Distance question.
- Thread starter mr_blove
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higene
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Distance
Boy, that's a loaded question (poor pun intended). I'll light the fuse. Traditional BP rifles are wickedly accurate at 50 yards. They tend to fall on their butt after the 100 yard line. Inlines extend the range to 200. Add a few drinks at the campfire and you will hear of 300 and 400 yard shots. BP cartridge rifles, specifically Sharps, are regularly shot at 1000 yards. That is my opinion. Fasten your seat belt. Others will give more detailed and accurate information I am sure.
Boy, that's a loaded question (poor pun intended). I'll light the fuse. Traditional BP rifles are wickedly accurate at 50 yards. They tend to fall on their butt after the 100 yard line. Inlines extend the range to 200. Add a few drinks at the campfire and you will hear of 300 and 400 yard shots. BP cartridge rifles, specifically Sharps, are regularly shot at 1000 yards. That is my opinion. Fasten your seat belt. Others will give more detailed and accurate information I am sure.
arcticap
Member
The Traditions sample load chart linked below shows the velocity and energy of some loads have a remaining velocity of 1450 - 1745 FPS and energy of 1401 - 1745 ft-pds at 250 yards, depending on the caliber.
http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/loadchart.pdf
That doesn't include the Savage smokeless muzzle loader which has a claimed energy that approaches .300 Win.Mag. figures and exceeds them in some loadings.
http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/loadchart.pdf
That doesn't include the Savage smokeless muzzle loader which has a claimed energy that approaches .300 Win.Mag. figures and exceeds them in some loadings.
zimmerstutzen
Member
modern muzzleloading hunting rifles = long range muzzle loading rifles capable of very good accuracy at 800 yds were made by the time of the civil war. At the famous Creedmore Match, 1870's) the Irish team was, til then, top team in the long distance shooting world using muzzleloader rifles shooting to 1,000 yds.
A traditional style rifle shooting patched round balls pretty much loses all sense of accuraccy by 250 yds, although longer shots have been documented. Tim Murphy shot Gen Frasier at Saratoga at a distance said by some accounts, to be 438 yds.
Most modern hunting muzzleloaders are loaded with little pip squeak 250 to 300 grain 5o cal bullets. They lose stability and slow down due to air resistance leaving a range of about 250 yds. Using a longer heavier bullet substantially increases range, but also increases the trajectory arc. So while efficient knock down power is carried much further, the arc makes it difficult to be accurate at such long distances as 500 to 800 yds.
Americans are often hung up on the need for more powder as extending range. This is only marginally true. Even dangerous amounts of powder won't extend the range of a patched round ball or short 250 grain 50 cal bullet by much. (maybe 10 or 15%) The British war dept found during the early 19th century that to extend range, keep the powder the same but increase the bullet length. There are a few outfits that sell 450 grain bullets for modern 50 cal in-lines. (or molds for them) Some folks call them "trash cans" fired over 90 grains of powder, they can still travel a mile. (Look up Billy Dixon's shot at Adobe Walls in 1872) Some say at the right angle, they can go three miles.
You also didn't say range for what game. Deer, Moose, elk, Grizz? Prairie Dogs? Lets assume deer. 60 grains of powder in a 58 cal musket under a minnie ball was considered lethal on humans to 250 yards by both sides in the civil war.
The major problem with experimenting with extending hunting range with muzzleloaders is that between sights, set up and barrel length, most modern guns are not as accurate at those extended ranges as required to reliably hit a deer.
A traditional style rifle shooting patched round balls pretty much loses all sense of accuraccy by 250 yds, although longer shots have been documented. Tim Murphy shot Gen Frasier at Saratoga at a distance said by some accounts, to be 438 yds.
Most modern hunting muzzleloaders are loaded with little pip squeak 250 to 300 grain 5o cal bullets. They lose stability and slow down due to air resistance leaving a range of about 250 yds. Using a longer heavier bullet substantially increases range, but also increases the trajectory arc. So while efficient knock down power is carried much further, the arc makes it difficult to be accurate at such long distances as 500 to 800 yds.
Americans are often hung up on the need for more powder as extending range. This is only marginally true. Even dangerous amounts of powder won't extend the range of a patched round ball or short 250 grain 50 cal bullet by much. (maybe 10 or 15%) The British war dept found during the early 19th century that to extend range, keep the powder the same but increase the bullet length. There are a few outfits that sell 450 grain bullets for modern 50 cal in-lines. (or molds for them) Some folks call them "trash cans" fired over 90 grains of powder, they can still travel a mile. (Look up Billy Dixon's shot at Adobe Walls in 1872) Some say at the right angle, they can go three miles.
You also didn't say range for what game. Deer, Moose, elk, Grizz? Prairie Dogs? Lets assume deer. 60 grains of powder in a 58 cal musket under a minnie ball was considered lethal on humans to 250 yards by both sides in the civil war.
The major problem with experimenting with extending hunting range with muzzleloaders is that between sights, set up and barrel length, most modern guns are not as accurate at those extended ranges as required to reliably hit a deer.
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