aBsolutely: But I wanted to use Zonie's data to tell folks how to use the data to learn something about the gun they are shooting. You and I understand that the weight of the ball or bullet has more to do with penetration of flesh and bone, than does velocity. As you increase the caliber of the gun, and its barrel length, you have to spend less time looking at velocities( altho' it is still important to determine the " Sweet spot" in your barrel's harmonics that will give a particular bullet or ball the best accuracy, and of course, there is no goo dreason to load lots of powder in your gun if it isn't going to give you any more velocity at the longest range you expect in a hunting situation,), and spend more time looking at retained energy at those ranges. Because a round ball loses so much velocity, its retained energy down range is related more to its mass, or weight, than to muzzle velocity. Muzzle velocity does relate strongly to recoil energy, the kind that busts your shoulder! My point is that if you pass the point where your gun is no longer efficiently delivering energy down range for the increase in the powder you put in it, you are gaining no more energy to transfer to the animal you shoot to help in making a quick and humane kill. The answer is not more powder. It is to shorten the maximum range at which you shoot the animal.
The guys who come to this sport from modern rifle and pistol shooting have a lot of ideas about killing deer and elk at long ranges. I just saw a TV show where someone was shooting a large Canadian Whitetail deer with a T/C muzzloader at 250 yds. This was the encore model, the single shot breakopen gun that comes with interchangeable barrels. I am sure he was using a rifle or pistol bullet, held in a sabot, fired over substitute powders at a much faster rate of twist that we use with Black Powder and PRB. I saw a picture of the shooter, and he had a huge scope on the gun, something else we general don't use with traditional muzzle loaders.
Now, I am sure he had practiced shooting at those long ranges. They claimed the shot was in woods, but I can't think of more than a couple of times in my life I could see that far in the woods, much less find a lane to take a clean shot at anything over 50 yds. They showed the killing shot on the tube, and it was a monster buck. One shot killed it quickly.
But, I think that has as much to do with muzzle loading hunting, as the man in the moon. I see and hear from men all the time that want a modern shotgun primer ( you know what I am talking about) gun, that shoots copper jacketed pistol bullets, over substitute powder, with a huge scope sight on the gun so they can hunt during muzzle loading season in their states. It is a muzzle loader, so I don't say anything. However, I only hope the attend the shooting ranges some time when those of us who shoot more traditional sidelock guns are also shooting, so they can see the difference. What concerns me the most is that where the shooting industry has generally be served by honest retailers, almost every one of these guys tells me things they were told by clerks in their favorite retail store about muzzle loaders, and if only half of what I have been told has actually be said by the clerks and owners, our business is being invaded by a bunch of crooks! Flintlocks won't fire; or percussion guns don't shoot as fast as these new blankety-blank guns; you can't get Black powder any more, so you have to shoot this stuff; flint- what is that?- and on and on.
Please, all, introduce yourselves to any new sporting goods stores- even wally world when it opens up near you- and give them your name and phone number to call to answer questions about muzzle loading guns. Lets at least try to overcome the lies, and deceptive practices we now see by some unscrupulous sellers to get the public to buy what they want, instead of what the customer wants, and needs.
