Any other Muzzleloader hunters out there?

[Lured In]

For some this is THE method to hunt by, for others it is like rocket science. I have been hunting with a muzzleloader for the last 4 years and absolutely love it.

I wanted to hear what y'all thought about "front stuffers" and who has tried it.

If you haven't tried it and have questions fire away. I am not an expert but will try to answer them. Plus I am certain there are some lurking experts out there.

One of the greatest advantages to muzzleloaders is that, like bow hunting, you can get great hunts during peak times and they are hair tags. I have two primary hunts I put in for. The Cascade Muzzleloader Elk, usually the 2nd full week of November and the snow is flying. The other is the Applegate Muzzleloader deer which runs from the second week of Nov through the first weekend in Dec. Prime rut time. In both of these hunts we have a 100% success rate for our party getting into action. I have drawn at least one muzzleloader tag in each of the last 4 years.

This is definitely not for the equipment challenged. You have to keep you powder/cap dry and they are only consistenly lethal under 100 yards on elk and out to 150 on deer. The key here is that you have to have open sites. (peep sites are allowed). No sabots, open ignition, no fiber optic sites, no inlines and then you have to find you quarry.

Although I wouldn't equate the two, if you have been considering bow hunting, this might be a good transition from a centerfire rifle.

So let's hear it!

[Dogfish]

Howdy Lured,

My name is Andy, and I hunt with a muzzle loader. Sometimes.

To those who haven't tried it yet, read on.

I have taken three elk and three deer with a muzzle loader. The farthest shot I took was maybe about 35 yards. I like to get close. This year I got my elk with a slug, but had my muzzle loader in the truck. I had a special cow permit, modern tag, but could hunt Oct 1-31 in a firearms restriction zone.

I chose the muzzle loader (ML) as a way to hunt away from the crowds, During the early deer season in Washington I ran in to exactly two, count 'em, two other hunters on the road. None were in the woods. There are a fair number of elk hunters who use ML's but fewer folks go after deer with them.

Another nice thing is that in Washington you can hunt for both deer and elk in some units at the same time if you hold both ML tags. How many times have you rifle hunters seen deer during elk season, and elk during deer season?

I like the low pressure for tags. I have only applied for one particular hunt in eastern WA for HUGE trophy Mule Deer. Three years without a draw, but I now have a bunch of points, so next year I should get it.

Hunting with a ML has taken me away from hunting with some of my buds, but I still visit their camps. It gives me an opportunity to help them out, and to concentrate on grouse.

MLs are accurate, for those of you who doubt, and the effect of a 425-530 grain slug hitting a deer or elk is devistating within their effective range. Lured is correct about range, though. My friend shot a raghorn a few years back that had both a broadhead and a flattened ML conical bullet in him. That elk was known as "Pusspocket". Yuck!

The best part about hunting ML, other than no crowds, better opportunities for quality tags, and combo elk/deer hunts is that you get to hunt for a long time in the late season. This year, my late deer season will run from November 27th through December 15th in some units. That's about 20 days of hunting the rut.

The only bad thing about the ML season that I can think of is that they limit the opportunities to only a few units, but I am within 10 minutes driving time of three, and a fourth is only a half hour away. The good part about that, though, is that three areas with good deer populations are "any deer" without a special tag.

Give it a try. You might just like it.

Andy

[Snake9t9]

Hunting the "front stuffer" seasons for the first time this year. I've hads a blast so far. One thing though, fiber optic sights have been legalized in Washington. Just an FYI.

[ 10-25-2001: Message edited by: Snake9t9 ]

[Lured In]

Snake, let me clarify; I am an Oregonian trapped in WA. I only hunt big game in Oregon and that is regs down there.

