Knight Ultralight .45

[thomis]

I cut my muzzleloading teeth on a TC Patriot .50 cal flinter firing Speer round balls. I grew up shooting this with my Dad and have killed several deer with it. For want of something cleaner and more modern, my son and I went in on a new Knight in .45. I feel like I'm learning it wackbards but here are my questions:
I'm looking at 200 grain Hornady SST "low drag" bullets. They come in a 20 pack for ~$18. These appear to have an optional plastic skirt piece, is this optional? If I don't use the plastic piece, do I use a patch and bore butter like in my flinter?
If I use the plastic piece do I need the patch and/ or bore butter?
I'm also looking at Hodgdon Triple Seven FFFg Black Powder Substitute. It's the 'substitute' that's throwing me off. Substitute for what?
I use Hodgdon for a multitude of my reloading needs so I trust the brand.
The data I am seeing for this powder on Hodgdon's website appears to be a starting load of 80 grains and max load of 100 for a 200 grain "Parker Hydra Con" bullet. But I don't know if this "Hydra Con" uses the plastic piece or not?
And what calamity should I expect if I try 70 grains first? Just to be extra sure the combo is safe?

Thanks in advance for straightening me out.

​

 

[Acorn Mush]

Sorry I can't help you regarding your questions about bullets but Triple 7, Pyrodex, American Pioneer Powder, etc. are substitutes for real black powder. That is all the word "substitute" means.
Good luck in your quest for bullet info. Somebody will be along to help you out.

 

[windini]

The plastic piece is a sabot, kinda like a wad for a shot shell. The projectile "nests" inside it and engages the rifling in the barrel. Consequently, the projectile is undersized relative to the bore, so the plastic sabot is NOT optional.

I suppose you could use a patch, but it would have to be as thick as the plastic or the bullet would wobble its way down the barrel and head off to parts unknown!

You can buy sabots by themselves for other, more traditional muzzleloaders as well (though traditionalists will smite you with disdain!!); they are often color coded and sized specifically. I think I have some blue sabots that accommodate a .45cal projectile in a .50 cal rifle, for example, .45 sabots for .357/.38 bullets are also available.

The plastic is slick enough that you don't need lube. In fact, those "sets" - bullet in sabot - are designed to be used as is.

I recall reading that Triple 7 is about 10% more powerful than real black powder, so you might keep that in mind while you're working up a load. Pyrodex gets a lotta hate; some say it makes a lot of fouling or much harder fouling, but I don't shoot it often enough to have formed an opinion. I alsoe hear it is harder to ignite, so it doesn't work too well in flintlocks (needs heat of a cap, they say).

I don't care for the pellets, simply because they take away the fine-tuning possibilty of load development. One is limited to 50 grains, 100 grains, or perhaps 150 grains: only multiples of the pellet size. Sometimes I might want a 70 grain load... That said, they work.

Happy shooting!

 

[woodnbow]

I cut my muzzleloading teeth on a TC Patriot .50 cal flinter firing Speer round balls. I grew up shooting this with my Dad and have killed several deer with it. For want of something cleaner and more modern, my son and I went in on a new Knight in .45. I feel like I'm learning it wackbards but here are my questions:
I'm looking at 200 grain Hornady SST "low drag" bullets. They come in a 20 pack for ~$18. These appear to have an optional plastic skirt piece, is this optional? If I don't use the plastic piece, do I use a patch and bore butter like in my flinter?
If I use the plastic piece do I need the patch and/ or bore butter?
I'm also looking at Hodgdon Triple Seven FFFg Black Powder Substitute. It's the 'substitute' that's throwing me off. Substitute for what?
I use Hodgdon for a multitude of my reloading needs so I trust the brand.
The data I am seeing for this powder on Hodgdon's website appears to be a starting load of 80 grains and max load of 100 for a 200 grain "Parker Hydra Con" bullet. But I don't know if this "Hydra Con" uses the plastic piece or not?
And what calamity should I expect if I try 70 grains first? Just to be extra sure the combo is safe?

Thanks in advance for straightening me out.

​

You’re going to be fine with 70 grains… also, the often given advice to reduce T7 charges by 10%, or 15%, or some other number plucked from the aether, is well intentioned but not really applicable. If you want to equal Black Powder ballistics it might apply. Otherwise just use the Hornady load data and work up your most accurate load.