Muzzleloader / Blackpower - first day shooting - HOLY COW!!!?

Question

So I got my muzzleloader (.50 CVA Buckhorn) to the fields for some sighting. I got it bore sighted today at ***** Sporting Goods. It is about 1-1.5" down at 70/75yrds. Not to bad, A few clicks on the scope and that's fixed.

Anyhow, I am using Pyrodex Pellets. They are quick, easy, and far more accurate then a measure / pour technique. First shot was at 150gr while the secon andthird were 100gr. All I can say is shooting that thing is like firing a freaking cannon. It was amazing.

So yeah, I got the first shot jitters out of the way. And I am almost fully sighted in for 75yrd shots. Which isn't all that bad. Although, it was bore sighted for 100yrds so I may foregore sighting it at 75yrds and just adjust shooting by lifting the gun a bit.

What are everyone else's experiences with blackpowder shooting?

Answer 1

I own several muzzleloaders and one black powder cartridge gun (Sharps .45-120). Three of my rifles are flintlocks and the other three are caplocks. My pistol is a caplock as is my double barreled 12 ga. shotgun. Of my rifles, one was purchased already built, one was built from a kit and the rest were built from individual parts which I ordered from such places as Jim Chambers Flintlocks. I have been shooting and building muzzleloaders for over 40 years.

I have never owned an inline muzzleloader so I have never used the premeasured pellets. They won't work in a regular muzzleloader. I have used many different brands of black powder as well as some of the black powder substitutes. The substitutes work okay in a caplock but won't ignite reliably in a flintlock due to their higher ignition point when compared to black powder. I have shot Triple 7 in my Sharps .45-120 and it works just fine.

Even if premeasured pellets would work in my guns, I wouldn't choose to use them. I do a lot of target shooting with my rifles and want to get maximum accuracy from them. Being able to adjust the powder charge by a few grains at a time to find what my gun likes best is possible only with loose powder. I also do not use sabots with my loads. I prefere to use round balls with lubed cloth patching. The diameter of the ball can be varied by a few thousandths to get the ball that your gun prefers. The same is true with the thickness of the patch and the lube that you use with it. When you are trying to wring maximum accuracy from a muzzleloader, there are many factors which must be determined by trial and error to discover the exact load that your gun likes. Feeding a muzzleloader is a lot like feeding a baby, some things it likes and some things it just spits out. Since you are using an inline muzzleloader and apparentluy will be using it for only hunting, and have chosen to use the premeasured pellets, none of this applies to you but I just included it for your information in case you ever decide to try a traditional muzzleloader for target shooting.

I have hunted many times with my muzzleloaders. Most of my hunting has been for squirrels and I have used my .32 caliber rifle with a charge of .25 grains of fffG black powder. It really does the job for me. Other times I have hunted them with my muzzleloading shotgun. I prefer it when there are a lot of leaves on the trees and the shots are quick. I also use it if I am hunting gray squirrels because they are so active that it is difficult for me to get a good head shot with a rifle. I have also hunted deer with my .50 T/C Hawken that I built from a kit. I use a .490 round ball with a ten thousandths patch and some Bore Butter. My powder charge is 80-100 grains of ffG black powder. If I am hunting in heavy woods where the shots are less than 50 to 75 yards, I use 80 grains. It is less punishing to me but has plenty of knockdown power for the deer. If I am hunting over a pasture where my shots will be greater than 75 yards, I use 100 grains of powder. I do not shoot at anything that is farther away than about 125 yards because I am somewhat of a purist and refuse to use a scope on a muzzleloader. All of my sights are open sights.

I am a member of The National Muzzleloading Rifle Association (NMLRA) and have had the pleasure of shooting in National matches at Friendship, Indiana. In fact, I shot the Quail Walk with my shotgun for the first time and took third place. I don't know how that worked out because I am not a real shotgun person, my preference is rifles and pistols. I didn't ask any questions, I just took my trophy and kept on going. The same day, I shot the Woods Walk with my favorite rifle and did so poorly that I didn't want to turn in my score sheet. Go figure. I guess you win some and you loose some. But I had an absolute ball as I always do when I go there and participate in some matches.

I am also a member of a local muzzleloader club and shoot in the club matches once or twice a month. Again, I win some and I loose some but it is all fun.

I just recently bought the Sharps .45-120 that I told you about. I loaded up 20 rounds of ammo with a full 120 grains of powder behind some 500 graind bullets. Let me tell you, that rifle kicked like an army mule. After I was through shooting, I had a big bruse on my shoulder and I was holding it tight to my shoulder on each shot. I reloaded the ammo with only 50 grains of black powder and some 350 grain bullets and took it to our Woods Walk match last month. Since it was a cartridge gun, I couldn't shoot for score but I could just shoot for fun. The Woods Walk consists of 25 steel knockdown targets set at various unknown distances. You get one shot at each target and get one point for each target that you hit. I hit 21 out of 25 with my Sharps and the nice thing was that my shoulder wasn't brused or sore after shooting the reduced loads. From now on, I'm going to shoot the reduced loads for targets and save the heavy recoiling stuff for hunting and long range silhouette shooting.

Well, that's my black powder experience and I've loved every minute of it. I hope you get at least half as much fun from it as I have. Good luck!

Answer 2

Smokeless powder is nothing but a passing fad!!

Eventually, everyone will return to their senses and go back to the Holy Black.

If you enjoyed shooting that smokepole with stinky old Pyrodex, you really ought to try the real stuff, FFg Blackpowder. It is no harder to clean up and is smells better.

Doc

Answer 3

My first black powder gun was a CVA percusion Colonial pistol kit in .45cal. I put it together when I was 14 years old. I was hooked! Moved up to an Italian 1851 Navy revolver. I've have rifles, muskets, shotguns, black powder cartridge guns. Love them all. I have and like the modern stuff too but those stinky old front stuffers are my first love.

Answer 4

I have a .50 CVA and I love to shoot it. I enjoy it alot more then even my .270. when I fire it, it really lets me know. I shot 150 grain and tap the target about 1 inch up at 100 yards.