traditional muzzleloader accuracy

Finding the best load for your muzzleloader often takes more than a day. Using your The NEW NitroFire® muzzleloader is .50 caliber and has a 26” ultralight chromoly steel fluted and tapered barrel, 1:28” twist rifling, Dual Safety System, and much more. You may find that your rifle is most accurate with a combination of a smaller ball with a thicker patch or a larger ball with a thinner patch. A flintlock simply cannot generate enough heat to reliably ignite substitute powders. 5. The first number is 45 caliber, the second is the powder charge. I know some good shooters who swear by one brand while swearing at another. when I did not have time to follow my simple, accuracy enhancing, reloading But you can control precisely the amount of lubrication on your patching in order to discover exactly how much “slickness” your barrel requires to shoot its best groups. Set your powder measure at 50 grains. Magnification, scopes or red dots are not allowed. using Pyrodex RS on a clean barrel with a Knight Wolverine. There are also variable environmental factors which we cannot control. I haven’t mentioned percussion caps as a variable in muzzleloader accuracy only because I have not noticed a reason to conduct testing on them. Using this method, I have shot my flintlock 100s of times without a full cleaning." No, the frustration stems from the size of the groups most hunters get from their rifles, which rarely seem to match the performance they’ve read about on the internet or seen on television. The water will evaporate out of the fabric leaving only the oil. You should also test the other powder granulation. Wear eye and hearing protection! Be consistent in how you hold the rifle, where you place the rests or bags in contact with the rifle, as well as your sight picture and trigger control. At this point I am ready to adjust my sights to move those groups into the X ring. If these measure the same diameter you have again confirmed the presence of a void in that lighter ball. I have been asked about the difference in accuracy between cast balls and swaged balls. I simply learned what the ballistic variables of muzzleloading rifles are and applied the same logical method of isolating and testing them that I used in the process of hand loading accurate ammunition for modern centerfire rifles. Pelletized powder has removed some of those loading variables but not all (such as accidental crushing of the pellets). Synthetic fibers will melt when you fire the gun and leave a mess in the bore. Right now, I'm awaiting the arrival of a rifle just like that shown directly above - one of the Pedersoli fast 1-in-24 twist percussion Jaeger Hunter rifles. In a dryer climate more water can evaporate from the patching. Doing so deforms the ball and out of round balls may not fly true. This is because nothing currently available will work in a flintlock rifle. A patch that is slicker than others because it has more lubricant on it is not going to have the same amount of friction going out of the barrel. Another sign of thin patching is burning inside the black ring on the side of the patch that was in contact with the ball. As it turned out, this fellow never emptied his powder horn. with your tongue) Place it wet side down on top of your barrel. Now, you may question a 300 yard shot, but the first deer I took with the Pursuit 50 Cal, was at 238 yards. Let us assume that you are getting measurements that show your fabric to be .015 in thickness. Slightly overfill the measure and scrape away the excess level with the top. As the amount of fouling increases the friction increases, internal pressures go up, the velocities go up, and each shot strikes higher on the target than the last. Cut off the patching with your knife or scissors. My early attempts to use Pyrodex in my traditional side lock percussion rifle was a dismal failure both in accuracy and dependable ignition. You may as well accept that you are going to have to contact one of the suppliers of black powder, fill out the required paperwork, and pay the hazardous materials shipping fees to get it shipped to your residence. Less friction equals less pressure which will equal a lower velocity. There will be a time to practice shooting from field positions but it is not during your load testing. MUZZLELOADING BULLETS 580 695-4223 ray@bpbullets.com, Barnes Muzzleloader Bullets and Accessories, Precision Rifle Muzzleloading Accessories, Ruger 77/50 Muzzleloader 209 Conversion Kit. Don’t be concerned about sighting the rifle to hit center of the bull’s eye. Lay it out to dry and mark it 6-1. Use this simple five step sequence every time you shoot and When I began my journey into muzzleloading rifles I had a solid background in the variables involved with hand loading centerfire rifle ammunition and how to isolate and test each of those variables to achieve the best accuracy in a particular rifle. For safety and to avoid damaging your rifle do not exceed the maximum load recommended by the manufacturers of your rifle. DON'T go hunting with a clean barrel. Otherwise we are going to have to use the compromise twist in most production rifles. If you load the ball with the sprue to one side it will wobble and fly outside of the group. method, I have shot my flintlock 100s of times without a full cleaning. Start with the