get closer
Distance
Alright maybe I'm pushing it but I honestly think it's a doable shot. I'm wanting to be able to shoot out to 250 yards with my muzzleloader. For where I think my buck is going to show up I may need every yard I can get. I have a Winchester x-150 and I love it. Right now it's sighted in with 100 grains of powder and a 250 grain slug and I put the finishing shot on my antelope at 219 yards free hand lucky ass shot a couple years ago so I know it's capable of longer shots. I'm thinking of switching to triple 7 60 grain pellets and bumping my grains up to 120. What's everyone's opinion on distance and knockdown power with this load? Would you bump it up to 150 grains of powder? What would you do different? What's your opinion on the whole situation? Thanks in advance.
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Fair enough but I think it's a shot that can be done with enough practice and tuning.
What slug? Whats the velocity of the slug? Do you know how fast your slug is going at 250 yards?Will the slug perform like it should at 250 yards? These are things that YOU need to figure out before even attempting a shot at 250 yards. Just because you can hit something at that distance doesnt mean you should be doing it. Then there is the eithics on IF you can see what your aiming at the distance with a 1x power scope. Muzzy arent high power rifles and you need to understand that. Im not here to be the ethics police but please understand what your talking about is risky at best. You owe it to the animal.
I agree with the others, try and get closer.
From the distance I am sighting in my muzzleloader with a 30" barrel using 120 grain loose powder and 240 gr bullet I'll have 14" of bullet drop at 250 yards with substantial loss of both velocity and energy. At 250 yards you will be covering the entire deer with your sights or crosshairs and just be taking a SWAG at what you're aiming at.
Thanks for everyone's feedback and opinions I'm not one to get offended by people's opinions so nothing you guys say is taken to heart and I appreciate your feedback. My uncle is pretty into rifles and shooting and trying out new loads and such and he suggested still using 100 grains of powder but using a heavier slug. That's what he has had the best luck with. Ive got a dedicated hunter tag so I'm actually hunting this buck with my bow right now but not pushing him to hard in hopes of him still being around for the muzzy. Here's a teaser pic just for the heck of it if it loads up. He's the middle buck the one on the bottom right is #2 on the hitlist.
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Switch to blackhorn 209.
The way I see it... it's more about you than the gun. The gun is capable. Are you? If you are capable and comfortable with a shot of that distance
when you look down the scope there isn't a soul on the mountain that will prevent you from pulling the trigger.
when you look down the scope there isn't a soul on the mountain that will prevent you from pulling the trigger.
I've heard great things about blackthorn 209 and also white hots. I honestly think with a dead rest laying down on my pack I'm very capable of making the shot
Place a milk jug up at 250 yards and try the shot. When you can hit it 10 times out of 10 then you will know if you are capable of making the shot.I've heard great things about blackthorn 209 and also white hots. I honestly think with a dead rest laying down on my pack I'm very capable of making the shot
That's the only way to find out is to practice a lot and know your capabilities and your guns
Anything over 100gr of powder will just fowl your barrel more and kick harder with no added punch, speed, or energy to your bullet, if anything it will decrease your accuracy and consistency. I would not go with a heavier bullet either. I have actually gone down in weight over the years. From a 295 down to a 245 power belt. Some guys like these, others do not. I will also tell you i shoot the cheapest muzzleloader you can buy. I bought it as a starter gun, but have killed a lot of animals with it, and it is what i am comfortable with, so why change. I have shot other muzzleloaders that are 500 dollars more then mine with no real difference in accuracy or consistency. You are going to find all kinds of opinions on here, but the bottom line is, find what works well with your gun, with you! About the only thing that everyone on here will agree with is, 250 yards is to far for a muzzy! Good luck on your hunt.
Eh. Just hold a little high and you'll be fine.
If you see ptarmigan in your scope, you're holding too high. :grin:Eh. Just hold a little high and you'll be fine.
Thanks for everyones feedback again I think I'll try some different powder and maybe a few different slugs
So have you done any chronograph work to back up this claim of yours? Have you taken your data and ran it through a ballistic calculator to actually see how bullet weights effect trajectory and down range energy? I think not as my finding are totally opposite from yours.Anything over 100gr of powder will just fowl your barrel more and kick harder with no added punch, speed, or energy to your bullet, if anything it will decrease your accuracy and consistency. I would not go with a heavier bullet either. I have actually gone down in weight over the years. From a 295 down to a 245 power belt. Some guys like these, others do not. I will also tell you i shoot the cheapest muzzleloader you can buy. I bought it as a starter gun, but have killed a lot of animals with it, and it is what i am comfortable with, so why change. I have shot other muzzleloaders that are 500 dollars more then mine with no real difference in accuracy or consistency. You are going to find all kinds of opinions on here, but the bottom line is, find what works well with your gun, with you! About the only thing that everyone on here will agree with is, 250 yards is to far for a muzzy! Good luck on your hunt.
Here is some real life data for you. 110 grains by volume / 77 grains by weight of BH209, CCI 209 M primer, 300 grain .45 cal XTP bullet in a Harvester Crushed Rib sabot out of a Traditions Striker Fire rifle with a 10 foot muzzle velocity of 1930. I will say that this load really thumps ya out of a light weight rifle.Thanks for everyones feedback again I think I'll try some different powder and maybe a few different slugs
All numbers are adjusted for 8000 feet elevation and 50 degree's. 250 yard drop is 24" and a 10 mile an hour wind drift is 17". 300 yard drop is 42" and a 10 mile an hour wind drift of 25". So at 250 yards one would have to hang 16 inches over a deers back which is doable but not the easiest thing to do with iron sights or a 1X scope.
I prefer a heavier bullet, you gain much more energy, speed actually surpasses the lighter slug at around 160 yards, and only give up an inch of trajectory at 200 yards. I think 250 yards with open sights or a 1x will be the biggest issue with accuracy, a mouse fart or a slight variance in sight picture could cause a 16" shift in aim. I view muzzy much like bow hunting (this is my first muzzy hunt in 13 years, spent much of the last 2 decades bow hunting), and that is use stealth and primitive skills to get close, save the distance shooting for a rifle hunt. That said, today's inlines are very capable of making the shot. A
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