200 yard muzzleloader tips

[ThePennsylvanian]

You already have everything you need to get a consistent 200 yarder. I would take the advice @MNFarmHunter suggested about switch to a ffg powder. 95% of my experience is with flintlock, I've been shooting them since I was 10 and have 6 of them, But I also currently shoot a Knight MK28, shooting 100gr ffg pyrodex, TC cheap shot and a #11 magnum cap. That right there is 150-200 yards in almost every condition my region can through at me. The range it is zeroed to is 150, and it had about 6" drop at 200. I could mitigate that by using 110 gr but when I tried that on the range I had alot of unburned powder residue still in the barrel.

 

[krub6b]

I run 80 grains by volume of pyrodex and 240 grain cheap shots or the Hornady XTP 240 grain hollow points.
zeroed 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and about 4ish inches low by the time you get to 200. Have yet to shoot a critter at 200 with it though.

If I were getting serious about shooting 200 yards with it, which I need to do soon due to hopefully muzzleloading for elk in CO next year, I would look into a bullet with a better B.C. than the cheap shots. The load that peaks my interest the most is Federal Premium's Trophy Copper MZ bullets sitting on top of weighed out charges of pyrodex. The key to a good muzzleloader load is consistency; consistent charges, consistent gas seals, and consistent follow through when shooting. The way to start this journey affordably is to get a powder scale and see what you current load averages to weight wise and start shooting it to see how you like it. Finding a sabot/bullet combo that works for you is going to be trial and error, but consistent powder charges are easy to fix for now.

 

[kyler1945]

I run 80 grains by volume of pyrodex and 240 grain cheap shots or the Hornady XTP 240 grain hollow points.
zeroed 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and about 4ish inches low by the time you get to 200. Have yet to shoot a critter at 200 with it though.

If I were getting serious about shooting 200 yards with it, which I need to do soon due to hopefully muzzleloading for elk in CO next year, I would look into a bullet with a better B.C. than the cheap shots. The load that peaks my interest the most is Federal Premium's Trophy Copper MZ bullets sitting on top of weighed out charges of pyrodex. The key to a good muzzleloader load is consistency; consistent charges, consistent gas seals, and consistent follow through when shooting. The way to start this journey affordably is to get a powder scale and see what you current load averages to weight wise and start shooting it to see how you like it. Finding a sabot/bullet combo that works for you is going to be trial and error, but consistent powder charges are easy to fix for now.

Colorado is open sights.

I could shoot a 3” group at 100 yards with loose powder and no excuses 465gr, felt wad rolling about 1400fps.

That bullet would drop about 20-30” at 200 if I had to guess. And my sight bead would cover up an entire elk. And that group would probably be 12-16” at 200.


Off topic for NB, but some Colorado ML elk advice - approach it just like you would bowhunting. Except be willing to go in even thicker stuff.

 

[10essee]

95gr pyrodex and 250gr Barnes. 1 high at 100 7 low at 200. Nothing will tell you what to use like experimenting with some combos.

 

[Tim0712]

So I unknowingly shot a doe 2 years ago with my cva wolf at 150 yards. She ran 40 yards with no heart. Personal opinion that shot was shot luck it was the last half hour of the last day of the year. I rushed quick when I saw deer and realized my freezer was empty and I needed meat. I was running 100 grain of 777 and Thompson 300gr xtp hollow point sabots

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Due to my piss poor planning, I’m scratching together my ML setup for this year. I had mentioned the ball-ets which act similar to a minne ball in 50cal.

Since I can’t find those ball-ets in time, I’m going old school patched ball which’ll still give me a confident 75y shot.


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[jiwhite86]

@Nutterbuster do you have a powder scale? If so, measure your powder by weight, not volume, when building a load. It makes a HUGE difference in accuracy. I loaded 56.5gr by weight with a green crush rib sabot and some 240gr speer pistol bullets and my Optima would shoot 1/2”-3/4” groups at 100. Not a very hot load at all, but I was 1.5” high at 100, 3” low at 150, and 13 low at 200. With my scope marks though, my load worked out perfect to be 150 on the first bdc hash and 200 on the 2nd. That’s basically why I built the load the way I did, because it worked out perfect on my scope.

 

[Nutterbuster]

@Nutterbuster do you have a powder scale? If so, measure your powder by weight, not volume, when building a load. It makes a HUGE difference in accuracy. I loaded 56.5gr by weight with a green crush rib sabot and some 240gr speer pistol bullets and my Optima would shoot 1/2”-3/4” groups at 100. Not a very hot load at all, but I was 1.5” high at 100, 3” low at 150, and 13 low at 200. With my scope marks though, my load worked out perfect to be 150 on the first bdc hash and 200 on the 2nd. That’s basically why I built the load the way I did, because it worked out perfect on my scope.

