Advice on powder caps and powder

[Howie1968]

getting back into muzzleloading has left me with alot of questions. the reasoning for questions is as a youngeter i was always told to ask them. so here i go. while i remember alot from 30 years ago technology has came a long ways. while money isnt the main issue for something i love to do i just dont want to waiste any either. i also realize that you have to work up your loads and may have to change componets to get the right combination. i have my lyman and have a tc renegade in 50 coming next week. both take number 11 caps, so which brand/ i see remington rws cci and cci magnum, after lots of reading rws seem to be about the hottest. round ball patches, the man im getting the tc from said he was getting great accuracy using .490 roundball and .020 patches, since i can use the same patches for my .54 im gonna get a bagof.10 .15 and .20 prelubed with wonder. Powder back 30 years ago i used Pyrodex rs 2F. i see people are now using 3F which i asume is pistol powder and realize ill have to back my charges down or 777/ which using triple 7 you back down 15%. locally i can get 2F 3F in pyrodex and tripple 7. no black powder anywhere.
my plans are to use my .54 for hogs so i plan on using a big heavy bullet gonna buy some round balls in /530 and .535 a box of each to start along with some hornady 425 gr. my 50 is coming with 400 round balls or so and around 100 TC maxihunters. the 50 will be used for deer and maybe hogs if i can get a big bullet to fly right. i realize roundballs can take any game you want to take, i like the thought of it being strickty my roundball gun. while ill determine that after testing. im not against using roundball only in the .54 the deciding factor is gonna be accuracy testing. i believe a 54 roundball can kill the biggest hog with a well placed heart shot on a hog. what do you men think. i really apreciate you all taking the time to help me in this journey

 

[SgtErv]

I highly recommend Goex 3F or 2F. If using 3F, be mindful that you need to lower the charge a bit. There are many online retailers, although you do have to pay a hazmat fee for shipping. You'll be glad you did; when I switched from Pyrodex to black I was amazed!

Caps: I don't shoot percussion much but when I did CCI were good. I believe caps in general are somewhat scarce at the moment so availability may be a determining factor.

I'm not a hunter, but up know that patched round balls killed scores of game across the world before conicals were invented. A lot of hunters on this forum swear by them.

If you're buying used, see what the previous owner liked, how he got the best groups and such.

I'd recommend Dutch Schoultz's accuracy system, too. http://blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com
The man did many years of research, and it'll help you refamilairize. It's a pleasure to read, too

Fine choices, by the way, and welcome back to the sport!

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Dutch's system plus this:
http://www.logcabinshop.com/catalog.php?path=188_148_64&product_id=26124

 

[will5a1]

FWIW - I use RWS 1075 (equivalent to 11) for hunting, but the RWS caps are expensive so at the range I have been using CCI, which I can get for about $5 a box vs, the RWS at $11.

Pre-lubed patches are great for about six months, maybe a year, then they decompose. You may consider buying ticking by the yard, and cut your own patches, using Dutch's dry lube system or any number of lubes. I had settled on Track's mink oil but have been using bear grease lately, got any lard from those hogs?

Buy the cheapest all cotton flannel you can by the yard and make up your own cleaning patches.

Did you buy any wonderwads? I have not shot conicals for a few years, when I did I found those overpowder wads really helped accuracy. They sometimes help with roundballs aso.

If you can find some real BP, try both FFFg and FFg, and make good smoke, and good shooting.

 

[SgtErv]

Forgot to mention...

Pre-lubed patches with Wonderlube can make for some really hard to clean fouling. I also use Track of the Wolf's mink oil and it works really well, pretty easy to apply, load with, and clean up. It has several other uses as well. One of their tins will last you a good long while.

Ah, and I know you didn't ask, but some Birchwood Casey Barricade is some really exceptional rust preventative

 

[ohio ramrod]

For powders I like either Goex or Kik. For hunting I use strictly RWS caps. I believe they are more resistant to moisture and I seem to always be hunting in the rain or wet snow. For target shooting I use whatever I have. I have had no problems with CCI, Remington, or Winchester. (Some people say they are all made by CCI but I don't know). The main thing about caps is to make sure your nipples have a sharp edge and are not flattened. :idunno:

 

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

For nipples, I highly suggest the Knight red hot #11 nipple. It works excellent with real black powder and the subs which ignite at higher temps :hatsoff:

 

[Cowboy]

Howie, I feel obliged to add, Be sure you clean them up real good after a day at the range or after your day of hunting. BP is corrosive and if your using Pyrodex it is even worse.

