New to Muzzleloading and Would Like Some Suggestions.

[catsandman]

I am new to muzzleloading and would like some help with my setup. I will be shooting a TC Omega (blued barrel) and have pretty much decided on Triple Se7en and TC Shockwave Bullets, but I could use some help on other things as well as some basics.

(1) Regarding Triple Se7en, Pellets or Powder?
(2) What kind of cap would you suggest?
(3) Do you really need a muzzleloading scope or would a scope such as a Nikon Prostaff be fine?
(4) What accessories will I need?
(5) What kind of cleaning products/methods should I use?

I realize this is a lot, so if you don't want to answer all of the question, no problem. Any help would be much appreciated.

[lemoyne]

First off if you are going to use 777 then plan on cleaning the barrel every shot it is necessary if you get what we call crud ring and the majority do. Even if you did not get much crud ring it is necessary to at least swab every shot. Pellets are not only overly expensive they do not let you tune your gun for max accuracy, I suggest loose is best.
I have used Win. 209 for reloading and STS Rem. for reloading I like both and it seems to me like the differance between them is minimal.The best cleaning fluid in my humble opinion is a 50/50 mix of windshield washer and alcohol, this is good for black and all subs except the best one which is Blackhorn 209, Blackhorn has what some people consider one draw back, it is almost as expensive per shot [if you don't find a deal] as 777 pellets.
Accessories, Ramrod that comes with the gun + the T handle short starter that you can screw into the ramrod to make a temporary range rod the jags that come with the gun to start and cleaning patches [ I buy flannel material for sheets at Walmart and make my own. you also will want the little two pronged patch puller so you don't have to go to the trouble of pulling the breach plug if you loose a patch down the bore [it happens to all of us]
While this will get you by to start with there are a few things like a range rod and some sabots of different thickness some extra jags and a shooting box to carry your stuff in some targets that you like but a lot of this can wait till you get started and learn to pick out the class and quality of accessories you want. How much shooting you end up doing will affect that to. Lee

[Palehorse]

(3) The Nikon Prostaff and Nikon Team Realtree scopes (same scopes, different exterior finish) are excellent values. Their adjustments aren't the most repeatable, but they hold zero, do not fog or come apart inside, and their glass is decent for the price. I do not care for the BDC reticle though; seems to clutter for field of view for me.

[SWThomas]

A ProStaff scope will be fine. I had one on my old Remington Genesis and liked it. But the coolest thing IMO about a muzzleloader scope is the added eye relief. The Nikon Omega I have on my Encore Endeavor had a lot of eye relief. 5" I think. My face is nowhere near the scope when I pull the trigger. This is great for heavy recoiling weapons like our muzzleloaders.

As far as accessories... What I have found is that you can't just go out and buy it all at one time. You will accumulate your favorite and most useful accessories over time. I would just get the basic cleaning stuff now and then as time goes by you will acquire more and more stuff.

[Powerfisher]

Welcom to the hobby.........er...I mean obsession of Muzzle Loading. I have a T/C Omega and I have only been into BP since Dec. "08"and I have learned a lot from the folks here. The first thing I learned is not to pre set your expectations. I went the pellet rout, then BH209, T7 FFFg, T7 FFg, Pyrodex. I have put more rounds through my ML in 6 months than some do in 6 years. This does not make me an expert my any means. There are folks here that really know their stuff and some posers but I learn from all of them. The only true teacher is experience. Shoot, shoot, shoot. I have found that what is good in my T/C Omega may not work in others. This I can offer. IMHO, BH209 is the best BP sub out there. It is expencive but once you go through a few 10oz containers you will see why. Its hot, swabbing after every shot isnt necessary, consistant velocity and repels moisture. Get on the BH209 website and check it out. I did not like the pellets cuz they absorb moisture rapidly and they will break or crush sometimes during the seating of your bullet. As mentioned above, pellets are over priced and you can not fine tune your load. T7, Pyrodex and other forms of BP burn cleaner than others, they smell different and have a different burn rate. I have not tried true BP. I use T7 FFg for the range and will use BH209 for hunting purposes. Just my own system I came up with that works for me and my rifle. T/C Shockwaves and Hornady SSTs are very simular and accurate bullets. There are a lot of different opinions out there but again, this is a decision you should make by trying them and not listening to others. I prefer the Barnes 290gr. TMZ for hunting but too expencive for paper punching. So I am looking for a inexpencive alternative for the range. S/Ws and SSTs are not cheap but the inexpencive bullets are not as accurate. I have been casting my own but have yet to find the right combination of bullet, powder and sabot to give me consistant groups. There are a lot of tricks or short cuts to make things easier on BP shooters. I like to swab with windex and water, some like other things but you dont have to buy the name brand cleaners and fouling removers that the manufacturers recomend. Same thing with bore butter, breech plug greese, cleaning procedures and so on. Read all the threads, ask questions and you too will understand that its not just dropping some pellets down a barrel and shoving a bullet on top of them. Its not rocket science but it is bullet science. Have fun.