100yrd accuracy

[David W.]

I'll keep at with the roundballs in both the 50 and 54 cause I ain't no fan of recoil. If I was I'd use 12 gauge slugs.... Yeowie! :shocked2:

Don

Don, when I first started tinkering with muzzleloaders, many moons ago, make that many, many moons ago, I thought the only way I could posibly kill a deer was with Maxi balls. I did kill a deer at around 100 yards with one. I ran out of the Maxi's and started hunting with RB's, I shot a deer at approximatey the same distance and the wound channel was bigger. At first I did not understand this, but found that due to the shape of the RB, it was expanding more than the conical. I was later given some conicals and melted them down into RB's. I will use nothing else anymore. Less recoil, cheaper, easier to load, less powder, more effective, more accurate. Makes sense to me.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If your barrel is only 26 inches, you might be better off using Pyrodex P powder, than the RS powder size. The P powder will burn hotter, and give you more velocity from that short barrel. Because Pyrodex, and the other substitute powders burn at a MUCH hotter Temperature than does BP, use a OP wad, or filler, to protect the conical bullet from gas cutting.

The Bullet does need to be going Faster to remain stable at the longer range, particularly out of a 1:48 ROT. That is generally considered a compromise ROT, because you can shoot both RB, and Short Conicals accurate from such a barrel.

Any time you lengthen a bullet, and add more weight, you generally have to increase the ROT to stabilize the longer bullet.

The Recoil can be brutal shooting heavy bullets. I join in recommending you consider shooting a RB for deer in that gun, and do some comparison penetration testing, before you decide that a RB is " inadequate" for deer.

I have been shooting deer with my .50 cal. rifle for years, and never needed a second shot. My first deer was taken at 40 yds, and the ball passed completely through the chest, breaking ribs going in and exiting, while hitting both lungs, and some of the major arteries above the heart in the middle. I don't know what MORE penetration you could possibly want from any projectile used to hunt deer.

By far, the vast majority of shots on deer are taken at well under 100 yds. I have seen deer crossing a open field more than 200 yds from my stand, but that is the rare exception. Usually they are hugging the brush lines along forests, or staying in the forest on the other side of the edge brush. :surrender: :thumbsup:

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I have had good luck with roundballs and the Hornady Great Plains out of my Renegade.

Try some roundballs and see how they do. I dont think you will be dissapointed.

 

[romeoh]

My experience with my Pedersoli Hawken (.54) and roundballs.
I usually shoot at 50 meters - a little more than 50 yards. With 10 shots I´m normally around 90-92 rings from 100 possible rings.
65grs of FF and .530 roundballs.

For my first try at 100 meters distance I went with 95 grains FF. And was perfectly on the bullseye. :shocked2: :grin: Good guessing... :haha:
In the end the 10 shots summed up to - if I remember it right 82 rings. And actually I blamed the light conditions more than the distance or something else for the result. :wink:

 

[Leatherbark]

If the patches are coming out clean and not gray then leading is probably not the problem. Not sure about the 275 grain Maxis, but if stability at longer ranges is the culprit then a shorter conical may help..............I've seen flat base conicals do better with a wad underneath...............Good luck Bob

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have had better results at longer ranges using hollow based mini's of the civil war type. For a 1/48 twist I would look for a shorter rather than longer mini.

 

[gmww]

As Ohio Ramrod suggested, you might consider a hollow based conical like a Lee REAL conical. There are other conical that might work such as a Ballet. Also you might consider going down a bit in powder or changing from 2f to 3f or visa versa. I forget what you posted.

 

[longcruise]

I have some 275 grain TC maxies would they stablize any better? My bore looks very shiny and patches came out spotless when I cleaned after yesturdays session so I'm not convinced its leaded up but I could be wrong.

A leaded bore can look shiney and can give up clean patches. Try wrapping some 0 steel wool around your jag and running it in and out. Look for lead in the wool.

Maybe it's just your eyes or a combo of your eyes and the sights?

 

[Don]

Well, I have graduated to tri-focals now so at almost 50 my eyes ain't what they used to be.

Don :redface:

 

[Little Wattsy]

Well, I have graduated to tri-focals now so at almost 50 my eyes ain't what they used to be.

