Got my first ever muzzle loader on the way, so excited. It's a Traditions Deerhunter 50 cal. All things black powder are new to me , so what's a good simple load to take deer with at 50 to 80 yds ? From what I've read patch and ball ( .490 with .015" patch) with real BP works best and will kill deer dead under 100 yards. Any other advice or tips about this set up would be great also. -Thanks
Hunting load for Tradations Deerhunter ?
- Thread starter kyron4
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Jeff62
Member
Congratulations. I love shooting muzzle loaders. You are starting right, patched ball and 80 grains FF will put lead down range. You can vary powder charge and patch material/thickness to get consistency in group. With muzzle loaders you want to firmly seat your projectile against the powder charge, never leaving an air space.
Read everything you can muzzle loading related. Shoot and have fun.
Read everything you can muzzle loading related. Shoot and have fun.
arcticap
Member
I have a Deer Hunter that I used to load up for my son to hunt with.
I found that a sabot with a 240 grain bullet would consistently put the first shot from a cold clean barrel into the middle of a paper plate at a greater distance than a patched round ball.
The preferred powder charge was 90 grains of Pyrodex P.
There's lots of different 240 grain - 250 grain bullets with a sabot available, and some may work better than others in your gun.
But the first shot out of a cold clean barrel is the most important.
So when working up a hunting load, try to make sure that the first shot will hit where you need it to.
Sometimes the first shot with a patched round ball won't hit the intended point of aim and will fly off target depending on the barrel temperature and powder charge.
If you can control for that then by all means load a patched round ball.
Some examples of a 240 grain bullet and sabot are below which aren't the exact one that I used but #3 is close.
1. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1002274911
2. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015808369?pid=444349
3. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1002234214
One review posted: "Bought these to use in my Traditions DeerHunter Flintlock. Shot a buck at 85 yards and couldnt be happier! I do believe that if I would have been using round balls I would not have had such a good blood trail and wouldn't have recovered the deer. I would recommend these sabots to anybody."
Other than that I always loaded it up for plinking with .490 patched round balls, a .015 patch rubbed with Bore Butter, and various amounts of Pyrodex P starting at around 60 grains.
A long time ago I wrote some tips for loading muzzle loaders that have a drum like the Deer Hunter does.
There's short and long versions.
Only a few of the loading tips really matter.
One is to slap the side of gun with the drum pointed downwards after loading the powder and before ramming the ball, to help the powder flow into the drum.
Another is about placing the hammer on 1/2 cock before ramming the ball so that the whoosh of the air escaping out of the nipple hole will help the powder flow into the flash channel to help ignition.
The last is a recommendation to use 3F powder, Pyrodex P if using a substitute powder, so that the smaller granulation will more easily flow into the flash channel to promote more certain ignition.
1. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/replacement-nipple-trouble.415718/#post-5191328
2. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/muzzleloading-101.473761/#post-5893127
3. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/misfires.235211/#post-2865123
Something that I failed to mention in these threads is that if you dry ball by forgetting to load the powder charge before ramming the ball, to remove the nipple or clean out screw and then put some powder into the flash channel to be able to fire out the ball.
It's bound to happen eventually, so try to have a nipple wrench or screwdriver handy in case it happens.
Keep the threads of the clean out screw clean and lubed, to make sure that it doesn't rust in place because it's helpful for cleaning out the drum after shooting it for reliable ignition.
Don't over tighten the clean out screw.
I found that a sabot with a 240 grain bullet would consistently put the first shot from a cold clean barrel into the middle of a paper plate at a greater distance than a patched round ball.
The preferred powder charge was 90 grains of Pyrodex P.
There's lots of different 240 grain - 250 grain bullets with a sabot available, and some may work better than others in your gun.
But the first shot out of a cold clean barrel is the most important.
So when working up a hunting load, try to make sure that the first shot will hit where you need it to.
Sometimes the first shot with a patched round ball won't hit the intended point of aim and will fly off target depending on the barrel temperature and powder charge.
If you can control for that then by all means load a patched round ball.
Some examples of a 240 grain bullet and sabot are below which aren't the exact one that I used but #3 is close.
1. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1002274911
2. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015808369?pid=444349
3. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1002234214
One review posted: "Bought these to use in my Traditions DeerHunter Flintlock. Shot a buck at 85 yards and couldnt be happier! I do believe that if I would have been using round balls I would not have had such a good blood trail and wouldn't have recovered the deer. I would recommend these sabots to anybody."
Other than that I always loaded it up for plinking with .490 patched round balls, a .015 patch rubbed with Bore Butter, and various amounts of Pyrodex P starting at around 60 grains.
A long time ago I wrote some tips for loading muzzle loaders that have a drum like the Deer Hunter does.
There's short and long versions.
Only a few of the loading tips really matter.
One is to slap the side of gun with the drum pointed downwards after loading the powder and before ramming the ball, to help the powder flow into the drum.
Another is about placing the hammer on 1/2 cock before ramming the ball so that the whoosh of the air escaping out of the nipple hole will help the powder flow into the flash channel to help ignition.
The last is a recommendation to use 3F powder, Pyrodex P if using a substitute powder, so that the smaller granulation will more easily flow into the flash channel to promote more certain ignition.
1. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/replacement-nipple-trouble.415718/#post-5191328
2. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/muzzleloading-101.473761/#post-5893127
3. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/misfires.235211/#post-2865123
Something that I failed to mention in these threads is that if you dry ball by forgetting to load the powder charge before ramming the ball, to remove the nipple or clean out screw and then put some powder into the flash channel to be able to fire out the ball.
It's bound to happen eventually, so try to have a nipple wrench or screwdriver handy in case it happens.
Keep the threads of the clean out screw clean and lubed, to make sure that it doesn't rust in place because it's helpful for cleaning out the drum after shooting it for reliable ignition.
Don't over tighten the clean out screw.
Last edited:
arcticap
Member
If you don't want to shoot plastic sabots, these 240 grain Hornady .50 PA Conicals have received a lot of good reviews when used with side lock rifles. --->>> https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1002235363
Make sure to read the reviews and see the deer photos that some folks posted.
They will hit a deer harder than a round ball because they are slightly heavier.
Some folks load a wool wad underneath them.
One reviewer stated:
"These shoots great out of my Traditions Deer Hunter, I haven't shot a deer with them yet but I'm sure they are more effective than the traditional round ball. The only downfall about these vs the traditional patch and ball and other copper conicals are that they fowl ur barrel more due to the soft lead."
Whichever projectile that you end up hunting with, make sure that the 1st shot hits where you aim.
Make sure to read the reviews and see the deer photos that some folks posted.
They will hit a deer harder than a round ball because they are slightly heavier.
Some folks load a wool wad underneath them.
One reviewer stated:
"These shoots great out of my Traditions Deer Hunter, I haven't shot a deer with them yet but I'm sure they are more effective than the traditional round ball. The only downfall about these vs the traditional patch and ball and other copper conicals are that they fowl ur barrel more due to the soft lead."
Whichever projectile that you end up hunting with, make sure that the 1st shot hits where you aim.
Last edited:
Jackrabbit1957
Member
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65 to 70 grns powder, .018 patch, .490 round ball is good starting point, work towards accuracy load, once that load is found work to max power load. Pick the one that you like and stick with it. At the ranges you mentioned a round ball will most certainly do the job on deer.
Loyalist Dave
Member
I used 70 grains of 3Fg and a patched .490 ball, and when I went to a .54 I didn't up the powder, so I now use a .530 patched ball and 70 grains of 3Fg. Either load kills deer out to 100 yards with lung or shoulder shots.
LD
I've taken several deer with a DeerHunter .50. Anywhere from 60 to 75 grains of 3F black powder, a .490" ball and a .015" to .018" cotton ticking patch lubed with TOW mink oil, Hoppes BP Lube or even Crisco will take deer reliably. Whether or not 100 yards is a shot to take depends on your skill with the open sights, amount of practice and getting to know where it hits at 100. Good idea is to sight in at 2" to 3" high at 50 or 60 yds. That should keep you in the deer "kill zone" at 100.
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