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Bolt Action Rifles Place to discuss Bolt Action Rifles |
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07-05-2009, 01:10 PM | #1 |
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Suggestions please
I know this does'nt fit in the bolt action section, but there is so muzzle loading section yet.
I have taken deer with rifle/shotgun/handgun/bow, but never with a muzzle loader. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try a muzzle loader on deer this fall, and here's my dilemma. I know absolutly nothing about them, what brand is the best, what caliber is best, powder etc.. Any suggestions would be welcomed. |
07-07-2009, 11:09 AM | #2 |
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Teddybear,
I'm sure no expert, but I will tell you what little I do know. I've shot one with a black powder rifle. Mine was a cheap CVA percussion .45 caliber. I sure wouldn't consider it one of the better black powder rifles, but it did the job quite nicely! It was taken at under 50 yards. My advice (and it's not much) is either a .45 or .50 cal that uses 209 shotgun primers and has a removeable breach plug to make cleaning easier. Even with black powder substitues like Pyrodex, they still rust pretty quickly if not taken care of shortly after shooting. Surely someone on this forum has more experience than me.
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07-07-2009, 11:20 AM | #3 |
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I've never owned one so I have zero experience. Have shot them and they are fun to shoot. I wouldn't like caring for one though.
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08-19-2009, 08:44 PM | #4 |
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I shot a Parker Hale Muskatoon 58 cal. when I lived in Colo. Have a few friends that are really into black powder shooting so they tell me their story's and these newer guns are easier to load and clean and are quite accurate. They hunt deer and most everything. For deer on up they said the 54 cal. is the most accurate and has good knock down power. Javalina they usually use 45 cal. or 50 cal. Some of them still prefer to use the old style like the Hawkins no scope. Where they live and hunt, the shots are 50 yds and under. My son uses a 45 cal. inline for javalina and got his last year at around 45 yds.
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08-19-2009, 08:49 PM | #5 |
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By the way, they said the Contender style that you can change barrels on is a great hunting weapon. Watch Jim Shocky, he hunts everything with one.
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08-19-2009, 09:12 PM | #6 |
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Thanks Chort,
I've been looking at the TC Encore in 50 cal. The only ones I've seen are the camo'd ones. I'm a wood/blue steel kind of guy, but would settle for a stainless. |
08-20-2009, 05:28 AM | #7 |
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Stainless would be a good thing Teddybear! One damp morning and one shot is all you need to have serious rust problems unless you clean and lube good as soon as you get home. Black powder substitues are much cleaner than black powder, but are still much more corrosive than smokeless powder. (At least Pyrodex is - I haven't tried any of the newer ones.)
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08-20-2009, 06:30 AM | #8 |
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Stainless has kind of ruined me on Blued Guns. I like the looks of them, but the stainless ones are so much easier to keep looking good.
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08-20-2009, 07:00 AM | #9 |
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rman, Calvin good points. Never thought of corrosion/rust thing. Do I take it then that ya'll use the black powder substitutes. I saw a box of pellets. ?
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08-21-2009, 06:49 AM | #10 |
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Honestly Teddybear, it's been several years since I've dabbled in muzzle loaders. I used a substitue because it was not as dangerous to store and was cleaner to shoot than real black powder. At the time, the only substitute available was Hodgdons Pyrodex, and it was in powder form. Since then, there have been several other substitutes developed, as well as the pellet form. That sounds like it would be really convenient, but I have no experience with them.
I would definitely go stainless. The last time I shot my blued rifle it was a drizzly day and I was hunting by myself. I shot a nice doe, field dressed it and dragged it about a quarter mile back to my truck. By the time I got it hauled several miles to the meat processor, drove home and cleaned up, I was worn out. I'm usually religious about cleaning guns, especially after being outdoors in bad weather, but this time I forgot. I didn't remember until the next weekend and by that time the bore was rusted badly. It wasn't the gun's fault, but stainless would have done much better under the circumstances. I'm guessing a Google search would bring up several black powder forums. Someone there would be a lot more experienced and knowledgeable than we are here. I'd hate to send you off in the wrong direction. It is fun, and I'd probably take it up again if I had shooting buddies who were black powder shooters. Good luck and keep us posted on what you're doing!
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