Building a 500 yards muzzleloader?

[Brent]

This is "the" one I'm looking at for this fall. Smokless powder, accuracy, and speed. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
http://www.savagearms.com/muzzleloader_home.htm

I'm into the extended hunting season too. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Click on the "muzzleloader series" tab to the left for retail $ and selections.

[ 01-17-2004: Message edited by: Brent ]

[Quaken]

Now I can hear you thinking what the hell is this guy doing talking about muzzleloaders here but as all of you know when you're trying to kill a big buck, antelope, Elk but everything that has walk by is junk. Well if you have a muzzleloader season after the regular season you've got another chance but sure enough you're sitting in your tree stand or set up in a blind here comes one of the biggest animals you've ever seen but he is 400 yards away and you have a muzzleloader in your hand.

I have my own ideas on how to set up a long-range muzzleloader the question is the(do you use smokeless, a sabot, a conical or cast your own Bullets) then what about to the gun, do you build your own or is there something on the market that will already do it???????????? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[ 01-17-2004: Message edited by: Quaken ]

When you get the gun and powder you want, try the hornady SST in 250 or 300g. Have worked very well for me up to 250y. Someone on this board did some long range testing. Can't remember what the outcome was but I think the bullet went subsonic between 4 and 500 yards using 777 powder. A little more speed with smokeless would get you to 500.

[Ian M]

Harv,
They also make that bullet in 200 grains as the T/C Shockwave. Hornady makes the Shockwave for T/C in all three weights.

Have you seen tne new sabots from Hornady, little stick projects down from bottom of sabot, you put three pellets on it and the whole unit, pellets, sabot and boolit down the barrel.

Where abouts in Manitoba do you live? Maybe drop me an e-mail and I could get you some 200 to try out.

[old fart]

Quaken - Are you interested in a long range modern muzzle loader or a traditional rifle?

[Quaken]

Leaving the issue of safety with smokeless powder for another posting the problem with long-range shooting with muzzleloaders is velocity consistencies being that the best ballistic coefficient of the Bullets or sabot that are out there is about .2 two .3.
Myself I am leaning toward a 45 caliber. One thing I've been playing with is taking .458 casted Bullets meant for a 45/70 and sizing them down to .454 then putting the cup from a sabot under the Bullet. The muzzleloader I use it is a Remington 700 ML. I have try all different weights of sabot as long as I cleaned a barrel in between each shot there are okay. I've tried to power belts they are more accurate than sabot but they sure are expensive but the lead Bullets meant for the 45/70 shoot the most accurate.

[ 01-18-2004: Message edited by: Quaken ]

Ian, I don't shoot my muzzle gun in winter, but would love to try some of the new 200g bullets you have when the weather warms up. Always looking for a reason to burn some powder. Are they in stores yet? email sent