If you are done hunting and your muzzleloader is still loaded, I would shoot it out and give it a good cleaning afterward.

I am sure I had no need to post this knowing you are a vet, so you know about keeping your firearms spotless. It is just with muzzleloaders you have to be even more diligent than you would with CF's.

Sorry for getting off topic!

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Howie1968]

Thank you men for all of your help. im keeping a journal so this time i dont forget everything, so far the vote is for true black powder. im not overly concered with velocity but accuracy is a must. i hunt close and will limit my shots to 60 or less. no matter the size of the critter past 60 the critter walks

 

[Cowboy]

Howie, As far as caps go, I have always used Remington. Have tried CCI in the past and they are good too. I usually buy mine from Cabela's. You can get 1,000 Remington caps for around $80. Then of course you have to add on the Hazmat fee which costs around $20. So you are looking at $100 before taxes.

Everyone will have their opinion on which brand to buy and will choose what works the best for them. With that being said, I like Remington caps. I never had a problem with them. Used both Goex BP and Pyrodex RS and have never had a fail to fire. Used just standard no.11 nipples as well.

As long as you keep the fire hole in your nipple clean and your firing channel free of obstruction, your muzzleloader will fire every time. Or should I say it should!

A couple of other things you might want to consider getting is a nipple pick, and some anti-seize.

The pick to keep your nipple clear of residue build up and the anti-seize to dab a very small amount on both your nipple threads as well as your cleanout screw threads. You can purchase both from Track Of The Wolf. Alot of members here buy their muzzleloader supplies from them. They pretty much carry everything you would need.

If you do not want to cut your own patches, they also sell pre-cut, unlubed shooting patches for around $3.99 for 100 patches. They also sell the mink oil as well as other patch lubes if you go that route.

As far as the patch lubes go, you will hear alot of different opinions out there on what to use. This is based on what works best for them. I think that everyone would agree on not using pre-lubed shooting patches though. They will eventually break down depending on how long ago they were made. Also you don't want to have that wonderlube 1000 or TC Borebutter in your muzzleloader's bore. It builds up and is not a good rust preventative. No matter what they claim! Also since I am on the topic, there is no such thing as seasoning your bore! Another marketing claim that TC made about Borebutter. Practically everyone here can agree on that fact as well.

Sorry for being long winded! Just a few things that came to mind when thinking about you starting off with your new muzzleloader's.

Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:

 

[Snakebite]

As for caps, please use them when writing. Your post about killed me trying to read your post. :v

For percussion caps, I've always like RWS and for powder, Goex. I'm kind of old school I guess, 2f for my .54 and 3f for my .40 and 51 Navy.

Check out "Powder Inc". My dealing with them has been very good. www.powderinc.com Their website is kind of hinky right now, but you can call them.

Chris

 

[Okie Hog]

i am currently using #11 Winchester magnum caps.

i'm also a serious hog hunter. Since last October i've killed over 15 big hogs, mostly boars, with .50 and .54 caliber round balls. Just put the round ball in the right place and its a dead hog.

 

[Tom Compton]

Killed my first feral hog w a .50 Maxiball In '76. Now PRB for everything but birds when hunting w a ML. IMO conical for .40 and larger traditional MLs is an answer to a problem that doesn't exist. Hell, I've killed more feral hogs (8) w .22 LR than anything else.
TC

 

[rodwha]

"Howie, I feel obliged to add, Be sure you clean them up real good after a day at the range or after your day of hunting. BP is corrosive and if your using Pyrodex it is even worse."

Very true! I had read of CASS guys leaving their guns for a few days without issues, and the one day I had spent too long at the range with too many guns I figured I'd save the rifle I had been shooting Pyrodex through until the morning to find it rusted nasty!

Later I read of guys spraying their guns down with Ballistol so that the oil was absorbed by the fouling leaving no way for moisture to get to it. It made sense so I tried it and found it worked.

I'm more mindful of cleaning as soon as I get home after shooting, but it's nice to know this just in case.