TC Black Diamond

[briar rabbit]

All,
My kids in Arizona are convinced that the only way they will draw deer or elk tags is by hunting with black powder and they have no black powder guns (hint-hint). I bought a TC Black Diamond SS 50 cal three years ago but it has never been shot. I was going to give it to one of them and buy another just like it so I don't start a war on who got a better gun. So here are my questions as I know nothing about black powder -

1. Is this a descent gun to start out with (kids are in their late 20s)
2. What is the max range of this gun?

Thanks for any feedback,
Tom

 

[Hntbambi]

It is a decent gun although it has some drawbacks. I had one about 10 years ago and I killed quite a few whitetails with it. I had a Sightron 4-16x42 SII scope on it.

This gun shot great with the 250 gr XTP bullet/sabot combo but I did not like the bullet's performance on deer. My best success came from 3 - 50 gr Pyrodex pellets pushing a 235 gr QT40 Precision Rifle bullet in their blue sabot. To ignite the load a CCI musket cap gave me the best accuracy. With this setup, I was able to get MOA groups out to 200 yards. That was the farthest I shot that gun and I did take a ground hog with that setup at 212 yards.

The drawbacks to this gun is the blow back. It is not a sealed breech like many of the more modern in-lines. I highly recommend using a couple layers of electricians tape on the bottom of the scope over the breech to keep that nasty fouling from eating the scope.

Since there is so much blow back, the great powder BH209 is not an option. You will not get good ignition with this setup even with the 209 primer adapter. But use Pyrodex, keep it cleaned after use, and feed it good bullets, it will do the deed.

 

[muddly]

The Black Diamond is a fantastic rifle. I have an XR .50 caliber ( blued walnut) with the fiber op front sight and a Savage #10 aperture rear sight. I shoot modest loads with Hornady non mag XTP's with complete success. My deer load is a 250 gr 45 cal XTP in a Harvster crush rib sabot over 70gr of Swiss 3f lit by a musket cap. Muzzle velocity is 1650fps and it thoroughly wrecks a deer. My longest shot to date was last year when i shot a fine doe at 150 yards. My bear load, it would be a fine elk load too, is a 300 gr 45 cal XTP in the crush rib sabots over 90 gr of Swiss 3f, again lit by a musket cap. Muzzle velocity 1600 fps and its EXTREMELY accurate. Btw, zeroed on at 100 you get about 20 inches of drop at 200 with both loads. You're down 8 at 150. Yes the Black Diamonds and all plunger fired inlines are dirty girls. However, by switching to a single port nipple in place of the Flamethrowers, i use Ampcos, icut the breech fouling by 2/3rds and got an additional 100 fps from the same load. I would go to 200 yards with either load, but ONLY if I had a range finder and knew my drops.

 

[muddly]

The Black Diamond is a fantastic rifle. I have an XR .50 caliber ( blued walnut) with the fiber op front sight and a Savage #10 aperture rear sight. I shoot modest loads with Hornady non mag XTP's with complete success. My deer load is a 250 gr 45 cal XTP in a Harvester crush rib sabot over 70gr of Swiss 3f lit by a musket cap. Muzzle velocity is 1650fps and it thoroughly wrecks a deer. My longest shot to date was last year when i shot a fine doe at 150 yards. My bear load, it would be a fine elk load too, is a 300 gr 45 cal XTP in the crush rib sabots over 90 gr of Swiss 3f, again lit by a musket cap. Muzzle velocity 1600 fps and its EXTREMELY accurate. Btw, zeroed on at 100 you get about 20 inches of drop at 200 with both loads. You're down 8 at 150. Yes the Black Diamonds and all plunger fired inlines are dirty girls. However, by switching to a single port nipple in place of the Flamethrowers, i use Ampcos, i cut the breech fouling by 2/3rds and got an additional 100 fps from the same load. I would go to 200 yards with either load, but ONLY if I had a range finder and knew my drops.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I also have a BD 50 cal. I'll be going to the range Tuesday to shoot some new Thor bullets I just received. Thor offers 4 different bullet diameters so you can match the correct size bullet with you barrel, as barrels do vary in inside diameter.

I like mine and it shoots great. I've only shot one animal with it as I have had it just one year. (bought it in a pawn shop for $100) I shot a nice 5x5 bull elk last year. On shot behind shoulders, went about 75 yards and piled up dead.
Here in Colorado...no optics, sabots or pelletized powder.

 

[earlcurtis67]

have any of yall do any trigger work to youre BD? mine shoots well, but the trigger is pretty stiff. i noticed a couple of adjusting screws when i cleaned it, but with out a little advice im not gonna attempt it. thanks E

 

[Elite Muzzleloader]

have any of yall do any trigger work to youre BD? mine shoots well, but the trigger is pretty stiff. i noticed a couple of adjusting screws when i cleaned it, but with out a little advice im not gonna attempt it. thanks E

One thing to try is spraying Rem Oil in the trigger. It will loosen it up a lot more than you think. If that doesn't work I would talk to a gun smith have them adjust it for you.

Elite Muzzleloader

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I did not have a manual with mine so I downloaded one from the TC website. There are instructions on trigger adjustments there.