Minimum powder loads..

[Blackwater72]

Hello, all. I'm new here and I'm looking for some information. I have a CVA bobcat percussion cap and was wondering what the minimum load of powder would be to shoot a .50 cal ball at a deer short range, say, 30-45 yds? I was thinking I could let my boy shoot at a deer with it during our mzloader season, if possible. Main thing is, I want to be safe, so any good input is more than welcome. I plan on hunting with it my self throughout our gun season with about 70-90 gr. of powder. Thanks for your input.

 

[robtattoo]

I don't have the experience of a lot of folks here, so take this for what it's worth;

For hunting, even at close range I wouldn't go too light. My Lyman GPR .50 seems to perform equally well, accuracy wise, at 50 yds with either 45 or 75 gn of FFFg Goex. I'd be happy hunting whitetail with either. The best thing I could suggest would be to find out what the minimum optimum is for your own gun. Start at 55gn & work down, 5 gn at a time.

That said, you may be surprised how little kick even a 70-80gn load gives, compared to a modern centre-fire. The felt recoil from my GPR with 45gn, a .490 ball & .018 patch is about equivalent to a .222

 

[jtmattison]

The minimum recommended load for your Bobcat is 50 grains. That is so there is no space beteween powder and projectile.
Since you expect to be shooting deer at short range I would start with a 70 grain charge and see how your accuracy is. You could up it in 5 grain increments and see where the accuracy goes but 70 grains will be fine for deer out to probably 75 yards or so.

HD

 

[ohio ramrod]

For shots you know would be fifty yrds or less . Fifty grains would give you a clean kill and little recoil.So many people try to get the same balistics out of black powder guns as centerfire and it just doesn't work. Nor is it neccessary for clean kills. Accuracy is more important than maximum energy.

 

[RickD]

I`d use 50 grains for shots under 50 yards also

 

[lonehunter]

i dont know what loads you have tried, but you will find the bobcat a little light in the stock, conicle bullets will kick like a stiff legged mule! however roundball do not have near as much recoil. I would think you could find a good rb load and your son should be able to shoot it ok without recoil problems, they are good shooters!
P.S. you can take the cap off and add weight to stock, that seems to help a lot. :v

 

[Snow on the Roof]

This season past my wife filled her tag with same rifle. Her load was 60 gr. FFF and a .490 roundball with .015 prelubed pillow tick patch. She was hunting from a ladder stand with a strictly imposed 50 yard limit. Killing her deer at 30.

Snow

PS: Mrs Snow is a very small woman @5'4" and 110 lbs with her boots on. Recoil has never been a problem. Weight and length of the rifle is.

 

[trent/OH]

My first ML deer was taken with a 38" barrel, so that's a bit different than the Bobcat. But I killed that medium sized Ohio doe at a measured (and re-measured) 130 yards. The powder charge was 50 grains. I wouldn't try that again, but 50 grains will kill a deer, certainly at short ranges as you describe, assuming a well placed shot.

 

[necchi]

I was thinking I could let my boy shoot

Welcome DaxM,
I started my boy at nine with a .50cal, about 50grns, and let him bang away at targets,,he'd get plenty of shot's off before he tired.
When he wasn't around, I worked up a load for that gun that was around 65grns of 2f,,then I made a powder measure for him that he was happy to have.

Long story short, he shot that 65grns for about a year and a half before he found out it was over 50grns. :grin:
"You mean I've been shooting 65grns all this time?"
"You wanted accurate didn't ya?"

Kick from these things is more psych than physical, just teach him proper hold and follow through,,
you want push, not bounce. :wink:

 

[Semisane]

There's been a heck of a lot of deer killed with the old 44-40 lever action. :wink:

 

[hanshi]

Some states have a minimum charge along with a minimum caliber. Here in Virginia you must use at least 50 grains of powder.

 

[Blackwater72]

Thanks guys. You all have given some good information. I wanted to make sure everything would be safe with a lighter powder load, so I'll start at 50gr and we'll go from there. Good luck hunting this fall.