fabric you used previously then go to the next thickest and so on. The editors of Outdoor Life feel your pain. If one person cast his own balls using good casting technique and the same mold, his cast balls will be more consistent in size and weight than any swaged balls you can purchase. We can’t control these but we can be aware of them and how they affect our groups. The Traditions Buckstalker is an excellent black-powder rifle for hunting medium to large game. Please note that I was hunting in Colorado where it is required that you to use “open” or “iron” sights. Using You may have noticed that I have not mentioned use of modern substitutes for black powder. Mixing more water into the oil causes the fabric to absorb more water and less oil so less oil remains in the material after the water has evaporated. For the second string, swab with a patch Lay that strip out flat to dry and mark it 5-1. Traditions Firearms is celebrating 30 years of business in 2014 and has produced several models of sidelocks and inline muzzleloaders over that time. about 203 grains of powder by volume. By making muzzleloaders easier to load, easier to clean, safer to operate, and more accurate and reliable under all conditions, Traditions and Federal have removed the learning curve and the psychological barriers typically associated with using muzzleloaders. You don’t want to miss identify a fantastic load because of a light weight ball. When the load becomes that tight and you have to pound the ball out of shape to seat it your groups will begin to open up again. You will notice that the fabric compress to a much thinner measurement now. One of these is the depth, width, and shape of the groves in your barrel. Is now available for purchase in convenient two ounce spray bottles. Loads - When poor muzzleloader accuracy is due to your load, it can most often be blamed on a magnum (150 grain) powder charge. You are responsible for knowing what may or may not be a safe load for your gun. One of my 50 caliber rifles puts the ball completely through whitetail deer with a load of only 60 grains. Photo: This double barrel rifle from Traditions provides the fastest second shot possible with a muzzleloading rifle. Almost any production muzzleloader has a 1:28 twist and a barrel of 22-26 inches long. to your own, regarding the outstanding accuracy that shooters are getting from 1. Now if target shooting is going to be your main thing go back and test your powder charges again, this time starting with 50 grains and going down by five grain increments. Again, its all part of a broader approach to making muzzleloaders safer and more simple to operate. Traditions BuckStalker Review. Continue to add one measure of water and soak one strip for a 7-1 mix and so forth until you reach a solution of 9-1. It is a good idea to repeat this test using different size balls. If your rifle isn’t shooting good groups yet you may have tried to shortcut the process somewhere or did not fully understand it and managed to overlook the “sweet spot” with one or more of the variables you were testing. Smokless powder is never a safe substitute for black powder. Set your targets from 25 to 50 yards depending on the size of your target and how precisely you can aim. This gyroscopic spin is what stabilizes the ball in flight and why a rifle is so much more accurate than a smoothbore gun. This technological partnership will undoubtedly change the direction of the in-line muzzleloader industry and usher in a host of competitors. It also affects the burn rate and subsequently the velocity of your charges and this will change the point of impact on your target as well as having an effect on the size of your group. This is what we call the compressed thickness of the material. Using cleaner will remove the "first shot fouling". Why is the compressed thickness of this fabric different than that of the other fabric? 1. not have a single muzzleloader that will not shoot 3 shot groups at 100 yards of DON'T use any type of cleaner on the patch. Patch knife. In any event, those sharp edges will usually smooth out on their own after a hundred or so shots have been fired. Dump in the pre measured powder charge. You must also follow the order I have given you for testing these variables. Check the size of the lightest and the heaviest ball with your dial micrometer. I am frequently asked which is best. "Use this simple five step sequence every time you shoot and groups For every negative opinion on a particular brand I hear an equal number of positive opinions. I am not aware of any scientific testing to prove one powder superior over another. Continue to use thicker material until the load becomes so tight that you must use a mallet to start it down the barrel. This would be the time to re-test and fine tune your powder charge. This makes a very good black powder solvent that will not damage the finish on the rifle stock. One piece steel range rod with muzzle guide and patch jag. The only thing you want to change about your load is the patching. That ball with lower velocity will not strike the target in the same place as the others. Shoot your test targets from a stable bench rest. black powder substitute pellets. Seat the bullet until the powder stops compressing. If one is shooting on a very humid day your powder is going to absorb moisture