Muzzleloader help?

[TAM]

After 13 years I finally drew a muzzy antelope tag. Never been much of a muzzleloader hunter. In fact I just went and ordered a TC Encore Endevor. I've got about 6 months to get her all dressed up and shooting straight. Any suggestions to help me get set up properly and all dialed in?

 

Before anyone starts asking why I didn't just apply for a rifle tag, it's because in the unit I'm hunting the muzzy hunters kill most of the top end bucks before the rifle hunters even get a crack at them.

 

 

[GameHauler]

Tim I wish you the best of LUCK.

Cant help you out with the Contender

but I am providing a site that I think can.

 

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/board,119.0.html

 

Expand on their forum to get more.

 

 

[CouesKilla]

After 13 years I finally drew a muzzy antelope tag. Never been much of a muzzleloader hunter. In fact I just went and ordered a TC Encore Endevor. I've got about 6 months to get her all dressed up and shooting straight. Any suggestions to help me get set up properly and all dialed in?

 

Before anyone starts asking why I didn't just apply for a rifle tag, it's because in the unit I'm hunting the muzzy hunters kill most of the top end bucks before the rifle hunters even get a crack at them.

Shoot it a lot, and then shoot it some more. Use a lot of "Bore Butter". These barrels season up and shoot better over time. Shoot it at various distances and note the drop. Be sure you have a range finder too. I was in your shoes last year. I sighted the gun in at 200 yards. I ended up shooting a deer at about 45 yards and put the crosshairs right on the sweet spot. Needless to say I almost missed him over his back. Know what your gun does in 50 yard intervals from 50 yards out to 200 yards (or whatever you feel comfortable at). The Encore is a great gun (watch the DVD that comes with the gun, it helps a lot). Good luck.

[chrismp51]

I sighted the gun in at 200 yards. I ended up shooting a deer at about 45 yards and put the crosshairs right on the sweet spot. Needless to say I almost missed him over his back. Know what your gun does in 50 yard intervals from 50 yards out to 200 yards

 

Try out a scope made for the smoke poles. I have a Nikon Omega, these reticles are great with the muzzle loaders. Good luck on your hunt!

[Red Rabbit]

With all that cleaning ahead of you, consider the Ultra Bore Coat

http://www.ultracoatingsinc.com/products.html

[Schmitty]

Tim,

 

Shoot me a PM as I'm up your way and have a few things you can try. I boughta bunch of pyrodex pellets that on clearance at Wal=Mart a couple of years back. I've also got a few different saboted bullets that you can try out.

My smokepole shoots 3 777 pellets and the barnes tipped 290 grain sabots pretty well, so I don't see myself using the aforementioned components any time soon.

 

You're welcome to them if you want it.

 

good luck on the hunt, that was one of my choices as well.

 

Schmitty

[TLH]

Tim go buy some Shockey Gold powder and it will cut your cleaning down by 90%. I shoot it with a .265 grain sabot and shoot 4" groups at 200 yards. Use 100 grains when you start shooting and then move up to 150 grains of pellets--this will allow you to see how the rifle shoot with different loads.

 

Every barrel shoot different with muzzy's--believe me i know--so find the right sabot and stick with that load bullet combo.

 

I have the Omega on my muzzy and i can't say i care for it too much--the way they work is you have to shoot 150 grains of powder and use a 250 grain bullet--i could never find the sweet spot so the BDC didn't work for me--the scope is nice but the BDC is useless in my opinion.

 

If you need any help getting her all set up let me know and i will be happy to tell ya what i know.

[Rio]

All good information above, key is just to get out and shoot as much as possible. Personally, I'm now using Triple 777 powder, I've used pyrodex and Jim Shockey's stuff in the past as well, but IMO, 777 is the cleanest shooting powder out there. As red rabbit pointed out, you'll be doing a lot of cleaning, not only at the end of the day but in between shots as well. I like butch's bore cleaner solution/swabs when I'm at the range, regular hot soap and water when you clean at the end of the day, followed by a good lub of butches bore butter or t/c bore butter.

 

The t/c platform is a very good, you'll really enjoy it. You're also going to want to get your possibilities bag set up, I'll use that at the range when I'm practicing to get in the routine of working with the gadget's and supplies I'll have when hunting. I'll set up 3-4 speed loaders and use those from shot to shot, then reload them and continue. You're going to have a great time, and you have a lot of time before your hunt, get out to the range and enjoy!