 

[sixgun67]

I used to use 90grs 2f behind a 275gr TC MaxiHunter, and it sometimes wouldn't exit a deer broadside at the shoulders. The deer always went down, but that makes me feel lighter loads to be questionable. I upped it to 100gr, and I'll not go lower.
I hunt a ladder stand and my longest shots would be near 40 yards or so.
sixgun

 

[Jim/OH]

When I got my first muzzleloader (the same Bobcat you are talking about), I knew nothing. Killed my first 3 deer with 50 gr. of powder because I didn't know my "adjustable" powder measure I got with it was adjustable, and that 50 gr. load was with it closed. Found out you could open it up to over 100 gr. :grin: I guess you live and learn. :thumbsup: But my point is: 50 gr. will drop a deer right now, I've done it at least 3 times. :applause:

Hope this helps, see ya, Jim/OH :hatsoff:

 

[Mr.Brooks]

The Goex website recommends for 50 caliber rifles, patched round balls, a minimum of 50 grains of 3F, and a minimum of 60 grains 2F. Both granulations have a max recommended load of 100 grains. Hogden's webpage recommends for a 50 caliber rifle, patched round ball, a minimum of 70 grains and a max of 100 grains for Pyrodex RS and the same amounts for Triple 7 2F.

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

DaxM. My wife and I have taken over 20 whitetails and 3 mulies with 45cal mzldrs and have recovered exactly 1 RB. All the rest have been passthroughs. All loads have been 60gr. 3f with PRB. The ranges have been from 12yds to 63yds. Recoil is nearly nonexistant and i'm sure your son will find his 50cal bobcat with about 50gr 3f will be more than enough for 50yd and under broadside shots, which are the only shots he should be aloud to take until he gets more experience in the field.

 

[Little Wattsy]

The minimum recommended load for your Bobcat is 50 grains. That is so there is no space beteween powder and projectile.
Since you expect to be shooting deer at short range I would start with a 70 grain charge and see how your accuracy is. You could up it in 5 grain increments and see where the accuracy goes but 70 grains will be fine for deer out to probably 75 yards or so.

HD

DITTO. :thumbsup:
I got a 10 year old taht dosnt weigh 80lbs that shoots a 75 grain hunting load just fine; Harder for him to hold the gun up without a rest then take the recoil.

 

[Blackwater72]

Thanks again for all the input. You guys have covered a lot more areas that I haven't thought about. I look forward to getting out and seeing what we can do.

 

[Snow on the Roof]

I used to use 90grs 2f behind a 275gr TC MaxiHunter, and it sometimes wouldn't exit a deer broadside at the shoulders. The deer always went down, but that makes me feel lighter loads to be questionable. I upped it to 100gr, and I'll not go lower.
I hunt a ladder stand and my longest shots would be near 40 yards or so.
sixgun

Not questioning you Sixgun :thumbsup: but NC deer must be a heck of a lot tougher than those here in the midwest. Killed deer with everthing from a patched .440 rb and 60 grains of FF to a .54 grain Buffalo ball with 110 grains FFF. 40+ deer later the only one that gave me a problem was with a .250 grain sabot and 70 grains FFF. The problem wasn't the powder charge but the poorly designed slug.


Snow

 

[duckd]

I used to have a bobcat, I used 85 grains of power for hunting. I started out by using 100 grains and the gun never liked it. But do not worry about the higher grains for your son. The 50 grains and 50 caliber, sound great for the range of hunting you are talking about. For your,not your son, I would work up a load for you specific gun. Each gun seems to be a little different. If your son practices with 50grs he will shot longer, become more confident, and be a better shot. When I started with my son he was so recoil shy, I actually went back to 30 grains of powder, until he gained confidence, then very slowly increased the powder until it got up to 50 grs. Oh, I also never told him I moved over 30 grains :grin: . After shooting very light loads all summer, he ended up killing his first deer with a single shot 20 gauge and buckshot, and he never even said a word about the recoil. Later that day he shot a fox with a 30/30. Just take it slow and see what happens. Adrenalin is amazing. Hope you have fun.