I do find it interesting though that WA let's you have FO sites but you can't use battery powered duck decoys? [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Lured In]

Snake and Dogfish:

So what do you guys shoot? I have a Cabelas .54 Cal Hawken. I shoot patched round ball for deer and have tried 4 different conicals for elk. I can't seem to find a good conical that flies on the 1 in 48" twist of the Hawken. I have tried T/C Maxihunters, T/C Maxiballs, Hornady Great Plains and CVA Deer Slayers. Of the 4, i would have to say the CVA does the best out to 75 yards and then really starts to wander. I want to try the Buffalo Ballet, it is a round ball front end with a long body to the projectile like a conical. Have you guys tried these?

Just out of curiosity are you guys using Blackpowder or Pyrodex? How many grains and which round if you don't mind sharing?

(A little history note that I heard, the Hawken became so popular as it was the first to shoot both conicals and round ball reasonably accurately. I can't verify that, but the really old models have a 1 in 60" twist.)

[Dogfish]

Howdy Lured,

I shoot two rifles.

One is a CVA Hawken that I got for $150 and it is a tack driver. My first time to the range I fired three shots, and they were all touching at 75 yards, looked like a clover leaf. I have taken two elk with it, but no deer, yet. It likes the Deerslayer bullets.

My second rifle is a T/C Thunderhawk in-line in stainless steel, .54 caliber. This gun has taken one elk, and three deer. It prefers the Hornady Great Plains bullet, 425 grain HP solid base. With the peep, I can get consistant 2" groups at 100 yards.

Both rifles get loaded with 100 grains of Pyrodex RS.

The Hawken is my clear day rifle, and the Thunderhawk comes out when it rains.

I tried all of the bullets that you mentioned with the exception of "The Ball-et". Have never found them, but I did shoot a Buffalo Bullet to take my first elk. I switched from them because they were oversized for my guns and extremely difficult to start.

What's your favorite ML gadget? Mine is a speedloader called the "Mag Charger". You pre load charges of ball and powder into these plastic tubes that have little caps on the end, then insert them into a plunger type device. You shoot, then place the mag charger over the barrel, hit the plunger and your powder and ball are in your barrel about 3" down. Follow up with a good ram rod, decap, reprime, and shoot. I can usually get me second shot off in less 5 seconds. Best is 6 shots in a minute.

Andy

[Lured In]

I would have to say my favorite is the CO2 unloader. Instead of having to fire your gun to clear it or worse yet use a ball puller, simply attach the CO2 unloader and zap it blows round, patch, and powder out. The best part is you still have a clean gun. This is a real life saver in the field when you want to have fresh powder everyday or if you have gotten you powder wet and need to get the round out safely. I got mine out of Cabelas for about $25.

[Snake9t9]

I'm using pyrodex RS and CVA deer slayers in my CVA .50 rifle. It too has the 1 in 48 twist. I have found that anything more than 90 grains and my accuracy suffers quite a bit. So I load mine with 90 for Elk and 80 for deer. My 12 year old daughter is shooting 3" groups with this load. Kind of embarrasing, but she shoots tighter patterns than I do. Her grandpa seems to think that it is because she has no modern firearms exp. and I know I flinch when I pull the trigger on the front stuffer cause it doesn't react to the trigger as fast as a modern. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ...? I have also found that the primer has a good deal to do with the load pakage that will work for you as well. I started using the cci No. 11 primers but found that they aren't very reliable in wet weather and are not the hottest cap out there. The best I have found so far are german. They come in a raw metal tin and are labeled "Vorderlader-Zundhutchen" percussion caps for muzzle loaders. Ribbed. No. 1075. Around the outside of the tin is a label that says "SINOXID". These babies are hot and will fire when wet, when the load is wet, it doesn't seem to matter. I am positive that I am getting a faster ignition and my acc. semed to improve after switching to them...maybe due to more consistent ignition. Anyway, the only place I have found that caries them is Bob's in longview, and they sell out of them quick when hey get em'. The other thing that seems to work well is to shoot the lightest bullet you can. Once again I think that acc. and the increased speed are a big plus.