Snidely70431
Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2018
- Messages
- 420
I am a target shooter. I do not hunt. I like muzzleloaders for the ritual of capping, loading the powder, seating the projectile, taking a shooting position, sighting, and firing. If I fire a dozen rounds in an hour it is a lot.
I have several muzzleloaders, but the two I prefer are my CVA Optima V2 .50 stainless and CVA Optima Pro Magnum .50. They are not traditional, not particularly attractive, but infinitely less hassle than sidelock traditionals. Have a misfire? Unscrew the breechblock, dump the propellant, and push the projectile out. End of problem. Fouling? Unscrew the breechblock and run a brush through the bore and you are good to go. Of course, if you LIKE dealing with bullet pullers and immersing your disassembled barrel in hot water....
The Optima V2 and the Pro Magnum are rated at 150 grains of black powder, and it is recommended to not use a load of less than 50 grains lest a saboted projectile not seat in the lands properly. I wonder if the makers of these firearms took into consideration that 150 grains is more than twice the propellant load of the 45-70 Government, a round that will take any North American game, and was regularly used on 1,000 yard targets. Our local range, the Honey Island Shooting Range, only has targets out to 100 yards.
Being something of an iconoclast, and cheap into the bargain, I have been playing around with shooting a patched .490 round backed by 25 to 35 grains of BP substitute, Pyrodex or 777. .490 round balls cost $.12 to $.15 each. 209 primers cost $.03 to $.04 each. BP substitutes run $.10 to $.15 for a 35 grain load. Worst case, $.35 per round. Say you are loading and shooting rapidly and get 30 rounds out in an hour. That hour of shooting costs you about the same as a person shooting a 5.56/.223 a single 20-round magazine.
I was just wondering if anyone reading this thread has been playing around with minimalist muzzleloading loads, and what your experience has been.
I have several muzzleloaders, but the two I prefer are my CVA Optima V2 .50 stainless and CVA Optima Pro Magnum .50. They are not traditional, not particularly attractive, but infinitely less hassle than sidelock traditionals. Have a misfire? Unscrew the breechblock, dump the propellant, and push the projectile out. End of problem. Fouling? Unscrew the breechblock and run a brush through the bore and you are good to go. Of course, if you LIKE dealing with bullet pullers and immersing your disassembled barrel in hot water....
The Optima V2 and the Pro Magnum are rated at 150 grains of black powder, and it is recommended to not use a load of less than 50 grains lest a saboted projectile not seat in the lands properly. I wonder if the makers of these firearms took into consideration that 150 grains is more than twice the propellant load of the 45-70 Government, a round that will take any North American game, and was regularly used on 1,000 yard targets. Our local range, the Honey Island Shooting Range, only has targets out to 100 yards.
Being something of an iconoclast, and cheap into the bargain, I have been playing around with shooting a patched .490 round backed by 25 to 35 grains of BP substitute, Pyrodex or 777. .490 round balls cost $.12 to $.15 each. 209 primers cost $.03 to $.04 each. BP substitutes run $.10 to $.15 for a 35 grain load. Worst case, $.35 per round. Say you are loading and shooting rapidly and get 30 rounds out in an hour. That hour of shooting costs you about the same as a person shooting a 5.56/.223 a single 20-round magazine.
I was just wondering if anyone reading this thread has been playing around with minimalist muzzleloading loads, and what your experience has been.