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accuracy of your muzzleloader

K

klg53

Guest
Just wondering what are the best groups you guys have gotten out of your muzzleloaders. I've really started experimenting with mine quite a bit, trying to find the best bullets and loads. I've shot one hole .5" groups at 50 yards with mine, but the group usually opens up to 2-2.5" at 100 yards. Not too bad, but I still want a tighter group before I shoot at anything at 200 yards with it. Those better groups have come using a CVA Hunterbolt with 195 grain deadcenters and 100 grains of 777. OK, now everyone else can brag about their smokepoles.
 
stalker. i think you have pretty good groups now. 2 inch at 100 yards is alot smaller than a kill zone. even double that at 200 and you should still be in the money. not saying you can't dial it in just a bit more, but you may be dealing with the human element, or weather, or a number of other small things.

in all the years of blackpowder hunting i've done i only taken one shot at 200 yards or more, and she dropped in her tracks. it's nice to know you can do that if you have to but i can tell you i would probably never do that again. i guess the hunt is more important to me than the deer so i try to close the distance now.

i guess what i'm saying is if you have 3 or 4 inch groups say, out at 150 and have the confidence in your shot you should be good for most shots your gonna get anyway. just my 2 cents worth...........
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I shoot a Knight mk85 54 caliber. Yesterday I started at 30 yds, moved to 60 yds, then 90 yds, and finaly 130 yds. I was amazed to see virtually no drop at all from 30 yds to 130 yds. I just replaced the Tasco scope with a Nikon and am shooting tighter groups than I ever imagined this gun was capable of. Im shooting 2 60 gr pyrodex pellets behind a 348 gr powerbelt hollow point.I also put on the 209 conversion kit and am very happy with it.
 
Stalker53, I'm in the same stuation your in. I took my new muzzlelaoder to the range on Saturday to get it sighted in. It's a Knight .50 caliber disc with a 3x9x40mm Leupold scope mounted on it. I'm shooting three 50 grain pellets of 777 and a Hornady 240 grain .44 caliber saboted bullet. I started at fifty yards and had it also shooting 1/2" groups as well. However at 100 yards the best group i could get was 3"-4". I think one of my problems was i did not have it sand bagged. I was assuming that the range had sand bags and they didn't so i was shooting off of a wooden box and my padded gun case. I am hoping that my 3-4 inch grouping at 100 yards was due in fact to human error as moosehunter said and not the load i'm shooting. I feel confident with the way the gun shoots at 100 yards but i still need to fine tune it a little. I am going to bag it and hopefully get it shooting tighter groups at 100 yards.
 
If you're truly getting 2" groups at 100 yards, leave it alone. That setting will be pretty true out to 125 yards or so as well. IMHO, if you want to consistently make great shots at 200 yards, take a rifle and go on a western hunt
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To me, half the fun of muzzleloading is getting them to within less than 100 yards. Good luck!

NWBuck
 
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OK, now everyone else can brag about their smokepoles.

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I have been shooting my Knight Disc Extreme a lot this fall. After trying several different projectiles and powder combinations I finally came up with the load that shoots well in my firearm. All of my shooting to work up the best load was off a sandbagged bench rest. Since working up the load I have also been shooting from a shooting stick. I have been shooting at distances of 50 yards out to 150 yards.

The last three times I have been out my 5 shot groups off the bench at 100 yards have printed sub . My shooting stick groups at 100 yards are 1 .

I have seen no appreciable bullet drop from the 50 yard to the 150 yard target. I have not yet tried practicing at the 200 yard mark, but I do plan to do so before the late ML season.

The load that works best in my firearm is 100 grains of loose 777, & T/C 250 gr. Shock Wave projectiles.

IMO the key to a tight shot groups is find the right load, then practice, practice, and practice some more.
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Here's the very first 5 shots from one of my flintlocks. The far right was first, then the far left was second. The gun settled down after that and the last 3 measure 3/4" on center. 50 yards, iron sights, 54 cal.
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Excellent shooting Jay, I don't have an antique firearm yet, but I have had several reproductions in the past that were very accurate out to 75 yards. The patched round ball can be a very accurate projectile if one spends the time to work up a good load with it.
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Stalker53,

I have the same gun as you (CVA Hunterbolt 50 cal.) and have basically shot just one load because it's always been right on for me. I use 295 gr. hollowpoint Powerbelts in front of 2 50 gr. Pyrodex pellets. With open sights, I would get 3-4 inch groups at 100 yds. but since sticking a scope on it, got that down to around 1." Just never had the inclination to drop a third pellet in!
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Three deer and counting.
 
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