from the air. Blackpowder and Pyrodex Unless that void happens to be in the exact center of the ball it will be out of balance. It will not cause a ring of rust inside your barrel if it is left in the bore over a period of time. Website: www.traditionsfirearms.com. Before you begin testing and experimenting with the internal ballistic variables there are some human inconsistencies and errors which must be addressed to get reliable results from your efforts. When the final piece of the process fell into place for me I soon realized that all the top shooters in that club were practicing some elements of this method but not every one of them had a grasp of every variable in the total process. I prefer to run a dry cleaning patch down the barrel and back out only once after each shot. It has a beautiful design, and black color adds to its beauty. Information concerning load development for centerfire rifle ammunition is widely published and available. The first variable we need to get control of is the weight of the round balls. You want to know that any deviation in the size of the group on your test target is the result of the variable you are testing and not caused by a ball that was a half grain lighter or heavier than the others. Here are a few things that I learned to help shoot my muzzleloader with more accuracy. The next consecutive 10-shots fired averaged 2,025 fps., a gain of 75 fps., for a muzzle energy of 2277 ft.-lbs. Combinations of different ball size and different patching thickness. Now compare all your targets and the one with the best group will show you which material thickness is right for your rifle and that particular size ball. Those out of balance balls will strike outside the group producing a flier on your target. For the third string, swab with a spit patch. You should know that this isn’t going to be a quick process. needs of the hunter. Powered by the new clean, efficient and even-burning Hodgdon Triple 8 propellant, the FireStick is a fast, safe and incredibly accurate way to charge a muzzleloader. It isn’t necessary to sight in on the bull’s eye at this point, you just need to get the groups somewhere on the target. Tapping The Accuracy & Performance Of An Old-Style Muzzleloader This is a website that's all about muzzleloader hunting today. If your goal is strictly match target shooting you can select a tight loading combination of patch thickness and ball size. Learn your gun's accuracy potential by swabbing the bore between every shot. I disagree, I believe doing that hides the human error in shooting off-hand. You will notice the groups getting smaller and tighter as the thickness of the fabric increases. This was decades before the internet or google existed. It also has a barrel made of chrome-moly steel, which has long been recognized as the best barrel material for strength and accuracy for rifles of any configuration. All you need at this time is to keep the groups on the paper. Traditions delivers quality, value and performance backed by a lifetime warranty. Ease of operation: The team of Traditions, Federal Ammunition and Hodgdon Powder makes the Nitrofire a new peak of muzzleloader simplicity. That can of powder now consist of the largest kernels sitting at the top of the can, the finest dust at the bottom of the can and layers in between which would screen to be sizes from 4-F to as large as 2-F. But after I moved to the High Desert of New Mexico with its drier humidity, I found that I had to change my lube mix to a 3-1 mixture. This muzzleloader uses Federal’s new FireStick system which is touted as being incredibly simple, easy, and safe to use when compared to the traditional way of loading a muzzleloader. Muzzleloaders, like firearms, benefit greatly from load experimentation.That doesn’t mean you’re weighing charges to 1/10-grain accuracy on a digital powder scale. The 209 shotgun primer is the standard ignition source today. You can purchase cleaning patches or make your own from cotton flannel fabric and cut it to size with a rotary cutter. do you use that makes it possible to achieve this level of accuracy?". Traditions has some historically styled black powder firearms in their portfolio, they even have miniature cannons, but they are mostly known for their in-line muzzle loaders. Custom barrel makers usually provide a few more options. If possible, consider temporarily mounting a good peep sight or scope on the rifle for shooting these test targets. Casual shooters will typically purchase balls of the recommend size along with precut, pre lubricated patches and go shooting. However, this is a drastic measure that may salvage a badly neglected barrel but should only be done as a last resort. This compressed measurement is critical to accuracy in muzzleloading rifles. If that tight fitting load happens to be the one that puts all five shots into one hole not much larger that a single ball, use the mallet! His They should all be perfectly round and they will have a black ring in the center. Overall Length: 50″ Barrel Length: 32″ Rifling Twist: 1:60″ Remember, any deviation of angle in your shooting is multiplied by the distance to the target. Some rifles will show a preference for 2-F while others shoot better with 3-F, If you don’t test, you won’t know. fly the same over extended ranges due to variance in ballistic coefficiency. If