 300gr Aerolite.
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My devil what kinda actual performance do those aerolights provide on game from what I've read and seen they don't open up at all just poke small holes in animals which isn't effective for stopping them quickly.
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I've never heard of a powerbelt not expanding. The issue people have with them is over-expanding. But that could be a problem with just the non-jacketed version, which is the only one I have experience with.
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:peep:
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Tried to use Barnes EZ in the Vortek and they were too tight to load. Had to settle for Powerbelt Platinums which loaded fine.
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Aerolites expand very nicely!
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First of all I wouldn't use power belts as there are far better performing projectiles out there for hunting. I personally would suggest Barnes bullets with a sabot if you want to stay with full bore hornady FPBs or federal has a new one out I forget the name of right now. And the only way to really know where your gun will shoot with any given load/distance combo is to shoot it and see. For my optima v2 with 350gr FPBs and 110 gr 777 sighted at 40 yards I'm 1/1/2 inch high. At 100 I'm 3 high and starts to drop about 150 down to about an inch low.
^^this is exactly what I would say as well.
Also, Barnes makes a sabot that loads a little easier for tight bores. I believe its called the TMZ. The sabot is blue. We use them in my girlfriends Vortek. They were easier to load in that gun than in my Thompson Center.
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I use hornady sst 250grain myself that is what I saw performed the best for me with my vortek :tup:
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I shoot 275GR bloodlines out of mine with 100GRs of Triple7 fffg and 2 inches high at 50 is dead on at 100!
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I just purchased my first muzzleloader today, a vortek northwest magnum. Are these pretty good guns? I liked the simplicity and it's nice and light. I rarely buy anything without researching it to the extreme but today was different. Also any tips would be appreciated. I bought the 290 grain Barnes sabots they are blue.
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the reviews are not good on that muzzy. use the search engine here. all though i looked at one today at bi-mart in vancouver. its a new model vortek. it has a removable breech plug and nipple. they have changed some of the components on this one. i dont own a vortek,but it looks like they made some significant changes to it. it had a pad on the ramrod a palm saver. i read the manual. it says to use a oil in the area were the firing pin is. it says there is a o-ring in there to prevent blowback. ive looked at the older models. this may have been there answer to some of the issues they had in the past. the breech plug came out with turning it with my finger's.
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i would put a musket cap on the nipple and make sure it ignites as soon as you can? try a rws musket cap. they are setup for musket most issues i heard was with caps not going off. if this is the new model with the breech plug they may have solved this.
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the reviews are not good on that muzzy. use the search engine here. all though i looked at one today at bi-mart in vancouver. its a new model vortek. it has a removable breech plug and nipple. they have changed some of the components on this one. i dont own a vortek,but it looks like they made some significant changes to it. it had a pad on the ramrod a palm saver. i read the manual. it says to use a oil in the area were the firing pin is. it says there is a o-ring in there to prevent blowback. ive looked at the older models. this may have been there answer to some of the issues they had in the past. the breech plug came out with turning it with my finger's.
Ya this one is Stryker fired so idk. I've read so many different reviews saying good and bad things then also good and bad about every other muzzy. But I'll keep doing some research see what pops up.
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i would put a musket cap on the nipple and make sure it ignites as soon as you can? try a rws musket cap. they are setup for musket most issues i heard was with caps not going off. if this is the new model with the breech plug they may have solved this.
Ok roger I bought a bunch of those RWS musket caps. And mine does have a breach plug. I don't see how they could work without one but i know nothing about muzzleloader I just bought a multi season tag and it seems cool
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How loud is a cap going off? Is that something you can get away with in a back yard
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yes just put it on there stick it outside and pull the trigger. i did it on my patio. it will just make a pop noise if it ignites. better to know now then be out hunting and go to take a shot and it dont go off. it's not loud like a gun shot sounds like a pop it you throw on the ground. you will know if it goes off. just make sure you do it outside with the gun pointed in a safe direction.
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rws are the best caps you can buy! i looked at a vortek northwest strikefire. i did not see a breech plug on it. maybe the newer ones have them. enjoy smokepole's are fun to shoot. im useing number 11's on my knight disc extreme. tighter seal than the musket cap but either will work. good luck with that multi season tag and have fun!
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Ok sounds good I'll try it. Ya it's a break action then inside the barrel there is a breach plug. It seems pretty well built. I heard the big thing is keeping them cleaned? Few questions, do you always take the bullet and pellets out of the gun every time you go hunting? How many shots do you take before a strip down clean? How often do you put a new primer on if you don't shoot it? Do you like to save the primer or periodically change them out after hunting? Thanks shorthair!
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I would have to agree with the over expanding issue with the powerbelts. I would use them on deer in a heartbeat but probably one of the heavier ones 300-348 grain. I shot the 348 grain aerotip copper jacket out of my vortek when I first started muzzleloader. It shot amazing, clover leaf at 100 off a solid bench and 100 grains 777 FFG. However the first I retrieved from an elk did not even make it through the first lung on a 50 yard broadside shot, and I didn't hit shoulder or anything like that. When I retrieved the bullet it was completely flat like you pounded it with a sledge hammer. Then I didn't know any better so I used it again, took 3 well placed shots at close range to down a cow the second year. Since then I have been trying others, tried NoExcuses and it wouldn't group for me, went to Hornady Great Plains bullets. Much better. decent grouping to 100 yards, blew through both shoulders and kept going leaving a huge exit hole and a great blood trail on a good sized cow last year.
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i always unload my gun at the end of the day or shoot it off. that is just me. powder absorbs moisture can cause it to hangfire. you can only use the caps once. they have to be replaced every time. use triple seven 3 f! your gun may not like the barnes they are good bullets but may be super hard to load. you may have to try a few others to see what the gun like's.
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Ok sounds good. I will probably unload it every time then. I knew the caps could only be used once but didn't know if the caps absorbed moisture as well or what actually causes misfires. That's the last thing I want, part of the reason I've always done archery because my bow never missfires
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did the cap go off! ive took the musket cap off before and put it back on when i got out and hunted another spot. i always took the cap off when i used a musket cap before i headed to another spot. i never had any problems with them absorbing moisture. ton of info on here for smokepole hunting. good luck to ya!
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Take a look at "Klickitat Buck" heading, you will see the new Federal Premium Trophy Copper 270 gr bullet that I recovered from my buck. Shot at about 70 yds, 100 gr Triple 7, I was impressed.
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I shoot 275gr. bloodlines out of my vortex and they shoot great and they worked great on my buck this year.. It was around 60 or 70 yards. The bloodlines are very tight in the vortex though and are "fun" to load
