Colorado Mountain Elk Muzzleloader

JM96

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Jan 23, 2017
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I was fortunate enough to draw a CO muzzleloader elk tag which now leads me to deciding on what muzzleloader to get. I really like the feel and handling of the CVA Accura's, but thought they seem pretty heavy compared to some. If I do decide to get an Accura what is your opinion on the different models(MR,PR,V2, and LR)? I handled all of them and was surprised that the LR with a 30" barrel handled better and didn't really feel any heavier then the MR which has a 25" barrel even though the factory weight specs would say otherwise!

Those of you who have been in high elevation with a ML what have you experienced? Is the compactness and slightly lighter weight worth the slight loss in velocity? Also, I live in Michigan so it would be nice to have that 30" barrel with a scope for whitetail! Bottom line is, will the bigger gun feel like a handicap when out on a mountain vs handling it in a sporting goods store?

I appreciate your feedback!
 
Friend of mine is shooting an Accura with great luck. I tend to hunt with hammer guns and 28-34" barrels. If the 30" barrel felt good to you, I'd see no reason not to pack it. If you can find a solid lead conical that would work, I'd encourage their use on bulls. Not saying other stuff won't work, just that they have performed well for me. Good luck this fall, just about my favorite hunt still in CO.
 
just remember--in CO you must use loose powder (no pellets)--full bore (no sabots), and iron or peep sights (no scopes, red dots, see-all, tritium etc)

I have an SS optima V2, it shoots the 270gr bore-lock copper bullets sub moa, I use 100gr of BH209 for just above 1900fps ---2nd best is the 300gr Thor (barnes) tipped bullets in .501"

make sure if you run the BH209 that you get the right breach plug and run magnum 209 primers (I use cci)

I bought a shim kit to shim the firing pin bushing to eliminate primer blow-by/leak

I run the eabco peep rib with the merit williams adjustable aperture rear sight and the lyman target front globe with the lee shaver fine cross hair insert for great open sight" accuracy

good luck---LOTS of competition for ML tags now as it gets you into the rut season with the archers--I know lots of guys over the past 5 years that have bought a ML just so they can get the better season tag and not have "as much competition" or required pref pts to get a nice bull tag as with rifle tags
 
just remember--in CO you must use loose powder (no pellets)--full bore (no sabots), and iron or peep sights (no scopes, red dots, see-all, tritium etc)

I have an SS optima V2, it shoots the 270gr bore-lock copper bullets sub moa, I use 100gr of BH209 for just above 1900fps ---2nd best is the 300gr Thor (barnes) tipped bullets in .501"

make sure if you run the BH209 that you get the right breach plug and run magnum 209 primers (I use cci)

I bought a shim kit to shim the firing pin bushing to eliminate primer blow-by/leak

I run the eabco peep rib with the merit williams adjustable aperture rear sight and the lyman target front globe with the lee shaver fine cross hair insert for great open sight" accuracy

good luck---LOTS of competition for ML tags now as it gets you into the rut season with the archers--I know lots of guys over the past 5 years that have bought a ML just so they can get the better season tag and not have "as much competition" or required pref pts to get a nice bull tag as with rifle tags
Thank you, there's a lot of good info here I'll have to look in to! I am aware of CO ml laws so that sighting system you mentioned sounds like something I would want to look at!
 
Anybody have any tips to keep shot to shot consistency? Tips and tactics/routines you go through. Like I said I am new to muzzleloaders.
 
Anybody have any tips to keep shot to shot consistency? Tips and tactics/routines you go through. Like I said I am new to muzzleloaders.
I have shot 10 rounds of the 270 borelock with the BH209 and not cleaned in between shots -- shot all 10 into just below an inch (center to center) at 100y

it seems to me that the issue with cleaning comes from how tight the bullet fits in the bore, with the thor .501 bullets I can only shoot about 4-5 before the fouling makes seating a bullet really tough-- thats the nice thing about the borelock--the skirt expands when fired so they are really easy to load for me

you are going to need to try a few bullets, with different powder charges to see what is going to be accurate in your rifle though. The hornady fpb were pretty accurate in my rifle too but they have been discontinued--my rifle also likes some of the power-belt bullets but I'm not a fan of dead soft lead
 
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Cohunt is giving very good advice. I use a Knight inline with Thor bullets. BH209 & a Skinner peep sight. If you use the Thor bullets - they will send you a pack of 4 different diameter bullets to try in your bore for best fit - before you order a pack of bullets. This is advisable as my gun took a different diameter skirt than my hunting partners gun. Both shot great & we both dropped elk with them with great bullet performance. I tried the Hornady & borelocks also, they shot well - but the Thor's were much more accurate in my gun. I did my testing of bullets with a scope off a bench 1st to find the best load, then converted to peep sight to practice out to 150 yards in prep for our hunt. Good Luck to a fellow Michigan resident !
 
I killed a Colorado bull in 2018 with an Encore ML shooting the Federal Bor Lock bullets and 90 grains of pyrodex. Ran 20 yards And collapsed with a double lung shot at a distance of 75 yards away. Recovered bullet under skin in off side. I tried 3-4 different bullets and settled on the Bor Lock because it was accurate and pushed down my barrel easily.
 
I killed a Colorado bull in 2018 with an Encore ML shooting the Federal Bor Lock bullets and 90 grains of pyrodex. Ran 20 yards And collapsed with a double lung shot at a distance of 75 yards away. Recovered bullet under skin in off side. I tried 3-4 different bullets and settled on the Bor Lock because it was accurate and pushed down my barrel easily.
did you use the all copper or lead version? they have both the copper is 270gr, the lead is 350
 
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