you have doubts about the condition of your barrel have it looked over by a muzzleloader gunsmith before starting this process. ", "I have read many postings on various sites, in addition It’s best to use a metal, range type ramrod of brass or steel with a muzzle guide when loading for bench shooting. It begins with rifles that are consistent, of course. Some shooters will argue that it’s best to sight in by shooting from off-hand positions. Use your metal range rod with a bore guide / muzzle protector and polish the bore according to the instructions that come with the JB bore paste. These recommendations are considered a safe place to begin but they are usually not the most accurate load. These two targets were shot to confirm my results after I finished this load development system with my 40 caliber flintlock. But don’t count that shot in the group on that test target. Are you being consistent in all aspects of shooting from a bench? Compressed thickness of patching material. Cut some strips out of each sample of fabric and mark them on the end with the measurements. Neither is conducive to accuracy. Getting a consistent amount of lubricant on every patch equals consistent velocities for every shot. When the revival of interest in the old muzzleloading rifles occurred myth and folklore filled that void and much of it became accepted practice in the loading and maintenance of these firearms. If one is serious about accuracy and dependability in traditional style muzzleloading rifles real black powder is the only way to go. 2. And this measurement is the one which is critical to the accuracy of a muzzleloading rifle. The lightweight balls I set aside for use when plinking or to let friends shoot who were interested in shooting a muzzleloader for fun. Always seat your bullet using a bullet starter that will not deform Any good reloading manual will outline the variables involved and a logical approach to discovering the best combination of components for accurate loads in an individual rifle. This process is often referred to as “developing a load” or “working up a load”. (made from 2 brass cartridge cases). What loading / shooting / loading process Are you resting the barrel in contact with your front rest for some shots and then on the wood of the fore stock for other shots? Several factors determine the best thickness of material needed for your rifle to shoot its best groups. When sorting balls by weight I like to separate them into groups that weigh exactly the same to within one tenth of a grain. Post a new target and increase the powder charge by five grains. I prefer to get my cleaning patches from the same source to insure constant size and thickness. There, written on that target, is the most accurate powder charge for that rifle. Earlier, when we talked about measuring powder charges I stated that volume measurements produce more consistent results than weighing black powder on scales. ramrod with a cleaning jag attached, It has strived to produce a quality firearm offering accuracy and consistency on the performance side of the equation, further balanced with ease of use and maintenance. I hope not. It has absolutely nothing to do with reliving history through shooting and hunting with a rifle of very traditional design. Do not post items unrelated to Muzzleloading. No wonder then that an accurate load for one rifle barrel may not shoot well in another apparently identical barrel. than barrel, that's saying a lot for the potential accuracy of a muzzleloading Some smoothbore guns have also shown improvements using this method. And we haven’t yet considered the different rates of twist used by different barrel makers. work the patch in ever-lengthening Because the fabrics consist of thread that varies in size, has a tighter weave or perhaps both conditions exist. You will test that latter. Chronograph three - five shot strings with the same load. For our 50 caliber rifle that translates to 50 grains of black powder. Wipe the bore after each shot to remove excess fouling. After the shot, lick a clean, cotton patch. absolute accuracy has always been at the top of our priority list. Two factors which I am certain affect the consistency in burn and velocities in black powder are humidity and powder settling in the container. If you are not confident in your bench shooting technique go and watch some bench rest shooters in action. For the The Traditions® NitroFire™ Muzzleloader caused a big splash at SHOT Show 2020 and was highly praised by industry colleagues and writers for its innovation to the industry, amazing accuracy, and ease of use. Go to your local fabric store and buy about a eighth or a quarter yard. Do not tap or shake the measure. The Nitrofire features an accuracy-saving recessed muzzle crown. At a certain point the groups will began to open up again and grow larger. Lay the patching across the muzzle, place a ball on it sprue up and centered if it has one, put the short end of your starter on the ball and give it a whack with the palm of your hand. flip the patch over and run the other side of the In this case one is better off to replace it with a new barrel. The depth of the groves will vary. Several factors determine the best thickness of material needed for your rifle to shoot its best groups.
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