Black Powder Question

PCShogun · Jul 29, 2012

An associate at work has decided he likes his girlfriend (who hates guns) more than he likes hunting. Something about tree hugging not being satisfactory for his love life. Anyway . . . He is giving me a Black Powder Inline .50 (sounded like a Traditions Evolution with polymer stock, although he swears it was a $400 rifle.I'm not gonna argue with him over a free rifle either.). Its has a 28 inch barrel is ported. I am picking it up this week.

He says it is not very accurate and shows very wide groups at 100 yards fired from a rest. He sent it back to the factory with one of his targets and a complaint, and they sent it back with a target showing a much nicer grouping on it and a comment that nothing was wrong with his rifle. He still cannot replicate the grouping. He has tried different sabot rounds with no satisfaction.He was going to get the ported end cut off to see if that was causing it, but instead he put it in the closet for 4 years and never touched it again. Now he is giving it to me to play with along with 6 lbs of FFg and about 200 sabot rounds

Anyone ever have trouble getting one of these to shoot straight with sabots? What should he be using?

Also, will Hoppes#9 work well on cleaning this thing? I've never had a BP rifle before so this is a training gun also.

Stan in SC · Aug 3, 2012

First off,a lot of people have problems with accuracy when using the sabot loads.Get some Powerbelt bullets and try them.
6 pounds of powder????You'll NEVER use it all up.
Cleaning is easy.Use HOT(almost boiling) soapy water mixed with some Dawn dishwashing detergent in the bore.With the soapy water in the bore(FULL) run patches in until they come out clean.Next you wipe the bore clean and then spray some WD-40 in there to displace any remaining water.Then run eight or so oiled patches down the bore.Two days later run a patch down the barrel as a precaution to see if there is any rust(brown) showing .If so run some more oiled patches down the barrel.Repeat in two more days.
These are great fun to shoot or hunt with.

Stan in SC

PCShogun · Aug 4, 2012

Thanks Stan, this is my first serious trip into the Black Powder world. Had an old dueling pistol a long time ago but never shot balls from it, just blanks.

Turns out the 6 pounds of FFg powder is really about 100 preformed Pyrodex pellets (50/50) and about 50 sabot rounds. I guess the whole bag weighed about 6 pounds.

More questions:
Downloaded the manual and read it through but still not sure about a few things.

When loading these pellets, do they just drop in? and when seating the round (ball or sabot) do I crush the pellet to ensure there is no air gap?

Do I patch Sabot rounds? Don't think so but figured to ask.

Looks like 2 pellets are required for these heavy sabot rounds (250 grain), and maybe one for the lead balls. That sound right?

I have some pyrodex powder that is loose but it is FFFg, not the FFg. Will this still work if I don't use a full load or should it be avoided at all costs due to the faster burn? Just wanting to use it up and I am only target shooting to get used to the loading and cleaning techniques.

Thanks for the help.

biganimal · Aug 4, 2012

DO NOT CRUSH PELLETS !!!

load no more than a 100 grains worth
black end down
push a conical bullet with a fiber wad on top of the pellets do not crush but leave no air gap
measure the ramrod so you know how far you have pushed the bullet down.

sabots do not work very well with pellets

no patch on sabots

PCShogun · Aug 4, 2012

Excellent,

That's what I need to know. The propellent block looked like it was hollow in the center and I was concerned about an air gap, but it sounds like that is how they are designed so I will not crush them.

I purchased 100 lead balls for target practice and will save the sabots till I get some loose powder. ATP only had FFFg which is for pistols, I understand. Since the balls are lighter than the sabots, (183 grain, .0495 diameter)I think a 50 grain pyrodex charge should be good to start at 100 yards.

Tigerstripe · Aug 4, 2012

50 grains of pyrodex isnt enough.

my first inline i must have shot a hundred round ball in one sitting. 80 or 90 grains is better.

for hunting with a 385 gr mini ball i use about 110 grs. you wont feel it.

personally i want a lot closer shot when hunting. sometimes its a longer distance to the ground than from the tree im in to the deer. right through the lungs, and you dont hit the meat. with that big a bullet when it comes out there is such a mess on the ground they never go far, if at all.

Stan in SC · Aug 5, 2012

I only shoot a sidelock and have no experience with in line rifles.I use both black powder and Pyrodex.I use FFFg which is a finer grain normally used in pistols.I find it gives more even ignition than FFg in a rifle.Mine is a .54 caliber T/C New Englander and I shoot 80 grains of powder under a round ball.
I've never had a deer run over 20 yards after getting hit with a muzzle loader.I started muzzle loader hunting in 1982 and I find it very satisfying.I hope you have the same experience.

Stan in SC

PCShogun · Aug 7, 2012

Thanks Stan, this is my first muzzle loaded rifle. Glad to hear I can use up this Pyrodex I've got in addition to the blocks. The blocks are much more expensive than loose powder. Funny, but I thought this would be much cheaper to shoot than a regular rifle. Doesn't appear to be the case. Still, these are some mean looking big rounds, especially the sabots.

I'll try a reduced 50 grain load first and work up to 80 grains to see how it hits at 100 yards. These balls are .495 so I hope they fit correctly. They had some .490 round ball but wanted a good fit without blocking the barrel (obviously).