New to muzzleloading, need help

Hey Man · 12-11-2003, 07:36 PM

Hey guys, I've got some questions regarding muzzleloaders. My dad is going to apply for a tag next season and he has always rifle hunted and I archery hunt so we know little about muzzleloaders.

Questions: 1) What manufacturers are good ones; 2) Do any of them make an inline that is legal in Oregon; 3) What caliber would you suggest for both elk and deer; 4) Are there any advantages to conicals over round balls besides accuracy; 4) Any tips for preventing mis-fires; 5) Reccomended cleaning procedures; 6) Any other points of wisdom.

I'm asking a lot, any help at all will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

salmurai · 12-11-2003, 10:19 PM

Hey Man, I too am new to ml. I recently bought a Ruger ML. I believe it meets all the requirements. It seems to shoot well, although I haven't used open sights for a l-o-n-g time. It was new and I shot it four times and spent three days cleaning it! It is really clean now. It will be interesting what the experienced guys have to say.....

Radke · 12-12-2003, 07:50 AM

I believe most in-lines are legal in Oregon, providing they do not have certain characteristics.

1. The ingition source (usually cap or flint) must be visiable, or otherwise open to the weather. In other words, they cannot be shielded from the weather by some fixed permanent part of the gun. If they shoot a cap, I think the only one legal is a #11.
2. They cannot have fiber optical sites, or any magnifying scope. In other words, must be open iron sites or a peep site.
3. Minimum caliber is .45 for deer and .50 for elk.

4. There are also regulations about what you cannot use such as pyrodex pellets or sabot's, but that isn't really related to the gun.

All this stuff is written in the regs, you really need to get a copy and read them. Most gun manufactures sell guns with the above mentioned items as standard, but you can order the gun with 'Oregon' legal elements.

The big advantage of a conical is bullet weight. More weight, more wallop when it hits.

I have heard, but do not have first hand knowledge, is that the bigger the cal. the less accuracy you may experience. I have a .50 & .54 guns, they are both pretty accurate, but won't match a centerfire.

Wreckless · 12-12-2003, 08:18 AM

Hey Man:

If you can afford it I would HIGHLY recommend a Knight. They have high quality barrels and a great fool proof safety. The MK - 85 is legal in Oregon. I'm not sure about the "Extremes".
A 50 cal. will do it all in my opinion, they shoot everything from a round ball to a 460 grain conical. They shoot sabots well but, as mentioned, they aren't legal in Oregon, during "muzzleloader only hunts", I believe they are legal during general season, but don't quote me.

I'm off to prep for my Muzzleloader Elk hunt that opens this weekend. Don't hesitate to ask more Q's..it'll keep you from making mistakes and buying things you don't need.

Radke · 12-12-2003, 08:31 AM

I would tend to agree with Wreckless. I have a knight MK-85 that my wife uses for elk. It does shoot well, the manufacture gives you all the instructions you need for cleaning. The breech plug can sometimes be difficult to remove after firing a dozen or more rounds through it. As far as miss-fires, there are a few procedures they mention that helps a lot. One, keep the gun clean. Before you load it for the first time after cleaning it, shoot a couple caps through it (no powder or slug), that will clear the shooting channel. Beyond that, just try to keep rain out of the barrel. My wife and I carried her gun for 5 days in rain & snow, and it still fired with no hesitation on the same load I loaded before the hunt started.

Hey Wreckless, make sure you post a story when you get back, are you hunting the Track unit?

Wreckless · 12-12-2003, 09:08 AM

Yup. NE Trask 214m.

We've been scouting and finding a lot of places NOT to go

, but we'll be out there!! One of my 2 hunting partners is out looking around as we speak....er.... type!

I have had VERY little trouble with miss-fires with my Knight, I put a piece of black tape over the breech in the rain and it goes BOOM every time!! Yes, this is legal..I asked a stater while being checked.

I'll keep ya posted!

GET THE PACK BOARD!!!

Steelie King · 12-12-2003, 09:38 AM

Well, I'll try to give you some help. I've been hunting with a "smoker" for about 5 years now and love it.

Kanke, is the muzzle loader I would recomend. It's a hard one to find, but is very simple to clean and to opperate. It has a hammer just like a single shot shootgun. One down side is the cost, but very accurate. It is legal in Oregon and uses ether #11 caps or musket caps. Yes, musket caps are legal in Oregon and provide more flame to you powder. More flame = faster powder ignition = better accuracy = more meat int the freezer =

.

I would buy a .50 cal for both elk and deer. You can find bullets up to 500 grains and load them up with 150 grains of powder. Thats enough to knock down the biggest elk in the woods. I'll tell you that if you load a 500 grain bullet and put a 150 grain charge behind it you had better add glue to your hair piece.

I,ve found that with most of the in-lines now days have a 1 in 26 twist to the barrel. You can shoot round balls with that twist but I have found that they dont pattern very well. For hunting I use a conical. For varmits or yotes I'll use a round ball. Cheaper!!

Misfires are something that I am not an expert on. The only thing I can tell you is to "keep your powder dry" and dont leave your gun loaded for more than a week. Also use a hot cap.

If you use the triple seven powder your cleaning should be a snap. I use a wet patch if I am going to load my gun again. If the season is over and the "smoker" is being put to rest for the season then use a hot water and soap combo, or your standared cleaning solvent avalible and any sporting goods store. Remember to put a small dab of gun oil on a patch and run it threw your barrel the before you put it away.

Good luck and enjoy!!

Wreckless · 12-12-2003, 02:07 PM

I'll tell you that if you load a 500 grain bullet and put a 150 grain charge behind it you had better add glue to your hair piece.

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Good one AND good call on "hot" caps. I've alwats used RWS #11 caps and have had VERY little trouble!

I'd better get home and load up!