What are some good muzzleloader bullets for hunting?

[rifleman30/0627]

I am new to muzzleloaders. I just got a cva wolf 50 cal muzzleloader I have it set up to use pelletized powder. I'm looking to do some whitetail hunting with it this season. I want to know what are some good bullets I can get for a reasonable price that will leave a blood trail if I need them to?

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I found some traditions smackdown xr's I'm thinking about trying. Has anyone used them before?

 

[StrawHat]

While I am not familiar with the CVA rifle, I have hunted a lot with muzzleloaders, everything from a 32 Flintlock to a 69 caliber Charleville. For me, with my rifles. The patched round ball reigns supremme

Kevin

 

[red rick]

I like the Barnes Spit Fire , blue for a tight barrel , or yellow and Hornady SST sabots . I shot a nice buck with the SST and it looked like a water hose had busted the blood trail that he left .

 

[hawg]

While I am not familiar with the CVA rifle, I have hunted a lot with muzzleloaders, everything from a 32 Flintlock to a 69 caliber Charleville. For me, with my rifles. The patched round ball reigns supremme

Kevin

Yeah but they're not going to work with an inline twist. You know that.

 

[StrawHat]

Yeah but they're not going to work with an inline twist. You know that.

Hawg,

Interesting, I had no idea it was an in-line. As I said, not familiar with CVA.

Kevin

 

[wild willy]

The Hornady 300 gr XTP regular not the magnum either.44 or .45 works very well.

 

[Lefty38-55]

Another vote for patched roundball ...

FWIW my older brother (who has taken 87 deer so far with rifled slugs from a shotgun) could not believe the blood trail from the RB fired from my 54-cal flint Longrifle. But ... to each their own.

 

[HB]

The OP’s gun is not a side lock and is designed to shoot saboted bullets.

I would recommend starting with any form of the saboted XTP. If those do not shoot well, try a different brand or style. Most muzzle loader “house brands” use an XTP in a different color sabot but are basically the same.

I imagine you will find acceptable accuracy with 2 pellets and a sabot. If you don’t, buy a powder measure and a pound of loose powder and start at 80 gr and work your way up to 110. You will find something that is accurate enough to be usable inside the sub 150 yard effective range of your rifle. My experience is that any modern muzzle loading projectile will hammer a deer. Try not to shoot them head on. I lost too much meat on a buck with that angle shot.

The CVA Wolf is likely the most produced and widely adopted front loader since the 1861 Springfield.

 

[rifleman30/0627]

The cva wolf is an inline muzzleloader with a rifled barrel for those who don't know

 

[JmacD]

I’ve been running the bore driver FTX. By George! That thing will poke a hole in a deer!

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I’ve been running the bore driver FTX. By George! That thing will poke a hole in a deer!

I've been looking at those also. How's the blood trail on those?

 

[JmacD]

I've been looking at those also. How's the blood trail on those?

I don’t really know, because it was laying/lying on top of the tracks it was standing in.

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I don’t really know, because it was laying/lying on top of the tracks it was standing in.

I'll have to check them out I'm just not looking to go outrageous on prices

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I like the Barnes Spit Fire , blue for a tight barrel , or yellow and Hornady SST sabots . I shot a nice buck with the SST and it looked like a water hose had busted the blood trail that he left .

Are those Hornady bore drives or regular sst?

 

[JmacD]

I'll have to check them out I'm just not looking to go outrageous on prices

I tried running the regular SST’s as well, but being a sabot instead of the “power belt“ style of the board driver, cleaning was a pain! I’m running Blackhorn 209, and just to see if I could do it, I ran 14 rounds through mine before I cleaned it. No loss of accuracy. Or velocity. That is not! My normal routine!

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I think I'm going to go with the bore drivers. Thanks for all the good info I really appreciate it.

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I tried running the regular SST’s as well, but being a sabot instead of the “power belt“ style of the board driver, cleaning was a pain! I’m running Blackhorn 209, and just to see if I could do it, I ran 14 rounds through mine before I cleaned it. No loss of accuracy. Or velocity. That is not! My normal routine!

What grain bore driver do you use?

 

[JmacD]

What grain bore driver do you use?

I used the 290s/ftx in the wolf/traditions equivalent. I run the 340/eld-x in my CVA LR-X.

 

[red rick]

Are those Hornady bore drives or regular sst?

Regular SST .

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I used the 290s/ftx in the wolf/traditions equivalent. I run the 340/eld-x in my CVA LR-X.

I was looking at the 290 grain, do you order offline?

 

[rifleman30/0627]

Regular SST .

I'll check those out also, what grain do you use?

 

[red rick]

I was using 250 , but I also want to try the 300 . I have them , but I just haven’t tried them yet for accuracy . I have never shot a deer further than 50 yards , so it probably makes little difference .

 

[.308 Norma]

Another vote for patched roundball ...

And another vote here for the patched roundball. While I've never killed a whitetail, in my younger years, I took several mule deer with patched roundballs from my 50 caliber Hawkin and never found them (patched roundballs) lacking.
I'd "step up" to greased mini balls in my 50 caliber Hawkin for elk hunting. Not that it made any difference - because I never did get a shot at an elk during muzzle loader (primitive weapons) season.

 

[rifleman30/0627]

I was using 250 , but I also want to try the 300 . I have them , but I just haven’t tried them yet for accuracy . I have never shot a deer further than 50 yards , so it probably makes little difference .

Ill probably give them a try. I'm just so new and all this stuff is overwhelming me.