 

[TAM]

Wow, that's a lot of info! Thank you and keep it coming. My eyes are blurry from all the internet reading and scanning of different websites. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do. Thank you for all the generous offers, I may be taking some of you up on them!

 

I'll keep you all posted!

[TLH]

Tim,

 

Practice hard and look long and then take your time and kill one bigger than this one. You can do it buddy!!!

 

[Schmitty]

Another thought,

 

If I was looking at buying a new top of the line ML, (I know you already ordered the encore) but I'd look heavily into the Savage ML-10. I've never shot one, but I had a guy at the SHOT show chewing my ear off with it's praises and everything I've read concurs with his opinion of superior trigger, accuracy, velocities, ease of use, etc.

 

Shoot me a line and I'll run the powder/sabots over your way.

 

take care,

 

Schmitty

[bobbyo]

Tam,

Terry's right, every muzzle loader is finicky. It will take you time and lots of different bullets to find the one your gun likes. Even brand of sabots matter. My gun only likes one brand of sabots. Instead of preformed pellets. I use loose triple 777 powder. The cost is half the price and well real men use loose powder, so there. With the loose you can very your load infinitely to see what your gun likes. With pellets you are limited. The pellets are rated as blackpowder equivalent so when someone says they are using 150 grain in pellets that just means 150 grain Black powder equivalent. In loose powder 150 grain pellets = 120 grains of loose powder in 777 or pyrodex. 150 in pellets and 120 loose is the maximum recommended in most smoke poles. I can shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards with a fowled barrel and a swab in between.

 

My set up.

Nosler sabots

hornaday xtp 265 grain.

100 grain 777 loose.

CLP oil

410 gauge, primer

Clean with 50% mixture of windex and water.

 

I do not use bore butter!

I have tried to get the faster SST'S to work, but my gun just likes the slower xtp's. Have used all forms of power belts ect. Gun just likes those sabots and xtps.

 

Practice on Jack rabbits. It is a lot of fun and you will get to know your gun in hunting situations. There is many many ways to screw up a shot with a ML in the heat of the hunt.(I think I have done them all.). The more experience the better.

[Diamondbackaz]

I bought a pro hunter and haven't got out to shoot it yet. After talking to another individual with the same gun who has shot his a lot. He advised me to use Blackhorn 209 which is a smokeless powder for muzzle loaders. You don't have to clean the crud after every shot because there is no crud. His groups tightened up considerably. Yes it costs more but it's worth every penny for extra accuracy with a lot less cleaning. Here is the link: http://blackhorn209.com/

[BML]

I bought a pro hunter and haven't got out to shoot it yet. After talking to another individual with the same gun who has shot his a lot. He advised me to use Blackhorn 209 which is a smokeless powder for muzzle loaders. You don't have to clean the crud after every shot because there is no crud. His groups tightened up considerably. Yes it costs more but it's worth every penny for extra accuracy with a lot less cleaning. Here is the link: http://blackhorn209.com/

 

 

I know nothing about muzzleloaders. I don't have one, never even shot one. During casual conversation, though, with a guy who shoots them a lot, he told me that smokeless powder was illegal to use while hunting?? Don't know if it is true or not, but I thought I would just throw it out there for you. Might be something to look into. I only mention it, because when he told me, I remember thinking to myself that I didn't even know there was a difference.

[JACK]

Congrats on a great tag! Had the same one last year and you made the right choice going muzzy don't blame you one bit!

 

 

I bought the Triumph for my hunt. Agree with everyone... each gun is diffrent and touchy...I about pulled my hair out trying to get mine to group...Tried Shockey pellets and powders pyrodex powder and pellets...tried various grains of shockwaves hornady barnes...and what ended up shooting the best for me were the silver coated 270grain powerbelts with 120 grains of pyrodex pellets...with a dirty barrel ...guess what I learned with mine was less was more...shot at the range at night a few times and with 150 grains of pellets it looked like i was shooting flares down range...meaning I wasnt burning all the powder so I slowed'er down a bit and my groups tightened up and got more consistent. Ended up being able to shoot 11/2" groups @ 100 and 4-5" groups @ 200 and as it turnned out I had to make a tough 30 yard shot...lol You have an awsome tag GOOD LUCK!