# Muzzleloader Question



## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

I HATE sounding stupid and asking so many questions but you guys are full of knowledge on here and have really helped me out .......THANKS !! 

Ive always shot 100 gr of pyrodex pellets in my 50 cal muzzleloader with a 45 cal sabot that weighs 240 gr. recently ive heard of guys shooting 80 gr of powder and that sounds reasonable but ive also had guys tell me that they drop down to 50-60 gr in their muzzle loaders for their children and wives to use them to cut back on recoil. i was also told that it cuts down on powder build up in the barrel which means LESS cleaning and more shots between cleaning the barrel. is that possible using 50-60 gr of powder, i have always been told 80 gr was the minimum amount of powder to use. i was even told that anything under 80 gr might not even fire the sabot out of the barrel. i am NEW to muzzleloader hunting and have only used mine for 2 years. im looking for advice on what IS the minmum load of powder for the sabots i use say out to about 100 yds ??? thanks in advance for the help guys !!!!


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

I shoot 90 grains of 777 Powder and would be good out to 200 yards. I don't mess with the pellets. I am cheap I guess.


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## wvsportsman (Feb 21, 2006)

On the subject of muzzleloaders and powder buildup and all have any of you seen or tried this breech plug conversion? the link i'm adding is Thompsons but the site i was in and they were talking about the conversion, they said it could be used on any ML. 
http://www.thebuckskinner.com/encore.html 
Just wondering if anyone had any info on it..


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## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

I have a powder question too. Anyone shoot 150 grains? I usually do, but I have heard a bunch of people say that all the powder won't get burned so it's a waste. Just wondering if this was true.

My dad bought a conversion kit for his cva. It was really simple to change and I think it was worth every penny. I can't remember if it was designed to fit any muzzleloader or not.


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## psychobubba (Mar 2, 2006)

http://www.prbullet.com/
here is another site for that and others


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

ohh its possible but i would never hunt with that low of grain never i go 80-120 grains 100 is great but 120 is for long range shots i use powder not pellets though


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

chase845 said:


> I have a powder question too. Anyone shoot 150 grains? I usually do, but I have heard a bunch of people say that all the powder won't get burned so it's a waste. Just wondering if this was true.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Shoot your gun into something you are sure is safe in the dark and have someone watch from the side. If you are wasting powder they will see one heck of a flame. With the right amount of powder there is not a huge fireball.


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## Silver Streak (Sep 1, 2006)

If you drop your powder down then your velocity will decrease  I would be worried about bullet performance if your project is for hunting. If you are plinking then just make sure you have a bullet puller on hand. If you are looking for accuracy and multiple shots then resign yourself to running a couple of patches through after each shot no matter what load your using  consistency comes from shooting out of a consistent bore environment and I dont know of any shortcuts using black.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

QUOTE]Shoot your gun into something you are sure is safe in the dark and have someone watch from the side. If you are wasting powder they will see one heck of a flame. With the right amount of powder there is not a huge fireball.[/QUOTE]


Another good way is to shoot over snow or a white sheet. If you see a lot of black specks, that is the unburnt powder. 

I shoot a Knight 50cal. with 240gr/100gr of pyrodex and have had no problems so far killing deer with it (knock on wood). The biggest thing is to try shooting various loads and bullets out of your gun. It will tell you what shoots best out of it.


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## bronzebackyac (Apr 19, 2005)

I shoot a handmade .58 cal hawkins style with a round ball and it shoots best with 100 grains of FF powder. I have tried more and less powder and FFF powder and the best results for my specific application is what I currently use. So try different charges, powder and bullets to find what works best for you. When I stepped up the charge I got more inconsistant groups. (and a more banged up sholder lol...)


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## kasting king (Aug 17, 2006)

Hey Chase, my dad and I both have TC Encores I shoot 100 grains of black powder and he shoots 150 grains of pyrodex (sp). We found that the more powder we dump into his gun the better it shoots. Mine shoots the same with 100 as it does with 150. I guess it depends on the gun. Good luck!


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