Don :redface:

In some of my initial attemps to group at 100 yards I realized taht at LEAST 50% of my challange was incorrect, for me, sights. Big, bulky, thick sights covered up to much target. A german silver front blade in a semi-buckhorn has been the best combbo, again, for Me.

 

[Don]

Some progress to report. I took my .54 cal Bobcat out today and tried the 100 yard shots with a patched .530 ball on top of 75 grains of RS. After many trips to and from the target I finally was able to dial in the sights so they hit the target. The three shots hit the target within inches of each other but the last two went heavens knows where. Maybe the barrel heated up or fouling degraded my accuracy after that I don't know but I'm encouraged that with a little more work I can have a ML that can reach out to a 100 yards and take game. Thanks for all the tips and feedback guys it kept me motivated to keep trying until I saw some sucess.

Don

 

[Little Wattsy]

Some progress to report. I took my .54 cal Bobcat out today and tried the 100 yard shots with a patched .530 ball on top of 75 grains of RS. After many trips to and from the target I finally was able to dial in the sights so they hit the target. The three shots hit the target within inches of each other but the last two went heavens knows where. Maybe the barrel heated up or fouling degraded my accuracy after that I don't know but I'm encouraged that with a little more work I can have a ML that can reach out to a 100 yards and take game. Thanks for all the tips and feedback guys it kept me motivated to keep trying until I saw some sucess.

Don

Just my personal view...You DO have a gun that, with some tinkering, will be dangerous out to 100 yards which makes it a really good 75 yard gun. :wink:
Have you tried thicker patches and/or OP Wads?

 

[Don]

I do have thicker patches and wads but ran out of time before I could see if they would improve what I had achieved thus far. Next time out I will use them to see if I can hone my accuracy more.

Don

 

[zimmerstutzen]

regardless of twist, deep rifling won't shoot a conical worth a manure, at least not 98% of them. Upping the powder in a compromise twist like 1:48 does no good and may cause the ball to strip through the rifling with heavy charges.

Try a round ball and thick loose weave patch. Not a tight weave denim/drill like commercial patches, but a thick fluffy material like a heavy cotton flannel.

A 50 caliber round ball is more than adequate for white tail to 100 yds. Some outdoor writers claim conicals are necessary, but see who sponsors their stuff, and the answer is revealed.

Have you checked your muzzle crown? a nick or dent have have a huge affect on accuracy.

Don't beat yourself up when sighting in. 60 grains and a PRB until you are hitting the paper consistently. It is frustrating to be sure.

Are you wiping between shots? one wet patch then a dry one. You should, Always. (except for a second follow up shot to finish the wounded deer) You want consistency in everything concerned with a muzzleloader. Same amount of fouling in the barrel, same patch same ball, same powder, same breath control, same squeeze, same follow through. measure and pour the powder the same each time. turn the weave of the patch the same. I usually use spit to lube patches at the range. same wetness each time. If ya farted between shots, do it the same each time.

without being there with you it is hard to diagnose.

 

[PreglerD]

Another 100m report from Germany!

Was at the range with my new .54 T/c Hawken capper and shoot at 100m, .525 PRB, .010" lubed patch, spittled wad and 90 grs WANO PP. Was able to bring 5 shots within a 2.5"x2.5" square from the bench.

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[eaglesnester]

I do not want to hijack the thread here but many of you have advocated PRB for deer. I hunt in Northern B.C. Canada and our Mule deer tend to be on the large size. They can go up to 500lbs or so. Would PRB at ranges of no more than 100 be effective if the shots were in the heart lung area with 50cal and say 90 to 100gr pryo?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Yes. For a 500 lb. animal, I would prefer to use a .54 caliber RB to a .50, but the animal won't know the difference if you put the ball into the heart/lung area. The heavier .54 ball( 230 grains vs. 180 grs.) will penetrate further at the longer range, and will usually pass all the way through the animal. The .50 will typically be found under the skin on the off-side. Some will exit, but that is much more likely to happen at closer ranges.

90 Grains of Pyrodex RS is a stiff load. Make sure your patches are NOT burning, and make sure you can handle that recoil from your gun. Recoil is the curse of fine accuracy, and accuracy is the name of the game when you are using OPEN sights beyond 50 yards. Do everything to insure you can reliably place the ball consistently on target at the longer ranges- including reducing the powder charge, if that gives you smaller groups. :thumbsup: