[1NSH Dave]

Well I finally took the plunge. Been lurking for years about getting into muzzleloaders. I think it’s the fact I reload for everything I own, I figured getting into BP would be just as fun. I also cast for some of my handguns.

As much as I wanted a big old flintlock or something I decided to start easy and cheap and just ordered a CVA wolf today. Cabelas had their weekly wild Wednesday sale on and it was marked down to 299. SS barrel, and has a factory scope mount on it ready to go. I had a couple gift cards to use up as well.

Now here’s my questions for help, but with a bit of disclaimer. I don’t know the first thing about using them aside from YouTube videos. Lol. So any tips and tricks and info will be appreciated. However, I have zero interest in pellet powders, and even less interested in special ML projectiles. I didn’t buy this to cost 5$ a shot. I want a fun cheap range toy and then use it for ML season as well.

From YouTube and the inter webs I think my plan is measured powder, and get some sabots to load pistol bullets including my own cast 45 colt projectiles. So any help on that is great. I also want to cast and shoot ball and patch loads from it and likely also cast some conical? Minie? Not sure the term. Lee makes a mold for them. I know the ball and patch may not be the most accurate but as a cheap plinker load it should be fine.

So for powder it sounds like actual BP is impossible to find so I guess I use 777 or pyrodex. Sounds like blackhorn is out of my price range. Haha.

I think this should be a fun endeavour to add to all my other hobbies, because I have so much extra time ya know.

 

[Thunderstick]

Well I finally took the plunge. Been lurking for years about getting into muzzleloaders. I think it’s the fact I reload for everything I own, I figured getting into BP would be just as fun. I also cast for some of my handguns.

As much as I wanted a big old flintlock or something I decided to start easy and cheap and just ordered a CVA wolf today. Cabelas had their weekly wild Wednesday sale on and it was marked down to 299. SS barrel, and has a factory scope mount on it ready to go. I had a couple gift cards to use up as well.

Now here’s my questions for help, but with a bit of disclaimer. I don’t know the first thing about using them aside from YouTube videos. Lol. So any tips and tricks and info will be appreciated. However, I have zero interest in pellet powders, and even less interested in special ML projectiles. I didn’t buy this to cost 5$ a shot. I want a fun cheap range toy and then use it for ML season as well.

From YouTube and the inter webs I think my plan is measured powder, and get some sabots to load pistol bullets including my own cast 45 colt projectiles. So any help on that is great. I also want to cast and shoot ball and patch loads from it and likely also cast some conical? Minie? Not sure the term. Lee makes a mold for them. I know the ball and patch may not be the most accurate but as a cheap plinker load it should be fine.

So for powder it sounds like actual BP is impossible to find so I guess I use 777 or pyrodex. Sounds like blackhorn is out of my price range. Haha.

I think this should be a fun endeavour to add to all my other hobbies, because I have so much extra time ya know.

I decided to sell my CVA wolf two years ago and up grade. Mistake. The cva wolfe was the most accurate muzzle loader I hunted with. I was using white hots and 250 SST hornby bullets. I could not put the bullet any more dead center on paper. I have been unable to get the same accuracy from my new one twice the money 😀 Good purchase, you will like it.

 

[1NSH Dave]

I was debating it versus the optima. But at an extra 100$ at cabelas I decided I’d save that and use it for the scope. I’m not going any long range with it, my 308 does that extremely well with hand loads. I also think this will be a good option to start the kids onto rifles later on. Light loads with lots of smoke might be fun for them.

 

[Buckmark]

I shoot Blackhorn 209 .... and 250 gr Hornady SST's in my T/C FX Pro. I'm not much help if you want to shoot ball and patch. I would never shoot the pellets. Too corrosive for my liking. My Muzzleloader was loaded from the end of September until the second week of Dec without any issues.

 

[Rembolt]

Congrats on the new smokepole . I agree with loose powder vs pellets . loose powder is tuneable to your gun and chosen projectile . The TC triumph that I owned much preferred loose tripple7 to the pellets . 100 gr vol load was more accurate than 2 x 50 gr pellets pushing a 250 gr TC shock wave .

 

[superslickie]

If youre close to stanley range and we can find a time that works, ill meet you there and bring loose powder, 45,50,58 cal projectiles and we can give er a go

 

[1NSH Dave]

So a question I have which I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around, probably because of hand loading experience. There doesn’t seem to be actual “load data” for different weights. If I go with the standard 100gr powder load does it not matter what projectile I use? Since there is such a range of bullet weights from smaller sabot rounds up to solid cast lead it just goes against everything i know for rifle loading. Haha.

 

[superslickie]

Basically for safety, if using a 45 cal start with 45gr powder by volume not weight
50cal - 50gr
58cal - 58gr

See where this is going? You should never exceed 100gr unless your muzzie is stamped for it, most are 100gr.

Bullet weight doesn't matter as much but try different loads to see what works for you.
Now you got a min load and a max load, go have fun

 

[1NSH Dave]

I believe the cva inlines are all rated as magnum for 150 gr? But I have no need for that. Just like centrefire reloading no need to push the max.

 

[1NSH Dave]

I’m sure there will be warning labels all over it for that once I pick it up

 

[Thunderstick]

I believe the cva inlines are all rated as magnum for 150 gr? But I have no need for that. Just like centrefire reloading no need to push the max.

Yes something tells me you can shoot 3 pellets but no more. Not a load I would use but people do.

 

[Thunderstick]

From what I know muzzle loaders can like different loads compared to the next. As I said my wolfe shot dead center bullseye with the pellets and Hornby's. I tried others leading up to this but they shot really high or wildly off target (powerbelts was one).I had one in the 90's out west. There was load data then, but I have no clue now what or where we got it. I know we also used 44 or 45 FN bullets with different sized sabots but my mind cannot recall exactly which. Shot deer at 150 yards with that old Hawkens loaded that way.

 

[gary]

this guys site is a wealth of info...

LoadDataLinks

This menu of links takes the muzzleloading hunter to ten pages of loads and ballistics data for a variety of modern in-line and traditional muzzleloading rifles.

www.namlhunt.com

 

[TonyM]

So a question I have which I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around, probably because of hand loading experience. There doesn’t seem to be actual “load data” for different weights. If I go with the standard 100gr powder load does it not matter what projectile I use? Since there is such a range of bullet weights from smaller sabot rounds up to solid cast lead it just goes against everything i know for rifle loading. Haha.

Download or just read online the manual for a Thomson Center Hawken. There is a bit if load data included there. The CVA results might be a bit different but it would give you some idea what you're dealing with. If you don't have any luck let me know and I can email you a copy.

 

[Caper391]

Congrats on the new toy...enjoy. I'm also a big fan of Blackhorn 209 powder, it's expensive but well worth it in the long run. My go to load is 110gr by volume of BH209, a Barnes 250gr TEZ projectile with a harvester crush rib sabot and a CCI209M primer. (I'm shooting a TC Triumph Bone Collector) I also shoot the Hornady 250gr SST's with excellent results. Some CVA ML's require a different breach plug to use BH209...not sure if the wolf falls into that category or not. Also, the blackhorn requires a standard 209 primer like the CCI209M, Fed209A and Win209...it doesn't like the ML specific primers like the Win triple seven or Remington clean bore. Have fun experimenting with different components to find out what your gun likes.

 

[Steaknonions]

Seems like every ML shoots a little different. My, Thompson Centre 50 cal percussion shooting a 385 gr buffalo bullet over 10 grains of FFG loose powder is accurate and puts a heavy hurt on anything inside of 100 yds. I have used a number of other bullets, sabots and RB but this works for me in this gun. The fun is in the experiment on paper then into the woods you go.

 

[Steaknonions]

Should have been 100 GNs of BP, too many thumbs.