Beginner build questions

[alex efremenko]

does it have the ballistic enrgy for terminal performance??????????????????

 

[Billnpatti]

Well, vatrucker, you obviously have the skill to get up close and personal for your shots since you are a bow hunter. If you use those skills when hunting with a traditional muzzleloader, you will bring home the meat without having to spend wasted time tracking a wounded animal due to a mistaken long shot. If you are shooting a .50 cal. or larger, a patched round ball out to 100 yards will do the job on deer very well. Glad you ditched the 200 to 300 yard shots with a scoped rifle idea.

One thing in one of your earlier postings was "The main thing for me is the accuracy". that being said, let me tell you about something that will really get you there. Go to this website www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com and order Dutch's accuracy system. It is not all that much paper but each sheet is filled with good highly valuable information on how to wring the last bit of accuracy from any muzzleloading rifle that you have. It is $20 extremely well invested.

By the way, welcome aboard. :hatsoff: We're glad to have you and are looking forward to your input and questions. We welcome your input and try to always answer your questions seriously but as often happens, we sometimes do tend to nudge you in the ribs with some good natured kidding occasionally. One thing that we do try very hard to do is to keep it civil even when we disagree and to remain friends at all times.

 

[crockett]

Thought about your situation a bit. I'd call Dixie Gun Works or the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Assn (Friendship, IN) and see if anyone can tell you what rifles were normally used with telescopic sights and then think about re-creating one of those styles.
On the 300 yards- I know some rifles had false muzzles to allign the conical as it was rammed down the bore, etc. It was those type of muzzle loaders that would have been fitted with a telescopic sight.

 

[Walks with fire]

I think a rifle that could hit at 300 yards using a scope and bullets is possible but I don't think it should be used to hunt game with.

One hundred yards is a long shot for a patched ball rifle and open sights. I can hit a pie sized plate from the bench consistantly with a patched ball when it's not real windy but 100 yards is still a long way. A rested shot with plenty of time; standing still deer and little wind I still consider it a long shot.

When I got really interested in sidelock muzzleloading I had the same ideas as you have. I bought GM fast twist barrels and conical bullets, paper patched some too, swiss powder and on and on. I practiced with the rifles and could hit good at the time out to 150 yards. I took some deer with those loads but the longest shot I ever took was 110 yards. Years down the path now; all I care to shoot is patched ball and really don't like to push the range beyond about 80 yards on deer sized game. I went full circle with bullets, fast twist barrels and sporting powder only to arrive back to the patched ball and don't have any plans on getting back into the circle. I had to find out and I am glad I did it.

 

[GANGGREEN]

I think a rifle that could hit at 300 yards using a scope and bullets is possible but I don't think it should be used to hunt game with.

One hundred yards is a long shot for a patched ball rifle and open sights. I can hit a pie sized plate from the bench consistantly with a patched ball when it's not real windy but 100 yards is still a long way. A rested shot with plenty of time; standing still deer and little wind I still consider it a long shot.

When I got really interested in sidelock muzzleloading I had the same ideas as you have. I bought GM fast twist barrels and conical bullets, paper patched some too, swiss powder and on and on. I practiced with the rifles and could hit good at the time out to 150 yards. I took some deer with those loads but the longest shot I ever took was 110 yards. Years down the path now; all I care to shoot is patched ball and really don't like to push the range beyond about 80 yards on deer sized game. I went full circle with bullets, fast twist barrels and sporting powder only to arrive back to the patched ball and don't have any plans on getting back into the circle. I had to find out and I am glad I did it.

My experience is almost identical to yours. Part of the issue with me is that my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be for those long shots with open sights but even if that weren't the case, I'd still try to maintain 80 yards as my maximum range now. I just think it's the most ethical decision when you're trying to make a clean kill on a deer. My longest shot ever was around 115 but it took me a full day and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to track that deer and finally bring it to the ground. It wasn't worth it for bragging rights.

 

[Vatrucker]

Yeah I guess the long range on anything is just a bug for me, I shot in the Y.H.E.C competitions until I was 18 ( that's youth hunter education challenge) it is a skills competition consisting of a map and compass course, archery,shotgun,22 rifle, a safety trail and a written test. On a bet one day while practicing with my team (5 man teams drop the lowest score) we decided to see who could shoot a clay pigeon sitting on a hill from the farthest distance. At 220 yards I won lol that bug has stuck with me ever since. However I also consider myself an ethical hunter and have no desire to wound any game, and would kick myself in the a$$ if I did trying to push the limits on my equiptment. I don't know you guys from Adam but I'm sure as time progresses I'll pick up on the personalities and the good natured joking, I'm pretty good for that stuff myself. Thanks to all for helping me not get on that 4 hr blood trail because of knowledge not gained.