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Help for a muzzleloading novice please.

S

Scooonie

New Member
:o
So this will be my first year using a muzzleloader. Yesterday I had a 3x9 installed on my T/C Omega and they said it was bore sighted and should be pretty well on. Today I went to the range to shoot, to get it all ready to go for late season. First I shot at 50 yards at a super large target and didn't even hit the target! I eventually started hitting the target at 25 yards dead center then moved it back to 50 yards and was missing super super low!? I don't know much about sighting in a muzzy but I know it shouldn't be off that much within 25 yards correct?

I'm shooting 250 grain T/C superglides (bonded) and two 50 grain triple 7 pellets.

Is 100 grains enough for shooting up to 150 yards or so or should I bump it up and any suggestions sighting in close at first would be much appreciated!
 
That's odd with that small change in yardage. I use a similar setup through my Knight...100 gr powder behind a 250 gr Barnes. Not sure what to guess.
 
First off, try this..............http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29361

This should save you a lot of time and grief. 100 grains on that setup should be working better than what you are getting.
When it's shooting low at 50 does it still group? If not swab between shots with a damp patch. Is your rest solid? Shooting from a bench for some folks can be tough. It's an un-natural position and can be hard to get the same sight picture at different yardages. Sometimes trying some shots leaning against a post or tree, as a person does in actual hunting conditions can actually tighten groups, and change point of impact.
 
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I wasn't cleaning between every shot no. Should I be...Every shot? Do I need to take the breech plug out while cleaning or just swab it with the plug still in? I didn't think using the clean burning products I would have to clean as much, but this could be the problem I suppose...
 
Generally speaking, swabbing with a damp patch between shots will tighten up the group, and you don't need to pull the plug. I don't think what you are experiencing has anything to do with that. Does it sound like a good load? Are you feeling recoil? or does it feel and sound wimpy? Pellets usually don't go bad but it can happen occasionally if they ever were damp.
I was thinking about this a bit more.............I shoot a 317 grain ball from my .62 with 60 grains powder. It shoots the same POA out to 75 yds.
There's only a few logical explanations for your load dropping so much in 25 yards.
1......Bad powder
2......Inconsistent shooting from a bench.
3......Poorly fitting Sabots
 
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Was it hard for you to jam the bullet down after a couple shots? Were you making sure it was properly "seated"? You should measure out what the two pellets and bullet are and mark where that is on your ramrod. That way, when you load you'll know if you've seated your bullet in the exact same spot. Crucial!

Another thing... 777 is just a clean"ER" burning product. It's still dirty compared to smokeless and the fouling from one or two shots is enough to jack stuff up.

After shooting I run a blackpowder solvent soaked patch down and continue to do so until it's pretty clean. Then, a dry patch. I want my gun in the exact same condition for every single shot. Taking time to clean the gun well between shots will give you better consistency in your shots and it also will give your barrel adequate time, in most cases, to cool down. An overly warm ML barrell will really f up your groups, so take your time.

When loading I moisten the plastic with spit before I shove it down. Once it's down, I tap it moderately hard twice to get a nice tight fit. If you tap it like that though, don't do so very hard. If you do it too hard you could crush the pellets or dent the tip of your bullet, depending on what kind of loading tool you use.

Main point... Be consistent. Get a routine and stick to it religiously.

Also, make sure your scope rings are tight.
 
Lots of good points. I use 777 and run a damp patch down with the breech in twice, once on each side of patch. Then I do the same woth 2 dry patches. Be careful the damp patch isn't too wet or liquid will squeegee out and end up down in the breech plug. Try to stay positive and take your time, it may be a long process since u r new to it.

Danny also said to make sure your bullet is seated properly. You also have to make sure its seated properly and consistantly. I mark mr ram rod so I am seating the bullet the same each time

Good luck
 
Thanks for the info guys! I will take everything into account. Now when sighting in should I start out sighting on a certain yardage or should I just start out short distance get a grouping so that I know everything is working properly then move out to let's say 100 yards or so. I've read that it's common to get shooting the 10 ring at 100 yards then compensate for shorter and further shots from there. What do you think?
 
I started close and worked my way out. If you can't hit the paper at 50 come back to 25. I started at 50 and when that was on I was happy as that is still dead on at 100 for me. For farther distances I just hold higher and since most of the time I'm in timber I dont' take shots farther than that.
 
Usually if you are dead on at 100 yards then you should be about 2 inches high at 50 yards...good luck Scoonie
 
I like to pull the breech plug, set the gun on a solid rest aimed at the target, and get back a distance and look through the barrel. Now adjust your scope to be centered on the area of the target you see through the barrel and you'll be close. Just the poor man's version of bore sighting I suppose...

I've helped a bunch of guys sight in muzzleloaders, and although it's time consuming, swabbing the barrel with a damp and then a dry patch between every shot is an excellent tip. It'll save you time and shots in the long run.

NWBuck
 
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