I have a scale that does grains, but nothing that let's you dispense powder in small increments.

Busted a doe this morning.

Killed her dead as disco at 50 yards and caught the back of her heart, but like every other critter I've killed with a muzzleloader the blood trail was very thin. Luckily she only made it 35ish yards before piling up because it was THICK.

What's the word on higher velocities and better bullets on hydrostatic shock and blood trails? The shot I made on that deer this morning with a .30-06 would have dropped her where she stood or at the very least looked like you sprayed blood out of s fire hose for 20 yards. Is that achievable?

 

[MNFarmHunter]

I have a scale that does grains, but nothing that let's you dispense powder in small increments.

Busted a doe this morning.
View attachment 76220
Killed her dead as disco at 50 yards and caught the back of her heart, but like every other critter I've killed with a muzzleloader the blood trail was very thin. Luckily she only made it 35ish yards before piling up because it was THICK.

What's the word on higher velocities and better bullets on hydrostatic shock and blood trails? The shot I made on that deer this morning with a .30-06 would have dropped her where she stood or at the very least looked like you sprayed blood out of s fire hose for 20 yards. Is that achievable?

There’s always a better lightbulb out there but is limited with ML.

Unlike smokeless powder which is continuing to expand past the barrel, BP expends all it’s energy at detonation so in effect, the bullet is already slowing down before it leaves the barrel.

As such, you “need” the larger diameter bullet to overcome the weaker kinetic energy compared to modern ammo. End result is less pass-through and less external blood loss.


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[Hall17]

There’s always a better lightbulb out there but is limited with ML.

Unlike smokeless powder which is continuing to expand past the barrel, BP expends all it’s energy at detonation so in effect, the bullet is already slowing down before it leaves the barrel.

As such, you “need” the larger diameter bullet to overcome the weaker kinetic energy compared to modern ammo. End result is less pass-through and less external blood loss.


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Good thing is if you him them good they typically dont go far

 

[Nosaj]

I used a Honady MonoFlex ML this year which is supposedly a monolithic Cooper alloy bullet with 95% weight retention. I hit a deer broadside in the shoulder at 50+/- yds with a 150 gn 777 charge. The bullet hit the shoulder and ricocheted 90 degrees traveled the length of the body and lodged in the opposite side abdomen against the skin. What was left of the bullet was just copper gravel and a thin jacket against the the skin. I will be shooting the barnes or Remington Barnes solid copper next year. When I started gutting the deer I had no idea I didn't get a pass through until I unzipped it and blood gushed out, what a mess. I soon found out it wasn't just blood but blood and intestinal contents. After hitting the shoulder Iand traveling the length of the body I would say there was 10% weight retention. Thumbs down.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

I live in a world of analogies so here’s one, smokeless vs. black powder.

Smokeless is like archery. When you release the string(pull the trigger), you impart energy into the arrow(projectile). The string continues to impart energy until the arrow denocks(projectile leaves the barrel).

Black powder is like tee-ball. The ball(projectile) just sits there until the bat(bp detonating) hits the ball imparting all of it’s energy with the hit.


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[philsanchez76]

You want to go down a rabbit hole, do some research on the 45-70 govt to smokeless muzzleloader conversion. Guys are shooting pittman bullets with near MOA accuracy out to 400 yards. I know I shot dads 45 T/C encore at 200 yds w/ 100gr of the pellets and a 200gr power belt. Had ~5" of drop @ 200 with a 100yd zero.

^This! I ended up losing several deer over the years due to no blood trails on muzzleloader shots. If we hunted fields it'd prob be fine, but like you I hunt thick stuff and 30 yards in the thick with no blood can make it almost impossible to find the deer. My local WMAs only allow MZ or shotgun and never centerfire so I switched to a smokeless muzzleloader this year. Bought a CVA Scout 45-70 and had it converted. Now I can shoot 45 bullets or 40 caliber in sabots. Tons of options and so far accuracy has been amazing. 3 deer down so far all at about the 100 yard range. 200 yards will be no sweat for it.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

If you are shooting 44 caliber at 240 grains out of a sabot, I have some Keith semi wadcutter hollow points that are cast from 16 to 1 like Elmer Keith suggested. They mushroom beautifully and should be great up to 1400 fps. If you're interested, I'll send you some to play with.

 

[jiwhite86]

I have a scale that does grains, but nothing that let's you dispense powder in small increments.

Just get a powder trickler and a dipper. Probably cost you about $15.